|
|
|
1977 NAIA National Champions
By Mark McGee Sports Information On a Friday night in early June in St. Joseph, Mo., a Lipscomb University baseball team made history. After
being beaten badly in the first game of the NAIA National Tournament,
the Bisons under the direction of the legendary Ken Dugan, won four
straight games on the way to the championship. They defied the odds stopping heavy tournament favorite Southeastern Oklahoma 2-1. The Bisons got all the runs they needed in the first inning with Bobby
Parsons leading off with a single, moving to second on an error and
to third on a line out to second by Phil Stinson. He scored on a single
down the third base line by Bobby Hamilton. Steve
Fletcher, who started the game as the designated hitter, struck out,
but Hamilton stole second. Marshall Shumate got on base as the result
of the second error of the inning. Hamilton scored on the play. Shumate
stole second but Glenn Eddins was called out on strikes to end the inning. Southeastern
scored its only run in the seventh inning off starter Tim Pardue. Fletcher,
making his third pitching appearance of the tournament, came on in relief
with two outs and finished the inning and the game. After
finishing second in the tournament in 1971 and 1972 and sixth in 1974,
the national title was especially sweet for Coach Ken Dugan who was
head coach for 28 years and also won the title again in 1979. Dugan,
who wore No. 20, retired in 1998 with a record of 1137-450. He is a
member of the Lipscomb Athletics Hall of Fame, one of five Halls of
Fame that have honored him. Four
players from the team would be named to the All-Tournament Team: Steve
Fletcher, Tim Pardue, Bobby Parsons and Bob Hamilton. All four are also
in the Lipscomb Athletics Hall of Fame along with Reggie Whittemore. Fletcher,
who picked up the save in the national championship game, was also named
the MVP of the World Series for both his hitting and pitching prowess. The
Bisons won all three games in the NAIA District 24 Tournament, went
4-1 for the Area 5 Championship and 4-1 in the National Tournament.
The Bisons finished with a school high 47-12 record, winning the first
ever national title for the school. The
members of the team received rings recognizing their National Championship
at halftime of the men’s basketball game at Allen Arena as part
of the school’s homecoming celebration. The
rings were donated anonymously by an alumnus who discovered that the
team had not been awarded rings. “It
really was never an issue,” said shortstop Phil Stinson. “We
never even thought about it.” The
donor has chosen to remain anonymous in order to make sure the spotlight
remained on the players and support staff. The
rings were beautifully designed and sized for each player. “I
can’t describe what this means to all of us,” said team
captain Marshall Shumate who played a leading role in helping to locate
players. “I’m sure the rings mean much more to us now than
they would have meant in 1977.” Many
of the players stayed up until the wee hours Friday night telling old
stories. Saturday they met again at a reception where they signed baseballs
as keepsakes and reminisced about glory days at Onion Dell field. “It
was an incredibly generous gesture,” said Stinson. “I hope
he (donor) knows how much this means to all of us. And best of all,
I hope he knows how grateful we are to have a reason to come together
again.” Members
of the team and the support group receiving rings were: Dr.
David “Doc” Adams, Head Trainer:
Was head of sports training for all sports at Lipscomb in 1977. He is
a member of the Lipscomb faculty in the Kinesiology Department. Mark
Bennett, RHP. No. 11: Had
a 1-0 record with a 4.86 earned run average in 1977. Could not be located
for additional information. Kevin
Bray, RHP, No. : Had a
2-1 record with a 4.78 ERA in 1977. Coaches boys basketball and girls
golf at Cookeville (Tenn.) High School.. His wife Amy teaches resource
English and reading at Cookeville High School. They have two children,
Drew, 24, and Bethany, 7. Steve
Burton, Assistant Coach, No. 25: Played
for four years as a catcher. Lives in Nashville and works for Anderson
Windows. He is the father of four children: Shane, Sloan, Loden and
Grace. Mark
Carter, First Base, No. 9:
A solid fielder, he also batted .277 with eight home runs and 38 RBI.
He and his wife Denise have one son, Christopher, a sophomore at the
University of Alabama-Birmingham and a daughter Juliana. He is president
of International Service Associates in Huntsville, Ala. Don
Davisson, OF, No. 15: Batted
.293 with two home runs and 33 RBI. Don is an optometrist at the Dickson
(Tenn.) Wal-Mart. His wife Jennifer is an elementary P.E. teacher at
Westwood in Fairview. Their son, Zane, is 12 and daughter, Carmen, is
8. Kurt
Dugan: A son of late Lipscomb
baseball coaching great Ken Dugan. He wore No. 20 when he played baseball
at Lipscomb. Kurt also played for the Bisons, Mike
Dugan: A son of late Lipscomb
baseball coaching great Ken Dugan. He wore No. 20 when he played baseball
at Lipscomb. Mike also was a baseball player for the Bisons. Kristi
Dugan Turner: A daughter
of late Lipscomb baseball coaching great Ken Dugan. He wore No. 20 when
he played baseball at Lipscomb. Glenn
Eddins, Third Base, No. 23:
Glenn is a mortgage broker in St. Petersburg, Fla. He was named a second-team
NAIA All-America in 1977 after batting .345 with six home runs and 59
RBI. He was a first-team All-America selection
in 1978 and 1979. His children are Rachel, 21; Glenn, 20 and Gregory,
16. Steve
Fletcher, LHP-DH, No. 26:
Also played first base when needed. Named MVP of the 1977 NAIA World
Series after pitching in three tournament games and also batting .500.
Also was named as one of three all-tournament pitchers. He was on the
mound for the save in the National Championship game in 1977.
