A Man of His Word
To remember former UCLA baseball coach Art Reichle is to understand the meaning of loyalty

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

The UCLA record books mention that Art Reichle served as the Bruin head baseball coach for 30 years; that he led the Bruins to their first College World Series appearance in 1969; that he compiled a 747-582-12 overall record; that he was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998.

But there was a lot more to Art Reichle than just stats.

He was a man whose word was his bond. A friend who gave as much loyalty as he inspired. A father who passed these values to his children.

And though Arthur Eugene Reichle Jr., 86, died May 23 of heart failure, those who showed up at The Church of the Way in Van Nuys the day before Father's Day did not come to mourn his death so much as to honor his life.

"It's not within my vocabulary to adequately express how I feel about him," former UCLA men's basketball coach John Wooden said. "Art, we love you, we miss you, we'll never forget you."

Denny Crum, the head men's basketball coach in Louisville and a former UCLA assistant coach, was another speaker at the memorial. "You couldn't have a better friend than Art Reichle," he said. "And while we all certainly will miss Art, he could not be in better hands."

An earlier memorial was held in Florida, where Reichle moved in 1989. The Van Nuys memorial was held by Reichle's son Richard and daughter Denise, who live in the Los Angeles area. Most of the approximately 75 people present were UCLA-related. They included Wooden, Crum, current baseball coach Gary Adams, former men's swimming and water polo coach Bob Horn (1963-1990), and a host of former players.

Those present remembered the good times with Reichle. Wooden recalled his kindness toward him when Wooden first moved to California from the Midwest.

"The big city frightened me. Art was one of two people to begin with who really befriended me," he said.

Wooden recounted that when he and his wife Nellie bought their house in Los Angeles, it cost them everything they had and they did not have enough money left to have someone set up their sprinkler system. Then one day out of the blue, Reichle showed up with several players to install the system for Wooden.

A similar incident occurred later. Telling Wooden, "You ought to get a basketball court," Reichle showed up one day and together, Wooden and Reichle built a concrete court for Wooden's kids.

"He was a very giving person, and he had a heart as big as his body," Wooden said. "He'd help anyone, give anything."

Others also recalled Reichle's loyalty.

Ross Hoffman, a Bruin first baseman from 1967 to 1968, remembered the first time he spoke to Reichle. Hoffman was then a freshman phenom at the College of the Sequoias, and when his school and UCLA faced off, Hoffman almost single-handedly destroyed the Bruins. After the game Reichle came up to him and said, "I want you to play for our team."

Play for UCLA? It was Hoffman's dream come true. Just one problem.

"I told him, 'I would love to play for UCLA – but I promised the coach here I would stay for two years,'" Hoffman said.

Reichle was silent for a moment, and then said, "Son, I'm gonna save your scholarship."

When Hoffman came to UCLA one year later, he found a scholarship waiting for him. "Art would always stand by you," he said.

Reichle was tough as well. For many years he owned ranches and ran summer camps for city kids to learn how to live in the forest and care for horses. Gary Anglen, a former pitcher and ranch worker, recalled one time when Reichle turned around on his horse to take a picture of those behind him when the horse bucked and threw him off – hard.

"Art didn't say a word, though we knew he was hurting. He just got back on his horse and rode on," Anglen said. "It turned out he broke three ribs. He spent two weeks in bed, even though it was supposed to be six, and ran his ranch from there."

He was strong to the end. When Wooden heard Reichle was ill he gave him a phone call.

"They told me he was too weak to talk. Then I heard a voice say, 'Who is that?' When they told him it was me, he said, 'I'll talk. I want to talk to Johnny,'" Wooden said. "I got to share a few words with him before he left to go to a more wonderful place."

And to his kids, Reichle was just the best father.

"We've heard about the privilege of Art Reichle as a friend. Well, guess what. I get to talk about having him as a father," a tearful Richard Reichle said. "I bet you he was a better father than a friend. Actually, there's no bet. Decision's been made. God knows he was an awesome father."

That day, 75 people gathered and remembered the things that made Art Reichle memorable: his penchant for giving out nicknames; his desire to help children grow into good people; his habit of giving so much that he was known for trying to out-give others.

And they remembered what Reichle believed in – loyalty to friends and honoring your word. They were values he both lived and taught, and his lessons are ones those he loved will never forget. But maybe that's because Reichle never let them forget that he'd always be there for them.

At the memorial, Anglen finished his tribute to his former coach and mentor by recalling something Reichle said to him before he died:

"There'll always be a saddle, there'll always be a horse, and when you get to heaven, we'll finish that ride."

. . .

Reichle is survived by his wife, Ruth, 82; son Art Sr., 54; daughter Denise Margarit, 49; son Richard, 47; and granddaughter Chanel Rachel, 2.