LANCASTER, Ohio — The mere use of words may never capture the impact of some people’s lives, as is the case with the late Toby Bullock and what he meant to the Lancaster sporting community and community as a whole. His impact on the youth that he encountered may never be adequately described or measured after his passing last January while in Arizona due to complications from surgery. “Toby was a special man. He cared about people more than most of us deserved. I had the privilege to get to know him at Fairfield Union when he was the equipment manager for the football team,” says Kasey McCurdy in a comment on his obituary page.

He continues, “[Now as an adult] I recognize the joy he was choosing to have in life and the positivity he was spreading to all those around him. At the same time, Toby knew how to work hard, and he was one of the most dependable individuals I’ve met. He always took care of his own responsibilities while also caring for each of us.”

He had many definitions but may never be defined: father, husband, coach, umpire, referee, radio announcer, youth pastor, and the list goes on and on. But with all of those roles, the one he cherished the most was “mentor.” As his wife of thirty-three years, Kathy Bullock describes it, “For him, it was all about the kids. He followed them from sport to sport, always making sure they had what they needed, checking on them if they didn’t come to practice, giving them the shoes off his feet if need be,” which happened one time, according to legend.

“He prided himself on keeping kids on the field and would not let them give up,” says Kathy. His love for sports stemmed from his days of playing basketball, but quickly manifested itself into a way to give back to the youth. “He had two men step into his life and help raise him when they didn’t have to; that had a big impact on Toby,” according to Kathy. This act of kindness from his two mentors would fuel the fire of a man that would touch thousands of lives in the Lancaster sporting community, and turned out to shape his life.

A graduate of Fairfield Christian Academy, Toby Bullocks, “the original one,” says Kathy as a quick reminder, started umpiring baseball for Lancaster Parks and Recreation before he even graduated high school. This position eventually led to the first of many coaching positions that Bullock would hold throughout his life. It all started with coaching his eldest son’s little league team in 1995. Around this same time, his passion for sports became evident to others, and he was asked to announce high school football games for WLRY 88.9 in Rushville, Ohio. He would later announce sports for 90.9 The River from Lancaster, Ohio.

Thousands heard his voice, but he was searching for the one. “He always said if he could just make an impact on one kid’s life, it would be worth it,” says Kathy. He would get the chance to have a voice for not only the one, but the thousands, when he took the football equipment manager position at Fairfield Union High School in 1998. This job was the beginning of a near twenty-year stint of coaching at this school. Later, he would coach for the Bloom-Carroll football team, until the last years of his life.

Many of his former players may describe him as quick-witted, a jokester, and someone who always loved what they were doing. But to a few, he would be defined as the difference—the difference in their life that meant playing or not playing, having success or not having success—the ones that call him their mentor. To list all of Toby Bullock’s accomplishments and explain his impact on the youth of his community in black and white would be daunting and fruitless. His story is told only by the ones he mentored, and how they impact the kids in their community as they move on without him. They have some big shoes to fill, and if Toby were here, he would give them his.

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