01/04/2003

BOB KOPPLIN PASSES AWAY
by Ricky Miller

There are some things that never are easy to write about. The unexpected death of a friend is one of those times. Riverhead’s ace handicapper, Bob Kopplin, passed away unexpectedly two weeks ago, catching everyone in the Long Island racing community by surprise. His widow Lilian was devastated at the prospect of life without her devoted husband. Lilian suffers from serious respiratory problems and just this past year Bob had the house redone so that their bedroom was on the first floor so Lilian didn’t have to go up and down the stairs. He was always worried about her, never himself. By all accounts, he was a terrific employee at his workplace, Dan’s Supreme Supermarkets, where he worked in the headquarters office. He’ll be missed there as well. To know this gentleman was to instantly like him.

Of course, his hobby and passion was auto racing. I met Bob many seasons ago; better than 30, I believe. He eventually took over the handicapper’s job from Jack Ficarra at both Islip and Freeport. Bob was a tireless worker, who also penned a column that first appeared in the ILLUSTRATED SPEEDWAY NEWS and later SPEEDWAY SCENE. Besides his other interests, he was the acknowledged statistical historian when it came to Long Island racing. He told me that he went through hundreds of racing trade papers to compile his very complete history of racers who were Long Island based or ran at Long Island tracks. Bob always gave me copies of his lists so I always hade a great resource on hand at all times. I used his knowledge and intellect to help me out on research for many a project over the years. Steve Barrick, the publisher of Riverhead’s weekly program, related the story that before the first program was ever published Bob helped him with plenty of material and an occasional article as well.

If Bob was your friend, he was a true friend. Take Russ Klar, for example. He met Russ at Freeport many years ago during the ARDC Midget shows. They were friends for years when Russ finally quit racing. When Russ was over 80, he had a serious accident, being struck by a car as he crossed the street. A stroke followed and most racing people lost touch. Bob continued to call Russ weekly and came to visit Russ in Lynbrook throughout his recovery. Bob was there for Russ; as I said, a true friend

While most fans in the stands probably didn’t know Bob Kopplin or what he did, everyone in the pits sure did. He was the first guy you saw entering the pits and if you had a problem with your feature finish, one of the last you saw. Throughout it all, Bob was a class person. In his many years in racing, it was a rare time that he ever got upset. And if he did, he usually was calm again in just a few minutes. I guess by now you’ve figured out that Bob was just loved by everyone at the track.  No one with a problem ever left the handicapper’s shack without a complete explanation of the situation. He never yelled or told a competitor, “That’s just the way it is.”

There are few people as nice as Bob Kopplin and we’ll all feel the loss acutely. It just won’t be the same when we all come through the back gate and Bob isn’t there to offer a greeting or some comment on the previous week’s racing. It will be tough. He was 58 at the time of his passing, way too early in this day and age. But his work will live on forever in the hearts and minds of those who knew and loved him. I’m sure he’s up in Heaven getting the first heat together on Saturday night and he’ll never again have to worry about a rainout.  Bob, you’ll be missed by everyone and your kindness and class stand as a shining example to all of us left behind. Rest in peace, dear friend.

Sources:  Ricky Miller/LongIslandJam.com
Posted:  January 4, 2003