Vicki,
That was one of the most memorable times for me in HS too, when we went to State in basketball and got to play (and cheer) in The Colliseum.
We haven't been in touch with John Blue, but he did log on and write a bio and says he's coming. I didn't realize he played pro baseball after HS, like it said in his bio. It would be fun to talk to him as one of our son-in-laws is in the minor leagues (AAA )with the Diamondbacks as a closer, up in Reno. The minor leagues are no picnic, but they're young and resilent. I'd love to know where and who John played with.
It would be great to see more joining in on the message board too, wouldn't it?
Vicki,
I got a lengthy email from John Blue a few days ago. He is in Gilbert and has been married for 28 years with 3 great kids. John and I were neighbors and buddies all through school. I lived on 7th St and he lived across the alley on 6th St.
I recall TWO outstanding basketball teams, the class of '69, and the class of '67.
My brother Paul was on the latter team, & they went to the state championship game, losing by 4 pts. to Phoenix Union (55-51). A manic game, the state's best offense vs. the Sammy Duane defense. The low score is telling in that the game looked to go to THS. With less than a minute to go, the game tied and THS with an inbound pass trying to go full court for a score, the very quick PHS squad stole inbound passes TWICE for easy under the basket layups to ice the game. Quite a shocker. Kevin English went on to play at ASU (where is he, anyway?). The team did all this without star guard Paul DiGrande who broke an ankle(?) early in the season.
The 1969 team, with immense talent (it goes without saying), faced a Tucson team (their name escapes me - help, Ed G.!) in the semis, and never made it past them. If anything, more of a heartbreak, as many felt it was THS's best team ever (IMHO).
My younger brother Ray had the opportunity to help Sam Duane coach at Corona before Ray moved to CA to teach and coach. Who plays defense anymore?
I think we lost to Flowing Wells. Only real action I saw was in the warm up, that in itself was pretty cool. The Coliseum was full, I think all of us looked up and were awestruck
Hi Jim,
I remember things a bit differently. Now after all these years I could definitely be wrong, but this is how I remember it.
1967: The game against Phx. Union was not for the state championship. I believe it was a Christmas tournament. I don't remember what they called it, but it was one of those tournaments held during Christmas break with 8, maybe 16 teams. I remember this game pretty well because my cousin went to Phx. Union and I had to listen to his smack for the rest of the year.
1969: State championship game was against Tucson High. I think we lost 80-76. They had a big giant center about 8 feet tall 400 lbs. Made Eddie Combs look like a midget. (Okay, slight exageration, but you get the idea) I think his name was Chucko Miranda or something like that. I seem to remember that they started out killing us and opened up a pretty big lead. We made a run at them in the second half but came up short.
1966: Our freshman year; State championship game- we lost to Camelback. I think the score was something like 55-50.
Now after many years of smoking pot and drinking beers, my brain cells might be a little damaged, but that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!
It would be nice if someone saved some newspaper clippings and could verify any of this. I tried the google on the internets but didn't find anything.
Thanks, Gary, for the correction! Speaking for myself, 'What brain cells?'
I was thinking further - could the '69 team have lost to Tuscon Saguaro High School?
And yes - it was the '66 team, when English, et al, were Juniors.
Did I get the coach's name right?
I guess it might have been Saguaro but I only remember Tucson High.
Yes, I am sure you got coach Duane's name right. I'll never forget his name. Great coach, great man. I remember when he cut me. He made me feel good about myself even though I sucked. LOL
Guys,
I checked with Ed and he too said it was a Tucson team, and the coach was definitely Coach Duane. He's still bigger than life to us.
We're up in Portland so I don't have the year book with me, but I know there's a picture of the team after the defeat, in the Coliseum. There's probably a byline with the team played, and maybe the score.
I remember we went to Hertz and cleaned them out of 'We try harder' buttons and chanted that all the way to the game. It was a heartbreaking loss.
I will never forget Coach Duane's speech to the entire student body that spurred us to get excited and really support our basketball team. He really put the fire into us. I have forgotten his actual words, but I was forever impressed. I loved his passion.
Vicki Smith and I were talking about some of our favorite things and memories. One was the smell of the high school gym, the squeak of the tennis shoes on the court, the swish of the ball going through the basket, and the voices of the coach, the team, and the crowd.
Its funny what you remember, I liked the smell of the gym also(excluding the locker room) it must have been the varnish on the floor, the sqweeking shoes, and when it was warm ,the sound of the huge evap coolers. I remember going to the'courts' on Apache at night and the old guy that would come and shoot with us, think his name was Tony. Coach Duane didnt particularly like us hangin around with him cause he kept beer in the trunk of his car. (never for us) Coach had a way with motivation, one time before the game with McClintock he read a letter written by the 'Charger players' and their coach. This letter made a nasty, mean comment about everyone on our team, I'll never forget they called me a dumb farmer. We were so fired up we could have knocked the locker room doors open if they were locked!! We kicked their butts!! You guessed it, Coach was the author. I loved that old guy. What was the name of the little old Italian guy that would sweep the gym floor at halftime and chew your rear if you walked on the court with street shoes.
Jerry,
I do not remember that sweeper guy's name either.
That Coach Duane was really something. He was wrong about the dumb farmer title. You showed him and became and brillant airforce pilot, then you became the dumb farmer. I wonder where that term even started. Most of the farmers I know are college educated and pretty smart. Even if not college educated, they are darn bright. I do wonder sometimes about the gamble of farming and ranching. It is never a secure deal. There are so many things over which humans have no power. There are so many variables when dealing with living things like plants and animals. I think farming/ranching is the best of times and the biggest gamble. How smart is it to take that gamble? The life style is worth all the risk. Not to get too carried away with philosophy, but all of life is a gamble and very worth taking the risks.
