How do you measure a man?

Is it the number of his possessions? The size of his cash accounts?

Is it the love, the devotion he elicits from others?

Is it the respect he commands and bestows?

Is it the size of the void left when he is gone?

By any method of measurement, Tom Hecker was a giant.

And not because he physically towered above his peers, colleagues and contemporaries — not to mention most of the wrestlers — in the Lancaster-Lebanon League.

Hecker, 44, perished Sunday night in a one-car accident in Brecknock Township.

He is survived by his wife, Colleen, his son Michael, a freshman at Duquesne University, and his daughter, Sara, a sophomore at Garden Spot High School.

It is not hyperbole to call his passing tragic.

"It really is (tragic)," offered Todd Reitnouer, Director of Athletics at Garden Spot High School, where Hecker was finishing his third year as head wrestling coach.

"He was one of the good guys. He was one of the most outstanding people I have ever worked with, the epitome of sportsmanship and dedication to young people and his community."

"This is a significant loss for his family, the school, as well as the Lancaster-Lebanon League," said Trent Turner, head coach at Conestoga Valley, one of Hecker's colleagues in the L-L's Section Two.

"He worked for his kids and the sport," said E-town coach Mike Sernoffsky. "He wasn't in the league for a long time, but he gained respect in a hurry.

"Respect as a coach, motivating and preparing his wrestlers, but also, more importantly, as a person."

Hecker, who was vice president of 360 Services International, came to Garden Spot wrestling as a volunteer coach in the youth program.

He followed his son, Michael, a 2008 Garden Spot grad, through the ranks from elementary through junior high, and helped set up off-season camps and clinics before being named varsity assistant to Matt Zamperini prior to the 2005-06 season.

When Zamperini was promoted to head football coach in the spring of 2006, Hecker took over the wrestling program.

In three years under his steady hand, the Spartans posted a 28-25 overall won-loss record.

The Spartans challenged for the Section Two title in his first year and, after a step back, challenged once again this year.

They finished second, qualifying for the District Three Class AAA Team Championships for the first time in school history.

But above and beyond the numbers and accolades was Hecker's part in the wrestling renaissance at Garden Spot.

Despite Steve Borja winning the 171-pound state championship in 2002, wrestling in New Holland was leaking oil and trailing blue smoke.

By the '04-05 season, Garden Spot fielded a varsity team with only five members.

But under Zamperini and Hecker, who were then at the junior high level, the downward trend was checked and then reversed as they moved up the coaching ladder.

That momentum did not suffer for the transition when Hecker took over as head coach.

"The program has risen to new levels," observed Ephrata coach Josh Clair. "That was never more evident than this year."

And the success came the old-fashioned way: through hard work.

"Tom was 'Old School'. He was tough," said Reitnouer. "He believed you got better by working hard."

"I appreciated his high expectations and no-excuses mentality," said McCaskey's Jon Mitchell.

Not that Hecker was some modern-day Captain Bligh, cracking the whip in the practice room.

"He got along with the kids and they respected him," said Reitnouer.

That respect was evident when the team chose to take the mat at Twin Valley Monday night and at Lancaster Catholic Thursday.

Varsity assistant Hoyt Craver will lead the team for the remainder of the year.

As hard as his wrestlers worked for him, Hecker worked equally hard for them.

"Tom had a willingness to fight for his wrestlers and always had their best interests in mind," said Cocalico coach Dave Johnson.

"He spent many hours outside of the season assisting his wrestlers to be the best they could be in season."

"He was very humble and dedicated to his kids," said Sernoffsky, whose Bears defeated the Spartans for the title in 2007 and again this year.

While his Tornado did not meet the Spartans on the mat, as president of the L-L wrestling coaches association Mitchell did interact with Hecker.

"Tom was a very frank person," said Mitchell. "He spoke his mind. I always appreciate that from people."

"Tom was a competitor during the match," offered Manheim Central's Shane Mack. "Yet off the mat he was easygoing and friendly."

And off the mat, Hecker was no 24-7 wrestling drudge.

He taught Sunday School at St. Benedict's Catholic Church in Mohnton and was the scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 121 in Bowmansville.

He also coached in the Garden Spot girls' midget softball program as well as in the Garden Spot midget baseball and youth soccer programs.

Achingly, he will be missed.

Colleen Hecker was out of the country on a business trip when the accident occurred and is currently stranded in Italy, grounded by bad weather. The time and location of services for Tom are uncertain until she can return home.

E-mail: dbyrne@lnpnews.com