The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback for March 27, 2023

18 YEARS AGO

MARCH 24, 2005

County mourns loss of ‘Coach’ Keith Nettles: William Keith Nettles Sr., age 41, of Evergreen died Sun., March 20, 2005 when he apparently lost control of the sport utility vehicle he was driving.
Nettles started his career with the Conecuh County Board of Education teaching at Lyeffion Junior High School, then he moved to Hillcrest where he was head basketball coach and assistant football coach and an English teacher.

28 YEARS AGO
MARCH 23, 1995

Coach Richard Brown of Evergreen was recently inducted into the Florida Community College Basketball Hall of Fame.

Coach Brown served seven years at North Florida Junior College as Athletic Director and Men’s Basketball Coach.

His team averaged over 100 points per game for seven consecutive years (before three-point play). His team was No. 1 in the nation offensively, averaging 114.9 points per game. His 1972 team set a national all-time scoring record, averaging 115.3 points per game, which still stands. Offensively, his team was nationally ranked No. 2 for two seasons, No. 3 for one season and No. 4 and No. 5 for one season.

Brown was named Florida Junior College Coach of the Year (Men) in 1966. He later took his expertise to the Alabama Southern Community College women’s program in Monroeville, where he earned state Coach of the Year honors in 1990, Southern Division.

His women’s team was third in the nation offensively, averaging 96.3 points per game in 1990. Ninety-six percent of his college players graduated, 53 of his high school and junior college players went to 33 four-year colleges on scholarship, and 29 former players went into coaching in seven different states.

Brown has also coached on the high school level at Madison, Lee and Sparta Academy. He was Coach of the Year in three sports in Alabama and Florida at the Conference-Division level (football, basketball and track in high school). He has had two state championships in track, in 1976 and 1977, while coaching the Sparta Academy girls track team.

41 YEARS AGO

MARCH 25, 1982

David Gorum celebrated the opening of the spring turkey season by killing this gobbler Saturday. The Tom weighed 17-1/2 pounds, had a 7-3/4 inch beard and 3/4-inch spurs.

Gregg Baggett of Baggetts Chapel brought in this turkey Monday. It weighed 16-3/4 pounds, had a 10-inch beard and 3/4-inch spurs.

Long distance runner Tarak Kauff passed through Evergreen last Thursday morning on his 50-state solo run which began Jan. 31 in New York City. He is accompanied by his friend and handler, Sahisnu, and will cover over 9,000 miles and pass through every state in the union before he completes his record-setting run. Tarak says: “I love America deeply and this run expresses that love. For me, the run stands as a symbol of self-transcendence, and that’s why I’m dedicating it to the individual who has been my teacher, in everything, for the past 11 years, Sri Chinmoy.” Tarak, who earns his living as a waiter, is financing the run through savings and assistance from family and friends.

47 YEARS AGO

MARCH 25, 1976

Ronald Fantroy ends super cage career at EHS: Ronald Fantroy closed out a superb basketball career at Evergreen High School by representing the 3A schools of Region One in the 3A and 4A All-Star Game at the University of Alabama Memorial Coliseum on March 12.

Ronald, one of eight 3A players chosen for the game, scored eight points and pulled down 12 rebounds, according to Evergreen High Coach Charles Branum, in the contest even though his South team lost to the North Squad.

Fantroy, a 6-foot-6 senior, averaged 19 points and 16 rebounds a game this season. He made the All State Team, 3A, for two straight years, and also earned All Region and All County honors. He was selected the Most Valuable Player in the Southwest Conference this season.

Coach Branum says that Ronald is not only an outstanding athlete, but also a fine student and Christian youth. He is the son of Mrs. Matilda Fantroy of the Fairview community and an active member of the Evergreen Church of Christ. He is a member of the Beta Club and will graduate with honors in May.

Mrs. Matilda Fantroy looks on as her son, Ronald, signs a grant-in-aid scholarship with Alabama Christian College, Montgomery. Ronald was an outstanding basketball player at Evergreen High School under Coach Charles Branum and the Montgomery college feels fortunate that it will have him on the court in coming years.

Warriors host ‘Jamboree’ Saturday 7:30: The Sparta Academy Warriors will host a spring football practice game here Saturday night at Stuart-McGehee Field. Only two teams will be involved, Sparta and Escambia Academy, with the kickoff set at 7:30.

Sparta headmaster and coach Richard Brown listed the following young men who will compete for the Warriors: Bobby Johnson, Andy Skipper, John Cook, Kent Cook, Jerry Peacock, Hugh Bradford, Steve Debose, Joey Rayfield, David Sabino, Gray Stevens, Harry Crabtree, Jamie McKenzie, Tony Baggett, Tony Raines, Tommy Hutcheson, Bill Cope, Jimmy Ellis, Ronny Taylor, John McKenzie, Ronny McKenzie and Terry Peacock.

63 YEARS AGO

APRIL 14, 1960

Aggie Nine Battles For Conference Title: The Evergreen ‘Aggies’ Baseball Club will play in the Conference Championship game this afternoon in Atmore at 3:30. Evergreen has won the first four games of this playing season and defeated W.S. Neal and Flomaton in order to reach championship play.

The starting lineup for today will be Billy Bateman, pitcher; Billy Melton, catcher; Leon Stinson, first base; Jacob Coleman, second base; Shannon Griggers, third base; James Reeves, shortstop; Jerry Windham, left field; Johnny Ivey, center field; and Jimmy Eddins, right field. Coach Jeff Moorer said: “My boys are rar’in to go.”

Billy Bateman has been the winning pitcher in the first three games played, and James Pugh, the winner of the fourth game. Lead hitters of the team so far this season are Leon Stinson, James Reeves and Shannon Griggers.

Mrs. Greeley Moorer says that these men folks do a lot of bragging about their big catches, but she has proof here that she knows how to pull in a fine string of bream. These 20 beauties were pulled in in just a short time at the Country Club.

70 YEARS AGO

MARCH 26, 1953

County Schools Plan ‘Play Day’ On April 10 – “All work and no play, makes Jill a dull girl,” will not be true of the students of Conecuh County during the month of April. For the first time in the history of the local schools, every child will have the opportunity to participate in some form of activity during Play Day.

On Fri., April 10, 1953, at nine o’clock, all high school students in the county will meet at Brooks Stadium in Evergreen to actively engage in at least one activity which they have learned in the physical education classes in their local school. Every grade will perform beginning with the seventh grade girls who will have the Stride Ball Relay, through the 12-grade boys who will have tug-of-war. There will be no competition between schools as all children will be divided into color groups and play in their groups of the same color regardless of their individual school.

In addition to this program of all children playing, the healthiest boy and girl from each school will be presented at an honor court. Four boys and four girls in the county will be selected, one couple from each school, and this will indeed be one of the highest honors any student could receive in the county.

The Repton PTA will sponsor a barbecue Thursday night, April 2, on the high school football field.

The T.R. Miller High School Band will play and parade on the field. T.R. Miller has one of the better bands in the State of Alabama. Bewley’s Chuck Wagon Game, string band from Texas, will play when the high school band is not playing.

The Orange Bowl football game will be shown in the high school auditorium.