Link to book

ST. AUGUSTINE – After his final game as the Flagler College head men's basketball coach, on Feb. 22, 2017, Bo Clark knew he had time to fill as he went into retirement.

Then he thought, "I think every son or daughter should write a book about their mother or father." That was exactly what he did for about two years.

His father, Eugene "Torchy" Clark, lived a humble life as a high school and college basketball coach. The book, aptly named Torchy: The Humble Life of a Coaching Legend, traces his steps from small town life in Wisconsin to his days building the program at the University of Central Florida. The final chapters detail his post-coaching life to his death.

"There are a lot of things you discover, through writing a book, that you did not know and that makes you appreciate your mom or dad even more," said Bo. "You are really thankful for what they did for you in your life. I really wanted to share his story."

Bo used a lot of his father's notes from an unfinished manuscript and anecdotes from longtime friends and family members. Those helped construct many of the early years when Torchy was the head football and basketball coach at Xavier High School in Appleton, Wisconsin.

The book features 37 chapters. That number, coincidentally, is the same uniform number Torchy wore when he played basketball at Marquette University. The foreword was written by former Pittsburgh Steelers legend, Rocky Bleier, who also played football and basketball for Torchy at Xavier High.

Later, Torchy made the move to Florida to start the men's basketball program and teach at UCF. At the time, it was a member of NCAA Division II and he coached his two sons, Mike and Bo, during his tenure.

The thread that is woven throughout the book is the importance of family. In Chapter 22, Bo wrote about the importance of the family, and Torchy as a father.

"For him family came first," said Bo. "We were able to tag along and watch some of the practices (at Xavier High) and shoot baskets on the side or throw the football around."

After he retired from coaching in 1983, Torchy stayed on as a faculty member at UCF for another 20 years.

"He touched so many lives over the course of his life as an educator and a coach," said Bo. "His classes were in demand as they often had waiting lists to get into the class. A lot of the students were interested in the stories, but they were also touched by Torchy's sincerity." 
   
As much as the book chronicles the life of Torchy, it reminds us of a couple things that we all should hold dear – family and being humble.