New Class Enters County Hoops Hall Of Fame
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
Conducting its annual banquet at Grace College's Orthopaedic Capital Center Saturday night, the Kosciusko County Hall of Fame inducted 19 new members, including Indiana Hall of Famers Rita Price and Bill Patrick.
Price was inducted as a journalist, calling games since 1976 for WRSW, while Patrick's 713 wins ranks second among active coaches and fifth all time.
Price was inducted into the state's hall of fame in 2006, while Patrick entered in 2008, but according to Kosciusko County Hall of Fame chairman Rob Irwin, his most recent honor may mean a little more.
“I think he may say this was more special, because it's more local,” he said.
Patrick didn't mention which was more special, but he did seem humbled by the induction.
“It's really an honor, because Kosciusko County has had such amazing basketball over the years, and there's still good basketball - with Triton, Warsaw and surrounding schools,” he said. “This is just a big honor and something that means a lot.”
During his speech, Patrick mentioned that his fondest coaching memory may have actually been in a game that doesn't even exist anymore.
“We won the last Koscisuko County Tournament,” Patrick said about his South Whitley team's title in 1968. “That was probably as much fun as anything I've done in coaching.”
The topic of class basketball and consolidation was a common one on the night, and Patrick too was looking back with fondness on the days of single-class basketball.
“That was good basketball,” he said. “It was fun basketball. You had 700 schools and nobody told you that you couldn't play with the big schools. Everybody was committed and the objective was to win a sectional and beat a Warsaw, a Huntington or whoever was the big school in the tournament. It was different than today, where they put you in a class and say you can't compete with the bigger schools. It was just fun basketball with a lot more support and more rivalries amongst the schools.”
During his 44-year coaching career, the 1956 Sidney High School graduate coached at his alma mater, South Whitley, Whitko and Tippecanoe Valley.
Overall, Patrick's career record is 713-278, which includes his 235-98 mark at Tippecanoe Valley, a place he wasn't planning on being at for too long.
“When I talked to them about the job, I told them, 'I'll stay for at least three years, but no more than five,’” he said. “Fifteen years later, I'm still there.”
Still lively, Patrick doesn't talk about retiring soon - at least not outside of his home.
“I'd get out if my wife would let me,” Patrick joked, referring to his wife Nancy.
Other inductees on the night were Bob Creighton (Atwood, 1958), Jim Irwin (Atwood, 1960), Al Study (Beaver Dam, 1960), John Clay (Claypool, 1955), Rex Woodruff (Claypool, 1960), Richard Stouder (Etna Green, 1954), Bob Long (Mentone, 1960), James Stouder (Etna Green, 1958), Jerry Ryman (Mentone, 1963), Chuck Fleischauer (Milford, 1958), Jon Sroufe (North Webster, 1960), John McFarren (Pierceton, 1959), Emery Brandenburg (Silver Lake, 1955), Tom Firestone (Syracuse, 1961), Lavon Harman (Warsaw, 1956), official Don Lozier (Leesburg, 1948), journalist Norm Hagg (Leesburg, 1955) and the 1953-54 Mentone Bulldogs.
The latest class runs the hall of fame's total to 65 members, and Irwin is pleased with the progress, even though he stated he plans to step aside after one more year.
“I think it's growing each year, and I think tonight was a testament to the growth we've had,” he said. “We generally have about 150 (people here), and I think we have over 200 tonight.”[[In-content Ad]]
Conducting its annual banquet at Grace College's Orthopaedic Capital Center Saturday night, the Kosciusko County Hall of Fame inducted 19 new members, including Indiana Hall of Famers Rita Price and Bill Patrick.
Price was inducted as a journalist, calling games since 1976 for WRSW, while Patrick's 713 wins ranks second among active coaches and fifth all time.
Price was inducted into the state's hall of fame in 2006, while Patrick entered in 2008, but according to Kosciusko County Hall of Fame chairman Rob Irwin, his most recent honor may mean a little more.
“I think he may say this was more special, because it's more local,” he said.
Patrick didn't mention which was more special, but he did seem humbled by the induction.
“It's really an honor, because Kosciusko County has had such amazing basketball over the years, and there's still good basketball - with Triton, Warsaw and surrounding schools,” he said. “This is just a big honor and something that means a lot.”
During his speech, Patrick mentioned that his fondest coaching memory may have actually been in a game that doesn't even exist anymore.
“We won the last Koscisuko County Tournament,” Patrick said about his South Whitley team's title in 1968. “That was probably as much fun as anything I've done in coaching.”
The topic of class basketball and consolidation was a common one on the night, and Patrick too was looking back with fondness on the days of single-class basketball.
“That was good basketball,” he said. “It was fun basketball. You had 700 schools and nobody told you that you couldn't play with the big schools. Everybody was committed and the objective was to win a sectional and beat a Warsaw, a Huntington or whoever was the big school in the tournament. It was different than today, where they put you in a class and say you can't compete with the bigger schools. It was just fun basketball with a lot more support and more rivalries amongst the schools.”
During his 44-year coaching career, the 1956 Sidney High School graduate coached at his alma mater, South Whitley, Whitko and Tippecanoe Valley.
Overall, Patrick's career record is 713-278, which includes his 235-98 mark at Tippecanoe Valley, a place he wasn't planning on being at for too long.
“When I talked to them about the job, I told them, 'I'll stay for at least three years, but no more than five,’” he said. “Fifteen years later, I'm still there.”
Still lively, Patrick doesn't talk about retiring soon - at least not outside of his home.
“I'd get out if my wife would let me,” Patrick joked, referring to his wife Nancy.
Other inductees on the night were Bob Creighton (Atwood, 1958), Jim Irwin (Atwood, 1960), Al Study (Beaver Dam, 1960), John Clay (Claypool, 1955), Rex Woodruff (Claypool, 1960), Richard Stouder (Etna Green, 1954), Bob Long (Mentone, 1960), James Stouder (Etna Green, 1958), Jerry Ryman (Mentone, 1963), Chuck Fleischauer (Milford, 1958), Jon Sroufe (North Webster, 1960), John McFarren (Pierceton, 1959), Emery Brandenburg (Silver Lake, 1955), Tom Firestone (Syracuse, 1961), Lavon Harman (Warsaw, 1956), official Don Lozier (Leesburg, 1948), journalist Norm Hagg (Leesburg, 1955) and the 1953-54 Mentone Bulldogs.
The latest class runs the hall of fame's total to 65 members, and Irwin is pleased with the progress, even though he stated he plans to step aside after one more year.
“I think it's growing each year, and I think tonight was a testament to the growth we've had,” he said. “We generally have about 150 (people here), and I think we have over 200 tonight.”[[In-content Ad]]
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