Hometown Legend Award
1974 Little League Baseball Team
The
Jackson-Madison County Sports Hall of Fame is pleased to introduce the first
Hometown Legends Award this year. Its purpose is to recognize and honor teams
or individuals who have made an exceptional impact on Jackson’s sports history.
Email nominations and pertinent information to bethsedberry@gmail.com.
Exploring
an upstairs bedroom when he was 4 years old, Austin Weaver discovered his dad’s
Little League scrapbook for the first time.
So his
dad, Stan Weaver, patiently browsed through the articles and pictures with his
son, then left the room. Moments later in absolute awe, Austin looked up at his
mom and said, “Daddy must have been the greatest player ever.”
For a
dazzling month in 1974, Daddy and his teammates were indeed among the greatest.
Jackson’s American League All-Stars advanced to the Little League World Series
in Williamsport, Pa. that summer, a feat no other West Tennessee team has ever
accomplished.
It was
an incredible journey, filled with drama and adventure that provided a treasure
of memories for the players, their coaches and families. They were magical
days, when 14 Little Leaguers dared to dream of glory, then earned it for all
time.
This
year is the 50th anniversary of that momentous experience, and the
Jackson-Madison County Sports Hall of Fame is pleased to honor the ’74 team
with the Hall’s inaugural Hometown Legends Award. The team has never had a
reunion, until today.
There
were many “firsts” for the squad of 12-year-olds who lived to play ball and
knew little about life beyond Jackson. Most had never traveled outside the
state, much less visited Florida’s beaches, gone to a Major League Baseball
game or visited the White House. Most had never been on an airplane.
They
just loved baseball, and it was do-or-die for Jackson’s All-Stars in every
tournament game that summer. Using a single-elimination format, they won 11
consecutive tournament games. Five of their contests were decided by one run,
including the state and Southern Regional championships. They beat
Farragut-Cedar Bluff, 2-1, to earn Jackson’s first state title since 1963. They
defeated Texas, 1-0, for the regional championship and a trip to Williamsport.
Outfielder
Ronnie Giddens twice hit a last-inning home run to keep Jackson alive in the
Southern Regional at St. Petersburg, Fla. He is the only all-star who had a
shot at professional ball, playing four years in the minors.
“For a
bunch of 12-year-olds, we were living high on the hog,” said Giddens, who still
lives in Jackson. “We literally thought we were in the big leagues.”
Stan
Weaver, who won six tournament games pitching, and Giddens weren’t the only
heroes. Curve-ball pitcher Jeff Fleming won six games, and several players made
stellar defensive efforts for key outs.
“There
was a lot of luck along the way,” said Fleming, who ended his Little League
career with 27 straight victories on the mound. He lives in the Memphis area.
“There
were games when we were down to our last at-bat, but we always thought we could
win,” Fleming said. “That was one of the key ingredients. We never quit.”
Fleming,
Weaver and Giddens were joined by Barry Buckley, Bruce Davis, Daryl Dershimer,
Perry Franks, Bethel Fuller, Dean Hamilton, Cooper Murray, Don Nelson, Pat
O’Keefe, Steve Shelton and Mark Smith. All were 12 except Fuller, 11. Wil
Dershimer was head coach, Ed Fleming was assistant coach and Gary Lovejoy was
an aide. Coach Dershimer and Smith are deceased.
Weaver,
a hard-throwing right-hander, pitched the first game at the World Series on
Aug. 21. He had a one-hitter through the regulation six innings against
Venezuela before giving up a leadoff home run in the bottom of the seventh to
lose, 1-0.
“I can
see that ball going to the fence like it was yesterday,” said Weaver, a former
Memphis State football player who lives in Shelby County.
Though
crushed by the heartbreaking loss, Jackson regrouped to beat Canada, 10-1, and
Connecticut, 14-2, and finish fifth in the world. Venezuela placed third, and
Taiwan beat California for the championship.
After
the tournament, Jackson’s All-Stars saw the Orioles play in Baltimore, toured
Washington, D.C., went to the White House and met President Gerald Ford, then
returned home to a hero’s welcome at the Civic Center.
