ROCKINGHAM — Even though there is no high school football right now, Richmond Raider football is filled with decades of tradition.
One of those annual occurrences for a handful of Raider players is getting custom mouthpieces made. It’s a tradition that now sees the impact and legacy of Dr. Bill Haltiwanger live on two years after his death.
Haltiwanger, a beloved dentist and orthodontist who served Richmond County for 53 years, was known for his many acts of kindness over the five decades he practiced.
Each summer, one such act was providing players on the Raider football team with custom mouthpieces that allowed for them to call out plays and communicate on the field. Designed to fit each player’s mouth, the mouth guards were “less bulky” and made communication easier.
“My dad always made the mouth guards for the team, and in July they would coordinate to make the impressions and pieces,” Dr. Len Haltiwanger said. “Dad used to do that for more than just Richmond, making mouth guards for Anson and Chesterfield County (high schools).
“And now we continue to do that today,” he added. “Coach (Bryan) Till is razor sharp with everything he does, and he brings the players to me. It’s neat because the majority of players are not patients — it’s a part of my dad’s vision of what ought to be done and I wanted to continue that.”
Players who have large speaking roles on the field, like senior quarterback Caleb Hood, along with defensive captains and others, benefit from the mouth pieces. Because they are custom made, it’s similar to a retainer, allowing for clearer speech and communication.
Dr. Bill passed away in Sept. 2018, and was the “ultimate Raider fan” who attended games until the very end. Shortly after his death, Till contacted Len Haltiwanger and said he wanted to do something to honor his late father.
“I spoke to Dr. (Len) Haltiwanger and asked if we could put stickers on our helmets,” Till, then in his second-year as head coach, said. “We wanted to recognize all of the great things Dr. Bill did for our program and community. He had a smile on his face and said his family would like that.
“At the time, our kids didn’t know much about him, but it gave them a chance to know who Dr. Bill was and what he did. Every year he’d make 15 to 20 custom mouthpieces for us.”
Till recalled that during those first couple of seasons as Richmond’s head coach, Dr. Bill was a fixture at Raider events even though he was sick.
“Dr. Bill came out to a meet and greet, and a couple more times after that,” Till remembered. “It was clear how much he cared about this place and wanted to support our program even when he wasn’t feeling well.
“He cared about these kids and this community,” Till added. “He did so much, but didn’t want credit — he just wanted it done. He was a humble guy and he made a huge impression on me. Dr. Bill left such a great legacy.”
Current offensive coordinator Brad Denson was one of those players to get fitted for a mouthpiece in his playing days. The varsity quarterback during the 1997 and 1998 state championship runs, Denson still has his mouthpiece over two decades later.
“It’s still in the green case at my parents’ house, and I don’t know if that’s weird or not,” Denson chuckled. “But when I see it, I remember going over and having the mouthpieces made. Dr. Bill was so good with his work — I’d go right in and he’d knock it out.
“I never had braces and I wasn’t a regular visitor to his office. But anytime you saw him or his family in public, he asked how you were doing,” Denson added.
Denson also recalled that during the Daryl Barnes coaching eras, Dr. Bill was around a lot and did a really good job of offering financial services for other programs and student-athletes in the county.
“The support Dr. Bill always gave to the program as a whole, including the cheerleaders, will be remembered forever,” Denson closed. “He always had on a Raider hat and wore it when he came to watch practice or was at games.
“He never wanted recognition, but he wanted to make sure everyone was taken care of.”
