Russett School Sports

BY JERRY HENRY

I would like to divide the Russett School Sports into the following four categories: boys basketball, girls basketball,  baseball, and other sports, i.e., grade school, softball and etc.

Our objective is to gather stories from you involving one or more of these categories.  Pictures as well as related stories will be posted on these sites.  Of course there are names needed to match players so still need your help there too. 

The GENERAL SPORTS PAGE  will serve as a recording place for your thoughts and comments related to Russett sports that might not fit into one of the four key subjects, i.e. what Russett sports meant to you, the school your family and etc.

“Friday Night Lights” is a phrase coined with reference to Texas High School Football.  Many of you may have seen the movie by the same name.  Just as a side note, Gary Gaines who was the coach who was portrayed in the movie is a good friend of mine, a good Christian man who is now the athletic director of the Lubbock public schools.  That aside, the point that I wish to make is that we had our FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS all be it in a gymnasium. 

On a relative basis there were just as much enthusiasm and excitement during basketball season when the farmers and other laborers stopped a little early on Fridays. Even the milk cows knew when it was Friday as I'm sure they expected an off schedule performance. 

Everyone wanted to be there when our Heroines and Heroes filed out of the dressing room (not locker room) clad in their white and black uniforms and their Converse Chuck Taylor All Star High Top shoes.

By the way, I later came to work with a gentleman at Wilson Sporting Goods who sold Mr. Portman and Mr. Murk basketball uniforms, letter jackets, basketballs as well as the converse shoes.

That was in the forties and early fifties.  I think the leather Jet Basketball cost about $9.95 to $12.95 in those days.  The converse shoes were from $4.95 to $6.95 a pair.  You could get them in any color you wanted as long as it was white.

In any case excitement ran high as we cheered for the home team and booed the Referees at times. And of course we had our stars that we expected to help pull us through.  Of course our opponents had their stars such as Yellow Wolf an Indian from Mill Creek who had an almost unstoppable hook shot from the right far corner. I know some of you remember him. He beat us on more than one occasion. 

But, one thing for sure whatever the sport, no school had more spirit than the Russett student body and the fans. Won't you please help us build this part of our website?  Not so much for our own enjoyment and that certainly plays a big part, but for our descendents and those who will in time become very interested in this part of their roots and experiences of their ancestors.