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Coal Creek Bearcat Outstanding Athlete
One of the top players to sport a Bearcat uniform in the 1960s was Lee Fouts, who graduated from Coal Creek in 1967. As a sophomore during the 1964-65 season, Lee started out on the B-team, but was brought up to the varsity after only five games. This proved to be a wise decision by coach Pat McDowell, as Lee averaged 12 points and 10 rebounds during the team’s next ten games until an ankle sprain forced him out of the lineup the remainder of the season. Lee’s most memorable game during that stretch was when his team won the school’s first County Tourney championship.
During his junior year, Lee kept right on improving as he averaged 14 points and 14 rebounds per contest, and was named to the All-County, All-Sectional, All-Wabash Conference, and All-Regional teams. The Bearcats, under new coach Phil Miller, also won their first Sectional crown, while finishing runner-up in the County Tourney and Regional.
Never one to be satisfied with his accomplishments, Lee really excelled during his senior season, finishing as the county’s leading scorer with a 22.7 average…and the county’s top rebounder with 19.7 caroms per game, being named to the All-County, conference, and Sectional teams again! Lee was voted by the Montgomery County Coaches Association as the most outstanding athlete and the scholarship winner.
After graduation, Lee headed to Wabash College where he started all four years for the Little Giants. He was the team’s leading rebounder during his last three seasons, and he was voted MVP his junior year and team captain his senior year, averaging 10 points per game.
Lee is married to Becky Threlkeld, a former cheerleader from Darlington, and they reside in Arkansas. After a successful career in business, Lee is now retired and enjoys watching his grandkids participate in sports…and from what I hear, they are outstanding athletes, too! I had the pleasure of competing against Lee. He was one tough player, and was selected in 1971 as one of the greatest basketball players in Montgomery County sports history.
John “Butch” Dale is a retired teacher and County Sheriff. He has also been the librarian at Darlington the past 32 years, and is a well-known artist and author of local history.
