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Mrs. Staples (left front) looks on as coach
Staples instructs Tim Powell of Fort Valley
(right front) on the proper techniques of shooting
a basketball. Behind listening intently are two of
Coach Staples’ former players - Dwayne Powell
(Tim’s uncle) - L and Bert Bozeman - R, each of
Profile Os A Christian Coach
Special To The Home Journal
By Billy Powell
A capacity throng of
3500 frenzied fans were
screaming and yelling.
The noise was deafening;
the pandemonium
disconcerting. Macon’s
City Auditorium seemed
to reel and sway on its
girders. It was March 14,
1953. The Perry Pan
thers, of which this writer
was a member, were
playing a tremendously
tall and talented
Clarkston team for the
basketball championship
of Georgia. An eight point
Perry lead had just been
reduced to two points by a
brilliant defensive tactic
employed by Clarkston.
Sprung suddenly, it
produced three quick
Perry turnovers. The
score stood 59-57. Only 45
seconds remained in the
game. The tide had
turned. Clarkston had the
momentum. The Perry
team seemed bewildered
and confused by
Clarkston’s full-court,
zone press which seemed
impenetrable.
Defeat appeared im
minent for a Perry team
that had won 35 games,
climbing over many
formidable opponents to
gain state finals. The
dream of a state
championship, which
only several moments
ago seemed attainable,
was fleeting from our
grasp with the countdown
of seconds irreversibly
flashing away on the
scoreboard clock.
Our coach signalled for
a time out. As the team
approached the Perry
bench, we were met by a
coach who in the thick of
battle was a model of
composure. Any in
dication of indecisiveness
or a slight quiver of his lip
could have sealed our
doom. He talked to us in a
calm manner, a
reassuring tone in his
voice. The radiated
confidence. For that
moment, we leaned
heavily on the strong
fibre of this man. He
believed in himself and
his approach to the game.
He sincerely believed we
could win by following his
instructions. The Perry
Boosters Club Meets
The Westfield Booster
Club held its general
meeting on Thursday
night, December 4 at 7:00
p.m. in the school
gymnasium. A short
business meeting was
held followed by a
Christmas program
performed by grades 1-6.
Booster Club president,
Jackie Klein, welcomed
the large crowd con
sisting of teachers,
parents, relatives and
other patrons. Butch
Skinner, vice president,
gave the invocation.
Kathy Fryer, secretary,
read the minutes from
the previous general
meeting and Genelle
Home, treasurer, gave
the financial report.
Sandi Stokes,
Halloween Carnival co
chairman, reported on
team walked back on that
court with a renewed
determination, ready to
scrap Clarkston to the
bitter end. His strategy
paid off as it had hun
dreds of times in years
past. We scored four
points in the remaining
seconds, holding
Clarkston scoreless,
winning by a six point
margin, 63-57.
The coach who guided
his team to victory was
Perry’s legendary
basketball coach, Eric P.
Staples, a Georgia Hall of
Fame inductee in 1957,
whose teams have won
924 games against only
189 losses. During his 38
year coaching career, his
teams captured an un
precedented eight state
championships and 25
district or regional
championships.
Born in Carroll County -
Roopville, Georgia - on
October 12, 1905, the son
of Pelham and Ola
Staples, Eric Staples
attended the University
of Georgia and later
graduated from Mercer
University’s Law School.
After passing the state
bar exam, he elected not
to pursue the practice of
law and opted to pursue a
career in coaching and
school administration
instead. In 1965,he retired
from coaching and as
principal of Perry High
School. For 40 years he
taught the Adult Men’s
Sunday School class at
Perry’s Methodist
Church where his lessons
were broadcast every
Sunday over the radio. He
and his ever - supportive
and personable wife,
Chloe, still reside at 1101
Washington Avenue in
Perry. They have three
married children
Pierce, Porter and
Sherry - and six grand
children. Coach Staples
now works part-time
(half day each workday
as manager of Perry’s
cable T-V office.
Many wondered over
the years why Coach
Staples was such a
winner. How could any
coach capture as many
close games as he did,
engineer so many come
this year’s carnival,
Marty Bloodworth
reported on the Mossy
Creek food booth, the
auction report was given
and Butch Skinner made
an announcement
regarding the school.
Headmaster Malcom
Moseley made several
general announcements
and the program was
then turned over to the
elementary school
students. They sang
several Christmas carols
and each class had
representatives who
recited the meanings of
Christmas. Mrs. Janna
Gray, second grade
teacher, and Peggy Britt,
4th grade teacher, were
in charge of the program
which was thoroughly
enjoyed by all. Mrs.
