Banquet Speech
Johnnie Corrigan 1961 Athletic Banquet
Mr. Toastmaster, honored Athletes, Friends
I am somewhat like the old man who, invested in one of those new hearing aids that are practically invisible and he was assured by the salesman that he could return it if it didn’t prove twice as effective as the cumbersome devise he had been using for a number of years. He returned in-a few days to express his great satisfaction with the new devise. I bet your family likes it too queried the clerk. Oh they don't even know I got it chuckled the old gent. And do you what, I am having a perfectly grand time with it. Just in the past two days I have changed my will twice. And so it is with me the last two days I have changed my part of this program several times.
I think our student athletes have given you a pretty good account of our activities thus far this year. I would like to say for those of you who are here for the first time that this dinner is an annual event which is sponsored by the Kayettes. Whether we have it does not depend on our win or loss column. I have often contended that it is needed more when you have a losing season and the boys and girls have given their very best but were just outmanned by their opponents. It is not the most important thing in the world to win athletic contests -- the most important thing is to try to win them. I will quickly admit it is more fun to win than lose but it should be fun to play regardless.
Athletic teams all over the country have a number of fair weather followers who take the game too seriously; they classify their team as heroes when they win but bums when they lose. One might get the impression that the athletic contests were created for them instead of the boys and girls. The players can stand up under the reverses, its the older folks who cannot take it. Many people have the feeling toward athletic teams as was expressed to Darrel Royal the great-young coach of the University of Texas when he took his coaching job, one of the fair weather supporters said Coach we are with you a hundred percent all the way - WIN OR DRAW.
Most grand stand quarterbacks cannot realize the pressure which is on a boy in a close athletic contest - it might be expressed by an event which took place some thirty years ago when Johnny Revolta had a four foot put to take the lead in-a golf tournament in San Francisco. Revolta who is as nerveless as they come was short and someone from the gallery called out that Revolta yellow and lacked courage. Tommy Armour, who was playing with Revolta could not let the remark go unchallenged and remarked to the fan "I'll bet you anything you couldn’t make that put, he said to the business-man spectator on the sidelines. "Don't be silly,” answered the fan, "I could make five of those in a row.” The spectator wagered $5000 and Armour covered him by collecting an equal amount from the pros. When they went back to the eighteenth green, a crowd had assembled and the pressure on the fan had mounted. The cash was laid near the hole and ball placed on the spot from Which Revolta had missed. The fan stood up to the ball, backed away, and when he did put he was a foot wide and a foot short. I couldn't even see the hole when the money was up, he exclaimed. I want to apologize for what I said to Mr. Revolta. In that case, replied Armour, pick up your money, the bet is off.
But Tommy Armour had proven his point that there is a vast difference between competing under the gun and second guessing from the bleachers. There are many desirable traits and lessons to learn from Athletics. If we fail to learn these lessons it makes it difficult to justify athletics in a school curriculum. Again I will say we should make every honest effort to win first place by superior play and effort but to try to win at all costs - fair or unfair is one of the shady sides of many of our athletic contests in this country.
A few years ago we had this example: Iowa's ball on Michigan's four yard liner Score - 7 to 6 in favor of Michigan, with just time for one play but this one play would decide the Big Ten Championship. The vast stadium was packed with thousands of yelling rooters, all standing, tense with emotion. It was certain that Kinnick, Iowa's captain would attempt to carry the ball across for the touchdown, and not a one of those wildly cheering Iowa fans expected Kinnick to do less than make it. The ball was snapped, and he plunged into the wall of human bodies. Seemingly right on-the goal line, Kinnick was hit so hard that he fumbled the ball and it rolled, unchecked, as the gun sounded, ending the game.
Immediately, every player rushed to surround the referee. Michigan claimed that the ball had been fumbled before Kinnick went across. Iowa insisted that he had crossed the line before the fumble took place. Because of the surge and pile up of players, a definite decision was practically impossible. First the captains, and then the players, were called into conference. The only person who can tell us when the fumble occurred is Kinnick himself, the referee told them. Are you -willing to accept his statement as to when the fumble occurred. The players agree to do so, eyeing Kinnick steadily as if to size him up.
A tense silence pervaded the late autumn air as the crowd waited. Few of the thousands of spectators, if any, realized what a tremendous decision Iowes captain was forced to make. The great captain's shoulder jerked once, as Kinnick seemed to gather unto himself the tremendous pressure that had been put upon him; pressure from his teammates and his opponents, pressure from both sides of the stadium and most of all, pressure from that deep desire of his own to win the championship and be the hero of the gridiron. Just a second, but an eternity and squaring-his shoulders and looking into the eyes of the referee, Kinnick said, I fumbled the-Ball before I went over the goal line. And if to convince himself of its meaning, he added, I did not make the touchdown. Michigan wins.
