By TOM WILLIAMS

Two more men who were important parts of the Ocean City sports community died within the past month.

Charlie Bowman, that rare four-sport athlete at OCHS, and Bob Hoffman, an Ocean City graduate who went on to become the top high school sports writer at the Atlantic City Press, contributed in different ways to sports in the resort.

Bowman was a significant contributor to Ocean City High School football, serving as team captain. He was a key player on the 1956-57 basketball team that lost its only game in the state final and was recently inducted into the OCHS Sports Hall of Fame. He was also a champion javelin thrower and threw a baseball pretty effectively, too – once pitching a no-hitter.

“Charlie was a great teammate and competitor,” said Mike Fadden. “He had a classic jump shot. I also recall he had a mean fastball when he was on the mound.”

“Charlie was one of the few athletes who participated in four varsity sports,” said Mike Varano, “football, basketball, track and baseball. It should be noted that he was an outstanding pitcher in baseball but probably best remembered on the football field.”

“Charlie was a great teammate,” said Wayne Hudson, “in every sport.”

After high school, Bowman played football at The College of New Jersey (then Trenton State) and became a teacher and coach at Mainland Regional High School. He also spent a decade on the Ocean City Beach Patrol, joining his brother-in-law (Tom Oves) as doubles rowing champions.

Hoffman spent four years in the Air Force after graduating from OCHS. If you were an athlete in the 1970s, 1980s or early 1990s there is a good chance his by-line appears in your scrapbook somewhere.

He was a solid journalist who was equally efficient writing an opinion piece, a profile of an athlete or coach or a light-hearted column that put his unique sense of humor on display.

He left the Press in 1993 (another legend – Mike McGarry – took over) and went to work for the Philadelphia Inquirer before retiring. But even in retirement he could be seen running the Ocean City Boardwalk regularly.

There are many people who contributed to the Ocean City sports community over the last century in many different ways. These were two of them.

Charlie Bowman was 83. Bob Hoffman was 76.