Laverne Cook, fifth grade
teacher was the pianist.
whom played on two state championship teams
and went on to star in college, Powell at Georgia
and Bozeman at Georgia Southwestern.
Bozeman followed in his famous coach’s foot
steps and is now head coach at Fullington
Academy.
from behind victories and
beat opposing teams who
were heavily favored to
win? To these questions,
there are no simple an
swers. However, as one
who has had firsthand
exposure and a long
association with this
great coach, I will offer
my impression of those
qualities which con
tributed to his success.
One of the most im
portant prerequisites to
winning is the mutual
respect that must exist
between player and
coach. Mr. Staples won
the respect and ad
miration of his players
through his exemplary
Christian life. Like the
preacher whose most
convincing sermons are
not preached in the
pulpit, but in the conduct
of his daily life, Coach
Staples was an'example -
setter’. The most in
delible impressions he
made on his players were
not so much what he said,
but how he treated others
and by his actions both on
and off the court. He
never showed partiality
and was known for his
square dealings and
sense of fair play. If you
were not a starter, for
example, you knew that
you had been given every
opportunity to prove
yourself and that the guy
playing ahead of you -for
the moment anyway --
had outperformed you.
Coach Staples never
used abusive language or
tactics with his players,
always criticizing con
structively not
destructively. Never did
he ‘horseplay’ with his
players. He was strictly a
‘no-nonsense’ coach,
always dead serious. He
was friendly and joked
occasionally with his
boys, but always
maintained that ‘critical
balance’ in the coach -
player relationship that
told you he was ‘the boss.’
I never heard ‘Fessor’,
as we affectionately
called him, say anything
that was off-color or do
anything that was
demeaning to his
character. His interest in
his players went beyond
the athletic arena. He
saw them as human
beings with personal
strivings and needs other
than athletic
achievement and was
genuinely interested in
their welfare. A player
will play his heart out for
this type of coach.
He was a firm believer
Pitts Rated As Outstanding
An Outstanding Per
formance Rating
recently was presented to
Linda B. Pitts for her
superior work with the
Warner Robins Air
Logistics Center, Robins
AFB. She lives in Perry.
She is a lead data
transcriber in the Traffic
Management and
Documentation Section of
the Consolidation
Containerization Point
Branch, Transportation
Operations Division of
the Directorate of
Distribution
that hard work was in
dispensable to success.
This equated to practice,
practice and more
practice. As a result, his
teams were always well
coached and fun
damentally sound. He
imposed strict training
rules to keep his players
in tip-top condition and
meted out discipline
when these rules were
compromised. Always
emphasizing that you had
to be willing “to pay the
price” to be a winner,
Coach Staples demanded
excellence and got it.
Perry’s basketball
achieved the success it
did, not because of
superior players or great
talent, but because of
hard work, dedication
and a dissension - free
team playing as a unit --
“one for all and all for
one”. Perry teams never
played ‘free-lance’
basketball ... never. They
always had a system of
attack - both offensively
and defensively - that was
constantly being
executed.
Coach Staples was a
‘Master strategist’,
always seeming to come
up with the best strategy
to combat any given
game situation. Knowing
who Perry would likely
play in the district
tournament, Coach
Staples would begin
preparing game plans
and practicing for
these teams many
months in advance. Such
was the case in the late
40’s when a smaller
Perry team defeated an
awesome Warner Robins
quintet led by 7-feet Bill
Spivey to capture the
district crown and went
on to win the state. It was
a truly brilliant, ‘double -
teaming’ strategy and
collapsing defense on
Spivey that minimized
the giant center’s ef
fectiveness to score and
rebound.
These are only some of
the ‘magic ingredients’
that made Eric Staples a
legend in his own time.
Some say he is the
greatest high school
coach who ever lived.
Whether he is or not is of
little importance, history
can decide that, but what
is of supreme importance
are the significant and
lasting contributions he
has made in the lives of
thousands of young
people and the fact that
he is genuinely loved and
respected by all of his
players.
Mrs. Pitts was in
strumental in setting up
the first computer
operation for her branch.
She trained all data
transcribers and
established operating
procedures for the
computer room.
She is a 1970 graduate
of Perry High School.
Mrs. Pitts is married to
Freddie L. Pitts. They
have five children: Stacy,
14; Tonya, 12; Freddie
Jr., 11; Travis, 5; and
Courtney, 3.
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Seems like everyone I
talk to is fussing about
having to do their
Christmas shopping;
and seems one of the
biggerst problems en
countered is figuring out
what to get someone. In
the best interest of
restoring the proper
cheerful spirit of
Christmas, I have
compiled the following
list of possibilities for the
hunter, fisherman or
woodsman.
