Butch Remembers His Childhood Hero

By: John “Butch” Dale

I was sad to hear recently that one of my childhood idols, Charlie Bowerman, had passed away last month at his home in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. He was 83 years old. Charlie graduated from Alamo High School in 1957. When the county high schools closed for good in 1971, the basketball fans of Montgomery County were able to nominate and vote for their favorite basketball stars of “all-time” for two time periods… 1911 to 1946, and from 1947 to 1971. Howie Williams, a 1945 New Ross graduate was chosen as the best for the “old-timers” team. The next four included Homer Stonebraker (Wingate-1914), Pete Moore (Waynetown-1945), Ray Greve (Waveland-1939), and Bill Melvin (Alamo-1939). Charlie Bowerman received the most votes for the “modern” team, which also included Daryl Warren (Linden-1971), Bill Greve (Waveland-1955), Keith Greve (Waveland-1951), and Don Threlkeld (Darlington-1969).

I was in the third grade at Darlington when Charlie was a senior. My Dad had told me of Charlie’s basketball scoring ability, as he averaged 27 points per game that year. He not only led the county in scoring, but the Warriors, with only about fifty kids in the entire top four grades, finished the year with a record of 19-2 and also won the County Tourney. In a regular season game against Fountain County champion, Richland Township, the Warriors won the contest 62 to 45. Charlie scored 45 of his team’s points…the same amount as the entire opposing team!

Charlie’s many fans were delighted when he chose to attend Wabash College and play for coach Bob Brock. During the three years he played for the varsity, he led the team in scoring. His shooting skills were phenomenal at any range, and he canned an amazing 86% of his free throw attempts. My Dad took me to see Wabash play Butler in 1960 when Charlie was a junior. There were also four other Montgomery County boys playing that night. Dick Haffner (New Ross-1956) and Dick Haslam (Crawfordsville-1958) were on the Butler Bulldogs team, and Bill Boone (Ladoga-1956) and Rusty Nichols (New Ross-1959) were playing for the Little Giants. I can honestly say that this game was the most exciting game…whether it be high school, college, or professional…that I ever witnessed. Wabash beat Butler 110 to 108 in FIVE overtimes, and Charlie scored 53 points…most from long range. And remember this…there was no such thing as 3-pointers on those days.

He became an instant hero to me, and I wanted to meet him. As it turned out, just a few weeks later, Dad took me to see a Crawfordsville game, and when I walked into the gym I spotted Charlie, “the Wizard of Alamo,” sitting in the bleachers. I wasn’t shy…I went right up to him and asked for his autograph. After signing his name, he smiled and told me that if I practiced and practiced, I could perhaps be a top scorer someday. I was thrilled! During Charlie’s senior year at Wabash, he averaged 25.4 points per game and set a single game scoring record by drilling 63 points against the University of Illinois…without playing the entire game! He was drafted by the New York Knicks to play pro ball in the NBA, but instead he chose a career with the Phillips Petroleum Company, which allowed him to play for the famous AAU Phillips 66ers. Subsequently, Charlie’s team won two AAU national championships, and he was named an All-American in 1964. Charlie eventually became a successful executive with the Phillips company, retiring in 1999.

Charlie was also a very devoted Christian and did many things for his community, including teaching Sunday school, coaching youth sports, and serving on numerous committees in Bartlesville. Charlie married his high school sweetheart, Coralea Weir, who sadly also passed away in March of this year. As many of you know, Charlie’s high school coach was his father, Tom Bowerman, one of the greatest coaches in Montgomery County basketball history. Tom was a member of the county Sheriff’s Merit board when I was hired as a deputy in 1977. He was a super nice guy and a true gentleman.

Charlie Bowerman, one of my childhood heroes…and just a really great human being. And Charlie, I did practice and practice and practice…and ended up as the leading scorer in Montgomery County in 1966 when I was a senior…Thanks, Charlie…we will miss you!

– 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.