Beckley Post-Herald from Beckley, West Virginia • Page 17

Football Great Stydahar Dies, Had Planned To Live In Beckley By ROBERT WHITE Pott-Herald Sports Editor The Beckley area apparently lost a future resident with the death Wednesday night of former professional and college football star Joe Stydahar. The 66-year old Stydahar, who played with West Virginia University and later the National Football League's Chicago Bean, died in Beckley where he was staying on a business trip. Stydahar was the eastern regional manager for an Illinois-based container company; Southwest Forest Industries. He lived in Highland Park, HI. A native of Kaylor, Pa.

and the son of a coal miner, Stydahar grew up in Shinnston, W.Va. in Harrison County. A spokesman at a Shinnston funeral home said that Stydahar died of heart failure. He was also president of Coolridge Energy, a mining company with offices in Shady Spring. According to Clyde E.

Fitzpatrick, vice-president of the local coal mining firm, Stydahar was staying at the Honey In The Rock Motel in Beckley. It was Fitzpatrick's son Mike who found Stydahar apparently asleep in an easy chair in his motel room. "He liked to relax in a comfortable chair," said the elder Fitzpatrick. "He had a habit of dodng off." When the younger Fitzpatrick was unable to awaken Fitzpatrick, an ambulance was called. He was admitted to Beckley Appalachian Regional Hospital at approximately midnight and was pronounced dead.

BECKLEY BDST-HEKALD Page 17 Beckley, Friday Morning, March 25,1977 Teamwork Stressed Owls: 12 Starters? Twelve starters? Well, the basketball rule book only provides for five, but Glen Rogers coach Tom Brooks exaggerates slightly in proving a point the Owls pay team ball' "We've got 12 starters that's the way I feel about it," asserts Brooks. "We've played team ball all year." The Owls have been preparing this week for what hopefully, should be their biggest team effort of the season the state tournament Glen Rogers faces Paw Paw in a Class A semifinal game at 7:30 tonight at the Charleston Civic Center. "They do have good size and they like to said Brooks of his opponent. The Pirates are ted by 6-2 Craig Hamilton, the state's leading prep scorer with a 31-point average. "The coach from West Virginia Wesleyan is real high on him," said Brooks.

"He said he'd take him right now." Possibly the Owls' best-known individual is senior Brace O'Neal. O'Neal carries a 22-point average and has helped the team with his rebounding. However, Brooks has also got rebounding and scoring help from 62 John Brown, who averaged 13 points while seeing spotty action early in the season. Other Owls have provided scoring and defense.at different times. Senior Perry Tilly (5-11) has provided outside shooting and good Other Owls have provided needed points on different nights.

Senior Perry Tilley (5-11) has given the team good outside shooting and good defense; 6-0 senior Mike Smith has helped on defense and rebounding and 5-7 Steve Bailey is the ballhandler and passer. Among the reserves is 5-11 Darryl Francis, termed by Brooks as probably the Owls' best shooter. Other contributors include 5-10 Eugene McMillion, 5-11 Jackie Lafferty, 6-3 Bobby Ellis and 5-6 David Akere. "We can go even deeper," says Brooks. "Our bench has won three of our last four games.

For a while, we were going with two full teams." "The main thing is teamwork," said Brooks. "The biggest adjustment was getting to know each other." According to the official tournament program, Glen Rogers was last in the state tourney in the 1952 Class competition. Brooks believes that tire last offical time was in 1936. "The trophy we have in our case says "Southern Area Tournament," explained Brooks. The winner of the Glen Rogers-Paw Paw game plays the winner of Friday afternoon's clash between Gauley Bridge and Sistersvilte.

The Class A championship game will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday. Trout Stocking "I'm proud to say I was a friend of said "I'm proud to say I was a friend of his," said Fitzpatrick. "He just liked to help Stydahafs job often brought him to the Beckley area. And Fitzpatrick said the former pro and college standout had indicated that Beckley would become his home after retirement.

