TIM WETZEL

Steve Virgen

When Tim Wetzel wakes up in the morning and takes a look at his farm,

he experiences a sense of pride.

He’s a long way from home, away from the beaches he grew up near.

Now, Wetzel, a Newport Harbor High product who applies his years of

volleyball experience to his everyday life, enjoys his farm in Idaho,

where he raises horses, as well as apples and plums.

“It’s a good feeling,” Wetzel said of looking over his land, that

covers roughly 100 acres. “It’s great to see all the growth. But when

it’s 100 degrees in the middle of July, you’re not thinking about

that. I miss the ocean. It’s a big difference.”

Because of volleyball, Wetzel has attained many attributes that

help him as a farmer, computer technician, husband and father.

“Volleyball has meant a lot,” said Wetzel, a volleyball standout

who graduated from Newport Harbor in 1975. “It taught me mental

toughness and you can carry that to every aspect in your life.

Hopefully, I can pass it on to my kids.”

For the past 12 years, Wetzel, his wife, Tamara, and their three

children, Jesse (20), Jake (11) and Kelsey (8), have been living on

the farm in Payette County, near a town called Weiser.

“I always wanted to own land and for the kids to have their place

to play,” Wetzel said. “I wanted to be able to set up my own

volleyball court. And I have been able to do all that.”

Wetzel has been able to accomplish a great deal of success in his

life, and volleyball has been one of the main reasons. Wetzel was a

four-year varsity performer at Newport Harbor, where he started as a

freshman.

Wetzel, who described himself as a spoiled brat when he was a

teenager, struggled in his junior year and shuttled between the

varsity and junior varsity throughout the season.

“I guess I was a rebel, you could say,” Wetzel said.

Wetzel, a 6-foot setter, did not go against the grain in his

senior year. He bounced back and earned first-team All-Sunset League

honors, as he helped lead the Sailors to the league championship.

“I always liked to play Huntington Beach, which had Rocky Ciarelli

[now the coach of the Oilers],” Wetzel said. “And also playing

against Corona del Mar. Those were the best matches.”

Wetzel played alongside Mike Blanchard, a Newport middle blocker

who went on to star at Pepperdine, where he led the Waves to an NCAA

title and was named MVP.

After playing for the Sailors, Wetzel went on to help lead Long

Beach City College to the state championship. This time, Ciarelli was

on his team, as well as Blanchard.

Before using his second year of eligibility, Wetzel traveled to

Europe and lived there for nine months. Then he went to Orange Coast

College and played under his father, Bob, the Pirates’ head coach.

Tim Wetzel did not make it through the season competing for his

father’s team. He quit because, at the time, he had differences with

the coach. The two have maintained a great relationship and continue

to stay in touch.

“He was right and I was wrong,” Tim Wetzel said of his time with

his father at OCC. “He’s a great guy. He’s just great.”

Wetzel finished out his college volleyball career, playing for the

University of Hawaii and Coach Dave Shoji. He was the starting setter

for two seasons for the then-Rainbows.

After college, Wetzel continued to compete in volleyball, playing

internationally, as well as on the beach, for 15 years. He also

worked as an official.

Wetzel also became involved with coaching. He worked as the head

coach at Newport Harbor and also at Costa Mesa. He assisted his

father and former OCC women’s volleyball coach Jane Hilgendorf for

four years in the late 1980s.

Wetzel works as a voice and data technician for a communications

company.

“I definitely took the road less traveled,” said Wetzel, the

latest honoree of the Daily Pilot Sports Hall of Fame.