Coach Zeiler was the real deal

By Jean Schurman, Sports Editor

Generally, when one uses the term icon in a sentence when referring to a person, that person has lived a long, productive life that has touched many lives. That isn’t the case this time. The Bitterroot Valley lost an icon in the sporting world last Thursday when Lee Zeiler passed away unexpectedly.
Lee Zeiler, PeeWee to many, was one of those coaches who never expected anything less than the best from each player and he never expected anything less from himself either. From the youngest player to seniors on their way out of high school, he gave his all to make them a better player and person.
The Zeiler family has long been associated with basketball in the valley. My brothers played against Bill and Jim, Lee’s dad and uncle, and I remember their intensity even all those years ago. Although I didn’t see Lee play high school ball, the family’s love of the game was evident from the first time I saw him on the sidelines, coaching. But the thing about Lee was, he taught the fundamentals first and so the players had the building blocks to grow into the players he expected them to be.
I always found it fascinating that someone of Lee’s intensity was able to be an assistant coach. But then I realized that each of the coaches he worked with recognized his strength and utilized that to make the entire team better. John Parker in Florence, Wendell Griffin in Darby, and of course Keith Chambers in Stevensville, all relied upon PeeWee to do his job and make the team better.
Basketball is more than a sport for the Zeiler family; it’s a family reunion. From the first game of the season to the final game of the tournament, mom and dad, Alan and Duane and their families, and of course, his wife Mary and kids, Gracie and Derek, were always there. Some were there to scout but all were there to support their players and Lee. After the games, you would see Lee talking with players and family, recapping the game from the first whistle to the ending buzzer and figuring out what could be done better.
His passion for the game was only exceeded for his passion for his family. As he watched Derek and Gracie play football, baseball, softball and of course basketball, he was critiquing their play, but he was also a proud papa watching his kids play. When either of them executed a play in the manner he expected, he was ecstatic. He passed this love on to his kids. When his granddaughter was born last spring, Gracie told me the first purchase made for her was a tiny pair of tennis shoes, to carry on the tradition.
Last fall when I was going through a tough time, I received several calls and texts from Lee. He was pretty sneaky too. He didn’t just call to ask how I was doing, he asked specifically if we had gotten our winter’s supply of wood. I didn’t even think, I just said no. He never said anything else but the next day, there he was with a load of wood for us. That was the type of guy he was, goodhearted, and dedicated and above all, a good neighbor.
Lee, I’m going to miss seeing your smile, and listening to you wax on about different players and teams. I’m going to miss seeing the dedication you brought to a team, and how that team learned by example. I’m also going to miss seeing you ‘express your displeasure’ with a call by an official, but then seeing the same official smile back at you as if to say, well maybe you had it right. Yes, the Bitterroot and basketball lost an icon this week; it was just way too soon.