Coach Doyce “Frenchy” Filiere 1912 – 1976

• Member of Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame
• Teacher
• Basketball Coach, Basketball “icon”
• “Put Luckey on the Map”

   Frenchy Filiere coached outstanding basketball teams at Troy Luckey and later Eastwood High schools between 1942 and 1961. He was noted for his intensity on the bench and the disciplined play of his teams which won 343 games and lost only 82. Mr. Filiere, who also taught biology retired as a teacher at Eastwood in September. He was a native of Milton center, and graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1936. He coached at Anna, OH and Glenwood School in Perrysburg before taking over at Troy-Luckey. He became coach a Troy-Luckey in 1942. When the Troy-Luckey School District was consolidated into the Eastwood district in 1959, he was hired as basketball coach and remained there three seasons. His Troy-Luckey squads advanced to the district tournaments 15 times and went on to the regionals 7 times. His 1957 Class B team, which included his son, Robert, was ranked number one in the state. The year before the team was ranked number three, in 1956, he was named Class B Coach of the Year by the Associated Press. In 1959 he was honored by a resolution of the Ohio General Assembly as one of Ohio’s outstanding men. He was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 1960. His 1960 Eastwood team won the Northern Lakes League championship and advanced through tournament play to the regional final.

Coach Filiere’s teams won three county championships, eight district championships, and 18 of 19 teams qualified for district tournament play. He coached two Third Team All-Ohio members and several honorable mention all-state selections, plus son Bob was voted First Team All-Ohio in 1957.

“The kids who wanted to play basketball, wanted to play for him, there was no doubt,” Bob said. “He was tough on all of us, and he didn’t spare the rod. That’s literally the way it was. My dad was just very intense in everything that he did. “

Doyce R. Filiere was born 28 Feb 1912 to Alpha Filiere and Sarah A. (Smith) Filiere. Doyce Filiere died Dec 31, 1976 in St. Lukes Hospital, Maumee, OH at the age of 64.

Doyce was married twice, first to Gladys M. (Adair) Filiere B 1915 D 1960. They had one son Robert D. Filiere and daughter Roberta Madaras. He was also married to Margaret Smith Filiere B 18 Jul 1924 D 22 Jan 2003, age 78. Margaret was also a teacher for Eastwood Schools for 39 years.