Billy
Ray Cox, still a student at Union University in 1974, covered the Little League
for The Jackson Sun and went to St. Petersburg and Williamsport, Pa. He later
became The Sun’s sports editor and now lives in Florida.
“They
were a lot of fun to be around, really great kids,” Cox said. “It was one of
the top five things I ever did in the newspaper business, just a great ride.”
The
players and coaches scattered. Only four are still in Jackson. But they remain
connected by their creation of local baseball lore and the feelings once shared
on the diamonds of youth.
“I
played football in college in front of nearly 100,000 fans, but nothing has
come close to the experience of that summer,” Weaver said. “It was absolutely
incredible.”
In the
summer of 1974, confidence was abundant among Jackson’s Little League
All-Stars. That started with the pitchers.
No one
in Little League threw harder than Stan Weaver, and Jeff Fleming’s curve ball
had won him 21 straight games. Weaver led the league that year with two
no-hitters, a .621 batting average and 11 home runs. He alternated at pitcher
and catcher with Fleming on the Elks team.
Shortstop
Daryl Dershimer had hit .557 with five homers in the regular season. All three
had played for All-Stars head coach Wil Dershimer on the 19-0 Elks. In fact,
half the All-Stars played on the Elks from the time they were drafted in 1971.
When those seven were joined by the rest of the American League All-Stars, head
coach Dershimer, assistant Ed Fleming and aide Gary Lovejoy knew they had
potential.
Joining
Weaver, Fleming and Dershimer were Barry Buckley, Bruce Davis, Perry Franks,
Bethel Fuller, Ronnie Giddens, Dean Hamilton, Cooper Murray, Don Nelson, Pat
O’Keefe, Steve Shelton and Mark Smith.
FIRST
INNING
In the
first two tournaments, Jackson cruised to area and district championships. It
beat Lexington, 25-0, for the district title. Fleming pitched a no-hitter in
that one, and Dershimer hit three of Jackson’s seven home runs.
SECOND
INNING
The
state tournament was at Jackson’s Lions Field. Outfielder Ronnie Giddens’
three-run homer and Weaver’s three-hit pitching led to a 4-1 win over Sparta in
the opener.
Jackson
scored nine runs in the first inning of the semifinals and crushed Clinton,
28-2, on 24 hits. Then came the first true test. Jackson beat Farragut-Cedar
Bluff, 2-1, to earn its first state crown since 1963 and a trip to St.
Petersburg, Fla., for the Southern Regional.
Down
1-0 in the top of the sixth, second baseman Mark Smith singled. Then
pinch-hitter Steve Shelton was ruled safe on a grounder to first when the first
baseman pulled his foot off the bag. One out later, Bruce Davis hit a two-run
single down the first-base line, setting up the victory.
THIRD
INNING
Next
stop was Florida sand, but not before players in their uniforms combed the city
seeking donations to help pay the bills. Jackson responded favorably as
excitement mounted.
There
was enough cash for the team to fly to St. Petersburg early and get used to
Florida’s August heat. But it was a low-budget excursion. The team slept in
tents near the beach and fought nightly wars with raccoons, mosquitoes and
lizards. The first day there the players collected a cooler full of sand crabs.
“That
night the raccoons got into it and ate everything we had, including all our
food for the next day,” said third baseman O’Keefe.
It was
a relief when all 13 Southern Regional teams checked into the tournament
complex. But living conditions were far from luxurious.
“They
put us behind locked gates and wire fences, just like a prison,” Fleming said.
“The kids couldn’t see their parents except at the games.”
And if
they sneaked out of their barracks after lights out, they would have to deal
with a guard dog. Some wanted to escape just to get a good meal.
“The
security was unbelievable,” first baseman Murray said. “They wouldn’t let us
out of the compound.”
FOURTH
INNING
Finally
ready for action, Jackson’s first game at Al Lang Memorial Stadium was an omen
of things to come. Weaver, who threw nothing but heat, had his worst outing,
walking five and hitting a batter to allow Louisiana three first-inning runs.
