Thursday, November 9, 2000
Dick White to be presented Fetterman Award today
By ERIC AHLQVIST
Editor
Former Cooperstown basketball coach Dick White walked into Clark Sports Center Director Brad Feik's office Friday evening with two scorebooks from the 1976-77 and 1977-78 Cooperstown basketball seasons under his arm. Those were the years Feik played for White, and were the midst of the "Golden Years" for Cooperstown basketball.
"Look at these games," White said to Feik. "You had 15 points, and we had three other players in double figures and almost everyone else was in the scoring column."
The last part was most important to White, who will be honored with the sixth Patrick C. Fetterman Award at a luncheon at the Otesaga today. The award is given annually to a member of the community who has shown dedication to area youth, especially in the area of athletics.
White amassed over 400 wins during a legendary 27-year coaching career, won numerous sectional championships and league titles and had a number of talented players, but that's not what he wants players and fans to remember the most.
"I hope all my players learned that to be successful you have to work hard and be dedicated," White said Friday. "The hardest part about being a coach is to make sure that every player on the team feels like being on the team is worthwhile. I often spent more time worrying about the last guy off the bench than I did about the leading scorer. Every person works hard and every person was important, and I always tried hard to make them feel that way."
White did little things like putting seniors who didn't start into the game first, and, when the need was there, even chipped in to help buy sneakers or pay for a late dinner at McDonald's after an away game.
"I'd like to think I was fair above everything else," White said. "I never wanted to embarrass a kid or make him not enjoy being on the team. It's hard to make everyone happy, but I tried to be fair."
"I think Coach White had a big impact on most of his players' lives," Feik said. "We knew he would fight for us and was on our side, and I think playing for him made you a better person for life."
Don Howard, who was the junior varsity coach for most of White's tenure as head coach, may know White best.
"He loved kids and he loved basketball," Howard, last year's Fetterman Award winner, said. "Basketball was his vehicle to get to the kids. He developed a strong bond with many of the kids who played for him, and it continues after high school as well."
White gives much of the credit to his and his team's success to Fetterman, the longtime director of the Clark Gym, who began the Biddy basketball program at the gym for third through sixth graders in the mid-1970's.
"Pat was like a father figure to a lot of those kids," White said. "He wasn't a screamer, and he connected so well with all types of kids because of his even temperament. I think that carried on through the rest of the basketball program."
One of the keys to Cooperstown basketball's success during that time was consistency.
From the mid-70's to the early 90's, Fetterman taught the kids the basics at the gym, then Bill Crampton had the seventh and eighth grade teams, Howard coached the junior varsity, and White the varsity.
"I was lucky enough to be at the top," White said. "Pat would introduce them to the game, Bill would teach them the fast break, and Don would diagram plays and introduce them to our offense. By the time they got to me, I worked on other aspects of the game that I couldn't have without their help."
The biggest beneficiaries were the players, who by the time they reached the varsity level, had already been playing together for eight years.
Once they made it to the varsity, White asked one thing-work hard.
"I used to tell them, don't worry if you miss a lay-up or dribble a ball off your foot," White said. "I think with that pressure off, they were able to play better and just be themselves."
White, also a longtime Math teacher at Cooperstown, didn't just impart important lessons on the basketball court. He also made an impact in the classroom.
"He used to tell us, 'There's a computer coming over that mountain, and you'd better be ready for it,"' said Feik. "We only had one computer in those days, and Mr. White would break up our time on it into half hour periods. But I know of a lot of guys who followed his advice and have great careers now. Some have even retired early."
White said he was deeply touched to receive the sixth annual Fetterman award, because of what Fetterman meant to him and the community.
"I thought the world of Pat, and this is a special award because it is in his memory," White said. "I'm touched."
"This is a special award for Dick and it was a special award for me because we both felt the same way about Pat," Howard said. "I know he's going to be excited to receive the award."
...Past winners of the Fetterman Award include Lavern "Beanie" Ainslie, Jack Vineyard, Ted Kantorowski, Malcolm Brooks and Howard.