MY RUDY STORY AT GOOSE CREEK HIGH by Dan Speight (Class of 1970) This is a true story of me and the late

Coach Willis Council, Goose Creeks first High School Baseball Coach. I first met Coach Council during football season in 1968 when he was my P.E. teacher and I was an equipment manager for the Varsity Football Team. I was over 6 feet and weighed less than 130 pounds so I was too skinny to play football. Thanks to my Dad, who was coach of Goose Creeks all-star youth teams from 1964 to 1966, I was a real baseball fanatic and I used to read all the books and magazines about baseball and memorized all the records and statistics. I had the unique ability to figure batting averages in my head. I did well in Math Class. Coach Council and Coach Davis used to get the Baseball Digest and call me into their office to ask me the trivia questions in the magazine because I always got the answers right. Coach Council loved to talk baseball with me. He had played in the minor leagues and always bragged about hitting a homerun off of Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry. When the 1969 spring baseball tryouts came around he told me I should try out for the team and gave me suggestions on how to strengthen my arm before the tryouts. I knew he was only encouraging me because he liked me. I figured I had no chance to make the team because we had pitchers Todd Miller, Greg Davis, Wayne Eckert, Ricky Williams and Bill Belden who could all throw a bit harder than me. My out pitch was a great roundhouse curveball my Dad had taught me. Nobody could hit it if I got it over the plate. Coach wouldnt let me throw my curve at batting practice, just low speed fastballs to help the hitters. Coach noticed I had a rubber arm and could through 200-300 pitches for strikes everyday in batting practice which helped save the other pitchers arms for games. When he started posting the cut lists on the bulletin board I was amazed and happy my name wasnt on them. When I made the final cut I was the happiest guy on the team. Coach told me he wanted me to be his batting practice pitcher and scorekeeper sitting next to him on the bench and he would try to get me in a game whenever possible. We had a very good team and were the only winning Varsity sports team. Coach Council was a great baseball coach and loved to argue with the umpires. The umpires hated to see him because he always had two mouth cheeks full of Beech-Nut chewing tobacco and would spray them with tobacco juice when he yelled. We players had a good laugh every time it happened. I loved sitting next to Coach on the bench because he would ask me what I would do in certain situations and about the stats of certain players before he would put them in the game. We had a successful first season considering we had no seniors. I didnt get in any games but had fun going to all the games, especially when we got out of class early because we played day games. Once again Coach put me on the team in 1970. We had a great team and pitching staff. Once again I sat with Coach on the bench and pitched all the batting practices. I even helped win a game as the scorekeeper. We were playing Summerville and they had the bases loaded when I noticed one of their players on base batted out of order. I told the Coach and he said to keep quiet for now. The next batter got a hit scoring all the runners. Coach and I went to show the umpire the discrepancy in the scorebook and he nullified all the runs for Summerville and we won the game. During the last week of the regular season the Gators were invited to play in the West Ashley Optimist Baseball Tournament. The next morning Coach Council called me into his office. He threw me a baseball and told me he had talked to his friend and Coach of Macedonia High School and scheduled an extra game before the tournament so he could get all the seniors who hadnt played much a chance to play. He told me how much he appreciated me helping him with the team and that I was the starting pitcher. I was both excited and nervous about pitching my one and only game for Goose Creek High School. Our team opened the game by scoring several runs which made me feel a little better as I took the mound. My brother Dave was playing second base behind me and gave me encouragement as I prepared to throw my fist pitch. I threw an overhand fastball that the batter took for a strike. Our catcher Frank Watson called for a curve which I told him to call anytime I was ahead in the count as it was my best pitch. I threw my big

sweeping curve and the batter jumped out of the batters box as the pitch dropped over for strike 2. I threw another curve and the batter swung wildly, missing it badly. Three pitches for strikes for the first out a good start. The players on the bench and behind me yelled way to go. I struck out the next batter with a sidearm fastball and curves for the 2nd out. Their big hitter was next and I threw him 3 straight curveballs and got my 3rd strikeout to end the inning. When I returned to the dugout the whole team came over to pat me on the back and congratulate me. We scored some more runs before I took the mound again. I got the cleanup hitter to fly out to first base and struck out the next 2 batters. I had great control of all 3 of my pitches, especially my curveball. Now the players on the team were starting to look at each other and chuckle because they couldnt believe what they were seeing. Coach Council just looked at me and said good job. In the 3rd inning the first hitter hit a hard grounder up the middle. My brother Dave made a great backhanded play on it and got the runner at first. I then struck out the next 2 batters to make it 9 up and 9 down. Now my teammates were yelling and cheering when I came back to the bench. In the 4th I had 2 strikeouts and a groundball out, making it 12 outs in a row. When I came back to the bench the players congratulated me and Hank Brooks, our scorekeeper, pointed out to me that I had a Perfect Game going with no hits or walks by the other team. Now Coach looked down and started shaking his head. When I took the mound in the top of the fifth inning I saw Coach walking over to the backstop to get a closer look. He watched as my curveball was snapping across the plate and making the batters look foolish. 1 more strikeout and 2 infield flies made it 15 in a row. I couldnt believe what was happening but I was in a zone and all I could see was the catcher Frank Watsons mitt. After we scored 3 more runs to make it 13-0 in the top of the 6th inning the umpire came over and said it would be the last inning if Macedonia didnt score 4 runs because of the 10-run mercy rule. High School games were 7 innings then. So I had 3 more outs to get to preserve an official Perfect Game. Coach and the team were nervous for me but for some reason I was feeling very calm and felt like no one was going to beat me on this day. The first batter fouled out to the catcher. The second batter took me to a 3 and 0 count and it looked like I might have my first base runner. I concentrated and threw 3 straight sidearm fastballs and he popped to first. I then struck out the last batter of the game with 3 curveballs and preserved my Perfect Game. I ended up with 13 strikeouts and no batted balls left the infield. 18 up and 18 down I couldnt believe it. Completely drained after the game I couldnt wait to go home and tell my Dad about my day in Macedonia. He was happy for me as was my Mom. The next day at school teacher Harvey Owens, who was at the game, announced on the PA system about my game. I was on Cloud 9 in school and all my friends and even people I didnt know congratulated me in the hallways. Over the next few days, the Gators went on to win the West Ashley Optimist Tournament for the first title ever by Goose Creek High School. After the season Coach Council told me he wished he had known how good I could pitch sooner and thanked me for all my help and especially our close friendship. I thanked him for letting me be around my friends and the game I loved. He even gave me a Letter in baseball before I graduated. While in the Navy I pitched for my brothers Sunday barnstorming team in Goose Creek during the mid-1970s and pitched pretty well. By then I was 70 pounds heavier and could throw a lot harder. When I saw the movie Rudy it brought back memories of my fortunate success in the one opportunity I was given. I also saw myself in his love of the game and of his school.