ASHLAND – Ricky Dixon owned the summer of 1963 in Ashland. He was the best player on what must be considered the greatest Ashland Little League All-Star team ever assembled.

Dixon and those Ashland American League All-Stars – many who went on to become state champions in high school with the Ashland Tomcats – advanced to the Southern Regional finals in Norfolk, Virginia, where they reached the championship game before losing to North Houston, Texas, 6-3.

The team from Houston would board a plane the next day for Williamsport to play in the Little League World Series for the fourth consecutive year.

Ashland’s memorable band of All-Stars came back home to ponder what if.

The subject comes up today because Rick Dixon, the hero of Ashland’s run to near baseball immorality, died in his sleep Wednesday. He had been battling cancer.

Nearly sixty years ago, he was on a magical run with his strong right arm and booming bat. He was an epic performer during that 1963 spring and summer. His tape-measure home runs and sizzling fastballs made him a double threat first for the Tigers, his league team, and then the All-Star team that went further than any team in Ashland Little League history. They were a win from Williamsport.

There were plenty of stars on this Ashland team but few shone brighter than Dixon, who turned 13 during the Little League state championship game in Lexington, where he was the star of the day. His size and maturity made him a giant even though Tigers was on the front of the jersey during his Little League season. He learned baseball from the master, the late Jim Stewart, who was a taskmaster that took the game seriously and taught it beautifully.

If you played for the Tigers, you practiced often and learned the fundamentals expertly. Jim Stewart would not have it any other way. Dixon was a product of that coaching, maybe even a prized product, for one of the greatest Little League coaches in Ashland history.

Little League baseball was only in its ninth season in Ashland, but it was clear the city was falling in love with the game. Two fields were constructed on either end of Central Park, one on 17^th Street and the other on 22^nd Street. They were showplaces and a big reason why the Summer of ’63 was the most special year in Little League history.

The Tigers won the Ashland American league title in runaway fashion with Dixon playing a starring role. He was the best pitcher and hitter the league had ever seen. Because the Tigers were champions, their coach would guide the All-Star team. Four of Dixon’s teammates – Mike Tackett, Charles Jackson, Joe Mantle and Jack Daniels – joined him on the All-Star team.

The rest of the roster included Johnny Mullins (Indians), David Staten (Twins), Tim Huff (Yankees), John Brislin and Jocko Greening (Angels), David McPeek and Mike Griffith (White Sox) and Bobby Ison and Mike Johnson (Orioles).

Some of those players became key members during Ashland’s three-year reign as champions of Kentucky high school baseball from 1966-68.

But in 1963, they were young boys having the time of their lives. When they weren’t playing baseball they were sleeping. Their dedication was off the charts and it showed on the field.

In the All-Star season, which was single elimination, Ashland defeated Catlettsburg 7-0 and Greenup 2-1, scoring the winning run when Mantled singled and moved around the bases on an error, a passed ball and a fielder’s choice in the sixth inning to defeat a young left-hander named Don Gullett on their home field.

Ashland American played rival Ashland National and three two-run homers led to a 6-4 victory. One of those home runs came off the bat of Dixon, who had a flair for the dramatic. He then went to the mound in the district championship against Martin in Louisa. Dixon struck out 10 and Tackett blasted two home runs in an 8-1 victory.

It was on to the State Tournament in Lexington where Ashland defeated Middlesboro 9-4 and Cynthiana 9-2 to reach the finals against Louisville Buechel.

Dixon took the mound on his 13^th birthday and was brilliant with 15 strikeouts – out of 18 potential outs – and also hit a two-run homer that gave Ashland American a 3-1 victory. He gave up a run in the sixth after walking two batters and then bobbling a grounder. But he finished the game off with his 15^th strikeout.

The next round was the Southern Division Tournament and it was going to be played in Central Park. Five states came together – Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky (Ashland American).

Games were played at the 22^nd Street diamond and 1,900 seats were provided around the outfield fences. Ashland got a break when it drew a bye.

Virginia blanked Maryland 2-0 and then had to play Ashland the following day. Ashland won 5-4. St. Albans, W.Va., defeated Delaware 9-4 behind Kim West, the nephew of NBA great Jerry West. He even wore West’s No. 44 on his back.

Stewart sent Dixon to the mound in the final against St. Albans and he delivered with a 10-strikeout performance while allowing only five hits in a 4-2 victory. He also blasted a towering two-run homer in the third inning that made it 4-1. That victory sent Ashland to Norfolk, where they defeated Sarasota, Florida, 2-0 behind Mike Griffith’s three-hitter and another home run from Dixon and David McPeek in the fourth inning.

Dixon was called on again for the championship game and he pitched well against a powerhouse team from Texas, allowing only six hits. He also rolled a single up the middle in the third inning to plate Ashland’s only two runs and its only hit against Mike Smithey.

The run was over, but it was some kind of summer.

Ashland added to its football legacy with an undefeated 11-0 state championship season in 2020.

Now it’s your turn to add to that legacy but signing up to purchase a commemorative brick on the Donor Wall at Putnam Stadium to support the stadium restoration project. Plenty still needs to be done to finish off the stadium project, including lights, a sound system, field turf and the banked area behind the open end zone.

