Billy Hoeppel was a speedy guard on the Syracuse basketball team for two years. He was also on the Syracuse baseball team, lettering in 1943.

Hoeppel would play in half the games his sophomore season, on a team with a starting lineup of upperclassmen. He would start a handful of games his junior year. The Syracuse basketball program was suspended his senior year, so he did not play. He would graduate from Syracuse in 1944.

After graduation, Hoeppel would join the U.S. Navy in World War II. He would play for the Sampson Naval base basketball team, and serve in the Navy for two years.

Following the war, Hoeppel played basketball in the New York State Basketball league for the Mohawk Redskins in the 1946-1947 season. He then became a coach, physical education teacher and athletic director for the Central Square school district in 1947. He would become principal of Central Square Millard Hawk Junior High in 1965, and retired in 1976 [1].

Hoeppel was very involved in the local youth recreation programs, creating them in Central Square in 1947, and remaining active with them over the years. In 2010 the local playground ball field was named in his honor. [1].

Hoeppel passed away in 1995.

©RLYoung 2014, 2018

[Game participation missing for 2 games indicated by the +]

[1] Syracuse.com article by Catie O'Toole 7/14/2010