James (Bill) William Erwin, age 85 of Alvin, Texas passed away on Wednesday, February 16, 2022.  James was born on August 13, 1936, in Newton, Kansas and was a resident of Alvin for 46 years.  Bill is preceded in death by his parents, James and Isabel Erwin; sister Cecelia Waits; brother Gene Erwin; daughter in law Shelley Erwin.

Bill is survived by his sons, Michael Erwin, Matt Erwin and his wife Aryn, Mark Erwin and his wife Sherri and Monte Erwin and his wife Jennifer; brother Robert Erwin; grandchildren Caroline, Drew, Sharayah, Taylor, Joshuah, Jackson, Kaya, Emily and Janey; great grandchildren Trace, Elliott, Stella, Beau, Jade, Celeste and Blake.

After leaving Kansas, Bill and his family moved to Cleburne and lastly made Blum, Texas their home.  His father was a cattle rancher and owned a Dry Goods store.  Bill attended Blum High School and was a standout athlete in both basketball and baseball.  Bill was an All-State basketball player and graduated Blum High School in 1954. He continued his education at Texas Christian University where he played baseball.  He finished college at Sam Houston State University with a degree in Education and a Master's Degree from Prairie View A&M.

Early in his career, Bill began teaching and coaching in Klein ISD.  In 1963, Bill and his wife Frances and their son Michael moved back to Blum to help run his father's businesses and continue to grow their family until 1970.  That summer, he took over the Basketball program of Wallis High School and turned it into a Class A contender.  In his 6 years at Wallis, they won 5 district championships (one as Girls Varsity Coach), 2 Bi-District titles, 1 Regional title and in 1976, Bill took Wallis (Brazos Consolidated) to the State Tournament Semi-Finals which ended in a nail-biting loss to eventual State Champion Broddaus 71-69.

That summer, he was offered the head coaching job at Alvin High School.  It didn't take long for success to follow him. Alvin played Galveston Ball to determine a District Champion in 1979 for the first time in years, and the expectations of the program began to rise.  For years, Alvin was always in the playoff hunt and nobody wanted to face a team coached by Bill Erwin.  He was a thinking man's coach.  He taught his players to be tough minded, athletic, smart with the ball, and opportunistic when they needed to be.  They were always in their best condition, physically and mentally.   He coached at Alvin for 16 years and during his tenure, they won 3 district championships and had 2 runner-up finishes.  He never had a losing season at Alvin High School and had many 20-win seasons in his coaching career.

In 1991, Bill retired from teaching and coaching and started a successful insurance career in Alvin.  However, his heart remained in the game. He had the pleasure to be involved with the AHS program as 3 of his former assistant coaches took over the helm after his retirement.  He took great joy in collaborating with them and watching the program stay prominent in Texas High School Basketball.  He attended the State Tournament every year with his fellow coaches discussing strategy and enjoying the competition at all levels.

Living Stones Church was looking for a coach to take over their basketball program in 2007, and they looked no further than their backyard.  Bill was offered the position and immediately brought Living Stones into relevance in TASSP Basketball.  He coached there for several years before retiring for good.  In his entire coaching career, he amassed over 400 wins and had numerous players continue on at the collegiate level.  He coached numerous All-District, All-County, All-Region and All-State players and was named as one of the Head Coaches in the annual HABCA Basketball All-Stars Game in the early 2000's.

Bill was an avid gardener, great poker player, joke teller, but above all he was the pinnacle bargain shopper and garage sale stopper. However, Bill's greatest treasures were his grandchildren. He enjoyed traveling to see them play from youth sports to college, while even stepping in as "Coach" not just "Pawpaw." He was a member of the YMCA morning coffee club, Alvin Noon Lions Club, proud member of the Osage Nation and was a dear friend to many. He cherished their good conversations around his pool.

Bill leaves behind a legacy of hard work, determination, sacrifice, humor, dedication and accountability.  You would often hear him in the gym yelling, "We are not going to do anything half-assed in here!"  He had high expectations and a compassionate heart for his students and players.  They loved him and the feeling was mutual.  He made those around him better, even if they didn't know it was happening.  He saw potential in people and helped them reach their goals.  What more could you ask from "The Coach?"