Named to Lipscomb Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997. He and his
wife, Denise, have three children, Clint, 20; Whitney, 16 and Leah,
13. Brent
Forsyth, Trainer: Brent
works for Niagara Pharmaceuticals and lives in Beamsville, Ontario,
Canada. Has three children and one granddaughter. Bob
Hamilton, CF, No. 10: Works
for ConocoPhillips in Des Moines, Iowa. Batted .398 with eight home
runs and 58 RBI in the 1977 season. Named to the 1977 All-Tournament
Team. Earned NAIA All-America first team honors in 1978 and went on
to play in the Cincinnati Reds farm system. Elected to the Lipscomb
Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002. He and his wife Tommi have two children,
Derek, 12; and Dagny, 8. Buddy
Harston, Assistant Coach, No. 1:
As a player for the Bisons he won a Bronze
Glove and was also All-Tournament in 1974. He and his wife Julie have
two daughters, Palmer, 17; and Taylor, 15. He is the golf pro at the
Lexington Country Club in Lexington, Ky. Neal
Langdon, Utility (2B-OF), No. 18:
Lives in Goodlettsville, Tenn. where he works as a general manager for
NABRICO Marine Products. He and his wife Mary Jane have two children,
Weston and Laura Jane. Lee
Marsh, Honorary Service:
Accepting the ring on behalf of his late son Steve who served as a radio
announcer for the team, calling the championship game. Given in Steve’s
memory for the highest and most loyal support of Lipscomb baseball. Kip
McLeod, RHP, No. 17: Was
the top freshman pitcher with a 3-0 record and 2.78 ERA. Serves as assistant
principal and assistant baseball coach at Lowndes High school in Valdosta,
Ga. He and his wife Julie have a daughter Kristin who plays basketball
at Piedmont College and sons Greyson, 8, and Rett, 3. Jeff
Meyers, RHP, No. 19: He
lives in Goodlettsville, Tenn. and works for Kittridge, Broussard &
Associates as a manufacturer’s representative. He and his wife
Kathy have two children, Brian, 20; and Laura, 18. Roy
Pardue, Pitching Coach, No. 21:
Former Nashville Vols player and father of Lipscomb pitcher Tim Pardue.
A former supervisor at the Ford Glass Plant, he worked daily on a volunteer
basis with the baseball team. Tim
Pardue, LHP, No. 5: Finished
the 1977 season a perfect 12-0 with a 2.03 earned run average. Named
to the 1977 All-Tournament Team. Was the winning pitcher in both the
1977 and 1979 National Championship games. Named to the Lipscomb Athletics
Hall of Fame in 1994. He is president of Centurion Stone Products. His
and his wife Anita have four children _ Erica, 21; Lindi, 15; Trevor,
11; and Trent, 8. Bob
Parsons, 2B, No. 7: Earned
a bronze glove award for his fielding in 1977 and also was named to
the NAIA All-Tournament Team. He batted
.309 with five home runs and 41 RBI in 1977. Also named to the All-Tournament
team in 1978. Made the last put out in the national championship game.
Became a part of the Lipscomb Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002. He is
a purchasing manager for Standard Furniture in Bay Minette, Ala. He
and his wife Jeri have two daughters, Holly and Katie. Charlie
Pearman, Radio Announcer:
Teamed with Steve Marsh on the radio broadcasts. He lives in Franklin,
Tenn. and works for PFIC Corporation. He and his wife Beverly have three
children _ Chad, Emily and Ryan. Mark
Roberts, LHP, No. 29: He
had a record of 6-1 with a 4.37 earned run average in 1977. He lives
in Brighton, Mich. And works for General Motors where he is the director
of talent acquisition. He and his wife, Rena, have two daughters, Rachel,
21; and Rebecca, 18. Greg
Ryle, Catcher, No. 22:
Known for his ability to work with pitchers. He and his wife Sherry
live in Burlington, Ky., with their two sons, Zack, 15; and Jake, 13.
He is an executive with Fifth Third Bank. Marshall
Shumate, LF-C, No. 16 :
When he was signed by Ken Dugan he was told he would win a national
championship and that is exactly what he did his senior year. Was team
captain of the 1977 team. He and his wife, Jacquelynn, have two girls
Alexandria, 12, and Olivia, 7. He works
for Solomon Builders in Nashville. Wes
Simpson, RHP, No. 12: Finished
the 1977 season with a 2-1 record and 5.05 ERA. Works for St. Claire
County High School in the Birmingham, Ala. area. He
and his wife Ina have four children _ Jade, Trey, Todd and Monica. Phil
Stinson, SS, No. 6: He
fielded a ground ball and made the throw to second for the final out
in the National Championship game. He was an NAIA All-American in 1976.
He and his wife Lisa live in Brentwood, Tenn., where he is CFO of SpanDeck,
Inc. They have two children, Rachel, 20; and Reed, 19. Steve
Thornton, LHP, No. 14: He
and his wife, Anita, have three children _ Wesley, Natalie and Jesse.
They also has four grandchildren. Jesse plays for Martin Methodist baseball
team, Owns a drywall business with his brother, Mike in Brentwood, Tenn. Aron
Trenary, Trainer: Married
to Melodee. They have three children _ Joshua and Jonathan and Anna.
Residence is Lakeland Fla. where he is a pharmaceutical neuroscience
sales specialist. Don
Walker, Manager: Don is
the new minister at the Trenton, Ga., Church of Christ near Chattanooga.
He and his wife Jamie have three daughters, Laurie, 23; Louise, 20;
and Leigh, 18. Reggie Whittemore, RF, No. 25: Known as the “Rock” he batted .316 with 12 home runs and 55 RBI in 1977. Also played on the 1979 National Championship team. Inducted in the Lipscomb Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999. Works in Nashville for the Boys and Girls Club of Middle Tennessee. He directs RBI, which provides organized baseball programs for inner city children. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
