Was Bill Stearman there then?
Unfortunately, yes. I should have been a starter, but he cut me because he hated my father. They played semi-pro baseball against each other in the 1950s and my dad always warned me to not let Coach Stearman know he was my father. One day, we were walking together in downtown Columbus and Coach Stearman saw us. That proved to be a killer for me.
About 20 years ago, I was early for our Rotary Club meeting and so was our former high school principal. The two of us were sitting together and he asked if I minded if he told me something. Of course, I was fine with it.
He proceeded to tell me that Coach Stearman cut me from the basketball team because he carried a grudge against my dad. Our former principal said he almost intervened and made him put me on the team, but he decided not to do it. He said he really regretted not getting involved and getting me put on the team.
That winter, I was playing against a stranger in a pick-up game and he asked me after the game where I was playing basketball. When I told him I merely was playing church basketball, he said he was captain and point guard of a college basketball team and I was a better player than him. He said he was a senior and his coach was looking for his replacement. He then asked for my name and phone number so his coach could contact me.
His coach called a few days later and wanted me to meet with him at the university. When I said I was going to go to IU and major in journalism, he tried to talk me out of it. A day or two later, he called our home again and chatted with my mother. She then tried to persuade me to meet with the coach, but I refused to do so.
It has always bothered me about getting cut from the basketball team, but I'm glad I went to IU and majored in journalism. Those were four great years!