Jerry,
I do not remember that sweeper guy's name either.
That Coach Duane was really something. He was wrong about the dumb farmer title. You showed him and became and brillant airforce pilot, then you became the dumb farmer. I wonder where that term even started. Most of the farmers I know are college educated and pretty smart. Even if not college educated, they are darn bright. I do wonder sometimes about the gamble of farming and ranching. It is never a secure deal. There are so many things over which humans have no power. There are so many variables when dealing with living things like plants and animals. I think farming/ranching is the best of times and the biggest gamble. How smart is it to take that gamble? The life style is worth all the risk. Not to get too carried away with philosophy, but all of life is a gamble and very worth taking the risks.
Gail<
Gail
Thanks (i think) Gamble pretty well sums up agriculture, seems like if the weather doesnt get us, the bugs will and if you luck out and get a bumper crop the market stinks. We must be the worlds biggest optomists,... 'we had bad years for the last three, but I got a feeling next year will be a crackerjack!' An old farmer went to the bank and got his annual note refinanced, went out in front of the bank and started handing out $100 bills. When someone asked him what he was doing he said 'it's a hell of a lot easier than farming'.... I wouldnt have it any other way, cow manure and dirt is what makes the world go around :0)
Jerry,
That is a geat joke.
I still have a cartoon that I cut from the paper, I think it is a B.C. It says: The definition of a farmer is one who works to feed the world and receives enough money to starve his family.
Now 'a days' we just trade numbers. My paycheck is direct deposit, so my employer's bank sends numbers to my bank. Then, I have numbers in my bank accout. I pay bills on-line and use a debit card for most purchases, so my bank sends numbers from my account to those I owe.... I could go on and on with this thread. I think I have had too much iced tea. All that caffeine gets me into silly thinking. It is also why Vicki and I get to talking into the late night hours.
Hey All,
Gary Waldeck was 100% correct. Our opponent was Tucson High,
we lost 80 to76, we were behind in the first half, so Gary you
haven't forgot all that much. The reason we got back into that game
was Dave Ehasz figured out how to strip there 8 foot 300 lb center
of the ball! We damn near did it.. Oh, and Sammy Duane was the coach!
Tommy
You forced me to do it!! I have the newspaper clippings!!
From THE BUFFALO, January 12, 1967:
'It was anyone's game to the final buzzer and after the buzzer sounded, the game and championship of the Phoenix Holiday Tournament be longed to Phoenix Union. They just slipped past Tempe 55-51.
The Buffaloes whipped Alhambra, Central and West to put them in the finals of the tourney.'
'With the toughest defense in the state, Tempe has rolled up a 10-2 overall record and a 6-1 record in the division.
__________________________________
March 3, 1966 THE BUFFALO
Buffs Over Come Coronado, 66-65
'Tempe ran past the Sunnyslope Vikings in their state tournament opener on Friday night, and upset mighty Coronado Saturday, to move into the AA semifinals this weekend.
From Arizona Republic: (I don't have the date)
'Buffs Defeat Central 71-62, Meet Spartans For AA Title'
'Spartans Tame Tempe For AA Title'
Camelback decisioned Tempe High, 74-64, to win its second Class AA title in three years in the state basketball tournament last night at the Coliseum.
That was great!! It brings back so much intensity and enthusiasm.
My daughter went to Corona deSol and Coach Duane figured out somehow that she was my daughter. I later saw him at Tommy Owens funeral in April 08. What a lovely fellow!!
In the style of Jerry Kerr 'He dun good for our young fellows'
I also so did love the sqeak of the tennis shows and the thundering up and down the courts.
When my daughter was playing club volleyball there were some tournaments held in our old gym. Boy, would the memories come flooding back!!!
Jerry, seems that I saw in some movie that the farmer guy just cleared his field and put in a baseball diamond, smoked something so that he thought he saw phantom players and such, then at the end of the movie there was a really long line of cars headin' to his place to pay money to see it. See the att. So what's so difficult about that? It must be 'modern' farming - get with the times....
I even remember the seat I was in watching the game (nosebleed section). At that age the games meant so much to us, as if it was david & goliath, the competition of a lifetime, [rollerball?], etc. In one sense we never cross this path again, so it seems like standing on a precipice, but in another sense these dramas all come back again more than once, and at age 58 or so our subconscious tell us 'hmmm, seems like this's happened before - wonder where and when...?'
More than we know, the hours, days and years at T.H.S. formed us in ways that are still unfolding.
Jerry, seems that I saw in some movie that the farmer guy just cleared his field and put in a baseball diamond, smoked something so that he thought he saw phantom players and such, then at the end of the movie there was a really long line of cars headin' to his place to pay money to see it. See the att. So what's so difficult about that? It must be 'modern' farming - get with the times....
Jim
maybe your right... I could be going at this all wrong! :0(
Jerry, you get the memory prize, TONY the ASU BB courts on Apache Blvd.! Yes, he was a really good guy, played a good game, and made it all fun. Did he maybe live there?
Those courts sprang to life all summer round about 10 pm when the temp's dipped below 100 degrees (do I exaggerate?), and many of us had our best chances to get playing time (BTW I never heard my sneakers squeak in the THS gym - perhaps it was necessary to be playing...).
ASU courts BB phenoms - Dave Ehasz, Jonesie, Dick Harris (who went on to play baseball at ASU), lots of others. I even played once against a History prof of mine later - who would a thunk it?
){kind=link}