Ed Hilbert was Highland High School's basketball coach from 1944 to 1958, winning 260 games against 140 losses. His team won Highland's first regional tournament. In 1953, the team beat Collinsville in the sectional tournament and advanced to the state tournament's "Sweet Sixteen." In his last year as coach the 1958 team won the supersectional tournament and advanced to the state's "Elite Eight." Hilbert also coached the baseball team from 1945 to 1964, and in 1958, his team went to the state tournament. He served as athletic director from 1958 to 1973. In 1975, Hilbert was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame.