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Fair ~ High: 78°F ~ Low: 48°F Friday, May 24, 2013 |
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Picturing the Past 84: Basketball in Bell BucklePosted Tuesday, October 26, 2010, at 11:34 AM
Basketball action in the old Bell Buckle School gym from November 1963. (T-G file photo)
This photo of the gym at the old Bell Buckle School from November 1963 isn't in the best of focus, and we don't know who's going up for a shot in what appears to be a high school game, but it still shows the scene well. From the size of those windows it looks like the roof must have been extremely high. And I wonder why the cheerleaders are sitting instead of standing? Lack of room around the sides? It doesn't seem like Cascade School has been around for nearly 40 years, since the Bell Buckle building burned in the early 1970s. Time flies. And, with The Webb School in town and Cascade just a couple of miles down the road, Bell Buckle still has basketball. Picturing the Past is featured each Tuesday in this blog. Reader contributions are welcome. Comments Showing comments in chronological order [Show most recent comments first] |
David Melson is a copy editor and staff writer for the Times-Gazette.
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Another great picture David. I do not recognize the ball player either, but I know that Bell Buckle has produced some quality athletes through the years. On another note, it is sad to hear about Mr. Whittaker.
I played basketball in the old gym while a player at Junior High School and also Central High School. It was different, especially in high school because of the size.
Did Bell Buckle athletes have problems when they played away games in larger gyms and especially during tournaments? They had some great athletes, male and female, and while sports editor at the T-G, I thought they played equally well at home or away.
Another Gym that was difinitely different still stands in Pleasant Grove. Some might think it was a barn of sorts but we played basketball there. It was heated by two smoke belching stoves. When the wind was in the wrong direction we had home court advantage because the other team couldn't see or breath because of the smoke. The last year I played there would have been in 1957/58.
Ralph McBride was the Principal, taught 7th and 8th grade and coached both girls and boys basketball teams.
Yes, we did have culture shock when we first played at the new gym on Madison St, the site now owned by First Bank. The first time we took the floor was a Gooooleeee moment.
I shot a lot of baskets in that gym before the fire, although Coach James Cotham, who could recognize talent saw right away that I was much better suited for warming the bench during actual game time. There were some great ball players there though. The Gilmore brothers come to mind as well as brothers Dwight and Dean Buckingham. Dan Wiser made a pretty good center and was tall enough to handle the job. Lots of great memories there, and another great pic David!
Spent many an hour in that old gym in the early to mid-50s. Not sure if the shooter in the pic is a BBHSer or a visitor, but he has four legs and four arms, so he just drove by someone, it appears. Also noted the two li'l fellows sitting on the railing that's over the stairs--about a 10-ft drop if a hard pass hit 'em--a no-no in today's world. David, you're right about the very small sideline space--my size 12's had to turn sideways so as not to touch the out-of-bounds line. Remembering our janitor of that era, R.T. Tillman, adding a fresh coat of lacquer to the floor before each basketball season--gym would be off-limits for 3-4 days til it dried. Bo, it WAS a bit intimidating to go to the SCHS or other big-school gyms with regulation-sized floors and 10x as many fans!! Thanx for the smiles this pic brought back, David!
Patsy and Richard Taylor are two names that should be added to the list. In my opinion Patsy Taylor could have been a good player anywhere at any level.
Now that I think about it, Sherry Beachboard was another great ball player that honed her skills in that old gym. If I'm correct, she later played with Shelbyville Central.
I would like to add the name of Greg Cortner to the list of great players that wore the Bell Buckle Blue Devil uniform. Remember one clipping where he scored 47 points one night in a game.
Whit Lee is another good ploayer who should be added to the list.
Going back just a little farther, a lady, well known in Shelbyville, was a great player. None other than Judy Hornaday. Judy was a great shot and a great team leader. I remember my Dad taking me as a very small boy, to BBHS during the construction of that gym. Only the foundation, and I suppose the subfloor, were completed at the time, boy, it looked like a football field to me! I later came to realize as a player in that gym, that it was pretty small. Yes Bo, we did have problems in the larger gyms. I remember playing in the new Franklin County gym, at that time, and it looked enormous, we were dragging by half-time. As dkd57 mentioned, those kids sitting on the rail over the stairwell to the boy's dressing room were in a precarious position.
In the 1963 annual the player who was assigned the number 34 was Ray Brandon. Wayne Fox and Eddie Messick were also on the team.
The cheer leaders were Gayle Meek, Lynn Whitaker, Bettty Ellis, Lynn Draper, Marie Fox, Brenda Morgan, Brenda John.