Gloves - These would be
much more practical if it
were possible to purchase
three gloves, any of
which would fit either
hand. In my case, I would
need one left and four
rights, because I always
lose the right hand glove.
Socks - With steel
mesh reinforcement in
the toe and heel. I’ve got
plenty of socks, but my
snakeboots have an in
satiable appetite for heels
and toes of socks. I finally
sewed up the tops and
started wearing them
upside down.
Longhannells. (who
ever heard them
pronounced long “han
dles”?) These should be
made with a 48” inseam
to provide for the certain
shrinkage. Or perhaps
the bottoms could be
made in two parts, with
one section from the
knees down. Every pair I
have end *1 ihe knees.
Cushions -for the
determined deer hunter
who sits long hours. It
would be nice if the
cushion had some heating
apparatus built in.
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EASTGATE OFFICE MAIN OFFICE PLAZA OFFICE MEMBER FDIC
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1980
Stand building material
- This can be picked up
cheap at many con
struction locations,
particularly if you are of
the feminine variety and
you know how to smile.
Though rather hard to
wrap, pny odds and ends
of plywood and 2x4’s are
greatly appreciated. As
for the somewhat more
impressive items:
Shotguns - never buy
the kind with in
terchangeable barrels.
Its always more en
joyable for the hunter to
buy a whole new gun if by
chance he needs say 1
inch less barrell. The
receipt of a gun with
interchangeable barrells
negates the possibility of
buying more guns,
lessening the enjoyment
of your gift.
Hunting Trips - forget
the African safaries,
although most Middle
Georgians couldn’t fit an
elephant in the freezer
even if they could find
someone local to cut and
wrap it.
Fishing boats
anything more than an
eighteen foot red
metalflake ranger bass
boat with two depth
finders and a 175 horse
motor could be con
sidered extreme and
therefore in bad taste.
Keep it under $15,000.
Above all, stay away
from such things as
neoprene paddles, fishing
kits with 7 rods and 7
reels and 985 lures for
$5.98, and Labrador
Retriever pups with long
floppy ears and short
tails.
Health Agency
To Meet In Perry
The regular quarterly
meeting of the Board of
Governors of the Health
Systems Agency of
Central Georgia will be
held on Thursday,
December 11, beginning
at 7:00 p.m. at the New
Perry Hotel In Perry. The
monthly meeting of the
Executive Committee of
the HSA will be held that
same day at the same
location but will start at
4:30 p.m.
The Board is scheduled
to review and approve the
proposed 1981 Central
Bank Women Meet
The 1980-81 slate of
Officers for the Middle
Georgia Chapter,
National Association of
Bank Women were in
stalled in Macon on
October 28,1980, at Bealls
1860 Restaurant.
Women bankers from
fourteen Middle Georgia
banks, their spouses and
dates, along with a
number of chief
executive officers from
the respective banks,
attended the dinner
meeting and heard an
address by Margaret H.
Almond, vice president,
First Citizens Bank &
Trust Company,
Charlotte, N.C. Almond’s
professional credentials
include her special
project chairmanship
for the Womens Division,
North Carolina Bankers
Association and state
sponsor of the Credit
Women International.
She has served in other
professional capacities in
the NABA Organization,
state, regional, and local
levels. Almond is a
popular speaker on
subject areas such as:
careers in banking,
PAGE 13-A
Georgia Health Plan,
which will be a
modification and update
of the 1980 plan. They will
also review and approve
the HSA’s annual ap
plication for continued
designation as the
Central Georgia area’s
health planning
organization.
The Executive Com
mittee will be reviewing
six health - related
projects representing the
proposed expenditure of
almost ten and a half
million dollars.
money management, and
management skills. She
is currently NABW
Regional Vice President.
The 1980-81 slate of
Officers installed by vice
president Almond is
headed by: Mary Ann
Lovell, The Bank of
Perry, CHAIRMAN; and
serving with her: Bar
bara Fennell, Georgia
Bank, Macon, VICE
CHAIRMAN: Sue
Ballard, First National
Bank, Macon,
SECRETARY: and Joyce
Wommack, Planters
Bank, Hawkinsville,
TREASURER.
NABW is the only
national organization
dedicated to enhancing
the image, career ad
vancement, and
educational opportunities
of Women in Banking.
The primary objective of
the Organization is to
bring together women
executives engaged in the
profession of banking for
the interchange of ex
periences, ideas, and
interests, and to further
the meaningful careers of
bank women.