By: Walton Haddix,
coordinator

Library of Congress–Veterans History Project

I recently did two Veterans History Project interviews that relate to the title of this article. One incident involved Western Coach Ed Diddle and his baseball team returning by bus from Fort Knox in 1943. The other incident was Clinton County Coach Bill Kidd taking his baseball team by bus to the district tournament in 1955.

Lt. Commander Charles M. Ruter, (US Navy, Ret.) World War II veteran:

On Thursday, September 29, 2011 while in Louisville, KY as a volunteer for the Medal of Honor Society convention, I visited with Mr. Charles M. Ruter and did a two hour interview with him. Mr. Ruter served 41 years as the official scorekeeper for the Kentucky High School Basketball Tournament. The official timekeeper for 20 of those 41 years was “Big Six” Henderson, who was a U.S. Federal Marshal and revenue agent. “Big Six” sat at the time clock table with a loaded pistol strapped to his side and according to Mr. Ruter never had a single complaint during the entire 20 years he was the official timekeeper.

In 1960, Mr. Ruter originated the Mason-Dixon indoor track and field games which will hold its 52nd annual meet in 2012. Mr. Ruter was also the head Track and Field official for the Olympic Games held in the United States at Los Angeles in 1984 and at Atlanta in 1996. He had many interesting stories about his military service, the Olympic Games and his athletic career at Western in basketball, baseball and track under Coach E.A. Diddle from 1941 to 1943. In 1943, Charlie Ruter, Oran McKinney, Dee Gibson, Dero Downing, John Oldham and Odie Spears were members of the basketball team that interrupted their ball playing careers to serve their county in World War II. Coach Diddle’s 1943 basketball team was rated No. 3 in the nation and center Oran McKinney was selected to the 1943 Helms All-American team. Dero Downing returned and became the 4th president of Western Kentucky University, serving from 1969 to 1979. Johnny Oldham returned as head basketball coach in 1964 to replace Coach Diddle who had retired after 42 years.

During the interview, Mr. Ruter related an incident by him and Oran McKinney that happened on the back of the bus returning from a baseball game played against Army soldiers at Fort Knox. The Army team consisted of several former professional players serving in the military, some who had been drafted and some who had volunteered. The Western team committed a lot of errors during the game allowing Fort Knox to score several unearned runs in addition to a multitude of other runs defeating Western by a lopsided score which upset Coach Diddle.

At that time the Western baseball team traveled on a pre-war 1930s school bus. After the game on the way back to Bowling Green, the temperature inside the bus became frigid. Charlie Ruter was in the back of the bus when Oran McKinney yelled, “Coach, turn on the heater, it’s cold back here.” Coach Diddle responded, “The way you played today you don’t deserve any heat.” Oran McKinney then wadded up a newspaper and set fire to it. Coach Diddle saw the smoke and came to investigate the source. Upon discovering what had happened he kicked Oran McKinney and Charlie Ruter off the back of the bus. Fortunately, a traveler going to Bowling Green stopped and picked them up before the bus got out of sight. Oran McKinney and Charlie Ruter were back in Coach Diddle’s house (where all basketball players lived at that time) before the bus arrived. The next day Coach Diddle was over his mad spell and forgave both of his players for their prank.

Coach W.A. “Bill” Kidd, Army PFC, Korean Conflict veteran:

The interview with Coach Bill Kidd, my high school basketball and baseball coach, was on October 8, 2011 while he was at Sunset Marina vacationing and fishing on Dale Hollow Lake.

Coach Bill Kidd came to Albany in 1954 as a first time coach after serving two years in the Army at Fort Knox. Coach Kidd was 6’ 10” tall and had played basketball at the University of Louisville under Peck Hickman before being drafted into the Army. He and his brother played football, basketball and baseball at Manual High School in Louisville. His brother was an All-State football player who played at the University of Louisville as a blocker for Johnny Unitas, one of the all-time great pro quarterbacks while playing for the Baltimore Colts. Bill Kidd also won a state swimming title while in high school.

His only Army duty was playing on the Fort Knox basketball team. At that time, basketball players on a military base were given priority consideration. Bill Kidd lived at home in Louisville during his two years in the army and drove to Fort Knox for basketball practice each day. Most of his teammates were also former college basketball players and they rarely lost a game during the two years.

Coach Kidd arrived in Albany driving a 1954 green Chevrolet convertible and lived in one-half of the large house on the corner of Nolan Street, which was demolished for the Dollar Market Store. Frederick Smith owned the house and lived in the other half. Monthly rent was $50.00 per month, which included all utilities and cable TV from the antenna on the water tank. Coach Kidd had a crew cut and paid 50 cents every week for a haircut at Chester Bertram’s barber shop.

Schools have changed considerably since the 1950s but at that time, Coach Kidd taught five classes for both boys’ and girls’ physical education in addition to being the only coach for the basketball and baseball teams. Basketball games were played on Tuesday and Friday nights with the JV team always playing first.

Girls’ basketball was illegal until 1975. Only one or two baseball games per week were played. Basketball and baseball practice started at 1:45 p.m. and ended at 3:15 p.m. Coach Kidd took both basketball and baseball teams to the Regional Tournament in 1955 with the baseball team winning the district championship for the first time in school history.

Coach Kidd was a strict disciplinarian who allowed no talking during practice or on the bus traveling to and from basketball and baseball games. Although Coach Kidd lived and coached by the highest principles of human conduct and behavior, on one isolated occasion he followed the advice of Senator Everett Dirksen (Illinois Senator from 1950 to 1969) who said, “In politics you sometimes have to rise above your principles.” This also happens occasionally in athletic contests as demonstrated by Coach Kidd during one of our district tournament baseball games at Tompkinsville in May 1955.

As previously stated, Coach Kidd did not allow any talking on the bus traveling to ball games but the following is the rest of the story. Two players who later became noted radio announcers, Sidney Scott (Voice of the Bulldogs) and Darrell Speck (Big D) were in the back of the bus on the way to a district tournament baseball game in Tompkinsville. They thought the bus had gone past the point of no return after passing Waterview in Cumberland County, so they broke the silence and started singing a country song. They were mistaken in the point of no return because Coach Kidd stopped the bus and kicked both off the bus. J.R. Craig, on his way to the game, noticed Sidney and Darrell standing by the roadside and stopped to inquire what happened. They hopped into the car with J.R. and got to Tompkinsville before the bus.

Sidney and Darrell were sitting in the stands when our team bus arrived. The baseball game got underway. In the fourth inning, Clinton County was behind one run with two outs but had a runner on first base. However, our weakest batter was at the plate and this is when Coach Kidd decided it was best to rise above his principles (as done in politics) for the good of the baseball team. He called time out, walked over to the bleachers and motioned for Sidney Scott to come down.

Sidney nonchalantly ambled down to the batter’s box where Coach Kidd pointed to a bat and then pointed to home plate. Not a word was said or exchange as Sidney picked up the bat, then walked to home plate in his street clothes and shoes where he hit a double, scoring the runner to tie the ball game. Louis Dale Latham hit a triple in the sixth inning, bringing in what proved to be the winning run. Two days later, Clinton County won its first district baseball championship in school history, beating Glasgow 15 to 12 in a game that started at 8 p.m. and ended after midnight, 11 innings later. Shortstop Hoppy Conner caught a fly ball for the final out at 12:10 a.m. and says he kept the baseball and brought it home but whether or not he still has it is circumstantial evidence.

Left to right: Martha Brummett, Frank Abston and Coach Bill Kidd, Clinton County High School teachers for 1954-55 school year. Photograph taken October 15, 2004 at Class of 1955 reunion.