Paul Restivo, devoted husband, father, grandfather, and coach passed away in Franklin, Tennessee on September 10, 2026 at the age of 91. Born at home in the small coal-mining community of Freeman Spur, Illinois, to Italian immigrants Mary and Sam Restivo, Paul was the youngest of three children. He grew up with little money but a strong sense of family, community, and hard work.
A multi-sport athlete at Herrin High School, Paul earned a football scholarship to Memphis State before being injured and transferring to Southern Illinois University, where he lettered for two years and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
He met the love of his life, Dixie Sue Wells, in the spring of 1955. They carved their initials in a heart at Giant City Park and married on June 7, 1958. Together they raised a family while Paul built a coaching career that left a lasting mark on Southern Illinois high school football.
He began his career at age 23 as head coach at DuQuoin, where his first practice drew only four players, more coaches than athletes, because the boys could earn a lot of money working the DuQuoin State Fair, even more than he made as coach for the season. Paul negotiated a schedule with the fair’s owners so the players could do both, learning early the value of community partnership. Through another partnership, he got post-game footage within days of the game in an era when that was unheard of at the high school level. He organized youth programs and was named Southern Illinois Football Coach of the Year in 1962.
In 1963, he began rebuilding the Lawrenceville High School football program, leading the team known as “Restivo’s Runts” to a 33-12-4 record. At the suggestion of the Catholic nuns, Paul convinced the school board to open the gym and track to the community. They agreed with the stipulation that he supervise and lock up.
Returning to Herrin and his beloved Tigers in 1969, Paul applied the formula he had refined through trial and error: enthusiastic community support, a dedicated coaching staff, and determined athletes who worked together for something bigger than themselves. He founded a Mothers Club so parents could learn the game, share concerns about their sons, and help with team dinners and injury awareness. He organized a Booster Club, Pop Warner touch football, and a Saturday morning Quarterback Club at the Illinois Café where local businessmen backed the Tigers.
Those efforts helped fund improvements to Palmer Field such as a Press Box and built the foundation for sustained success. Always looking for ways to bring the community together, Paul organized pig roasts, sports banquets and even a bike-a-thon.
After a two-win football season in 1969 that included an upset of Marion, Herrin embarked on a remarkable run, including a 27-game winning streak, two undefeated seasons, and multiple conference championships. Paul was named Coach of the Year several times and later inducted into the Illinois Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the Southern Illinois Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the Herrin High School Hall of Fame, and the Lawrenceville Sports Hall of Fame. He also served as Herrin’s Athletic Director for 18 years (A.D. of the Year ‘87, ‘89), taught history, health education, driver’s ed, and was named Herrin Fest Grand Marshal in 2012.
What mattered most to Paul, beyond the wins and records, was the boys he coached and the men they became. Years later he still marveled at how his former players continued to work together as a team for causes larger than themselves, continuing the legacy of community involvement and support.
Beyond the sidelines and the classrooms, Paul sold insurance for Golden Rule, worked for Royal Publishing, and later helped with merchandise at his son-in-law David Lee Murphy’s concerts. He never met a stranger and treated everyone, from ditch diggers to billionaires, with the same respect. He was a tireless worker when it came to helping his children or friends paint and repair their homes, and a man whose parting words “Be careful” as you drove away was his way of saying “I love you.” He delighted in his grandchildren and never tired of watching them play sports or sharing stories or life advice with them over a hand of spades.
Paul was preceded in death by his two-year-old son Michael, his parents, his siblings MaryJane Arnone and Joseph A. Restivo, and his grandson Adam Biagini. He is survived by his wife of nearly seven decades, Dixie; his children Liz Feezor, Pamela Restivo Fister & Alan, Donna Murphy & David, Kathryn Restivo & Lee Kellar, and Thomas Restivo & Diana; his grandchildren Sarah Pendrick & Josh, Christopher Biagini, Michael Biagini, Laura Alrutz & Zach, Matthew Feezor & Elizabeth, Jesse Murphy, Johnny Murphy, Nick Murphy, Madison Restivo, and Camryn Restivo; his great-grandchildren Sloane Alrutz, Anna Alrutz, and James Feezor; and numerous cousins, nephews and nieces, and a wide circle of former players, colleagues, and friends.
Paul Restivo lived by simple truths: respect your elders (especially your parents), work hard, take care of your own, and leave things better than you found them. Those who knew him will miss his stories, his presence, and the unmistakable way he helped people and entire communities feel and be a part of something bigger.
A Celebration of Life will be held at the Herrin Elks Lodge on November 28, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his name to the Herrin Tiger Football Alumni Association scholarship fund, 118 East Walnut, Herrin, IL 62948.
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