Stafford's record stands well over half-century

Don Stafford had a night 65 years ago not forgotten by him or a certain Major League Baseball umpire. Stafford, a 6-foot-1 center playing basketball for Ketron High School, finished with 21 points and record 37 rebounds in a 102-44 win over Sulphur Springs. One of the players he competed against to get the rebounding record was future MLB umpire Dale Ford. "Dale Ford always kids me when he sees me," said Stafford, now 83. "I was the center and had been a forward the year before. We ran the old 2-1-2 with two guards, a center and two forwards. I wasn't fast, couldn't jump and wasn't quick, but it just happened." Glen Bass was the Wildcats' leading scorer than night with 33 points and John "Whitey" McCrary finished with 28 points. The Gamecocks were led by Ford with 13 points. But Stafford's rebounds most stand out since they're more than most teams have in a game even today. Big games were nothing new for Stafford, who scored 27 points in a 77-62 win against the Gamecocks that season, and pulled down 23 rebounds in a win over Holston. Like a linebacker in football, Stafford had a nose for the ball. He had other heroics for the Wildcats, including a last-second shot in regulation, which eventually led to a 47-46 win over Holston Valley in overtime. It was a game which he and Wally Nottingham excelled. He also hit the winning layup to give Ketron a 55-54 overtime win over Bluff City. A season earlier in 1958, the Wildcats coached by Hebert "Lollie" Duncan, won 49-48 over No. 1-ranked Dobyns-Bennett which snapped a five-year losing streak against the Indians, coached by the legendary Guy B. Crawford. The starting five for Ketron, which included McCrary and Stafford, played the entire game. Earlier in his high school career, Stafford played with Howard "Hot Dog" Dale, who was one of the leading scorers in the state of Tennessee. But, he was particularly close to McCrary, who went on to have a legendary career as boys' coach at Lynn View, Sullivan North and Twin Springs. Their paths would cross again later in their lives. "We both were all-conference players in basketball and baseball at Ketron," Stafford recalled. "I got the first hit in the history of the school as an eighth grader." Stafford scored 17 points in his first-ever college game before an ankle injury ended his college basketball career. He continued to play baseball, and later played in the city basketball and baseball leagues. COACHING CAREER After graduation, Stafford served as an assistant to Coach Ronald Skeen at Thomas Walker High School. He was also an assistant to Kenny Ervin at Rye Cove before becoming head coach at Church Hill High School. He returned to Sullivan County as a coach at Bluff City Middle School and later was an assistant to Bobby Chambers at Tennessee High before Chambers left to join Joe B. Hall's staff at the University of Kentucky. Stafford got out of basketball to become a guidance counselor before he found his way back to Bloomingdale to coach at Sullivan North where he was highly successful in both girls' basketball and softball. His mid-80s basketball teams had three seasons of a combined 78-23 record, led by the school's all-time leading scorer, Laura Vaughn with over 2,600 points and 1,400 rebounds. Other key players included: Beverly Roberts, Kathy Wooten, Sonja Warner, Tracey Lane, Lisa Minton and Debbie Depew. Success was harder to come by when more of the area became a part of the city of Kingsport. "I inherited some really good athletes," he said. "Our school had about 1,500 athletes when we started. When the city got Lynn View, the only school we had feeding us was Ketron. South and Central had two schools." Stafford retired from coaching in 2000. Of all his accomplishments, he's most proud of his 49-year marriage to Sheila, an Eastman executive who died in 2015. The couple was honored as Mr. and Mrs. Citizenship by LMU in 1966 and occasionally spent time together on the golf course throughout their marriage. He now lives in a retirement home in Kingsport, but is thankful for all the great memories on the court, the diamond and the links. His son was part of a state championship baseball team at Sullivan North and his granddaughter plays golf and soccer at Abingdon. Stafford was a sports fan from an early age, a follower of the great Cleveland Indians teams led by ace pitcher Bob Feller. "Sports has been my life. I grew up wanting to be a Major League Baseball player," Stafford said. "The pitching staff that Cleveland had, they came to Kingsport in '54 and played the Giants. We were in school and unfortunately had to miss it."