Funny, the things that come drifting through my mind, for no reason. I woke up this morning thinking of Jim "Boxcar" Bailey, Hamilton High School, Hamilton, Ohio. I really don't know a lot about him, he was a great athlete, played many sports, exceeded at them all.
I only saw him on one occasion, at a track meet in Cincinnati at one of the large high schools. My brother, was coaching track, and I drove a few of his athletes down for the meet. The one incident I especially remember about Boxcar ... well, let me explain more.
It was a big track complex. They had the track, and in another field quite a distance away, another field where they had the weights, shotput, etc., probably three or four hundred yards apart. I was standing with my brother who was talking with the Hamilton coach. We were at the track complex. I remember a "stocky" kid come running from the other complex, "Coach, I'm not sure how long I can keep this up." He was entered in the discus, the shotput, the 100 and the 200 yard dashes.
He would run to one field, throw the shot, run back, run the 100, then back, throw the discus, and back.... well, you get the picture. As I recall, he won all four events and ran on one or two relay teams, which also won.
He was an outstanding football player, I think he went to Miami of Ohio and played for Woody Hayes. He was also a standout in basketball, and I think, baseball. Not sure how his career unfolded, but the track meet event I have never forgotten.
Hamilton had another favorite son,, Hamilton Joe Nuxhall who is most remembered for having been the youngest player ever to appear in a major league game, pitching 2/3 of an inning for the Reds on June 10, 1944 at the age of 15 years. He became a broadcaster and the voice of the Reds. I have heard him mention Bailey on a number of occasions.
The only thing I found .........
1951 SALAD BOWL
Miami Ohio 34, Arizona State 21
January 1, Phoenix, Ariz.
Montgomery Stadium
Attendance: 23,000
Eddie Doherty took his team to the Salad Bowl for the second straight year, this time to face Woody Hayes' Miami Redskins. Miami roared out to 21-0 lead before Wilford White scored for ASC on a pass from Manuel Aja. The teams traded touchdowns after that. Passer Nobby Wirkowski and runner Jim (Boxcar) Bailey were Miami's offensive stars.
Funny what you think of on a nice Saturday morning.