Kinnick was All American and I am sure the last two lines on the schedule sheet applies to this great player who could have fooled and been unfair to a lot of people but he refused to cheat the guy in the glass.
I have a list of the boys who were out for the athletic teams this year and I will read the list. I will reverse the regular order and call on the Freshmen first as I do not want them to go thru such a long suspense of waiting. Please do not applaud for the individual boys until the entire class has been announce.
Johnnie Corrigan 1961 Athletic Banquet
Mr. Toastmaster, honored Athletes, Friends
I am somewhat like the old man who, invested in one of those new hearing aids that are practically invisible and he was assured by the salesman that he could return it if it didn’t prove twice as effective as the cumbersome devise he had been using for a number of years. He returned in-a few days to express his great satisfaction with the new devise. I bet your family likes it too queried the clerk. Oh they don't even know I got it chuckled the old gent. And do you what, I am having a perfectly grand time with it. Just in the past two days I have changed my will twice. And so it is with me the last two days I have changed my part of this program several times.
I think our student athletes have given you a pretty good account of our activities thus far this year. I would like to say for those of you who are here for the first time that this dinner is an annual event which is sponsored by the Kayettes. Whether we have it does not depend on our win or loss column. I have often contended that it is needed more when you have a losing season and the boys and girls have given their very best but were just outmanned by their opponents. It is not the most important thing in the world to win athletic contests -- the most important thing is to try to win them. I will quickly admit it is more fun to win than lose but it should be fun to play regardless.
Athletic teams all over the country have a number of fair weather followers who take the game too seriously; they classify their team as heroes when they win but bums when they lose. One might get the impression that the athletic contests were created for them instead of the boys and girls. The players can stand up under the reverses, its the older folks who cannot take it. Many people have the feeling toward athletic teams as was expressed to Darrel Royal the great-young coach of the University of Texas when he took his coaching job, one of the fair weather supporters said Coach we are with you a hundred percent all the way - WIN OR DRAW.
Most grand stand quarterbacks cannot realize the pressure which is on a boy in a close athletic contest - it might be expressed by an event which took place some thirty years ago when Johnny Revolta had a four foot put to take the lead in-a golf tournament in San Francisco. Revolta who is as nerveless as they come was short and someone from the gallery called out that Revolta yellow and lacked courage. Tommy Armour, who was playing with Revolta could not let the remark go unchallenged and remarked to the fan "I'll bet you anything you couldn’t make that put, he said to the business-man spectator on the sidelines. "Don't be silly,” answered the fan, "I could make five of those in a row.” The spectator wagered $5000 and Armour covered him by collecting an equal amount from the pros. When they went back to the eighteenth green, a crowd had assembled and the pressure on the fan had mounted. The cash was laid near the hole and ball placed on the spot from Which Revolta had missed. The fan stood up to the ball, backed away, and when he did put he was a foot wide and a foot short. I couldn't even see the hole when the money was up, he exclaimed. I want to apologize for what I said to Mr. Revolta. In that case, replied Armour, pick up your money, the bet is off.
But Tommy Armour had proven his point that there is a vast difference between competing under the gun and second guessing from the bleachers. There are many desirable traits and lessons to learn from Athletics. If we fail to learn these lessons it makes it difficult to justify athletics in a school curriculum. Again I will say we should make every honest effort to win first place by superior play and effort but to try to win at all costs - fair or unfair is one of the shady sides of many of our athletic contests in this country.
A few years ago we had this example: Iowa's ball on Michigan's four yard liner Score - 7 to 6 in favor of Michigan, with just time for one play but this one play would decide the Big Ten Championship. The vast stadium was packed with thousands of yelling rooters, all standing, tense with emotion. It was certain that Kinnick, Iowa's captain would attempt to carry the ball across for the touchdown, and not a one of those wildly cheering Iowa fans expected Kinnick to do less than make it. The ball was snapped, and he plunged into the wall of human bodies. Seemingly right on-the goal line, Kinnick was hit so hard that he fumbled the ball and it rolled, unchecked, as the gun sounded, ending the game.
Immediately, every player rushed to surround the referee. Michigan claimed that the ball had been fumbled before Kinnick went across. Iowa insisted that he had crossed the line before the fumble took place. Because of the surge and pile up of players, a definite decision was practically impossible. First the captains, and then the players, were called into conference. The only person who can tell us when the fumble occurred is Kinnick himself, the referee told them. Are you -willing to accept his statement as to when the fumble occurred. The players agree to do so, eyeing Kinnick steadily as if to size him up.
