50th Anniversary: “The Boys of ’73” – When the Great Hinds Baseball Tradition Got Its Start

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In the spring of 1973, Hinds reinstated the baseball team for the first time since 1958. Danny Neely was the coach. Powell Taylor drove the bus and coached first base. The players had to construct a make-shift baseball field (located in the same position as today’s Joe G. Moss Field). Note the photo of the backstop; photo 30. There were no scholarships, no dugouts or outfield fence. No turf. They were going to add lights in the future. They did it 28 years later. We used wooden bats. And the field looked pretty rough, but they all did in 1973. We played only 11 games and finished 7-4. There was no team picture and not many individual photos. We had no uniforms for most of that season and wore football jerseys and football pants. Everything was in black and white.

Who would do that in the 21st century? Nobody! But we did it. And we did it for the love of the game. Always Eagles.

I have included a couple of articles from The Hindsonian and posted all of the pictures that I could find from 50 plus years ago.

Stirling Madden is writing a story about the team and I’ll include it here as soon as he sends it. This is when the great Hinds baseball tradition got its start, thanks to the boys of ’73.

2017 Hinds Centennial Reunion (from left to right)- Stirling Madden, Doug Branning, Doug Cockrell, Bobby Barrett, Rick Clarke, Danny Neely, Butch Newman, Roy Higdon, Don Flowers, Ray Burroughs. Teammates not pictured: Eddie Ramsey, LeRoy Brown, Leonard Knowles, Bill Sanders.

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From 1974 Team Picture (Above) Front row left to right: Mickey Culberson, Gary Rosamond, Eddie Ramsey, Doug Branning, Rod Crumbley, Robert Watkins, Butch Newman, Ricky Clarke, Andy Pickens, Jay Combs. Back row: Ray Burroughs, John Watkins, Roy Higdon, Don Flowers, Curtis Cunningham, Stirling Madden, Danny Welborn, Barney Finch, Tommy Williams, Bruce Williamson, Lawrence Moaton.

Photo Notes:

Photo #1 – (left to right) #7 Bobby Barrett, Butch Newman, Coach Neely, Rick Clarke, Doug Cockrell, #11 Roy Higdon, LeRoy Brown, #9 Don Flowers, #1 Eddie Ramsey, Powell Taylor.

Photo #22 – (left to right) #2 Butch Newman, #11 Roy Higdon, #12 Doug Cockrell, Coach Neely, Don Flowers, LeRoy Brown, Powell Taylor. Not sure who #6 is.

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The Official, Unofficial Hinds Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Page: Team Inductee- The “Originals” The Boys of 1973

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