Bill Sapa, head coach of the Columbia Falls High School varsity baseball team, has died.
The news was first reported by the Hungry Horse News Tuesday. He was found unresponsive in his recliner that morning.
The Wildcats were scheduled to host Frenchtown on Tuesday afternoon. That event was canceled.
Sapa was also a longtime assistant football coach at Columbia Falls. He owned the Blue Moon Bar and Nite Club in Columbia Falls.
Sapa was a standout baseball player in his prime. After shining with the Glacier Twins American Legion team and the University of New Mexico, he was drafted by the New York Yankees as a pitching prospect.
Sapa never did play for the Yankees organization. He opted to return to western Montana to help support his family.
Many in western Montana are familiar with the Blue Moon Bar and Nite Club and its rodeo grounds. The rodeo attracts many onlookers every Thursday in the summer.
Sapa also spent a lot of time operating the family farm in rural Columbia Falls.
The Wildcat baseball team has played just two games so far this season. The team won at Troy in its debut on April 7, 24-0, then dropped a 12-5 home decision to Eureka four days later.
Columbia Falls’ next baseball game is scheduled for Thursday night at home against Browning.