Reading
from left to right: Back Row—Odom Russell (right guard), Capt. Elton
Freeman (left guard), Sammie Davis (center), Ray Miller (left forward),
Weynand Allison (right Forward).
Front
Row—Coach Homer L. Miller, Andrew Duncan (guard), Woodrow Williamson (
forward), J. N. Pitts (guard), Billie O. Bridges (guard), C. V. Russell, a
forward, is not shown.
FAIRY
BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM
In the
fall of 1934 the Fairy School Board decided that Fairy needed a new coach.
They began to look around for a good coach. The man they hired was Homer
L. Miller. When he arrived on the scene he did not find much of a
basketball team awaiting him. He found some boys who wanted to play ball
and he proceeded to make a team out of them. The following are the men who
were on the team: Sammie Davis, Ray Miller, W.F. Clayton, Weynand Allison,
Elton Freeman, Odom Russell, Doug Morrison, Wendell Wolfe, and Paul
Hutton.
When Coach
Miller started to work the boys they did not know much about basketball.
He had to teach them the fundamentals and show them how to play the game
as it should be played. At the beginning of the season they won only a
little better than one-half their games. As the season wore on they
improved their playing almost one hundred percent. It was in January, 1935
that they started on their victory march. They won eleven straight games
against any and all comers, including four straight games in the county
meet. At the close of the season they looked up their record and
discovered that they had won 27 out of 37 games played. This was against
some of the strongest teams in the state. They won third place in the
district meet at
Brownwood
.
In the
’35 and ’36 season the Tigers did not win the county but they made a
better record than the season before. There were five lettermen who
returned. They were Elton (Dutch) Freeman, Kay (Lefty) Miller, Weynand
(Pee Wee) Allison, Odom (Trapper Joe) Russell, Sammie (Cordwood Leo) Davis,
Squadsmen for this season were Woodrow (Bugle) Williamson, who was a three
year letterman and he hails from Colony, Texas; C. V. (John) Russell,
Andrew (Gobe) Duncan, J. N. (Cocie) Pitts. The ones who lettered on the
’35 and ’36 season team are Pee Wee Allison, Capt. Elton Freeman,
Lefty Miller, Leo Davis, Bugle Williamson, John Russell, Odom Russell. The
ones who did most of the playing and deserve special mention are the
lettermen. They were very faithful and did their best all of the time.
The Tigers
entered in five invitation tournaments. They won three invitation
tournaments and were well up toward the finals at the Daniel Baker
tournament at
Brownwood
, At this tournament they defeated the team that won the District Meet,
the team being Milburn. At the A.C.C. tournament at
Abilene
the Tigers won fourth place. There were 42 teams entered in this
tournament.
For the
full season the Tigers turned in one of the best records ever compiled by
a team of Fairy High. They won 26 and lost only seven games. Summing it up
for the last two seasons you will find that the Tigers have won 50 games
and lost only 20. This is a very good record for a small high school.
COACH
HOMER L. MILLER
Coach
Homer L. Miller is the outstanding coach in the history of Fairy
School. He took a group of boys who knew little about athletics and
made a record for them and himself. Mr. Miller is considered one of
the outstanding coaches of State. The student body and patrons
of Fairy regret very much to lose Coach Miller.
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HAMILTON COUNTY SCHOOL ANNUAL
TEXAS CENTENNIAL EDITION
1936
W. F. BILLINGSLEA, Publisher
FAIRY
PUBLIC SCHOOL, 1936
Shared by Roy
Ables.
