Being Saved-Bright Lights and Stars

Gerald Byron, two great stories. Coach would have loved them. He wore his "funny bone" on his sleeve and it did not take much to set it off. He loved tumbling and I do not know why. Maybe some one in the group can enlighten us.
The story about my sister is probably true, no one in our neighborhood provoked her (I can feel your pain). Did you see my story of the nite she went into the Lexington dressing room and popped the head of the girl who had been guarding her (and holding her) during the BB game. As I said earlier, she probably could have made the football team. Again Gerald great stories of our Coach and great remembrances of times gone by.
Scotty Portis

Scotty: Johnny Radford forward me all of the emails: I read them this afternoon as Susan drove us to mountains. Great memories!!!! I would like to add a couple if you would be kind enough to share with the group:

Like Charles Rhodes, I was a 98 pound weakling (literally) during high school and so my high school extracurricular activity was relegated to beating the bass drum. (Unfortunately, as Mr. Tate quickly learned, I did not have an ounce of rhythm flowing through my veins’ still don’t.) But I vividly remember P.E. under Coach Ward. I particularly remember the tumbling which Coach Ward loved but which I grew to dread. My Waterloo was the two man tumble when one person laid on the floor with his head between other person ankles and his feet were around the neck of the one standing. The one standing – me – was suppose to roll forward. Being athletically challenged, my roll was more like a swan dive forward until the top of my head contacted the gym floor just beyond the mat. I must have been “saved” at the moment that I hit the floor because I definitely saw a bright light and many stars. When I could open my eyes, there was Coach Ward beside me bent over in laughter! Dodge ball was a different exercise but, for me, had the same result. I always ended up on the other side from Ace Forbess, William Lee Smothers and Steve Neal and would get creamed by one of them, either in the head or family jewels, by a volley ball traveling at least 75 mph. While rolling in the floor, I would inevitably look up to see Coach Ward bent over in laughter.

Coach Ward’s laughter was not malicious, however. As others have so eloquently expressed, he cared deeply about his charges and no one was prouder of my Vandy scholarship than Coach Ward. In retrospect, how could one keep from laughing at some of our antics; I laughed out loud several times today. We were, indeed, fortunate to have persons like Coach Ward, Mr. Pudor, Mr. Tate, Miss Anna Pearl, and others, care for us, mentor us and love us.

In closing, I want to vouch for the fact that your beloved sister, Betty Ann, had a mean streak. On Halloween of our senior year, two groups came together in Mayor Watson’s front yard. My group was armed to the hilt with water balloons which we launched toward Betty Ann’s group. My enthusiasm was cut short when a 6 ounce Coke bottle came whizzing by my ear – Betty Ann had won that round.

Thanks again for getting this started.

Gerald

Throwing Rocks

joe fortner < > Wed, Dec 26, 2007 at 4:16 PM

To: Scott Portis

SCOTTY, Please forgive me but I am to old and have know you to long to call you Scott. I thought you and everyone else would enjoy this story, it has nothing to do with Paul Ward but it happened to the Jackson Hwy. Gang. Several of us Mclemore, Bubba Crews, Tommy Crews, Charles Chandler, Tommy Portis, (Betty Anne Portis) & others cannot remember everyone involved were out in the front yard of Mike Mclemore playing. A Young boy who lived up close to Ray Ivey's house for a short period of time came by on his bicycle. Most of us if not all starting to throw rocks at this person. He was hit but not hurt, he called the police and they came to Mike's house and found us hiding in the basement. To say the least we were all very scared. Joe Fortner

Jackson Highway Gang

From: Scott Portis

To

Sent: Friday, December 21, 2007 1:57 PM

Subject: Re: Coach Ward

Joe, thanks for the blog. We all know the prowess of Coach Robinson, not only as a player but a very savy former Coach of the Mustangs. I am proud to be a next door neighbor of his mother-in-law and get to see Coach quite often, along with his brother-in-law and another former famous Mustang QB Lynn Brandon, when they come to visit. We stand in the back yard and talk Mustang football and often relive some of our old games.

Joe, I am reminded of the "Jackson Highway Gang" as we were known, a rough bunch of uncouth "country boys" as our city slicker friends called us. As I remember, the city boys would come calling to our field on Saturday for a little game of tackle football. Jimmy and Joe Fortner, Lynn Brandon, Mike "The Toe" McLemore, the Lumpkin boys, Donald Blankenship, Roy "Geno" Dill, the Chandler boys, Ralph Joyner, Chandler Peeples, Tommy and Bobby Crews, Scott and Tommy Portis, Ray Ivy, John Mitchell Smith, and least we not forget the female persusion- Ms Becky Presson and Ms. Betty Ann Portis made up the team. Geno Dill's mother looked out the window once and called her son over and said "Roy, you boys must take it easy on Betty Ann and Becky". Roy's reply "Mom, Betty Ann and Becky need to take it easy on us. Have you seen them hit?". As I remember, Betty Ann was a vicious tackler and was probably the second fastest runner on the field. Betty Ann was a little "salty" even when she got to high school. She went in the Lexington dressing room after a basketball game one night and "punched out" one of the Lexington players who had been holding her during the game. She probably could have made the high school football team. Anyway, you will remember that we broke Carl Holiday's arm one Saturday and Johnny Pitts fell victim to the brutality of the "Jackson Highway Gang" the very next Saturday-he got the same treatment and wound up in Dr. Douglass office for a cast. There was no third Saturday as word had gotten around and the white "arm bands" these guys were wearing was proof enough.

I am sure that these early days of playing football grew out of our love for the game but the town of Huntingdon has been a "football town" as long as I can remember. People like Coach Pudor, Coach Ward, Coach Bobby Hays, Coach Robinson, Coach Sturdivant, and Coach Mansfield have all been great leaders and motivators and have helped propel this love for the game. Football is such a character builder-it demands much, but the rewards in self esteem, self worth, team work, and respect for others in victory or defeat are worth the price.

Joe, thanks again for a good story and for remembering a great football player, Jerry Robinson, and his coach, Coach Ward.

Scotty Portis