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Identified first by Ida Lee Hansel and Bobby McGuire
Perry County's 1st American Legion baseball team in 1946. Front row l to r: Bob Godsey, Gale Godsey, Don McGuire, Ocus Dobson, Babe Combs, Isaac "Ickie" Napier. Back row l to r: Coach Oxley, Jack Steele, Bobby McGuire, Robert Cornett, Bill Strong, "Lefty" Combs, Paul Patterson and team sponsor - Bruce White. The team was sponsored by White Motor Company in Hazard. Photo courtesy - Bob Godsey Bobby McGuire Shares His Memories Of Lus Oxley
Lus Oxley was an outstanding baseball coach. We practiced three
or four times a week. He drilled us over and over with baseball
fundamentals. Most of all, he developed character and pride in
us.
We developed into a very good team. Lus scheduled a game with the Jackson mens' team. They were seasoned and one of the best in eastern Kentucky. The game was played in Jackson, and during the last inning we were ahead by six or seven runs. Three outs and we go home with a big upset. I was pitching and somewhat surprised when the first batter came to the plate. My team and I recognized him as the local deaf and mute young man who spent most of his time in the pool room. He was dressed in street clothing and not even a member of the Jackson team. The manager must have been mired in frustration by loosing to a team of such young players. I threw him three fast balls for strikes and he never moved the bat from his shoulder. Two more outs and we go home. Not with Lus! He came out from our dugout and called for a time out. Lus summoned all nine of us to the pitchers mound, turned to me and asked, " Are you right?" I wasn't sure what he meant, so I simply said, "Yes."
Lus continued," They have humiliated that young man by doing
what they have just done, and if you are right, I'm bringing all nine
of you into the infield and you are going to finish pitching this game
without any outfielders."
Before I threw my first pitch to the next batter, I looked around
and observed a rather unique, once in a life time, group of
infielders. We had three shortstops and two
second basemen along with the other normal position players. The
outfield was now made-up of only green grass that magnified the
distance to the fences. A routine fly ball will be a home
run. The batter hit a soft pop-up to one of our three shortstops
for out two. I struck out the last batter, and the game was
over. That should be enough for Lus. Not really.
He emerged from the dugout, turned around with hands on hips and
stared at the ball park crowd for a few, very long seconds, then
ducked his head and went back into the dugout.
It spoke of Lus Oxley's character.
Bobby McGuire Recent Mystery Men Joe Foley M. C. Napier Dudley Goodlette R. L. Collins John Gross Blondie Eblen Clymon Shelton Zeke Smith Fred Combs William Stanfill S. B. Snyder Carl Seale Nell Harper |
Lus Oxley
was born in Ashland, KY on June 15, 1912. He taught school there,
and in 1938 served that community in the State Legislature as the
Representative from Boyd County. When the war started, he joined
the Navy and saw action in both theaters of combat as the Commander of a
Landing Ship Tank. After his service, he moved to Hazard in 1946. 