Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

14 Inducted Into Athletic Hall Of Fame (cont)

otball games could be won with punting and he could have gone pro with his talent.

Taking center stage, Osburn thanked everyone involved for the honor and the coaches he played for.

He said his introduction into coaching was rough as he was hired two days before practice. Still, he said, he retired after one year with a perfect record, without winning a game.

Gary Tarpley was inducted into the hall posthumously by Allen Nance.

Nance thanked Tarpley's family for allowing him the honor of making the announcement.

"He was a personable young man," Nance said of his former player. "He played tackle on offense and defense. His parents were proud of him, and were great boosters of the school."

Tarpley was a member of Gurdon's 12-0 championship 1964 team, and was proud to be a member of the Devils, Nance said.

During the '64 season, he continued, Tarpley's toe was responsible for several wins as he was the placekicker for the squad.

"He was a quiet leader, leading by example. A team player and positive role model on and off the field. He was made of the right stuff."

John Bailey accepted the honor for Tarpley, thanking the panel for its choice.

"No one would be more proud of this than him," Bailey said. "He was the consummate Go-Devil."

Stiffler returned to the stage to introduce Steve Allen, saying he loved to play and compete, loved football and was always laughing.

He was all district in 1988-89, honorable mention as an all stater and on the district championship team.

For his part Allen's response was brief. He thanked his coaches, the committee and said he was shocked when he learned of the nomination.

Clay Berry followed with the induction of Brad Clark.

Berry said Clark played every game and every sport with more intensity than anyone he'd ever seen.

"He was a great athlete and his intensity made him great," Berry said. "As a coach, I could tell how good of parents a child had by the way they acted. Clark had great parents and gave his all to GHS."

Clark opened with a confession, saying he did coach a while at Prescott.

"I appreciate being mentioned with these guys," he said of the other inductees. "A lot of others had more ability than me."

He said children today need to be out playing ball in their yards, getting fresh air and exercise. Clark also urged the young people to stay out of trouble.

Diana Garland introduced Marilyn Giles into the hall.

Giles was a 1988 graduate of GHS, playing on the junior girls district championship basketball team. She was the outstanding offensive and defensive player in 1985, being named player of the year for 85-86.

"I'm glad to be selected," Giles said, thanking all there for the honor. "The years I spent playing ball here were wonderful and I would do it again."

Smithson then introduced Ronnie Stricklin to the hall. Stricklin, a member of the '64 team, was a halfback on the squad and played four sports.

Stricklin said it was the ideal situation going to school in Gurdon at the time. "It was like 'Happy Days,'" he said.

"We won all our games in '64, but could have lost three or four. It wasn't what we had on our mind. All of us intended to win every game."

He praised the community for its support, saying the team had great equipment his senior year.

Stricklin thanked his mother and the fans who followed the team saying they played as hard as the team did and made the team play harder.

Stiffler ended the night by introducing Terry Sligh.

Sligh was a two-way tackle on the team, earning honors as all district, the conference's most valuable lineman and all state.

During his career, he made 81 unassisted tackles, had 41 assists, recovered four fumbles and made five tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

"I had fun playing," Sligh told the gathering, thanking the committee for the selection. "It's a real honor and nice to be remembered."