He
made up for it with a two-run homer in the third. O’Keefe singled home the
tying run in the fifth, setting up Giddens’ first dramatic home run. With one
out in the bottom of the sixth, he hit a shot over the right-centerfield wall
to win it, 4-3.
Alabama
and the infirmary were the next opponents. Fleming started on the mound against
Alabama but became ill. He gave up three home runs before his exit. For the
first time since tournament play began, someone other than Weaver and Fleming
had to pitch.
The
honor went to reserve Dean Hamilton, who coached third base. Adults weren’t
allowed on the field in those days. Hamilton and his curve only allowed seven
hits, but five were homers. Alabama had 8 home runs in the game, a tournament
record, but Jackson kept pace for a 16-13 victory. In the last inning, with a
man on first and two out, Hamilton was drained. So O’Keefe was asked to pitch.
“I
promptly walked two straight batters to load the bases,” O’Keefe said. “I had
two strikes on the next guy and decided to throw my famous changeup, which
meant I would wind up fast and lob the ball. The guy killed it, but Mark Smith
made the great (diving) catch at second and threw him out.”
FIFTH
INNING
With
Fleming on the disabled list, Shelton got his first start at catcher in the
regional semifinals against North Carolina. He responded with three line-drive
hits and three runs. Weaver pitched a three-hitter, striking out 14. And
Giddens provided the winning run for the second time in three days when he hit
a homer over the left-centerfield fence in the sixth to make it 5-4.
That
set up a showdown with Texas for the regional championship. Fleming recovered
in time to pitch a four-hitter, striking out 10 and walking two in a 1-0
victory. Weaver provided the only run in the second inning. He was hit by a
pitch, went to second on a wild pitch, and reached third on O’Keefe’s sacrifice
fly. He raced home on another wild pitch and slid under the tag.
SIXTH
INNING
Next
stop was Williamsport, Pa., home of Little League baseball. Jackson’s team flew
there from Florida and encountered more strict living quarters. But the World
Series excitement overshadowed it all.
Venezuela
was Jackson’s first opponent, and it featured Alfredo Urdaneta, a tall,
muscular, left-handed pitcher who was just as tough as Weaver. The game was
Aug. 21, and it turned into a pitcher’s duel. It was scoreless after the
regulation six innings. Weaver had only allowed a bunt single and had gotten
Jackson’s only hit. Giddens had barely missed a home run that went foul in the
sixth.
Venezuela’s
Urdaneta led off the bottom of the seventh, worked Weaver to a full count, and
sent the next pitch over the left-centerfield wall.
“That
was probably the best game I ever pitched,” Weaver said. “That guy had no
business even swinging at that ball. It was almost in the dirt. I can see the
ball going to the fence like it was yesterday and thinking, ‘Well, we’re not
going to be on TV.’ Then I remember trying to keep my composure and not go
berserk and embarrass the city. But we all cried.”
“I
watched the ball go over the fence, bent down and cried my eyes out,” shortstop
Dershimer said. “The ride was over.”
Jackson
breezed to fifth place in the World Series with a 10-1 victory over Canada and
a 14-2 win over Connecticut.
POST-GAME
SHOW
When
the series ended, all eight teams were taken to Baltimore to see the Orioles
play Minnesota. The next day they toured Washington, D.C. and went to the
White House. They were President Gerald Ford’s first official guests after he
took office following Richard Nixon’s resignation over the Watergate scandal. The
team returned to Jackson the following day and was greeted at the airport by
200 fans. Players rode fire trucks in a parade through downtown Jackson and
were honored, along with the state-champion American Legion team, at a Civic
Center banquet.
“It’s
amazing all the attention we got and what the people of Jackson did for us,”
all-star Dershimer said. “We were just kids, but we were treated like royalty.”
“Something
like that may never happen to Jackson again,” Buckley said. “I know I’ll
remember it all my life.”
Most of this story, written by Dan Morris, originally appeared in The Jackson Sun on Aug. 21, 1994. Morris was The Sun’s sports editor at the time. Used by permission.