This fundraiser can help make some of those dreams come true for what is already one of the most iconic football stadiums in Kentucky.

Commemorative bricks are available for $100 (4×8)  or $175 (8×8) and they make a great way to honor the Tomcat in your life. The 4×8 brick gives you 3 lines and 20 characters and the 8×8 brick gives you 6 lines and 20 characters. It makes the perfect Father’s Day/birthday/Christmas gift.

You don’t have to be a football player or even an athlete to have your name – or a loved one’s name – placed in the donor corner of Putnam Stadium. Cheerleaders, band members and Tomcat fans have already put their names on bricks that adorn a special corner at the stadium around the statue of Coach Herb Conley.

Players who were a part of the 2020 championship football team, the 2019-20 undefeated basketball team and the 2019 Final Four girls’ soccer team seem like good candidates to have their names enshrined permanently in the donor corner as teams and individuals.

Those teams will be forever remembered in Ashland history for what was accomplished.

There’s plenty of room to add hundreds of bricks and support the stadium project in the process.

Ashland is riding a wave of momentum, becoming title town with regional championships in several sports during the past year and, of course, the Tomcats’ perfect 33-0 basketball season in 2019-2020.

Teams could be honored on the Donor Wall through the Tomcat Pride Club for $500.

The order has to be in by June 1 for the bricks to be made and placed by the start of the 2021 season.

PUTNAM STADIUM DONOR ORDER FORM

It is that time of the year again and we have a lot to celebrate in TOMCAT NATION!!! Do not let this opportunity to create a memory for your lifetime pass you by. If you would like to order a commemorative brick or have your name inscribed on the Donor Wall, please complete a form and designate Brick or Wall and write a check to the Putnam Stadium Restoration Foundation and mail to the address shown below:

The Putnam Stadium Restoration Foundation

c/o Christy Collins

P.O. Box 3000

Ashland, KY 41105-3000

For questions, please contact Greg Jackson at 606.922.0623

DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT ANNUAL ORDER IS JUNE 1, 2021.

This should allow us the time to place the bricks in the ground before the first home game this season!

Putnam Stadium

Donor Wall and Commemorative Bricks

Become a permanent part of Putnam Stadium.  This is your chance to permanently place your name and that of your family at Putnam Stadium, and at the same time, support Phase II of the Restoration Project.  We want to afford everyone the opportunity to be a part of this historic landmark.

For a donation of at least $500 you can place that family information (or other names to honor or place in memory of) on the Donor Wall in one of four categories for large donors as listed below:

TOMCAT TOUCHDOWN CLUB:                               $10,000 OR MORE

TOMCAT MAROON AND WHITE CLUB:                  $5,000 – $9,999

TOMCAT PAWS CLUB:                                             $1,000 – $4,999

TOMCAT PRIDE CLUB:                                             $500 – $999

For a donation of $100 or $175 you can have a brick placed in the Donor’s Corner with an inscription that you choose (name or family name, etc.):

4×8 brick:         $100            3 lines/20 characters each line (this includes spacing and punctuation)

8×8 brick:         $175            6 lines/20 characters each line (this includes spacing and punctuation)

Complete the order form with inscription and contact information, then send the form and check to the address above.

PUTNAM STADIUM RESTORATION FOUNDATION ORDER FORM

Check one of the two categories below (Donor Wall or Brick)

__   Donor Wall Inscription (For donation of $500 or more)         __  Brick Inscription

Donor Wall (if Applicable)

Name(s) as you would like it (them) to appear on the wall.  Please fill out the line below and submit the form and payment to the Putnam Stadium Restoration Foundation:

__    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __      

__    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    (40 spaces, will be 1 line)

Inscription for the Brick. Please fill out the lines below and submit the form and payment to the Putnam Stadium Restoration Foundation:

4”x8” Brick ($100)                                                                 8”x8” Brick ($175)

Example                                                                                  Example

 John and Jane Tomcat                                                                       In honor of

        Class of 2021                                                                       Joe Football 

  Jim, Janie, and Joey                                                                 Class of 2021

                                                                                                2020 State Champs

                                                                                                     Quarterback

                                                                                                     Go Tomcats!!!

Inscription (3 (4×8 brick) or 6 (8×8 brick) lines)

__    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    (20 spaces)

__    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    (20 spaces)

__    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    (20 spaces)

__    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    (20 spaces)

__    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    (20 spaces)

__    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    __    (20 spaces)

Name:                _______________________________

Address:              _______________________________tt

City, State, Zip   _______________________________

Home Phone:    ______________________ Work/Cell:   ______________________

Contributions to the Putnam Stadium Restoration Foundation are deemed charitable under section 170 (b) (1) (A) (vi) of the Internal Revenue code as an organization described in Section 501 (c) 3.  U.S. Federal Tax ID 26-1674277.  Please consult your accountant for any clarifications.

This statement from Tomcat legend Herb Conley should tell you enough about Don Clere’s impact on Ashland Tomcat football: “Don was my hero.”

