We’ve discussed it before. Whenever you find yourself gathered with old friends and teammates, the conversation invariably turns to the coach. Doesn’t matter which coach. There’s just going to be a long discussion about the coach — the funny stories, the not-so-funny stories, the real stories and sometimes the not-so-real aspects of the stories that have grown into truth with each telling through the years and years.
There isn’t a community worth its salt that doesn’t have The Coach, and by The Coach we mean the man or the woman who comes immediately to mind when the reference point is “Coach.”
Remember when Coach did this? Remember when Coach said that? How’s Coach been? Saw Coach the other day, and so on and so forth, the reason being Coach has conducted his life in such a devoted so-on and so-forth manner in helping, teaching, coaching and guiding so many for so long that he has become the community fixture known as Coach. The same can be said of the community’s Doc, as we were reminded with Dr. Archibald “Moonlight” Graham in the movie “Field of Dreams.”
As for Coach, all of our communities here have been blessed to have The Coach for seemingly each new generation. For instance, some of the more powerful moments to take place last Friday during the Allegany High School Reunion of Champions involved coaches and players seeing each other for the first time after so many years of being apart.
Sure, on the surface it could have appeared nobody looked anything at all the way they did 20, 30, 40 years ago, yet there was no need for re-introductions, because in those moments, time stood still. All the coach had to do was look into the eyes of his former players, and see the look of respect and gratitude to know who they were, to recall what they went through together, and to understand what they still mean to each other to this day.
Even through some extra padding acquired through the years, the eyes never lie and are a window to the pride of a camaraderie forever shared.
That’s what’s going to take place Saturday, from 4 to 8 p.m., at the Moorefield Town Park where Moorefield will enjoy “An Evening With Coach Hott.”
George Hott was one of the greatest athletes in the history of Moorefield, a two-time all-state halfback for the Yellow Jackets as well as an all-star in basketball and baseball. He played football for the West Virginia University Mountaineers for two seasons before leaving Morgantown to play baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
George Hott served our country for 17 months during the Korean Conflict (looked like a war to me), and when he returned home from the Army he went to Shepherd College, from where he graduated in 1956 after an athletic career that would land him in the Shepherd CollegContact Mike Burke at mburke@times-news.com.
Write to him at mburke@times-news.com.
Mike Burke - Sports
Moorefield spends an evening with its Coach
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Somewhere over the rainbow starts here
During a break in the program Sunday night, former Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Bob Robertson sat at a table backstage sharing some stories from the day when he played some of the finest defensive first base and hit some of the longest home runs in the major leagues in helping the Bucs to the 1971 world championship.
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Ronnie Cage’s life was deeds, not words
It was right they observed a moment of silence at the Allegany-Fort Hill basketball game. And I hope they observed a moment of silence at all of the games this week — boys and girls, men’s and women’s — in all the area gyms — Maryland and West Virginia.
That’s because Ronnie Cage worked them all. And before that he played them all. -
No plus-one would have come out of this Orange
Having never been what one would call a big West Virginia fan, I nevertheless find myself entertained by Mountaineers head football coach Dana Holgorsen whenever I take in a WVU game.
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Daumie No. 51
It’s difficult and it’s unsettling — something we’re not ready to come to terms with, really — when we lose Larger than Life.
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At Fort Hill, they’re all in it together
They still decorate their homes and neighborhoods with red and white streamers and signs. They hang football helmets with jersey numbers on telephone poles and trees, and they leave them there until it’s pretty much time to decorate for Christmas.
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Let’s keep lips zipped and just go about our business
The worst part about snow, other than shoveling it, of course, is being surrounded by all the moaning and groaning about how much it’s going to snow before a flake even touches earth and then having to put up with the same moaning and groaning once it begins to snow.
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There are no queens on the sports page
Some high school football seasons it is easier to tell when big things have happened and when big things are ahead by some of the phone calls and letters we receive here in the Times-News sports department. There just seems to be more of a chippiness some years than in others, and this year has been one of those years.
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K.C. latest Laffey Tour over America destination
As of now it appears Aaron Laffey will be wearing royal blue again — Kansas City Royals blue, that is — as the Royals acquired the former Allegany High School left-hander from the New York Yankees in a waivers claim on Tuesday.
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In America ...
Of course you remember where you were when you heard.
What you really remember is how you felt when you realized it wasn’t just a bad pilot or an airplane malfunction when you saw the second plane go into the second tower.
Until the day we are no longer here, the realization that we had just been attacked — somehow, by somebody — will stay with us and move us. -
Keyser, Fort Hill clash tonight
Fort Hill and Keyser, both coming off lopsided season-opening victories, will square off at Greenway Avenue Stadium, while Frankfort entertains Grafton in the Falcons’ home opener in two of seven high school football games featuring nine area teams taking place tonight.
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