Our Sources Say
Coach Bobby Wroten
A
n African proverb states, “It takes a village to raise a child.” That is true. But within the village are people that take more interest than others in raising the children. They give of themselves to the people of the community and raise the children of the village. As you have read here before, I grew up in Corinth, Miss., in the 1960s. It was a great time and place to grow up. One of the reasons it was a great place for a young man was the YMCA (which we all knew as the “Y”) and the Y Director, Bobby Wroten, who we all knew as “Coach” Wroten. Corinth’s youth programs were run through the Y. But the Y served a much greater purpose than the local sports programs. It was the place young people — especially young men — gathered year round. We played organized baseball, football and basketball. But we also played unorganized sports like corkball, pool, ping pong and tether ball in addition to pick-up baseball, football and basketball. I was at the Y regularly from the time I was 7 until I graduated high school. The Y was Coach’s kingdom. He resolved all disputes. He was the prosecutor, judge and jury of all offenses. He was also the head cheerleader and surrogate father for many of us. I first met Coach when I started playing organized baseball in 1960. He was young then. He was a terrifying figure to a shy 6 year-old. I still remember his confident manner and high-pitched voice as he directed practice. He hit balls to us until we were worn out. He dared us to complain. As I grew older and without a consistent father figure at home, Coach took a greater interest in me. I became more accustomed to him and came to admire his no-nonsense style. There was no doubt in his decisions. We held Coach out as the ultimate authority on all athletic issues and many others as well. When I was 13, Coach hired me to work the field, umpire youth games, cut grass and clean up around the Y. He paid me $15 a week. It was a king’s ransom. When I was 16, he hired me and three friends to work the Don Blasingame Baseball League (10-12 years). We started at 8:00 each morning and worked until all games were over, usually around 10 p.m. We made $50 a week. We were the envy of all boys because we worked for
Coach. He also hired me to referee football in the fall and basketball in the winter when high school sports didn’t interfere. I worked for Coach until I graduated high school and left for college. Once I left, he hired my younger brother, Bob, to take my place. Coach was a tough man. He didn’t accept excuses and he had high standards. He was loyal to his friends. If you worked for him or if he liked you, he backed you to the end. I remember him taking on angry parents in the stands and coaches on the field standing up for his boys. Afterwards, one-on-one, he might tear you up and provide a stern lecture on how you should have handled the situation, but he protected you from everyone else. Coach let you know what was expected. No one received a free pass. If you messed up, he let you know. He demanded a lot, but he gave a lot. He helped raise the Linder brothers, the Roberts brothers, the Martin brothers, the Lewis brothers and many more that passed through the Y. He provided structure, discipline and accountability for many young men that otherwise would have little or none. Almost all of them grew up to be successful and productive. Coach had faults. He worked to rid children of color from the Y. That was the practice in pre-integration days, and Coach supported the cause. He was often moody, short-tempered and brash. At times he had good reason. He was a severe diabetic. He lost an eye playing corkball with a group of guys at the Y. He fell down a set of stairs and cut a foot that remained an open wound for more than a decade. Yet he was always there for us. He had two sons slightly younger than me who were raised at the Y with the rest of us. However, the long hours and time spent with others took a toll on his marriage, and he was divorced after I left for college. Coach died Dec. 14, 1990. Even though he has been gone 25 years, I still think often of all I learned from him and how much better I am because he took an interest in me so many years ago. I still think of how much he invested in the children of his village. I know he is smiling down on all his boys. All villages need someone like Coach Wroten. I hope you have a good month. A
Gary Smith is President and CEO of PowerSouth Energy Cooperative
44 JULY 2015
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