There weren't lofty expectations for the 1957-58 Central High School boys basketball team. But the squad came up "one shot short" of winning the state championship.
Attorney Jerry Summers, who was an integral part of the team as point guard, has authored a book about that exciting season in which the Purple Pounders only lost four games.
He notes, "Not much was expected of the 1957-58 Purple Pounder basketball team after the disappointing post season losses in 1956 and 1957."
He said Coach Gordon W. Smith "was not optimistic about the 1957-58 team. With no true center with any playing experience, he only had one genuine player of star quality, Eddie Test, but he was only 6'2".
"Players who had acquired some playing experience the year before were Dee Tate, Ken Connelly, Ron Cole, Webb Cate and Jerry Summers, who would report late after playing on the Pounders football team as a substitute quarterback."
He said Coach Smith "was a strong believer in fundamentals and practices, always beginning with rebounding, passing and running drills prior to any actual scrimmages. His belief in a tight man-to-man defense rather than succumbing to a zone defense reaped surprising benefits during the 1957-58 season.
"The aggressive defense was responsible for the Pounders being able to favorably compete with taller squads as Eddie Test, Ronnie Cole, Bill Culpepper and Webb Cate were excellent rebounders on the backboards. Ken Connelly, Jerry Summers and Paul Stephens were small but aggressive ball handlers on the outside. Subs Blaine Allen, William Millsaps and Jerry Cox made significant contributions."
With this smaller squad, Coach Smith also moved to a three-guard offense, "which demonstrated his ability to recognize how to adjust his offense to the talents of his players."
Attorney Summers said this was probably not the most talented of the Smith teams, though he said Test was a legitimate All-American player. But, to add another challenge, Test cut off the tip of his finger on his right hand in woodworking shop.
To further dampen the team's hopes, it lost one of its starting forwards, Dee Tate, in a bizarre incident. His girlfriend was a member of the Central marching band that was traveling to Florida by bus. The girlfriend had forgotten to carry any money with her, and Tate decided to leave school early and drop off some money during a stop in Atlanta. He convinced Test to drive him to Atlanta in his family's car. They were involved in an accident on the way back and missed the afternoon basketball practice. Tate told Test that he "didn't want to face Coach Smith" and he never returned to Central. Bill Culpepper moved up into his spot ably. Culpepper "would be a valuable player during the 37-game season and the star of the upset of tournament favorite Kingsport in the exciting semi-final victory in the 'Sweet 16' victory over the Indians in the state tournament."
The starting lineup was now Test, Connelly, Summers, Cole and Culpepper, who would rotate with Cate. Blaine Allen would sometimes start when height was needed.
Central opened the regular season with a lopsided 64-24 victory over Tyner with Test tallying 23 points. At the 15th Annual Times Cup at the John B. Steele Gym at City High on Third Street, the Purple Pounders defeated Hixson by only two points, then won 47-28 over Red Bank and 64-43 over Soddy Daisy. The finals featured the city's hottest rivalry at the time - Central vs. City. City had a definite height advantage with 6'3" Sam Millard and 6'2" Bobby Lovell. Central came from behind to lead 24-21 at halftime, then prevailed 48-41. Test had 19 points and Summers 12.
After a win over LaFollette, Lenoir City was top-ranked, followed by Meigs County and then Central. The Purple Pounders took their ninth in a row at Jefferson City. The author noted that the team normally traveled in two automobiles owned by Coach Smith. One was a 1957 four-door Cadillac and the other an older model Dodge. The starters got to ride in the Cadillac.
There were wins over Tyner and Jefferson City again, then a victory over a talented Gadsden team in the Scottsboro Invitational Tournament. The magical streak finally came to an end in a two-point loss to New Hope, Ala. After that defeat, Central met pre-tournament favorite Scottsboro in a consolation game. Central defeated the home team 66-55 despite 27 points by Pat Trammell, who went on to be an All-American quarterback at Alabama.
In another holiday tourney, Central faced undefeated Maryville Everett, led by 6'7" "Tree-Top-Tall" Wayne Eastridge. In fact, Maryville Everett had only one starter under six feet. Two subs were 6'5" and 6'4". The height advantage led to the Purple Pounders suffering their second loss, 65-53. The loss dropped Central to #15 in the state.
Central next pounded Shelbyville and won by 20 over Red Bank. Central beat Bradley County at home on Dodds Avenue despite trailing at the end of the first quarter. There was a win over Maryville at home, then a venture across the Georgia line to face undefeated Rossville. Central won 43-40.