Clere, who starred for the Tomcats from 1951-1953, died April 25 in Conyers, Georgia. He was a dynamite running back whose high-stepping, powerful running sent him from Ashland to the University of Kentucky where a broken leg ended his career.

“I thought he was the greatest football player who ever played in this town,” said Conley, the man who is certainly in the conversation of greatest Tomcat. “I went and watched him play all the time. He’d run over people.”

Clere ran with “high knee action” and barreled over defenders. Conley, who was five years younger, said he tried to imitate Clere’s running style when he became a Tomcat a few years later.

For several years, Ashland’s running game had a Clere vision. Don’s younger brother, Ralph, joined him on the Tomcats as a sophomore and started his junior and senior seasons.

“Ralph was a good football player, too,” Conley said. “And there’s not a better person in Ashland than Ralph Clere.”

It typically took more than one player to bring down the Clere brothers, who ran with similar power style. Don came through the hole in the line of scrimmage like a locomotive, legs pumping like pistons and head lowered. He was a punishing runner who left tacklers in his wake. You may bring him down, but you were going to feel it – maybe for days.

Don Clere gained 1,589 yards and scored 13 touchdowns during an era when the Tomcats played one of the top schedules around. He averaged 7.1 yards per carry for his career. It was also an era where the carries were equally distributed among four to five players. He only carried it about 10 times per game but made the most of them.

Don’s best game came during his senior season when he gained 190 yards in a 40-14 win over Ironton – the Tomcats only victory that season.

Conley began idolizing Clere at an earlier age when Don would put him on the front of his bicycle and go up and down Ashland Avenue to Central Park to play baseball. Little Herb Conley hung out with the older guys hoping to get put on a team. He usually held as own, as you might expect.

“We’d be going up Ashland Avenue and them muscles in his legs and arms would pop out,” Conley said. “I thought, this guy was superman. I went and watched him play (football). He’d run over people with his big thighs. I wanted to be just like him.”

Don’s best season individually was as a senior when he ran for 600 yards. He gained 469 yards as a junior and 520 yard with seven TDs as a sophomore when Ashland went 6-5. The Tomcats were 13-14-4 in his three seasons.

Clere and his brother were part of Ashland’s 1954 state championship track and field team too. Ralph started in the backfield his junior and senior seasons, gaining 900 yards with 10 touchdowns. He played two years on a strong Fort Bragg, N.C., team while serving in the military. Ralph also went through a spring practice with Bear Bryant at Alabama.

Most importantly, the brothers were men of strong faith. Don was a member at Unity Baptist in his youth and later a member of First Baptist Church in Conyers. Ralph is still a member at Unity Baptist.

Don Clere’s funeral will be May 6, 2021 at West Cobb Funeral Home in Marietta, Georgia. Burial will be at the Georgia National Cemetery.

This is a tough one. The shocking news of Todd Garvin’s death took my breath away. It was like a punch in the gut.

I saw it on a Facebook post. I reread the post hoping I had read it wrong. I hadn’t. Then I went over to Todd’s page and saw many more posts confirming it. My heart sunk. It was true. And it was so heartbreaking.

Todd (we called him Fish) was one of many who I was able to teach and impact through the sports department at The Independent over the years. He was fun-loving and quite the character and that was putting it mildly. When it was time to work, he worked. When it was time to play, anything might happen.

He broke into journalism roaring like a lion. That was fitting because the big guy also liked the theater. And there has never been a better Cowardly Lion than Todd Garvin’s portrayal on the Ashland stage. Ask anybody who saw him. He was perfect.

Todd could light up a room and he was strong as an ox. He was also an outstanding coach for the Ashland Junior Football League. He was a Boyd County alum and played football for the Lions on some good teams in the mid-1980s, but he sure helped prepare and propel some great Tomcats through the JFL experience.

My son was JFL age during the time Todd was coaching and he wanted so badly for him to play. He watched Stephen pitch in Little League and thought he had some quarterback potential. Stephen never budged. Football wasn’t for him. So to make sure I came to his games, he got my daughter Sally on the Panthers’ cheerleading squad.

I watched him during the JFL games and he was intense but he loved on those players like they were his own. That was him. He had a heart bigger than all outdoors, He had a love and zeal for life like few others I’ve ever been around.

He worked hard for me as a sportswriter and opportunities came for him because of it, eventually leading him to a position in Myrtle Beach, which was one of his life goals. I was so happy for him and so proud of him. He was living at the beach up until his death this morning. His “Coffee with Todd” posts were legendary for his friends on Facebook. Just more fun from the man who brought so much to life until his big kind heart simply wore out. What a sad, sad day.

I’m so sad for the Garvin family, too. His sisters adored him. Everybody did. How could you not like him? He was able to watch his nephew, Jonny Stevens, play baseball for Boyd County only 10 days ago. Jonny had no bigger fan than his uncle.

Giovanni’s Pizza would always do a little more business when Todd came to town. It was his favorite place to eat without question.

I know this much: He would have done anything for me. He was that kind of friend. We kept in touch via Facebook and as recently as Tuesday he commented on a post. Todd Garvin was one of my boys and I’ll cherish the memories I made with him. It’s hard. RIP my dear friend. You were a one-of-a-kind superstar.