Bob Hitchcock

Robert William Hitchcock was born on 6 May 1929 in San Bernardino, California, the son of Robert and Helen Hitchcock. He attended high school in Victorville, then went to junior college before transferring to San Jose State, where he played college football under head coach Bob Bronzan.

After college he enlisted in the United States Air Force. He served as a sergeant in the armory division in Japan during the Korean War and played on the inter-squad travel football team there.

On returning to the United States, Hitchcock earned his secondary teaching credential at the University of Redlands and began coaching as an assistant with the Redlands Bulldogs in 1956. In 1957 he moved to Temple City, whose high school had opened only three years earlier, and joined the faculty of the Temple City Unified School District. He was named head varsity football coach of the Temple City High School Rams in 1960.

Over 22 seasons, from 1960 to 1981, he compiled a record of 196 wins and 41 losses, including 34 wins and 8 losses in the playoffs across 20 postseason appearances. His teams won 11 Rio Hondo League titles and seven CIF Southern Section championships, four of them in a row from 1970 to 1973 and three more from 1976 to 1978. From 1969 to 1973 Temple City won 46 straight games, a run that tied the state record at the time and brought NBC to the school in 1973 for its national high school game of the week, with Bryant Gumbel calling a 36 to 14 win over Duarte. The Rams were named Cal-Hi Sports Division 3 state team of the year in 1971, 1972 and 1973.

Hitchcock's program was built on simplicity and discipline. He persuaded the city's Pop Warner youth teams to run the same plays as his varsity, so players arrived already knowing the system. Shaved heads at the start of fall practice, tucked-in jerseys, minimal tape and game-day ties and dress shirts became Temple City traditions, some lasting into the 2000s. Despite regular rumours of bigger jobs, he stayed at Temple City, handing the program to his longtime assistant Don Swanson after the 1981 season. He continued to teach woodshop at the school until retiring in 1989.

Former players and colleagues described Hitchcock as a mentor and father figure who lived a disciplined life off the field as well as on it; neither he nor his staff were known to use profanity or raise their voices. In retirement he split his time between homes in Auburn, California, and Montana, where he was an avid fly fisherman.

Bob Hitchcock died peacefully at his home in Auburn, California, on Saturday 3 October 2026, aged 97. His death was reported by the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, and former Temple City player and assistant coach John Van De Veere said, "He put Temple City on the map."

On 15 October 2004 Temple City High School dedicated its home football stadium in his honour as Bob Hitchcock Stadium. In 2024 he was inducted into the California High School Football Hall of Fame as a member of its Class of 2024. Temple City has not won a CIF championship since his last title team of 1978, and later Rams coaches spoke of measuring themselves against his standard of excellence.