Legendary high school baseball coach speaks at TOTS' Luncheon

Ted Fowler played baseball for Tucson High School and the University of Arizona more than 60 years ago and he coached high school baseball in the state of Arizona for close to 40 years -- his last coaching duty was in 1989.  Now 82 years of age, Fowler has taken to the podium. Although it a slow walk for him from his seat to the microphone, it is certainly worth the wait for the folks in the audience, who are eventually  treated to the pleasure of his company for 45 minutes or so as he talks baseball  --  the sport he obviously loves and a sport in which he has spent a lifetime mentoring many young ball players who were  lucky enough to cross paths with him.

Fowler, who was a  former teammate of long-time Tucson Old Timers'  (TOTS)  club member  Brad Tolson at Tucson High School, the University of Arizona and even the Minot Mallards -- a 1950s semi-pro team out of Minot, N.D.,  spoke at the TOTS'  luncheon today  inside the  Copper Room at  the  Randolph Park Golf Center.   Fowler said he has coached over 800 games in his forty years of work and he said he enjoyed every minute of it.  Fowler, who has gone through his share of knee and hip surgeries, still loves to share his experiences with others and jumped at the chance when asked by Tolson to speak at the TOTS annual luncheon.

According to Tolson, Coach Fowler had a lot more to say. "The stories are endless and I wish we could have had more time to listen to him," Tolson said, just moments after his old friend had left the podium.

Tolson and Fowler go back a long way. They were teammates in  the ManDak League in 1951, the same year that Sachel Page caused quite a stir when he was invited to pitch a few games in the semi-pro league. Fowler, who spent many years coaching the Jackrabbits at Mesa High School,  retired from coaching 22 years ago, after a stint as head coach at Eagar's Round Valley High School. Fowler ended his talk with a few words of wisdom. The words were authored by the legendary collegiate basketball coach Jim Valvano at  the 1993 ESPY Awards.

The  former North Carolina State basketball coach said at the time, "There are three things you should try to do each day ... "If you laugh, you think and you cry, that's a full day."  Today was a good day at the TOTS' luncheon. Coach Fowler certainly made us think and recall the days of old. We certainly laughed and there may have been a tear or two shed as we listened to the gentleman from Phoenix share his memories of baseball and what the sport means to him.