Owensboro High School - Owensboroan Yearbook (Owensboro, KY)

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al finals. ,d f ' s 5 3 5 .,. . A . I 'l'l'lli liNll After 21 Years And Nearly 900 Games, Hicks Ends Career Jack Hicks was coaching baseball at Owensboro High School before any of the present students were born. He started as head baseball coach in 1957 and ended a 21-year stint at the conclusion of the 1978 season. During this time, Hicks guided his teams to four state championships and Aa career win-lost record of 641 victories against 253 defeats. Hicks' teams won state titles in 1964, 1969, 1976 and 1977. He also had four teams that reached the state finals in 1957, 1960, 1962 and 1972. The best percentage record for a Hicks-coached team was in 1960 when the Red Devils had an amazing 42-3 mark, but lost to Paducah in the state finals. His worst overall season record was in 1971 when the Red Devils went 24- 18 and lost to Daviess County in dis- trict play. Hicks' bid for a third straight title in his final year as coach ended in a 2- 1 loss to the eventual state champion Lexington Tates Creek in the first game of the four-team state meet. The familiar figure of Hicks giving 78!A Tribute To Jack Hicks X f 'saggy ss f .Y sl -. , Wia.'13?'WTg ,fiiff -1- ' 2 . ' 9 ' ffa, . , 'ff' .-1.3. 2 ' -ft I ' Q 'Q ' ., x i' V K , .. , lack Hicks has long been a familiar figure at third base for the OHS baseball team. signals from along the third base line or the picture of him slowly trudging to the mound are all part of the past now as he has ended his stint as base- ball coach for a full-time role as teach- er and athletic director. 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 27-12 - Lost in first round of state to 30-6 - 27-8 - 24-17 - 22-16 Caverna. Lost in state final to Louisville Manual. Lost in first round of state to Madison County. Won state. Beat Bowling Green in finals. - Lost to Hancock County in regional. 24-13 - Lost to Shelby County in state 29-9 - - 31-12 - 34-16 -- 27-14 - 24-18 semi-final. Lost to Madisonville in regional fina . - Lost to Newport Catholic in first round of state. - Won state. Beat Ashland in finals. - Lost to Madisonville in first round of regional. - Lost to Daviess County in district. 26-12 - Lost to Caverna in state finals. While his coaching days are over, the year-by-year accomplishments of the baseball team under Hicks' guid- ance will provide a hard-to-beat rec- ord for the OHS history books. Here are Hicks' year-by-year totalsz' 1960 1957 1958 1959 42-3 - 18-3 - 21-11 26-16 Lost in state final to Paducah. Lost in state final to Louisville Manual. - Lost in state final to Harlan. Lost in regional final to Green- ville. 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 32-9 - Lost to Campbellsville in first round of state. 29-14 - Lost to Madisonville in region- 36-5 - - 34-14 Lost to Daviess County in dis- trict. - Won state. Beat Newport Catholic in finals. 34-11 - Won state. Beat Tates Creek in - 24-12 finals. - Lost in state semi-finals to Tates Creek. - By Steve Mclntyre

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lack Hicks spent most of the night on the mound maneuvering pitchers in the state tournament game with Tates Creek. Ted Belcher and Eric Ander- son are waiting at the mound as Hicks is bringing in Keith Anderson to 'MTR' iiii Y Bl. replace Val Norris. This was Hicks' final game as OHS baseball coach. AMark Rickard fat leftj gets a handshake from a Tates Creek player as he completes his career as a baseball player at OHS. Rickard played on two state championship baseball teams and was a four-year regular. CTHE The end of a career and a year Owensboro's bid for a third straight state baseball championship went down the Creek. A Lexington school named Tates Creek ended the OHS season one game short of the championship. After beating Tates Creek 4-3 and 5-2 in regular season meetings and 16- 5 in the state finals last year, Owens- boro fell 2-1 in the opening round of the four-team state finals held at Chautauqua Park in Owensboro. Tony Mack Q9-11 went the distance on the mound for Lexington Tates Creek as he struck-out four Red Devil 1' ,Ulilgg zdlffw r, Eg IL, batters. Val Norris was the tough-luck mound loser for OHS as he took his second loss in 10 outings. The win- ning run came when Norris forced in a run as he hit a batter making it 2-1. OHS had a chance to win the game in the third .inning as Steve Sheldon and Barr Gordon singled with one out. Eric Anderson lined out to centerfield and Sheldon was doubled up, think- ing it would drop in for a base hit. Phil Hyland grounded out to the pitcher and the dreams of winning an- other state title went down the mcll-061 A fu' U creek. OHS finished the year at 24-12 in Iack Hicks' final year as coach of the baseball team. OHS, which had scored over 60 runs in the last six games, could hard- ly buy a run against Tates Creek. OHS had only four hits off Mack's pitch- ing. Owensboro, which had started the 1978 season losing six of eight games, came on late in the season to reach the state finals, but could not get by Tates Creek, the eventual state champs. - By Steve McIntyre ,1 TI-S40 Gtyulifgulc .f ,ftltlm ., so fbi.. up 2 x H ., if . elif-walk .17 Members of the 1978 baseball team that reached the opening round of the and Val Norris. Back row: Assistant Coach Larry Bruce, Assistant Coach state tournament include: ffront rowj Manager Greg McGehee - Mike Mischel, ,Tony-Jamgs, Chuck Rileylllalph Mollgtt, Phil Hyland, shaw, ' Bart rederick, Mark Douglas, batboys Brad Ander- Keith Anderson, Mark Rickard, Robbie Hudsii, Kevin Ancl-ersgg, Tend, son and Iracane, Second row: Jef Roach, 1 e night, C y, Belcher and Coa si'i 'T' ' 'N' K 'A K 7' Iared Elliot, Eric An erson, Barr Gordon, Steve Sheldon, Scott Niswonger, .i--.sM.y1 Varsity Baseball!