Arizona Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame coach Cliff Myrick, 81, will take the field in September to begin his 60th season as a football referee.
Myrick, a former baseball coach at Catalina High School in Tucson (1957-1989), with a 5A state title in 1967 and a runner-up spot in 1977 to his credit, said today,in a phone interview,"It's getting harder and harder to run up and down the field, but this is the year...I'm tryin' for number 60." Myrick was inducted into the AzBCA Hall of Fame in 2000, along with, to name just a few, such names as Jim Crawford (St. David),Roy Coppinger (Coronado), Hal Eustice (Sahuaro), Bob Everett (Gilbert), Ted Fowler (Mesa) and Art Griffith (Winslow).
Myrick still keeps busy in the off-season. "I look forward once a month to our retired coaches luncheon," added Cliff. "We meet over at Randolph Park, discuss different things, and have a lot of fun. I also keep busy working out at Agua Caliente Park, doing odd jobs like cutting down palm trees and keeping the grounds clean."
The work at the park keeps Myrick in shape as he prepares for yet another season, which sometimes, takes him on the road to such places like Winkleman, Benson, or other southern Arizona burgs that light up their football field on a Friday night. Fifty-nine years and counting!
Myrick, with out a doubt, is well-known and well-respected by his peers as a baseball coach and a referee in the state of Arizona.
Yep Dan I know Artie from Winslow he played baseball and softball with our teams long time ago. Hock
ReplyDeleteYes...Griffith was a great baseball coach from a small town in Arizona. It was good that Artie was honored...sometimes the small town coaches get lost in the shuffle. For instance, there's a coach up in Winslow that coaches girls basketball. He wins and wins and wins every year. His friends call him "Petro".
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