Coach K's brother, Bill Krzyzewski (1942-2013)

[dball]

Waited to post this as I couldn't find the link.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/chicagotribune/obituary.aspx?n=william-krzyzewski&pid=168840618&fhid=2054

Appears Coach K's brother Bill Krzyzewski passed away the day after Christmas. Condolences to the family.

[summerwind03]

I had heard this. Such difficult news for Coach K. I know they were very close. Condolences to the entire family.

[SoCalDukeFan]

Condolences to the family as well.

[Merlindevildog91]

Prayers for the family. It is sad to lose a relative at Christmas.

[Troublemaker]

Prayers and condolences.

By all accounts, Bill Krzyzewski was a terrific man.

[CatDevil]

Terrible news during the holiday season. My condolences to the entire family.
Thank you for sharing the obituary.

[DevilWearsPrada]

Thoughts and Prayers for the entire Family. Thanks for sharing the obituary.

[-bdbd]

Very sad news. My condolences to the entire Krzyzewski family. He was too young to go.

[jv001]

My thoughts and prayers to Coach K and family. May God give you strength through the coming days.

[weezie]

Condolences to his family and to Coach K.

[Zafort]

Condolences to his family and to Coach K.

Our condolences to you and your family. Your brother was an certainly an inspiration for a man who has inspired so many others.

Steve and Linda Brown

[zoober]

I was very sorry to learn Bill K passed. My deepest sympathy to Coach and his family.

[devil84]

I'm so sorry to hear of Bill's passing. He was such a loving, caring man. His wife, Pat, is a lovely, lively lady. I remember them and their children, Cherisse and Lynette, when they'd bring their girls to the summer camps and visit with Mike and Micki and their girls.

Bill was the kind of guy who was easy to talk to and would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. I remember him being a very large man (an amazing feat, considering I only ever saw him around basketball players!), and it was because he needed a body large enough to contain his heart and work ethic.

As I was poking around the Internet, I found this video (http://www.goduke.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?id=814189&db_oem_id=4200) of Bill congratulating his brother on win 903. I think Coach would say the exact same thing about Bill. I'm proud to have known Bill. He will be missed.

My condolences to Pat and family, and to Coach K and his family.

[Reilly]

... As I was poking around the Internet, I found this video (http://www.goduke.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?id=814189&db_oem_id=4200) of Bill congratulating his brother on win 903. ....

Isn't there a video out there of K talking about how his brother was his protector growing up? Maybe his HOF induction speech? And of course, there is a Captain Award at the b'all banquet named after K's brother (similarly, Cut named a football 'spirit' award after his mom, Frances). RIP to a large man, in every sense of the words, and condolences to his loved ones.

[roywhite]

Very sad news for Coach K and the entire family. Brother Bill seemed like a fine man.

With a visitation today (Jan. 2), funeral on Jan. 3, and ND game at South Bend on Jan. 4, it will be quite an emotional weekend for our coach.

[CathyCA]

Grant him eternal rest, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon your servant, Bill.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I am sorry to hear about this. I cannot imagine losing a brother. My condolences to the entire Krzyzewski family.

[devildeac]

My brother died Christmas Day, 2012, so I know this sad, empty feeling painfully well. Not a day goes by that I don't have some warm/fond/pleasant/funny memory of him. Heartfelt prayers/condolences/sympathy to all the Krzyzewski family. Sounds like he will be missed tremendously.

[Indoor66]

My prayers to the family. Maybe this song can bring solace. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtEDzY9RSgk)

[Orange&BlackSheep]

Bill clearly knew how much he was loved by his family. There should be no regrets that he left too soon without hearing that. Condolences to all who knew and loved him.

O&B Sheep

[davekay1971]

Condolences to Coach K and his family. Everyone who follows the program closely knows the special relationship Coach K had with his older brother, and the way he looked up to him. My family's prayers will be with him and his family.

[Mike Corey]

In October 2003, Coach and Mickie Krzyzewski made a $1 million gift to the Duke Basketball Legacy Fund in honor of Coach's brother, a man who in 38 years of service at the Chicago Fire Department never missed a day of work. Not one.

The gift fully endows a men's basketball captain's scholarship every year.

At the time of the gift, Coach K said the following:


I have always looked up to my brother as a great leader of men and women. What he has done as a captain in the Chicago Fire Department is truly inspirational. I would hope that every Duke Basketball captain in the future that holds this scholarship would try to uphold those same standards of dedication and honor.

In Coach's book, Beyond Basketball, he wrote that Bill was the "Iron Man of our family." With apologies to the mods and to Coach K for excerpting to extensively from his book, I wanted to share this passage about Coach's relationship with his brother:


Whenever I would go to the firehouse for a visit, some of Bill's men would take me aside and tell me how lucky I am that he is my brother. "He is always there for us," they would say. "We would follow him anywhere."

Bill is three and a half years older than I am and we didn't really run in the same circles growing up. Our interests and talents were different and so were our friends, but we were always brothers. I could always count on that. If there was a problem, Bill would take care of it. He would handle it in the best possible fashion and he would never, ever say, "You owe me." He didn't do it because he wanted anything in return, he did it because he was my older brother and he loved me, and that is what older brothers are supposed to do. We all need heroes. My older brother is my hero.

Dependability is not only about being there physically, but being there at your best. It is about loyalty and commitment, about being someone on whom your teammates can count. You don't have to have a master's degree to teach dependability; you teach it by example. I learned it from Bill.

I have often told my brother, "I could never be as good a brother to you as you have been to me. You are the guy I have counted on and looked up to for my whole life."

My greatest honor is when my hero, my Iron Man, looks back at me and tells me, "I love who you've become." Knowing that my brother was always there for me has helped me immensely. I tell Bill, "I love who we have become." All this would not have happened unless Bill was there.

[Dukeblue91]

My prayers and sincere condolences to the entire Krzyzewski family.

[ricks68]

In October 2003, Coach and Mickie Krzyzewski made a $1 million gift to the Duke Basketball Legacy Fund in honor of Coach's brother, a man who in 38 years of service at the Chicago Fire Department never missed a day of work. Not one.

The gift fully endows a men's basketball captain's scholarship every year.

At the time of the gift, Coach K said the following:



In Coach's book, Beyond Basketball, he wrote that Bill was the "Iron Man of our family." With apologies to the mods and to Coach K for excerpting to extensively from his book, I wanted to share this passage about Coach's relationship with his brother:

Quite a tribute. What a tremendous loss for so many people. My sincerest condolences to all.

ricks