SPORTS
STORM CENTER: Stoner made a mark
Long before Brandon Workman had a day of appreciation in his honor back in 2013, Bowie was hometown of another celebrated baseball player.
His name was Ulysses Stoner.
Former Bowie High School boys’ basketball coach Gayno Shelton recalled how a former student found Stoner living in Enid, Okla.
His full name was Ulysses Sampson Grant Stoner, and what makes his story all the more interesting is his family background.
LuRainey May and William Caldene Stoner had 18 children together; however, four died as infants and another daughter died after being struck by lightning.
(And you thought you could procreate?)
Ulysses was the 17th of 18 children, and he inherited the nickname “Lil” because his brother, Ted, was unable to pronounce “Ulysses.”
That Stoner became a major league baseball pitcher despite a childhood incident whips up Ulysses’ story into an inspiring yarn.
Older brother William McKinley “Mac” Stoner was chopping wood in the backyard of their Bowie home when Ulysses came over.
“Lil” told his brother, “Chop my finger off Mac.”
“Mac” obliged and delivered a hatchet blow on Ulysses’ index finger on his right hand. He ran into the house crying. And the finger was hanging on for dear life.
LuRainey wrapped Ulysses’ finger, had her son lie still in bed, and sent for a doctor. All the doctor could do was to bandage the digit.
Then there was the wait. Would Ulysses’ finger reattach itself?
After a few days, the doctor returned and took the bandage off. The finger was now slightly crooked, but it had managed to reattach itself.
This deformity later helped Ulysses when he became a pitcher, and the baseball moved well when he threw it.
Scouts took note as Stoner’s curve and fastball both dropped, tailing off to especially left-handed batters.
“Lil had wanted to play baseball since he was a 10-year-old in short pants,” LuRainey once said in an interview with a newspaper.
Stoner became a “sandlot” legend. Back in those days, baseball was played on sand, a far cry from the artificial turf field we enjoy in Bowie now. Read more from this column in the Oct. 15 Bowie News.
Editor’s Note: The Storm Center column is the expressed written views of sports editor Eric Viccaro and not The Bowie News.
Ulysses Stoner was Bowie’s first-ever pro baseball player during the 1920s. (Baseball card part of The Sporting News collection)
Bowie, playing on a short rest, held with host Jacksboro for most of the volleyball match Oct. 1, but the Tigerettes pulled away late and defeated the Lady Rabbits 3-1 (26-24, 12-25, 25-14, 22-25).
The match was scheduled for Oct. 2 but was moved. Both teams are now 2-2 in District 6-3A.
Jacksboro got out to a quick lead in game one before Olivia Stewart’s kill and a three-point Olivia Richey serving run put the visitors up 8-7. Junior Abby Reneau broke things open with a six-point string to give Bowie a 15-8 cushion and force Jacksboro into a timeout.
The Tigerettes came back and took an 18-16 lead. KP Rutherford’s kill broke the serve and allowed Molly Enlow to tie the game at 18.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
Gold-Burg Football Coach Austin Norman called his Bears’ 35-32 loss to host Perrin a “barn burner”.
It most definitely was as Gold-Burg, now 1-5 for the year gave the 5-1 Pirates everything they wanted for four quarters. Gold-Burg scored on the last play of the first half on a Peyton Epperson run with the two point conversion cutting the deficit to 20-16.
The Bears were their own worst enemy to open the third quarter with face mask and offside penalties moving the Pirates downfield setting up a first-and-goal at the Bear three. Defense by Epperson, Keelyn Case and Barrett Allen and a pair of Perrin penalties helped stop the drive and force a turnover on downs.
Gold-Burg was slapped with an intentional grounding penalty on the first play, giving Perrin a safety and extending the Pirate lead to 22-16. Defense by Epperson and JoJuan Grace after a first down run closed out the third quarter.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
Nocona and Prairie Valley cross country teams took part in the Prairie Valley Invitational Sept. 20 while Bowie varsity runners competed in the Lubbock Invitational.
Lubbock
Leading the Rabbits was Kellen Rater who finished 10th among 162 runners with a time of 17:24.50. Finishing behind Rater was Shawn Willett with a time of 19:33.20. Hayden Sutton ran a 20:27.10 followed by Taven Melton in 20:39.20, Coleman Holloway in 20:53.80 and Jaxon Castro with a time of 21:31.60.
Laney Segura led the Lady Rabbits with a time of 14:41.30. She was followed by Kylee Waldrep in 15:56.80, Bella Lozano in 16:04.80, Angeles Alvarez with a time of 16:15.40, AnDee Miller in 16:23.70 and Isabella Caswell in 16:51 flat.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
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