"He was 65 on Saint Patrick's Day and was in the process of retiring from his company (Southwest Forest). He wanted to live in Beckley -he figured Beckley was the place for him. "Our office in Shady Spring has an adjoining apartment," explained Fitzpatrick. "He'd planned to live there temporarily. He was planning to get a place at Glade Springs (a Daniels The body was taken to Harmar Funeral Home in Shinnston.

Funeral services will be held at 10.30 a.m. Saturday at St. Ann's Catholic Church there. Stydahar is survived by a daughter, three sons, four sisters and three brothers. The 6-0, 280-pound Stydahar, nicknamed "Jumbo Joe," played for WVU from 1933-35 under Coaches Earte Neale and Charles Tal- Iman.

He was the number one draft choice of the Bears in 1936 after playing in the East-West Shrine Game and the College All-Star Game. The former coal miner was an outstanding tackle for the Bears from 1936-1942. Stydahar was inducted into the pro football Hall of Fame 10 years ago and made it into the college football shrine in 1972. He was an All-Pro selection in 1937-40. His final season with the Bears was in 1946.

From there he went to Los Angeles as an assistant coach and, in 1950, became the Rams' head coach. That year they lost the NFL game 30-28 Cleveland's Lou "The Toe" Groza kicked a last- minute field goal. The next year, though, the Rams rebounded and, on Norm Van Brocklin's 73-yard touchdown pass to Tom Fears, beat the Browns 24-17 for the championship. Stydahar and Dan Reeves, then the Rams' president, had a falling out and Stydahar quit after the first game of the The following creeks have been stocked with trout during the week of March 21-25. Glade Creek and Marsh Fork Creek in Raleigh County: Camp Creek and East River in Mercer County; Meadow Creek in Summers County; Anthony Creek in Greenbrier County; and Paint Creek in Fayette County.

Archery Shoot Held Sunday The Greenbrier bow hunters archery club will host an archery shoot 1:00 Sunday March 27 at the range in Greenbrier State at Harts Run. The snoot will consist of 28 targets and there will be a class for free-style and bowhunters. Trophies will be awarded. OWLS' JOHN BROWN Provides Scoring, Rebounding Help CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -Tommy LaGarde, North Carolina's 6-fooMO center, remained in satisfactory condition Thursday at the student infirmary, where he is recuperating from surgery to correct torn cartilage in his left knee.

The senior Detroit native may be able to walk on crutches well enough to join his Tar Heel teammates in Atlanta Saturday, where they face Nevada-Las Vegas in the semifinals of the NCAA national championship playoffs. "They do expect him to go to Atlanta." said team spokesman Rick Brewer. The 1976 World Series film of 30 minutes is sponsored by the U.S. Navy and narrated by Joe Garagiola. League Registration Registration for the Beckley little league and Girls Softball league will he held from 1-4 p.m.

on Sunday March 27 at the Elks Club The registration will be open to boys and girts between the ages of fr-12. All boys and girls must have a birth certificate and be accompanied by a parent. Tryouts for the Babe Ruth League will be held at Lewin field from 5.30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, for boys ages 14-15. In 38 years only seven NCAA championship basketball teams had perfect records.

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"I used my pride instead of my mind," he said yean later. "I thought I to Mt I couldn't be replaced. Nobody's that Dig-not in football, not in anything." Late in the 1962 season he hooked on as an assistant coach at Green Bay, then suffered through the 195S-M seasons as head coach of the Chicago Cardinals, when they posted 1-10-1 and 2-10 records. He entered private business in 195ft, returned to the Bean as defensive line coach for 198344, then retired form the NFL for good. Once asked what his biggest thrill in football was, he replied: 15asy.

Bears 73, Redskins 0. Nobody who ever played that game, the 1940 NFL title game will ever forget It, or even the people who saw it" Stydahar was the son of a coal miner and worked hi the mines himself at a youngster. Referring to an injury that bothered him for part of his career, he once said, "one little kneecap isn't too much to for a kid who might be shoveling coal." ithatfoot- ball had improved from nis playing days. "I don care what the old guys say, I was there," he said. "I know, and it's better now." He is survived by a daughter, three sons, four sisters and three brothers.

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