After the speech I, the Kornerman, made at the Boone Historical Center in October, 2023, there were many people "away" from Boone who were interested in the contents of, "BOONE-My Kind of Town." So, I have been including, in recent issues of the Korner, in written form, some of the material that I presented that day.
When I was discharged from the U.S. Army in 1958, I came "home" and, in short order, was asked to get involved with the Boone Babe Ruth Baseball program. So, I became a manager of one of the teams and it was 25 years later before I finally said, "that's enough."
During my time, on occasion, I was chosen as the All-Star manager. I recall that in 1960 at Sioux City, our team was defeated by Ottumwa, 6-3, in the State Tourney at Sioux City and in 1961, at Oskaloosa, our team lost in the semifinals to the eventual state champion Burlington team.
Then, in 1962, we had the right combination of good pitching, good hitting and good defensive play and had a long but very successful tournament run.
I was 27 years old at the time and I chose Mel Murken as my all-star assistant. I believe he was 21. We were both single and it was our joy (most of the time) to guide a team of 15 players, 13, 14 or 15 years old, all across the country in national Ruth competition. There was lots of long bus rides and togetherness.
It all started with an Iowa state championship victory over Des Moines Atlantic, 8-5, at Hampton.
The state championship earned us a berth in the Regional tournament held close to the Texas border in Wellington, Kansas. That tournament featured seven State championship teams. I'll never forget completing a long bus ride to Wellington and reading, as we arrived, a sign on a town bank, 113 degrees. The three or four days we were there, we were housed in some kind of barracks, military or college, and it featured a stuffiness and heat that I'll never forget.
At Wellington, the team opened with a 2-1 victory over the Kansas state champion, Cottonwood Valley. That was followed by an 8-5 win over the North Dakota champion, Wahpeton. Then in the Regional championship game, we defeated Joplin, Missouri, 6-4.
That Regional victory in Wellington promoted our team to the eight-team Babe Ruth World Series in Bridgeton, New Jersey. We lost both games in that double elimination tournament, 7-1, to Charlotte, North Carolina and 5-1 to Bridgeton, New Jersey.
We bussed back home with our heads held high being one of just eight Babe Ruth teams in the world to qualify for the Ruth World Series.
Obviously, this was a very talented group of young athletes. Actually, it was pretty much the same group, that in 1965 won the Iowa State High School Baseball championship.
And, their individual success in other later endeavors showed what type of talented young men they were.
Here was that roster, the 15 members of the 1962 Babe Ruth All Star team that participated in the Ruth World Series: Steve Crandell, Marty Rinehart, Ted Hora, Jack Mustapha, Mike Harris, Sandy Mahood, Jerry Hamil, Jim Smelcer, John Hendricks, Charlie Lind, Mike Culver, Don Riker, Les Hohanshelt, Jim Hitsman and R.D. Boschulte.
Mustapha, of course, became one of the state's best ever high school pitchers. Crandell was a star baseball player at Iowa State, Rinehart was an all-state football running back and Hora, also a great Toreador back, who later coached his BHS alma mater. Harris was an all-state football quarterback, Hendricks a great football lineman at the State University of Iowa. Culver became one of the best high school coaches in Nebraska, Riker was a standout in football, as well as baseball and R.D. Boschulte became a Big 10 All-Conference baseball player at the University of Wisconsin. Mahood had a not to be forgotten remaining school career. After being on the Ruth World Series team, he became a member of a Toreador basketball team that earned a State Tournament berth, was a member of one of Boone High's greatest ever football teams and marched with the BHS band in the Rose Bowl parade.
All in all a great experience for all involved.
K-----K
Worldwide Korner headquarters are located at 928 South Jackson, Boone, Iowa 50036-4932. Phone number is 515-432-1530. Leave a message. To email your stories/memories/comments/death notices......http://kelleyskorner1@blogspot.com.
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