Longtime Middletown High School football coach one of 10 selected; ceremony is Oct. 17
By Brian Sumpter
Lake County Sports on Facebook
PASADENA >> The California High School Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 includes a star-studded group of seven players and three coaches, a group featuring the likes of NFL stars Derek Carr, Keyshawn Johnson and Pat Tillman.
They’ll be joined by players Travis Kirschke, Darrell Russell, James Washington and Robert Woods, and a trio of coaches that includes a name Lake County and Redwood Empire football fans might be familiar with, longtime Middletown High School head coach Bill Foltmer.
“It’s overwhelming,” Foltmer, 70, said of the news that he was being inducted. “I’m appreciative of all the people who took the time out to nominate me.”
The vetting process for the California High School Football Hall of Fame, which is selected every other year instead of annually, is a comprehensive one. Nominations for the Class of 2026 opened in November of 2025 and closed in January of 2026. Foltmer was nominated by a host of individuals, including past and current coaches, past and current school officials, community members and members of the media.
His credentials while serving at Middletown certainly helped the Hall of Fame committee make its decision. Foltmer took over the Middletown program prior to the 1985 season and retired following the 2024 season with 314 victories, making him the state’s active wins leader at that time. He won 295 games at Middletown and the other 19 at Princeton High School in Colusa County where he coached for five seasons before moving to Middletown in 1985.
“I know I’m representing Middletown, but I’d like to think I’m representing all of Lake County,” Foltmer said of his induction, which will take place Oct. 17 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena where UCLA will play Wisconsin.
The Rose Bowl also houses the California High School Football Hall of Fame.
“I’m very blessed to have a lot of friends who helped me reach this point,” Foltmer said of a long list of assistant coaches who served with him for 15 or more years, including Jim Garrett, Tom Knowles, Moke Simon, current Middletown head coach Kurtis Woodard, longtime Lower Lake head coach Gordon Sadler, Tim Gill, Bob Schoenherr, Brad Belden, Tony Hart, Marnin Pyzer, Ray Simon, Airic Guerrero and Paul Silva.
Foltmer said the support of longtime athletic director Geri Giovanetti was instrumental in his successful career at Middletown as was the hard work and dedication of his players at Princeton and Middletown.
“For 45 years I was thankful to be in programs where the kids were so dedicated,” Foltmer said. “I never had a problem getting kids to show up for practice or work hard for me.”
Daughter Kailei Foltmer began the nomination process for her dad late last year and did her best to keep it a secret until several of those nominating Foltmer reached out to him about the honor.
“This wouldn’t be happening without her,” Foltmer said. “She got the ball rolling.”
While no longer active in the day-to-day operations of the Middletown football program, Foltmer left the Mustangs in the capable hands of longtime assistant Woodard, who guided the Mustangs to the school’s fifth section championship last season. Middletown’s first four section titles came under Foltmer’s leadership.
Though he was the beneficiary of numerous awards during four-plus decades of coaching high school football, induction into the California High School Football Hall of Fame will be hard to beat, according to Foltmer.
“This is the cherry on top right here,” Foltmer said. “To end your career on a wonderful honor. It’s a great way to go out.”
While it’s a tremendous individual honor, Foltmer said he hopes his induction will help other small-school athletes and coaches receive recognition from the California High School Football Hall of Fame, which is largely dominated by large-school athletes and coaches.
“Hopefully it creates a few more opportunities for the small schools,” Foltmer said. “They work just as hard.”