A tense silence pervaded the late autumn air as the crowd waited. Few of the thousands of spectators, if any, realized what a tremendous decision Iowes captain was forced to make. The great captain's shoulder jerked once, as Kinnick seemed to gather unto himself the tremendous pressure that had been put upon him; pressure from his teammates and his opponents, pressure from both sides of the stadium and most of all, pressure from that deep desire of his own to win the championship and be the hero of the gridiron. Just a second, but an eternity and squaring-his shoulders and looking into the eyes of the referee, Kinnick said, I fumbled the-Ball before I went over the goal line. And if to convince himself of its meaning, he added, I did not make the touchdown. Michigan wins.
Kinnick was All American and I am sure the last two lines on the schedule sheet applies to this great player who could have fooled and been unfair to a lot of people but he refused to cheat the guy in the glass.
I have a list of the boys who were out for the athletic teams this year and I will read the list. I will reverse the regular order and call on the Freshmen first as I do not want them to go thru such a long suspense of waiting. Please do not applaud for the individual boys until the entire class has been announce.
By Donald L. Hoffman
(A Member of the Star’s Staff)
Kansas City Times October 2, 1965
POWHATTAN, KANSAS.-- This is the kind of town you can see from a distance only because of its massive grain elevator, rising high and nobly, like the cathedral of a medieval burg.
Near the base of the elevator, in what would be called the town square, if there were enough buildings to make it a square, is a concrete court, basketball hoops at each end.
Powhattan's population is about 160. Its business is agriculture, and its recreation is basketball.
To people in Powhattan, in Brown County, in Northeast Kansas) or, in fact, throughout the 'state, Powhattan basketball means Johnnie Corrigan, coach at the ) Powhattan schools for 39 years, and principal for 34 of those years.
"This is a basketball town," says a clerk at the Brown County Co-Op, which owns the elevator. The proof is in glazed cases, more than 20 feet wide, on the north wall of the new gymnasium.
The oldest trophy there is a 1922 silver cup for the Brown County basketball championship.Since 1926. when Corrigan came here as coach with a bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas, the Powhattan rural high school has won the county championship 26 times, has won district and regional tournaments, and has been to tho state tournament 10 times.
The real beauty of Corrigan's coaching achievement can be realized when one considers the number of boys he has to work with. This year there are 87 students in high school, 44 of them boys. Nearly every student tries to make the team. Since most come to school in busses from the surrounding rural areas, they get in extra practice on the farm. Nearly every farm has a basketball hoop, Corrigan says.
Of the 44 boys in high school this year, 30 have gone out for football—a sport Corrigan coaches but doesn't push, because he knows some parents are worried about the chance of injuries. The boys who do like foot-ball have the advantage of Corrigan's peppy coaching,whether he is pushing the sport or not.
"All right, we'll have a 6-3-2 defense," Corrigan shouted the other day to the 30 scrimmaging players. "Come out of there fast come out hard eyes up look ahead look at the man you're playing against run, run hard."
One year the Powhattan rural high school dropped to only 54 students, but 40 of them were boys, so Corrigan had enough material. "It didn't make it good when we had parties, though,"Corrigan recalls.
Started on Diamond
Corrigan is now 62 years old. His graying hair is crew cut, and he wears glasses. He is not a big man, but he has always liked sports. At K.U he was on the baseball team.
He was born in Effingham, 30 miles southeast of Powhattan, and he attended the Effingham high school before going to K. U. "I came here as a coach," Corrigan says, "and I haven't been able to get out of town."
He once had an assistant as principal of the Powhattan grade school, but for most of the years he has been principal of beth schools which are physically joined.
"About three years the board allowed me to hire a helper," Corrigan says, "and of course I hired my wife because I could fuss at her more than anybody else."
Married a Teacher
Mrs. Lois Corrigan was a teacher at the Powhattan schools when she and the principal were married. They have two daughters, Mrs. Sharon Cash, Omaha, and Miss Mary Jo Corrigan, who just entered K. U. Corrigan shyly admits that he has had offers over the years for positions at “bigger but not better” schools. "Of course, I thought the
The first year I came thought I'd.move on," Corrigan says, "but being old-fashioned enough and farmer enough, and being close to my old home town, it was just more enjoyable here than I thought it would be somewhere else.
"On several occasions I've had a dream that I changed schools …. it was most unpleasant …. when I woke up the next morning and found I was still here, I was very happy.”