Zac Kibby defined his grandfather, Bill Kibby, as “a perfect role model.”

The former St. Edmond head football and track coach passed away Thursday. He was 84 years old.

A visitation will be held Monday from 4-7 p.m. at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, with a Mass of Christian Burial scheduled for Tuesday at the church beginning at 10:30 a.m. The burial will follow at Corpus Christi Cemetery.

“He lived his life putting others first,” said Zac, a former Bishop Garrigan and University of Northern Iowa standout. “Whether it was my grandma, Mary, my family members, former coaches and colleagues, and especially any former athletes of his, he would drop anything to be there for someone.

“If you were a teammate of mine, my siblings, or my cousins in any sport, then you know Bill and Mary. He attending as many games as he could, no matter how far away it may be. Most importantly, he led by example in everything he did. Anybody can demonstrate exceptional character when it’s convenient for them, but with my grandpa it was a consistent effort each and every day.

“Consistency is what made him so special. You knew exactly what you were going to get from Bill every time you encountered him. He was a man of faith, family, football and enjoying Wendy’s any chance he got.”

A native of Lohrville, Kibby embarked on a 47-year career coaching football in 1962 as an assistant at Bayard High School. He was named the head coach at 24 years old, and also led the basketball program.

Kibby followed with a move to Johnston High School before landing at St. Edmond, where he won 110 games over 21 years from 1967-87 and also served as the school’s athletic director.

Kibby’s last football coaching gig was with Jefferson-Scranton/Paton-Churdan, where he won 117 games from 1988 through 2010 and reached the state semifinals in both 1999 and 2006.

Overall, Kibby won 240 games on the gridiron — at the time of his retirement, one of the Top-20 victory totals in state history — and was inducted into the Iowa Football Coaches Association, Iowa Athletic Directors and Greene County High School Athletics Hall of Fames. In 2011, Kibby was named Iowa’s Walt Fiegel Coaching With Character Award winner.

Kibby then returned to St. Edmond upon retirement, guiding the track and field program to Class 2A state championships in 2009 and again two years later. They also finished as state runner-ups in 2012.

Brian Sandvig was a standout runner during the golden era of Gael track. Sandvig won both the 200- and 400-meter dashes in 2009, while also running the anchor leg of St. Edmond’s state championship 4×200 and 4×400 relay teams in both 2008 and ’09.

“Coach Kibby built and sustained a track dynasty by deeply understanding the capabilities of each of his athletes and strategically approaching each practice and meet with a championship mindset,” Sandvig said. “Far beyond being an incredible coach and fostering a winning atmosphere, though, he was a great man with a calming, caring presence that could always be felt. You could tell he loved being a coach and had a special place in his heart for his staff and student athletes.

“Being one of many coached by him was truly an honor.”

Mitch Murphy was the program’s lead assistant during this run of dominance. Murphy, who currently works at Iowa Central and is an assistant coach at Southeast Valley, also played football for Kibby at JSPC in 1999 and 2000.

“Bill Kibby was a legendary coach but an even better man and friend,” Murphy said. “It’s hard to calculate the number of young lives he positively affected in his 50-year career but it would easily measure into the thousands.”

Mike Johnson, a Fort Dodge resident and SEHS graduate, played on the final team Kibby coached at the school in the fall of 1987.

“I was honored to be on his last team before he left for Jefferson,” Johnson said. “He was a great man that molded many, many young men in the 70s and 80s on the football field. He’s the reason I started coaching and continue to coach today.

“His integrity and love of the sport and St. Edmond will be missed.”

Along with his coaching roles, Kibby also served as an administrator and teacher.