Alwin D. Muller, 73, World War II veteran, former educator and sports coach

Alwin D. Muller, 73, World War II veteran, former educator and sports coach

by Carolyn James

Throughout the past half century, Alwin D. Muller dedicated himself to educating, guiding and helping young people. The impact of that work was evident as many of those students, now grown, attended his funeral at the Massapequa Funeral Home, last week. Mr. Muller died September 4, 2000. He was 73 years old.

"They came up to me and told me how much my husband had done for them," said Audrey Muller. "It meant a lot to me."

Mr. Muller attended Adelphi Academy in Brooklyn, and then served in the United States Army during World War II. He served in the Pacific.

He is also a graduate of Springfield College in Massachusetts. He continued his education at New York University and Columbia University in New York where he earned a master’s degree.

For ten years he taught and coached at St. Paul’s Prep School in Garden City. It was there that he coached football, basketball and baseball and where he started the school’s first wrestling program. The team went on to win four LIHI National Prep Championships.

In 1960, Mr. Muller took a position with Herricks High School where he continued to coach and teach. In 40 years of coaching wrestling, his teams won 200 dual meet matches, and, as an archery coach, he won a Section Championship every year he fielded a team. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame with a Lifetime Achievement award.

A former student, neighbor and lifelong friend of Mr. Muller’s described him as one of the "great educator’s on Long Island."

"He was a man of high integrity who had an immense influence on the lives of young people he taught and coached," said Jerry Seckler. "He had a tremendous following and very loyal people to whom he meant a great deal and many of them attended his funeral."

Mr. Muller was an athlete himself, and played football as a young man. He helped start the first sports camp on Long Island for football, wrestling and lacrosse, Wizzher Sports Camps. He was also an avid fisherman and hunter.

Seckler said Mr. Muller was also an environmentalist by avocation and trade. He taught science for many years and was a member of the Biltmore Beach Club for 40 years and a member of the Freshwater Anglers of Long Island.

He was an extraordinary person who had a great sense of humor," said his wife of 51 years.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Muller is survived by his sons, Rev. Bart Muller and his wife Jennifer of Michigan and Commander Kurt Muller and his wife Louise of Hawaii. Six grandchildren—Carl, Kevin, Eric, Tom, Audrey and Helen—also survive him.

Mr. Muller reposed at the Massapequa Funeral Home, Park and Clark boulevards, Massapequa Park. Religious services were held there Friday night, September 8. Burial was the following day in the National Cemetery at Calverton.