Friday, February 11,2005
The\
Pi^
Campus News
[mnEIDBDB
Sports always a part of life at GWU
Amanda Wood
Pilot copy editor
On a Saturday in the
fall of 1920, one of
Cleveland County’s first
football teams lined up in
a Boiling Springs cane
field to answer a challenge
from Gaffney High
School.
Due to lack of equip
ment, members of the
newly-formed Boiling
Springs High School foot
ball team walked onto the
field wearing a pair of
overalls over four other
layers of clothing, accord
ing to a 1955 Shelby Daily
Star article written by
John Roberts, who was
Gardner-Webb Junior
College’s director of pub
lic relations.
According to B.E.
“Pop” Simmons, a player
and student at BSHS who
was interviewed in
Roberts’ article, the team
didn’t even have a foot
ball.
“We didn’t have a
team,” Simmons told
Roberts. “We didn’t even
have a football, but we had
to play a game because our
name was at stake.”
But despite the lack of
uniforms and a football,
BSHS defeated Gaffney
High 6-0.
Simmons, who played
right end, later told
Roberts that the event was
more of a fight than a foot
ball game.
w
photo courtesy of University Archives
GWJC’s football coalih Norman Harris stands with some piayers during a
footbail practice du^in^ the 1950s.
since they didn’t have a
football. Simmons han
dled all negotiations
because the school didn’t
have a football coach.
Sports ift the early days
When the player oppo
site Simmons rammed his
shoulder into Simmons’
stomach, Simmons hit him
in the face and bloodied
his nose.
“By game’s end we
were all bruised and bleed
ing,” the article said. “We
beat ‘em though, 6-0. Our
touchdown came on an
end sweep that almost
went out of bounds. The
referee sighted from one
boundary tree to the other
and aided by a few threats
from us, decided it was
inside.”
Simmons and another
student, Paul Greene,
organized the team and
practiced with an old shoe
Early BSHS publica
tions said school authori
ties believed proper games
and sports served the best
interests of students by
providing healthful, men
tal diversion and physical
exercise, according to
GWU Historian Lansford
Jolley.
“Sports was just some
thing they did for recre
ation,” Jolley said.
Competition with other
school teams was not a
significant feature of the
high school period
because of the cost
involved in equipping
teams and travel, accord
ing to Jolley.
“There just weren’t
many teams around,”
Jolley said.
Academics were a
main priority for athletes
because BSHS required
students to maintain a
grade average of 75 or
higher to play sports.
However, by the time
the school became a junior
college in 1928, athletics
appeared more prominent.
jBi'iling . Springs Junior
l^^llege students played
football, baseball and bas
ketball.
The school’s football
team won the state cham
pionship in 1930. The
team enjoyed an unbeaten
record and was scored
upon only once that sea
son, according to Jolley.
“I think the school got
some criticism,” Jolley
said.
Many critics wondered
why the school was spend
ing money on football dur
ing the Depression,
according to Jolley.
The team brought
home another state cham
pionship title in 1933.
Athletics at GWJC
According to Jolley,
the modem era of athletics
at GWJC began after
World War II.
Bob Bush, who played
baseball, basketball and
football in the early 1950s,
said his time playing
sports at GWJC con
tributed to his education.
“You’ve got to pass to
play,” Bush said. “If I
don’t pass this course. I’m
not going to play next fall.
That motivated me a lot.”
Bush represented
GWJC in the 1951 basket
ball all-star game at
Wingate College.
He also played in the
1952 Golden Isle Bowl
against Georgia Military
College.
“It was a big, big thing
here at Gardner-Webb,”
Bush said. “The bowl was
such a treat for the guys.
We had never been on
nothing like that.”
GWJC won the foot
ball game 14-0.
Edward “Mac” Hill,
who graduated from.
GWJC in 1955, played
basketball.
“By today’s standards I
was sort of a point guard,”
Hill said. “I played all over
the court except for center.
We weren’t a basketball
school then.”
According to Hill, the
game was different when
he played.
“We didn’t play
defense in those days,”
Hill said. “We just shot the
ball.”
Backboards were half
the size of today’s back-
boards, according to Hill.
“We didn’t have three-
point goals,” Hill said.
“Palming the ball was ille-
gal-you had to give up the
ball. The game is called
differently.”
Hill, who went on to be
a sports journalist, said his
time playing for GWJC
influenced his life.
“It made me want to
play as long as I could,”
Hill said. “It probably
guided me into my news
paper career. It’s like
every other sport—it
teaches you teamwork,
values you use the rest of
your life.”
Students plan for event
Stephanie Falle
Pilot staff
The American Cancer
Society’s Relay For Life is
getting a lot of help and
attention from Gardner-
Webb University this
semester.
The event, in its second
year at GWU, is the largest
source of private, non
profit donations to the ACS
and has raised $2.5 million
for research on cancer.
GWU draws from a
long history of giving in
the area—Cleveland
County is third in the
nation in raising contribu
tions for the ACS.
This year’s Relay For
Life, scheduled for April
15 and 16, will be another
overnight event and will
include all-night live music
and food.