After victories over Red Bank, Shelbyville and Maryville, the Purple Pounders had a rematch with Maryville Everett. Central won in overtime 60-56 on Everett's home floor. After the Everett win, a crisis developed when some of the Central faculty complained that several of the players had not reported to class following the Maryville trip. Principal W. Hobart Millsaps set down some strict guidelines for the offending players to score a certain number of points or face corporal punishment. In a rematch with Rossville, only Ron Cole failed to reach his quota. Some of his teammates donated to him some of their points. After wins over Bradley and LaFollette, the regular season came to a close.
Meanwhile, there was a ceremony for Eddie Test to sign to play college basketball at the University of Tennessee.
Coaches in District 9 met at Martin Thompson Sporting Goods on Cherry Street to decide the top-seeded teams for the district tournament. Central stood at 15-2 and City was 13-1. Soddy Daisy was 16-4 and Red Bank 13-5. The seedings were Central, City, Soddy Daisy, Red Bank. Central topped Hixson in the opening round, then beat Red Bank 60-30, setting up a championship clash against City. City featured Bobby Lovell, who would go on to play for Florida State, Sam Millard, Mac Davis, Charlie Carter and future East Tennessee State star Houston Frazier. Central prevailed 51-42 before a crowd of 1,300.
Central drew Meigs County in regions. The Tigers, under coach "Doc" Jewell, were 23-3 and five times had scored over 100 points in a game, while topping 90 six other games. Test put on one of his best performances of the year, scoring 37 points, as Central advanced with an 86-66 victory. Summers added 19 points.
Central then had to face Bradley at the Bears gym. The opening game featured City and Lenoir City, and it drew a record 2,286 paying fans. More spectators were allowed in the gym after some left after the first game. Central barely won, then went on to face the taller Panthers from Lenoir City the next night. This game, played before 2,638 fans, was a preview of the later state championship. Lenoir City moved out to a 10-point lead, and Central's late run could not catch up. The final score was 61-54.
Central, with only three losses in the season, made it to the state tournament at Nashville, first facing Nashville DuPont with its 25 wins and only one defeat. Central, which drove up to Nashville just a few hours before the game, won 67-53, against the squad from Old Hickory that included current Criminal Court Judge Don Poole. The Purple Pounders next took on Lake City. Lake City led 19-11 after the first quarter, but Central came back to a halftime advantage. With 30 seconds left, Lake City knotted the game at 48-48, and it went into overtime. Lake City scored first, but Cate had two free throws, Test made a bucket and Cole added a foul shot to end the scoring.
In the third round at state, Central faced Kingsport's lineup of six footers, including 6'7" Stan Page and 6'5" Frank Bedwell. The game came down to the wire as Culpepper scored to put Central up 53-50 with 37 seconds left. Central won 53-52, though Kingsport had last-second tries from All State guard Charlie Leonard and a tip-in attempt.
In the championship, the Purple Pounders again faced Lenoir City, which had knocked them off before. With less than a minute to play, Ron Cole scored to cut the deficit to a single point. Central would later miss two free throws.
Attorney Summers writes, "The Pounders blew two golden opportunities to snatch the victory out of the fire in the closing seconds. Eddie Test had a crib shot roll off the rim with 12 seconds to go, and Jerry Summers missed a jump shot from the head of the circle with 3 seconds left."
The book has profiles of each of the players on that storied team.
Attorney Summers said the story of that Central team was that of a group who may not have had the talent of some of their opponents, but who played as a unit and were "over-achievers."
He said the loss in the title game did not portend any ill tidings for the individual players. He said eight of the players had successful careers and two served their country in the military.
It is the fifth recent book by attorney Summers, who earlier wrote The Turtle and The Lawyer, two books on Judge Raulston Schoolfield, and a book on Coach Stan Farmer.
All five books are available at the Summers, Rufolo and Rodgers law office at the James Building, 735 Broad St., Suite 800, Chattanooga, Tn., 37402.
Proceeds from One Shot Short will go to the Gordon W. Smith Scholarship Fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, 1400 Williams St., Chattanooga, Tn., 37408. Donations should be made to Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga - Central - Gordon W. Smith Scholarship in the amount of $21.95. Shipping cost of $4.50 should be made to Summers, Rufolo & Rodgers.
A CD of the Final Game with Lenoir City is attached to the book.