Vernon Leverett – I Called Him “Coach” (2)

“Coach” taught me many lessons about life.  I believed just about everything he said.  Fortunately, he was a Christian.  In his latter years he became an elder at the Southern Hills Church of Christ in Abilene.  We visited there one Sunday and he was making announcements.  It sounded like a locker room speech from his coaching days.   He used the same techniques to “coach” the church that he used to coach his teams.  I’ll never forget the day.  He gave me a big bear hug.

In 1998, many of his former players returned to Clyde to celebrate our experience with him.  He told a lot of funny stories.  One involved the man who put the event together.  His name was Paul Petty.  Paul was a few years ahead of me, and was one of the finest athletes to come out of Clyde.  He played his college ball at Hardin-Simmons University.  Paul was named to the Little All America team, and played in the East-West Shrine game while at HSU.  

But Coach shared this story with us.  Clyde played Cross Plains in the late forties and Paul was on the team.  They went to Cross Plains and it was the first time Clyde had played a football game under the lights.  Cross Plains had new uniforms that year, so they gave the old ones to Clyde.  I guess they didn’t check them out too carefully.  Paul broke open and caught a pass.  He was headed for the goal line when his pants started falling off.  Then Paul was faced with the dilemma of trying to run for a touchdown while holding the ball in one hand, and holding his pants up with the other one.  Coach said they caught him just before he reached the goal line.

There was another teacher at Clyde named Waymon Pistole.   Waymon and Coach developed a friendship that lasted until Waymon died.  I used to run into Waymon fairly regularly at events in Abilene.  Coach was married three times.  His first two wives died.   When Waymon lay dying, he asked to see Coach, and said, “Vernon, please take care of Margie.”  Margie was Waymon’s wife.  The two of them married and apparently had a very happy relationship.  I saw he and Margie at church in Abilene the next morning after the celebration.  That was the last time I would ever see him.  I was away from home when Coach died and did not learn of his passing until after the funeral.  I called Margie afterwards and  had a wonderful visit with her.  She told me how much Coach admired what I had done with my life.