When I got the call saying Billy Hahn was retiring from WVU's basketball program, the state baseball tournament was swirling around me.
I was able to piece together a story, but knew there would be a follow-up. The reason is something Hahn said at the end of our talk.
"My wife wouldn't be living if we wouldn't have come to West Virginia," said the former coach. "It was almost like we were sent here."
So on Tuesday I called him back. "Dawg," that is. That's what Hahn calls everyone, and that's what everyone calls Hahn.
He spoke of his wife Kathi, who, many West Virginians know, defeated both ovarian cancer and leukemia. But he also spoke of his life since Saturday when news of his retirement broke.
"I can't begin to tell you how my phone, my texts, my emails have blown up," Hahn said. "It hasn't stopped."
Nor, apparently, will Hahn.
Let's start with his wife though. You might know the story. Kathi Hahn was diagnosed with Stage 3 ovarian cancer. She beat it and was celebrating in Hilton Head, South Carolina, when her glands swelled. She was rushed to Savannah, Georgia.
"The doctor came out and said, 'She has leukemia. We want to start treatment right now,' " said Billy Hahn. "I told them I didn't like playing on away courts. I called Bob Huggins and he called [Charleston's] Ralph Ballard. A private plane picked us up and took us to Monongalia General."
Kathi Hahn, however, was subsequently sent to Ruby Memorial Hospital for treatment.
"I spoke to a doctor in Boston," Billy Hahn said. "He asked me to send Dr. Michael Craig's game plan to him. We did. The doctor said, 'Coach, don't leave Morgantown, West Virginia. I would do the exact same thing. He will save your wife's life.' "
It's been eight years since Kathi Hahn was saved via a bone marrow transplant. Over the most recent Memorial Day weekend, Doris Be, the donor, and her husband Jack visited the Hahns from Germany.
"You should have seen when they first met," Billy Hahn said. "They grabbed and held each other shaking for two minutes."
The couples spent the weekend together. ("Thank God they knew enough broken English," Billy said.) The Bes then continued on to Florida.
"We took them back to the Pittsburgh airport," Billy said. "Doris went to hug my wife and said, 'After spending three days with you I now know why we were a perfect [donor] match.' We all cried like babies."
The Hahns can now spend more time together. Just don't think for a minute, however, Billy Hahn will be sitting still. Former Citadel coach Pat Dennis, who owns McDonald's stores in the Atlanta area, has asked the ex-coach to speak to his management team. More speaking engagements are in the works.
Also, writer Dana Pennett O'Neal has offered to write a book about Hahn.
"She said, 'How many people can say they've coached 41 years, worked for two potential Hall of Fame coaches, lived through the La Salle rape trial and gone through Kathi's battles?" Hahn said.
The former coach was forced out at La Salle after two players were charged with, but later acquitted of, rape. A third player had rape charges against him dropped in a separate case. Hahn always maintained Huggins sent him a "life preserver" when he was "radioactive."
These days, Hahn is looking toward the future.
"I've had a couple dreams in my life," said the former coach. "One was to play basketball at a high level. I did that playing for Lefty Driesell at Maryland. I dreamt of coaching and being a head coach. I did that at Ohio University and La Salle.
"Now another dream is coming true: speaking. I'm going to speak across the country. I'm going to write a book."
He paused before restarting.
"You know, I've always kissed my wife goodbye every day for 41 years. We'll blow kisses from the car. But [Tuesday] she stopped me and said, 'It's good to see you happy. I've got my old Billy Hahn back.' And then she said, 'You're on a mission, aren't you?' "
"I said, 'Yes. This is my calling. Just like when we came to Morgantown.' "
Go get 'em, Dawg.
Contact Mitch Vingle at 304-348-4827 or mitchvingle@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @MitchVingle.