The
legendary B.C. Crowell brought sports to Newton County youngsters
By JOEY PETERS
[email protected]
B.C. Crowell bows out of Newton’s recreation commission, but
not before making an ever-lasting change in the lives of thousands.
Photo by Sue Ann Kuhn-Smith
Editor’s note: This is the first in a two-part series
chronicling the achievements of B.C. Crowell. Part one focuses on his
career, while part two will focus on his wishes for the future of
Newton County.
COVINGTON — After 60-plus years of tireless dedication to the
children of Newton County, the old ball coach is hanging up his
whistle.
Billy Carl Crowell, better known as B.C. to the estimated
50,000 youngsters he has influenced over the years, will be
stepping down from his post at the Newton County Recreation Commission
at the end of this month. “I just decided it was time to move
on and get of the way,” Crowell joked as he sat in a sprawling
conference room at the Turner Lake Complex named in his honor. Decorating
the walls of this room are dozens of plaques and awards Crowell has
earned over the years from various organizations, plus an oil painting
that shows him when he returned to Newton County in 1949 after a stint
with the United States Navy.
“I graduated from Oglethorpe University in 1944 with a physical
education degree, and then I decided to continue my education. ... I
was told that Emory was geared more towards medicine, so I chose South
Carolina.”
Crowell, an already established baseball player who had played in the
New York Yankees farm system, proceeded to talk about one of the many
incredible sports-related events he has achieved over his life. “I
was able to play in one football game while I was there they called
Big Thursday. ... turns out it just happened to be against Clemson. I
do not know if it was really an accomplishment because there were not
that many players on the team, anyone could have made it,” Crowell
said.
After a lucky assignment from the Navy that brought him back to Newton
County, Crowell took a job with the Bibb
Manufacturing Company as Porterdale’s athletic director.
Operating on a shoestring budget with only one field along the Yellow
River, Crowell is regarded by many as the one man who brought sports
to the children of Newton County.
“Getting football started is an expensive venture, but I knew that I
had one huge fan of football in this town and that was Bibb president
Robert ‘Choo Choo’ Train, who was a Yale graduate. ... He told me
that if I was going to start football that he would certainly be the
money man,” Crowell said.
Besides being viewed as an almost iconic figure in the community,
Crowell has had the opportunity to rub elbows with some of the most
famous baseball players who have ever lived, including the Babe
himself. “The man I credit with introducing me to sports, Sherrod
Smith, asked me if I wanted to go meet Babe Ruth when I was 12 years
old. ... We left at 4:30 a.m. heading to Thomaston to meet his train
and watch him play. ... when we got there 30 minutes passed and
finally he stepped off the train and gave Sherrod a big bear hug,”
Crowell said. “We went to the game, and all of a sudden Ruth came up
into the stands in full uniform and gave me an autographed baseball. I
was speechless.”
Crowell also had a good friendship with legendary Red Sox slugger Ted
Williams. “I played baseball with Ted in the Navy when we were
stationed in Atlanta, and he was one of the finest men I have ever
met,” Crowell said. “I remember one time he asked me if I saw the
ball hit the bat when I hit it, and I said ‘No, do you?’ He
responded by telling me ‘Every time.’”
Perhaps the best thing that ever happened to Crowell while in the Navy
came one night when he was refereeing a basketball game and one of the
players caught his eye. “I met my wife one night when I was
refereeing a women’s basketball game at Oglethorpe, and she fouled
out of the game. ... Needless to say, she was not too fond of me at
that moment” Taking a chance, he said that he asked if she would go
to a football game between Georgia Tech and LSU with him. She said yes
and 57 years later they are still married.
Coach, father, Boy Scout leader, baseball player, community leader,
and more than anything else, friend, are some of the words used to
described Crowell during interviews with various members of the
community. However, with his legacy forever etched into the memories
of thousands of people, there is one title that might fit him better
than anything else – “Legend.”
Crowell
looks to future of rec dept.
B.C. Crowell shares a few fond memories with
Newton County Recreation Commission Vice Chairman Johnny Presley at an
open house retirement party held in honor of Crowell’s retirement on
Monday.
Photo by Shannon Peacock
Editor’s Note: The following is the second in a two-part
series covering the career of B.C. Crowell, one of Newton County’s
most beloved sports figures.
COVINGTON — As legendary local resident and coach B.C. Crowell
prepares to step down from his post at the Newton County Recreation
Commission after six decades of service, he leaves behind a department
that has grown by leaps and bounds during his storied career.
New parks, better equipment and a renewed focus from county officials
towards the importance of maintaining recreational areas has helped
the recreation commission achieve goals that Crowell said were only
dreams in the past.
“This facility here at Turner Lake Park is unbelievable. ... I hope
that in the future we can continue to build more places like this in
Newton,” he said. Situated on a 158-acre tract of land near the
26-acre Turner Lake, the complex has been heralded by numerous
environmental organizations and has become a magnet for residents
since opening in the late 1990s. While Turner Lake has become the rec
department’s centerpiece since its opening,
Crowell still holds a fond place in his heart for the field where it
all started for him in the late 1940s – the Yellow River Ball Field.
“It sat right on the river in Porterdale, and
we used that field for everything,” Crowell said. “ It is a
real shame what’s become of that place. All of the bleachers have
been torn down and it has gone unattended for years. ... It really is
a shame.”
Local residents who had Crowell as a coach during their childhood also
shared a fondness for the old field, but most added that they did not
miss the sandspurs that were prevalent all over the field. “They
would stick to your clothes all the time, and heaven forbid if you
fell down out there,” one resident said while reminiscing with
Crowell last week.
Despite the field’s present condition, Crowell said he was hopeful
that in the future officials with the city of Porterdale and the
recreation commission could work towards refurbishing the park for the
next generation of youngsters.
The hopes and dreams that Crowell has for the future of the rec
commission may seem ambitious to some, but he said that ultimately he
would like to see Turner Lake-type facilities in every corner of the
county.
“I would like to see our efforts expand to the four corners of the
county. ... There should be more facilities like Turner Lake in this
community, which was made possible by the Arnold Grant and money
generated from Newton’s SPLOST program,” Crowell said. “This
commission is in great hands with Tommy Hailey, though. He’s more
like me than any other person I know.”
He added that in the past, coming up with money to finance projects
was a difficult task, but with SPLOST money, the possibilities for the
future are limitless. “People are getting smarter around here about
the benefits of SPLOST. ... Just look at the recent vote we had where
90 something percent of the vote was in favor. ... If we were to have
another SPLOST dedicated to recreation, we could build some more
complexes in this county,” Crowell said.
He added that although more recreational complexes and open space
areas are needed, the commission has issues that demand addressing
first.
“We really need to add more ball fields to this county, and I am
really not interested in swimming that much, because it is so
expensive to maintain,” Crowell said. “I am not against swimming
in any way, but we need to fund the big three sports first.”
When it comes to the future of sports in general, Crowell said one
sport in particular is catching on quickly.
“Kickball is going to be the greatest sport we have ever seen, you
wait and see. ... It is like playing baseball, but you use your
feet,” he said. “ We just injected it into our recreation program,
and it has taken off.”
Reflecting on a legacy that has touched the lives of thousands and
helped mold the fabric of Newton County, Crowell fought back tears
during an interview last week. However, when it came to summing up all
that he has accomplished, his words were straight to the point and in
classic Crowell style. “I guess I have had myself quite a career,”
he said.
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