Opening the festivities
will be the Cancer
Survivors’ Victory Lap
around Spangler Stadium,
walked by survivors of the
disease. Another major
point of the night is the
fund-raising Luminaria
Forum held
on campus
More than 13 universi
ties were on the campus of
Gardner-Webb University
Feb. 4-6 for the annual
meeting of the North
Carolina Association of
Residence Halls.
NCARH is an organiza
tion dedicated to serving
resident students in the
state, said its Web site.
NCARH hosts a yearly
forum to discuss important
issues about resident stu-
Ceremony. Anyone who
wishes to honor or memo
rialize a loved one may
purchase a luminary to be
lit in the evening.
Between now and
April, GWU teams are
busy organizing the event
and inventing new ways to
raise money. These ideas
are still being developed,
but some have incorporat
ed a wheel-barrow race and
a hot dog sale. Relay For
Life bracelets are available
now and will be available
during the event as well.
Included in the plan
ning process is a call for
more teams to contribute.
Karl Mosbacher, a jun
ior public relations major,
is the public relations offi
cer for Relay For Life on
the GWU campus.
“Our main goal this
year is to form more cap
tain groups,” Mosbacher
said. “We need more peo
ple to participate.”
Mosbacher, who partic
ipated in last years’ R^^y
For Life, encourages
everyone to get involved in
the event.
News in Brief
dents and their living'condls' ^
tions. More than 200 stu
dents attended the meeting
from universities such as
North Carolina A&T, UNC-
Charlotte, Western Carolina
and UNC-Chapel Hill.
The theme for this
year’s conference was
“Finding S.E.Y.M.O.U.R.
(Just Keep Swimming),”
which stood for Service,
Encouragement, Yourself,
Motivation, Optimism,
Unity and Recognition.
“There were leadership
conferences, an awards cer
emony and of course fun
and entertaining activities
RELAY
FOR LIFE
“I enjoyed it so much,’
Mosbacher said. “It was
like a big slumber party.
People brought tents and
sleeping bags and just had
fun with their friends.”
Those who are interest
ed in becoming a team cap
tain or a member of a team
can contact any of the
executive members of the
GWU Relay For Life, go to
a Relay For Life planning
meeting or attend the
event.
Upcoming meetings
will take place at 7 p.m.
Feb. 12, Feb. 24 and March
10 at the apartment club
house. For information
about forming a team, con
tact Relay For Life chair
Allison Blackwell at ext.
4533.
photo by Christina O’Grady
Owner Seth Stevens stands in front of the newly opened Broad River Coffee
Co. located in Shelby near the hospital.
BRCC opens in Shelby
to do,” said Rob Foreman,
director of Residence Life.
Also included during the
weekend’s events was a
benefit to help the Pathways
organization called
Philanthropy. The main
focus of Pathways is to pro
vide aid to mentally handi
capped children and adults.
If you waht to become
involved in jiex,t year’s
NCARH or for more infor
mation you can visit
www.ncarh.gardner-
webb.edu/programs.
— Sheyahshe Littledave
Sarah James
Pilot web editor
The new Broad River
Coffee Company in Shelby
is officially open, even
though a grand opening
and ribbon cutting ceremo
ny has not occurred.
Seth Stevens, coffee
shop owner, said that they
are working on getting a
date together for the grand
opening and ribbon cutting.
They are waiting to hear
from the Shelby Chamber
of Commerce.
The new store offers the
same drinks and menu as
the coffee shop in Boiling
Springs. However, the
Shelby store is smaller and
serves more bottled drinks.
The new coffee shop
also offers a more intimate
place to go, Stevens said.
There are 23 chairs, six
tables and four leather
chairs in the store. The cof
fee shop offers free wire
less Internet to anyone with
a wireless connection.
“It’s a good place to
study,” Stevens said. “It
gets you out of Boiling
Springs and has a good,
quiet atmosphere.”
Many college students
are already coming to the
new coffee shop.
The vision for the new
store is the idea of commu
nity, according to Stevens.
Stevens wants the new
coffee shop to be a hub for
relationships and for peo
ple to get to know one
another. Stevens said he
does not want the store to
be a walk-in, walk-out
place.
Stevens has been look
ing for some time to open a
new BRCC in Shelby.
“It was just the right
time and the right commu
nity,” Stevens said. “Things
just came together.”
Carolyn Harkey and
Judy Person enjoy visiting
the coffee shop.
Harkey has been driv
ing into Boiling Springs to
get coffee at the BRCC and
is glad there is one closer to
home.
Person said she has
been looking for good cof
fee in Shelby for some time
and believes she has finally
found it.
Both Harkey and
Person said they are
pleased with the new
BRCC and will continue to
come.
To get to the new
BRCC in Shelby, go
straight down Hwy. 150
towards the hospital and
turn left at the light in front
of the hospital. Then take
an immediate left after
passing CVS. The coffee
shop is behind CVS in the
medical community.
The hours of the BRCC
in Shelby currently are
6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday
through Friday. Stevens
hopes to add hours to the
store.