Lillis returns to meet Williamsburg star, Weisskopf

WILLIAMSBURG — It was old school meets new school.

Williamsburg alumnus Pat Lillis wanted to check out the most famous Raider athlete of today — future Hawkeye football player Derek Weisskopf.

So the Colorado resident made the trip to his hometown and caught the Jan. 22 basketball game against Fairfield.

“I wanted to see Derek play,” Lillis said. “I graduated from Williamsburg 57 years ago, and I still think I’m the best basketball player to ever come out of here.”

Lillis said the University of Iowa and Creighton University showed interest in him, but he ended up picking Loras College in Dubuque.

“I decided to be a big fish in a little pond,” Lillis said.

Lillis’ name is all over the Dubuque-based school, literally. Loras has the Lillis Athletic and Wellness Center and Lillis Court, where the Duhawks play basketball.

Weisskopf, who scored 23 points the night Lillis attended the Raiders contest, met Lillis before the game.

“Our [athletic director] sent me a bunch of articles about him,” Weisskopf said. “He was a heck of a basketball player. And a great guy.”

Weisskopf said it was flattering that Lillis wanted to came to a game.

“He said he was going to find out if I was the best player from the school … or if it was him,” Weisskopf said.

For his part, Lillis thought a future Hawkeye football player might be a little bigger. “I’m sure Iowa will put weight on him,” he said.

Lillis played high school varsity basketball for Williamsburg from 1964 to 1967. His teams had a collective 58-5 record, a 92% winning record.

Lillis noted that next year is the 60th anniversary of one of the most famous Williamsburg basketball games — a dramatic and controversial district final against the larger City High School of Iowa City at the University of Iowa Fieldhouse in 1965.

With Williamsburg leading by 2 points, a last-second shot by Iowa City High deflected off a guy wire above the backboard and went through the hoop.

The shot shouldn’t have counted, according to the rules, but the officials didn’t call it. City High won in double overtime with Lillis, a sophomore, leading his team with 19 points.

Lillis scored 1,159 points in his high school career and was named second team all-state by the Des Moines Register in 1967, making him one of the top 10 players in the state.

In 94 career games at Loras, Lillis scored 1,291 points and pulled down 576 rebounds. He was third on the all-time scoring and rebounding lists.

In 2002, Lillis was selected for the Loras College Varsity Athletics Hall of Fame. He remains the 13th all-time scorer, eighth all-time rebounder and is one of only 14 players in Loras history with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.

Lillis received his Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Loras and his medical degree from University of Iowa in 1975.

Lillis became one of the country's leaders in liposuction and edited two medical textbooks. He’s been a guest lecturer at over 100 national and international medical meetings and opened his own general and surgical dermatology practice in Loveland, Colorado, where he practiced for 37 years before retiring in 2016.

Lillis was inducted into the Loras Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002, earned an alumni excellence award in 2011 and was honored as a distinguished alumnus in 2018.

Lillis has committed over $6 million dollars to Loras College through the years and has funded several student scholarships via the Patrick J. Lillis Endowed Scholarship.

“With all the success of the Williamsburg teams, I thought it was time to see a game and especially watch Derek Weisskopf,” said Lillis.

Lillis marveled at how Williamsburg has grown.

“I really enjoyed growing up here,” Lillis said. “It has really blossomed into a charming town.”