Ashes to Ashes

(Editor’s Note:  This story originally was published in Southern Illinois Sports Connection Magazine in September, 2007 – the second month the magazine was published and before our website was completed.  It was also before Facebook.  It’s such a unique story with so many ties to Southern Illinois that we are running it again.  With a bigger and more diverse audience now than we had five years ago we plan on sharing our archives with you from time to time.     JM )

By Jim Muir

In the words of 93-year-old Goebel Patton, “it’s a story that needed to be told.”

And even though he’d kept it a secret for more than a quarter of a century Patton still knows the story very well — right down to the minute details. Patton worked for more than 50 years in the West Frankfort school system and served as superintendent for nearly 40 of those years.

In 1981, three years before he retired, Patton was approached by Stanley Changnon, Jr. and Mark Changnon, the son and grandson of legendary Coach Stanley Changnon, with a request that was the most unusual he’d received during his five decades as an educator.

“They asked me if they could scatter Coach Changnon’s ashes on Johnson Field,” recalled Patton. “They wanted to know if it was a request that should be taken through the school board. I thought about it a little and then I told them to just go do what they needed to do and not to tell me about it. I didn’t know for sure when they did it, but I knew they did it. I didn’t want to know for sure back then because if there were any critics I could just tell them, ‘I don’t know.’ I never told anybody because I didn’t know for sure.

A short time after that request was made, on a hot July day in 1981 the Changnons made the three-hour drive from their homes in Champaign to Southern Illinois. The Changnon’s first of two destinations that day was Johnson Field.

As West Frankfort residents went about their usual daily routines that summer day the Changnon’s completed their somber task and fulfilled the dying wishes of a larger-than-life figure – a man who is still revered in both basketball and football coaching circles throughout Illinois.

“All I know is that when we arrived the gate was unlocked, I don’t know who unlocked it, but it was unlocked for us,” said Mark. “And we walked out on the field, just the two of us, and did what he asked us to do. My grandfather mentioned it several times before he died so I know it was something that was very important to him.”

After completing the task in West Frankfort the Changnons then drove to Mt. Vernon where they scattered the remaining ashes at J.D. Shields Memorial Stadium.

When questioned about going on the record to do a story about the final resting place of their loved one the Changnons were enthusiastic and agreed with Patton that it was time that the story was told.

“I agree that it’s time the folks in Southern Illinois know about this story. I think it’s important that the younger generation knows about a man that loved high school sports so much that he wanted a football field to be his eternal resting place,” Mark said. “I remember when my grandpa started talking about spreading his ashes at the two football fields. He said he wanted his ashes spread there because it was two places where he had some of the greatest joys in his life.”

On a recent Saturday morning the Changnons and Patton met at Johnson Field — the first time the trio had met in more than 25 years. The three walked the field and recalled memories of the man who prompted the meeting.

Stanley, Jr. recalled a specific conversation he had with his dad only months before he died.

“He was in the hospital and he emphasized that he wanted to be cremated and he was very specific that he wanted his ashes spread at Johnson Field,” said Stanley, Jr. “He really loved this place.”

Stanley Jr., who is now 79 years old, remembers vividly his time in West Frankfort and also in Mt. Vernon. He recalled the attributes that he felt made his dad successful.

“As a coach he was fair but he was also a disciplinarian, you had to do what he said or you weren’t going to play,” said Stanley, Jr. “I think his greatest asset though was the ability to analyze what his players could do. He changed his offense almost every year according to the talent he had and what they could best do. He was also equally as good at analyzing and knowing how to attack his opponent. Even back then he was very much into every detail of the game. I think he was probably ahead of his time as a coach.”

According to his son, Changnon, Sr. was also one of if not the first coach in Southern Illinois to begin developing the one-hand shot in basketball.

“That was a big change when he started teaching the one-hand shot and a lot of people were critical of it,” said Stanley, Jr. “He started that at Johnston City in the mid-1930s and continued on at West Frankfort and obviously it caught on.”

Patton recalled the coaching tenure of Changnon, Sr. at West Frankfort and said one detail still stands out.

“You didn’t see him showing a lot of emotions, jumping up and hollering,” said Patton. “I asked him one time about his coaching style and he said ‘if I teach them all week and they don’t know what they’re supposed to do when the game starts I can’t change things then. He also believed that as a coach he couldn’t think his best if he didn’t remain calm. But, nobody questioned him as a coach, not if you wanted to stay around.”

While Changnon’s ashes were scattered on two football fields his accomplishments on the basketball court is where he is most often remembered. After leaving West Frankfort Changnon took a job in Mt. Vernon in 1943-44 where he coached basketball and football. During a nine-year stint as head basketball coach Changnon compiled a won-loss record of 229-59. Changnon’s 1948-49 and 1949-50 Rams’ teams won back-to-back state titles, making him the first coach to ever accomplish that feat in Illinois. During that incredible two-year state championship run under Changnon the Rams went 63-3.

Changnon began his coaching career in 1926 at Donavan High School where he coached for six years compiling a record of 108-52. He then coached at Johnston City for two years before taking the West Frankfort job where he coached football and basketball from 1935-43. In basketball his overall record at West Frankfort was 136-72. During 25 years of coaching high school basketball Changnon had a record of 507-199. A complete account of Changnon’s football record is not available but during his nine years at the Franklin County school his teams won seven South Seven championships.

The list of players coached by Changnon, Sr. reads like a who’s who of high school sports heroes and includes Max Morris, Lou Levanti, John Riley, Walt Moore, Max Hooper, Eddie King and Benny Purcell.

Morris, who the West Frankfort gym is named after, reached fame at Northwestern, Levanti starred at the University of Illinois in football, Riley and King played basketball at Bradley University while Moore and Hooper played basketball for the Fighting Illini. Purcell played for a college all-stars that competed in a national series against the Harlem Globetrotters.

Prior to beginning his illustrious coaching career the elder Changnon established himself as an outstanding athlete at Illinois State University. To this day he is one of only two athletes to ever win a letter in five sports during one season. While at Normal Changnon won letters in football, basketball, baseball, track and tennis. He received all-conference honors in football and basketball.

Because of a severe asthmatic condition Stanley Jr. never participated in sports, yet his dad’s influence motivated him in other ways.

“As a kid I knew he was a very special person in the community and was really looked up to by a lot of people,” said Stanley Jr. “That gave me a lot of motivation to be successful. Since I had asthma and couldn’t be an athlete I went into high science. I wanted to be successful like my dad was but I couldn’t do it in sports so I tried to do it intellectually.”

Changnon worked for many years as a professor and head of the Illinois Water Survey at the University of Illinois. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Following in his grandfather’s footsteps Mark is a teacher and coaches freshmen basketball at Champaign Centennial High School. Mark, who grew up in Champaign, still recalls spending periods of time in Mt. Vernon with his grandparents during the summer.

“I used to go the restaurant with him every morning and even as a kid I could tell that people thought he was special and I just felt proud to be with him,” said Mark. “I always wanted to be just like him.”

Mark said family members including his father and two brothers make an annual trip to Southern Illinois that always includes a stop at Johnson Field. He said knowing how much his grandfather loved coaching at West Frankfort he looks at the field as “hallowed ground.”

“When I go there, even now,” said Mark looking around at his surroundings at Johnson Field. “I can close my eyes and almost hear the crowd and I can see my grandfather on the sidelines. I’m glad we told the story.”