West Carteret High School - Proclamation Yearbook (Morehead City, NC)

Page 131 text:

UE 9 x I ' fx what .N , K 4' f AAA' '?

Page 130 text:

COMMUNITY AND COLLEGE AWARDS American Legion Service Awards David Bailey, Deena Belcher Runners up - Paul Lockhart, Denise Mclntyre Alpha Chi Chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa Scholarship Clo Whitby Carteret Community Theatre LaRae Kesel Memorial Scholarship Cathy Plasters Delta Kappa Gamma Teaching Scholarship Clo Whitby Les Vingt Femmes Scholarship Stephanie Moore Felicia Bell Laurie Jones Morehead City Women's Club Scholarship and Awards Donna Arthur - 850.00 Newport Business and Professional Women's Club - Ruby Simmons Award Denise Mclntyre - S400 Lisa Wood - S200 Newport Pig Cooking Scholarships Kelly Garrett Paul Lockhart Surfside Garden Club Horticulture Scholarship Sonya Garner Officers Wives Club of Cherry Point Scholarship Lisa Wood Lisa Vermillion United States Navy ROTC Scholarship David Bailey Woodmen of the World Award Michelle Nolin 126 - AWARD'S DAY

Page 132 text:

coaching abilities. Coach Widgeon received all kinds of proclamations and congratulations from city and county officials, as well as letters from rival coaches, former players and team managers. Billy Widgeon's basketball career has been an illustrious one, and in state championship was just the icing on the cake. His career began in the 40s, when he took an interest in round ball that began a long love affair with the game. Young Widgeon grew up in Newport, and by the late 40s, most Carteret County sports fans knew Widgeon was a rare breed of ball player. ln 1953, Widgeon proved the fans right as he ended his high school career by leading the Newport Hawks to the Class A State Basketball Championship. He was voted the tournament's most-valuable player. His high school marks at Newport earned him a position in the 1953 East-West All-Star game, where he played alongside Sonny Jurgenson fwho went on to play football for the Washington Redskinsj and Wake Forest's Jackie Murdoch. The boy from Newport did not go un-noticed by college scouts. He was eventually awarded a scholarship to Atlantic Christian College, where he played tennis and basketball. It was there that he met Sylvia Allsbrook, and present Mrs. Widgeon. She was one of Billy's biggest fans in college, and she remains so today. l may be his wife, she said, but l'm also his biggest fan. At ACC, Widgeon led the 1954-55 team to the district championship. He was the MVP in the conference tournament that season. The team was eventually beaten by Arkansas in the second round of the collegiate tournament, held in Kansas City. Widgeon was selected the college's best athlete his junior and senior years, and he was named small-college All-American his senior year. ln 1983, Widgeon was inducted into the ACC Hall-of-Fame for his outstanding contribution to athletics, becoming the youngest member of the hall. Widgeon studied math and physical- education at ACC, and he went right into his present teaching-coaching career after graduation. His first job was at Bailey, a Class 1A High School. He coached boys and girls basketball and baseball, and before he was done coaching there, his coaching abilities had been etched in the winning column many times over. His girls teams won 107 games in a row, but since there was no state tournament, the teams were not able to give Coach Widgeon a state title. All total, he directed his Bailey teams to more than 228 victories lsome Bailey records were lost when the county consolidated high schoolsl. From 1958 to 1961, Widgeon attended East Carolina University, where he got his master's degree in administration. Since that time, Widgeon has taught thousands of students in Math. He has been teaching the subject for 28 years now, so his effect on young people has been both academic and athletic. ln 1964, Carteret County decided it was time to bring one of its most-reverend athletes of all time back to the area, and Widgeon was hired to teach and coach at West Carteret. His first year, he coached the junior-varsity basketball team and golf for the Patriots. The following year, he stepped into head coaching position he has occupied with style and grace ever since. That first team had a 14-12 record. The next year, his club was only 11-10 going into the conference tournament, but the Pats downed Greenville, Kinston and Elizabeth City by 20 points each to make it to the state tournament, where they lost to Pisgah. For the past 22 years, Coach Widgeon has been at the helm of 312 West Carteret victories. His 300th win came this past season on Jan. 29 against North Lenoir. He received a plaque for the accomplishment that appropriately read: Given by the players who have been lucky enough to learn from a man with the skill and caring to be a true coach. Aside from the 1966-67 Patriot team, Coach Widgeon took the '69, '79, '81, '84 and '85 teams to the state playoffs. Along the way, his teams won numerous conference and district championships, and made it regional finals twice. ln 1984, what may have been the most-talented team Coach Widgeon ever coached lost a heartbreaker in the regional finals. That team had the best West Carteret record ever, 25-4. While most everyone thinks only of Widgeon coaching basketball, he has also been instrumental in Foaizlaing Patriot golfers to numerous conference titles and has served as West Carteret's athletic director or years. ln 1985 state championship team was 25-5, and it was a team effort that earned the Patriots the title. Coach Widgeon has always encouraged a contribution from everyone, on and off the court. He's not looking for any superstars, and this year's team proved that point. After a great season the year before, and the loss of two key starters, many thought the Patriots had little chance of winning the conference, much less the state championship. However, it seemed that a different star emerged out of every game as West kept racking up the victories. Soon, they were ranked second in eastern North Carolina by the Raleigh News and Observer, anc aetaple began to wonder what it was that made this team go. Most people said it was the coach, Billy 1 geon. ' The players molded when it counted, and after winning 18 of 22 regular season games, they knocked off six of seven opponents to earn a berth to the title game against Statesville, which they won 69-59. For more on season, SEE PAGE 88. The players said early in the season that they wanted to win the title for Coach Widgeon, and in the locker room after their title win, they were as happy for him as they were for themselves. Later, in a television interview, the players would chime out together what people all over North Carolina had felt for years: We're No. 1, just like Coach Widgeon. Billy Widgeon has given the people of Carteret County something to boast about for the second time in his life, and that is something of which everyone can be proud. Congratulations coach! - John Hackney - 128 - BASKETBALL