1956-1961 Photos

Submitted by Ron Peavy

Alamo Jr. High 9th Grade BB Team (1957-8) CITY CHAMPS

Front row (L-R): Lee Weatherly, Glenn Whittington, Ron Peavy, Eric Moore

Center row (L-R): Jody Givens, Sammy Vaughn, Fred Frady**, Tony Dorff

Back row (L-R): Coach Sam Volpe, Dwayne Cochran, Knox Nunnally, Billy Owens

San Jacinto football letter 1956-7

Class of ’61 20 year Reunion

(L-R):  Jody Black, Glenn Whittington, Ron Peavy

60-61 Basketball Team, undefeated (in league) Champs

(L-R): Warren Lynn, Ron Peavy, Jody Black, Kenneth Hancock, Billy Owens, Bob Ittner, Arthur Fowler, Knox Nunnally, Charles Dishman, Royce Woolard, Albert Pierce, Ross Lynn

1957-8:  Alamo & Austin share 9th Grade City Basketball Title

Odessa Tournament, December 1960; Dub Malaise scores 33 for Odessa win

Boys of Autumn (Basketball) and Spring(Baseball)

First chapter and see if there is an outcry for more….

Written by  Bob Ittner

I grew up feeling more comfortable on the baseball diamond than on the basketball court. As others have expressed I have great memories of the Midland baseball scene where I played from age 9 to 17. I went out for high school baseball as a sophomore. Coach Selbo gave me a warm-up pitching jacket which was quite an accomplishment for a sophomore-that team ended up going to State. Someone stole the jacket and Coach Selbo blamed me for being careless so I quickly went to the outhouse. At the same time Coach Todd was telling me how good James “Boots” Reeder was doing in spring basketball. Although I continued to play baseball in the summer I never went out for the high school team again. My senior year, MHS had a new coach who asked me to come out. Over the weekend, I got my  glove and spikes together but for some reason  I did not to show up and it is a regret. I went out for basketball as an 8th grader at San Jacinto and was one of the last players chosen on the team. I was always one of the taller, skinnier guys and at some point I can’t remember when  I was 6’1 ½” and weighed 129.  I never saw the court as a player only as a spectator-I did get to watch Dubby Malaise at Odessa Bonham(?) who was great then and great at Texas Tech. In the ninth grade, I didn’t get to play until the last part of the year when  I did start a few games. After the season  Warren Lynn and myself, Mike Goslin and Melvin Freeman from Cowden were invited by Coach Todd to come to MHS to participate in spring drills. Sam Cox, the SJ coach, had encourage me to start jumping  rope which I did and continued through my college career. I started on the B team as a sophomore for the 59-60 season but the real news was one of the best teams MHS ever had on the Varsity: Mike Humphrey and Mike Marsh (Moose and Goose-6’8” ), Dick Campbell, Charlie Dishman (Charlie D.), and Bob Davis with Knox Nunnally coming off the bench. They were undefeated and beating  everyone by 20 points or more including Borger who they defeated  twice by 25 or 26 points. In Bi-regional, they lost a coin flip and ended up playing Borger at Borger and losing in OT-what a disappointment. Both Marsh and Humphrey were All-State,  Charlie D. second team, and Bob Davis honorable mention. Humphrey was all-conference at UT, Marsh and Davis played at SMU, and Charlie at UT/Hardin Simmons.

1960-1961 Basketball Season

Written by by Robert Ittner

A funny story about Mike Humphrey who had a mean streak. The Bulldogs were handily beating  Permian at their gym ( the first year of Permian) and Humphrey and Gene Ross (who later lettered in baseball at UT) were running side by side when Humphrey nonchalantly elbowed Ross in the chest almost sending him into the stands. Fortunately the referees did not see.

I was lucky to play under Coach ROBERT Todd who was a class person as well as a super basketball coach. He was a great fundamental coach and every Monday was fundamental day. He would open the gym during the summer on Tuesday night and players knew to come for pick up games. You would have college kids home for the summer and high school players wanting to get better. He was prohibited from coaching but it gave us a good opportunity to improve and what fun! It is interesting to see how people at this stage in your life can have a positive impact depending on their encouragement or discouragement-Coach Todd was a wonderful influence on me and his reputation as a coach helped me get a scholarship to UT.

The year 1960-1961 I made the A team and started a couple of games when Knox was still footballing and one game when he was sick. We had one returning starter Charlie D surrounded by Knox, Ross Lynn, Albert Pierce, and Royce Woodard. Ron Peavy was 6th man and started some games late in the year. Charlie D. was a great high school player-All State with an unstoppable jump shot where he gathered his feet like a beaver hitting his tail on the water. Knox was an incredible competitor kind of herky jerky but very quick who later starred at UT for Darrell Royal and played on a National Championship team that beat Navy with Staubach in the Cotton Bowl. The other players filled in nicely. I believe each player scored at least 20 points in a game. Royce played at Tech and I understand is a scratch golfer in Midland. Ron Peavy also played in college at Pasadena Nazarene.

That team won district and beat a team from El Paso to reach Bi-Regional where we faced All State Steve Carter and Amarillo Palo Duro. Carter was a long range shooter who we wore down in the first half. In the second half he regained his touch and begin draining what would now be 3 pointers. Charlie D. had an off game having just broken up with Lynn Wallace and missed a lay-up putting the ball over the rim rather than off the backboard like Coach Todd taught us to do. Nevertheless it was a great season and the community really embraced the  team.

Basketball 1961-1962

Written by Robert Ittner

The year 1961-1962 dawned with great promise although the squad only returned 2 letterman-me and Warren Lynn and no starters. Coming up from the undefeated B team were 6’8” James (Long Tall Sally-so named after the Little Richard song) , Joe Sanchez, Dwain White, and underclass man Scotty Gilmour.  On the B team the year before Coach Spears labelled Dwain White and Ken Hancock the “Gold Dust Twins” because they had dyed their hair peroxide blonde to go with their cavalier attitudes.   In the Odessa tournament early in the year we lost in 5 OT’s to the Lubbock Westerners when Jimmy Fullerton hit a shot from the corner at the buzzer when we missed a free throw. We had beaten them earlier in their own gym. We also lost to Abilene in Abilene at the buzzer with a Virgil Pate shot after hammering them at home.

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Memories of Doc

Written by Glenn Whittington ‘ 61

My first memories of Doc were in 1959, my Sophomore year at MHS. He had taken the job as the head athletic trainer at MHS.  He also taught Social Studies, more on that later.  After football season ended he became the trainer for Coach Bob Todd for the basketball program.  At this time I had moved to the B team after being a star on the C team under one of the great basketball minds Ralph Schultz who also taught shop.  I truly think he knew more about shop than basketball.  Some of the outstanding players making the move to the B team were Ron Peavy, Bob Speed, Jody Black and Charles Dishman more on each of them in future chapters. 

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MHS Basketball 1963-64

Written by Bill Wood

With Coach Todd having retired from coaching, it was the first year for Coach Spears to take charge of the varsity. We had seniors Clyde Jones (RIP), Steve Melzer, Pete Creasy, and Randy Kerth. I was also a senior and joined the team right after football, just in time for the first game. Mack Lawrence and Ross Montgomery, both juniors, also joined the team right after football. We also had junior Doug Russell, the great swimmer, who in 1968 won multiple gold medals in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. As an aside, John McElligott and I both used to beat Doug as 12 and 13 year olds while swimming for the Midland Aquatic Club. I gave up swimming for other sports but John became a great swimmer himself.

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