Wheels’ World: ‘Pos’ & ‘Turtle’

By Tom Wheeler

Johnston City Coach Wade Thomas was on the phone and he asked “Coach, when did you coach track at J City? Pos and Turtle say you were their coach and they remember a meet here which was the last time a track meet was held here at Johnston City until our meet yesterday.”

So I did some research, meaning I went to the garage, and found that in 1971, my last year at the “City” we had a couple meets at home. I remember our first home meet with Eldorado that spring was cancelled because of snow and I had to call Eagle coach Don Kingston to cancel the meet. I found a clipping from another meet in which the Indians won over five  other teams. Jr. High Coach Joe Castrale was my starter as the Indians scored 125, Sesser-Valier 43, Anna-Jonesboro 30, Waltonville 20, Zeigler-Royalton 18 and Carterville 10.

It was only 42 years between track meets at Johnston City – 1971 to 2013 — and from the ‘cinders’ as the newspaper article below points out to the new all-weather track at the new JC Sports Complex.

Lindell “Turtle” Edwards won the 440 yds.  for us while other Indian winners were freshman Mike Grant (2 mile and mile), Donnie Gaddis, (highs and discus), Jimmy Dean (100), Keith McKown  (shot put), Jim Cargal (high jump) and Glenn Hampton (200). We also won the frosh relay, the 880 relay and the mile relay.

So 42 years later the Indians finally have another home meet, needless to say Indian Coach Dan Mings didn’t have to stay after practice to drag the track and “line it” the ole fashion way (by hand). Also, I don’t think Coach Mings had to get foam from Herrin dumped into pits lined in bales of hay for the high jump and the pole vault. Mr. John Parks, principal, helped us fix these “pits” and was upset when one pit went up in flames one day during lunch hour.

What Coach Mings does have is one of the nicest facilities in the south, no the state. Ironic was that 42 years ago I was the head track coach and then 42 years later I’m  watching my grandson Hunter Wheeler  compete in the very next track meet being run in Indian land. As proud as I am of the fantastic all-around athletic facility at Johnston City it made me just as  proud to see two of my ex-athletes timing at the meet, “Turtle” and Jimmy “Pos” Poskevich