On January 26, Bucyrus High School and the community lost an icon.
Phil Joseph passed away at 77 following a recent illness.
Those who knew coach Joseph recognized his total commitment to BHS. While he was primarily deeply involved in the basketball program, he had at times been an assistant coach for football and softball as well.
Joseph came to Bucyrus in the fall of 1980 as the head coach of the basketball program and stayed through five seasons. His 36-71 record may not seem like much, but to put it in perspective, he won more games in his tenure than the Redmen had won the nine years prior to his arrival combined.
Most coaches would have been looking for greener pastures. After all, Joseph’s ability as a coach was proven. After stints as an assistant coach at Maysville and Galion, he got the head job at Utica. After two years there, he moved on to Newark Catholic.
Coach Joseph remained in Newark for six years, winning six league titles and making one Sweet 16 appearance. At Bucyrus, he had one winning season (12-9) and a 9-13 record his final year which included a tournament win, a rarity at Bucyrus. Of note, the Redmen were in the Northern Ohio League then, which included perennial state-ranked teams in Willard and Bellevue.
Despite his limited success and generally that of his successors for years to come, Joseph stayed the course. He was on the staff of 12 subsequent Bucyrus mentors — Larry Shutler, Don Spinell, Bruce Brown, Don Cooper, Dave Hirschy, Kevin Kimmel, Todd Martin, Mark McQuown, Nate Hill, Tony Rose, Justin Mattix, and Barry Egan.
Even after “retirement,” he consulted for Scott Gifford and current coach Brian Hargis. If that isn’t commitment, I’m not sure what is. In that time, his day in the sun was when Martin’s 2002-03 team shared the North Central Conference title.
But Phil Joseph was not about chasing wins. He once told me he never considered leaving Bucyrus for another coaching job. His satisfaction came in helping his players improve and have personal success.
His only coaching regret was not getting Bucyrus boys a sectional title. He did, however, get to see Malachi Bayless become, in 2024, the first boys 1,000-point scorer in school history.
Joseph had a stellar high school career at Zanesville Rosecrans and went on to play college basketball at Rio Grande. His Rio Grande idol was the legendary Bevo Francis, a prolific scorer who preceded Joseph by a decade at the southeastern Ohio school.
Though he always loved his hometown of Zanesville and was a proud Rosecrans alum, once he arrived here, Phil became a true Bucyrian. While he was initially exposed to Crawford County when he coached at Galion — and where he met the love of his life, Pat — the two of them made Bucyrus their home.
The crowning result of his dedication to BHS came just a year ago, when the administration named the court at Alex Kish Memorial Gymnasium Phil A. Joseph Court. Mr. Kish would no doubt be honored to share the recognition since their careers at Bucyrus had many parallels. Joseph was likewise proud to share it with fellow icon Kish.
He had several other honors bestowed on him. He was recognized by the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association for 100 wins. He received the Bob Arnzen Award for coaching 20 years, the Mac Morrison Award, and the Respect the Game Award.
Coach Joseph is part of the 2025 class of the Crawford County Sports Hall of Fame. CCSHOF president Dane Kennedy presented him his plaque one day before his passing. Joseph will be officially inducted at the ceremony in April.
Phil is survived by his wife, Pat, son Phil and his wife Kerri, and daughter Melissa and husband Daren Reichenbach, along with four grandchildren. Visitation is Sunday, February 2, from 2-5 at Wise Funeral Home and a funeral mass will be held at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Galion on Monday.
The family will be left to mourn his loss but will cherish his legacy in the days and months to come. The many students, players, and colleagues he touched during his 32 years of teaching and over 40 years of coaching at Bucyrus will do the same.
I will personally miss our regular Saturday morning telephone conversations after another tough loss the night before. Or celebrating those nuggets when the Redmen won.
I won’t be alone in missing him at sporting events, at football games running the clock, at baseball games making the treacherous climb into the press box, and in recent years, on a folding chair at the east end of the gym for volleyball and basketball games.
Regardless of outcomes, he could always find that light at the end of the tunnel. He was the eternal Bucyrus optimist.
A void will definitely be left in the Bucyrus community and in basketball gymnasiums in general. But one thing is absolutely certain, he will never be forgotten.
Every time I enter Alex Kish Memorial, the name Phil A. Joseph will be displayed prominently on the gym floor as a reminder to me and others. And that honor is well deserved.
We’ll miss you, Phil.