30-YEAR REUNION HOSTED FOR
THREE RIVERS RAIDERS TEAM
Team won third place in national tournament
POPLAR BLUFF - A unique reunion was held on the campus of Three Rivers Community College recently as the 1977-78 Raiders men's basketball team gathered to reminisce, laugh and to bask for a moment in the memories of an incredible journey 30 years ago.
The 1977-78 team, many accompanied by their families, visited TRCC during Homecoming Weekend. The team was the first from Three Rivers to advance to the finals of a national tournament and holds a special place in the college's history. The reunion was the first time the team has gathered since leaving Three Rivers as one of the best junior college basketball teams in the nation.
The team had no gym to call home. They used three different facilities for practice and played home games in the Poplar Bluff High School gym. They lived in a renovated mortuary that had been converted into a dorm. The college's classrooms were scatted throughout different buildings in Downtown Poplar Bluff. Each day the pay phone in their dorm would ring with the announcement of where practice would be held that day. They traveled to games in station wagons and oftentimes only got a soft drink and a snack to eat after a game.
Yet the team worked hard and persevered. At the reunion teammates remembered the good times, their tough practices and workouts, the game-winning shots and their journey to the National Junior College Athletic Association's Final Four tournament in Hutchinson, Kans. Team members as well as Coach Gene Bess all had the opportunity to share stories and memories of that season.
The journey to Hutchinson and the national tournament was in itself an experience for many of the young men, some who had never been too far from rural hometowns. Several of the players had never flown in an airplane. SEMO Airways, then a local passenger carrier serving the region, flew the team to the national tournament.
"There were definitely some white knuckles on that flight," one team member said.
But when they landed in Kansas and got a tour of the gymnasium where the Final Four would be held, it was almost like entering another world.
"Walking onto that court was like a scene from the movie 'Hoosiers'. We were all in awe," said Steve Cookson of the gymnasium where the national tournament was held. Cookson, now the superintendent of schools at Naylor and a member of the Board of Trustees at Three Rivers, helped organize the team reunion.
Members of the 1977-78 team included:
· Dan Foster was a sophomore from Ellington on the team. Foster now lives in Golgonda, Ill., and is a safety inspector for the mining industry.
· Kevin Lueddecke was a freshman from Piedmont. Lueddecke now owns an auto parts store and lives in Piedmont.
· James Smith was a freshman from Marvell, Ark. Smith is now a truck driver living in Memphis, Tenn.
· Sam Weaver was a freshman from McNeil, Ark. Weaver is the head men's basketball coach at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Ark.
· Wes Murray was a freshman from Doniphan. Murray is the chief hospital administrator at Texas County Memorial Hospital in Houston, Mo.
· Otto Porter was a sophomore from Morley. He now works for Texas Eastern Pipeline and lives in Morley.
· Gene Deckard was a sophomore from Neelyville. Deckard is a teacher, assistant girl's basketball coach and softball coach in the Naylor Public Schools and lives in rural Naylor.
· Steve Cookson was a sophomore from Advance. Cookson is superintendent of schools for the Naylor school district and lives in Naylor.
Three members of the squad were unable to attend the reunion. Robin Blackwell was a freshman on the team; he is now manager at Blackwell-Baldwin in Poplar Bluff. Sylvester Patterson was a freshman from Morehouse and was unable to be located.
Team member Sylvester James of Hayti died in 2006. Three Rivers Vice President for College Advancement Judith W. Scott spoke on James' behalf. Scott taught English at the college in 1977-78, and had James and other players as students.
The Three Rivers Alumni Association and the Three Rivers Foundation sponsored the reunion, held in the Tinnin Fine Arts Center on the college campus. Three Rivers President Dr. John Cooper welcomed the team back to campus.
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