Tales of yesteryear’s legends age well

— Lynwood “Schoolboy” Rowe was pitching against the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1934 World Series, scarcely a year or so after graduating El Dorado High School. Coach Bill Walton, who had a six-year record at El Dorado of 54-9-4, flatly told a reporter some 26 years later: “Rowe? He was the best athlete to come out of the United States since the Civil War.”

Born at Waco, Texas, on Jan 11, 1910, and raised at El Dorado, Rowe died Jan. 8, 1961, at El Dorado. He was scheduled to go to Little Rock two or three days later to accept induction into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.

In a 15-year major-league career, mostly with Detroit, Rowe had a record of 158-101, and at one point in his early career, he had a 16-game winning streak. He pitched three World Series games for Detroit, against St. Louis, the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati, with two Series victories.

His athletic career was pretty much legend even before he turned into a professional pitcher.

At 6-4 1/2 and 210 pounds, Rowe was high school all-state in football, basketball and track in 1931. According to legend, a Detroit baseball scout convinced him that any significant “pro” money would have to come from baseball.

Usually, in most portions of Arkansas, there is a standout high school athlete. Very few of them could have been compared to Lynwood Rowe.

Arkansas discovered Don Kessinger during a state high school basketball tournament at Blytheville in 1960. After a couple of games, the media thought “Mr. K” would be much more fitting.

“Everything Don did was so smooth,” said Cliff Garrison, a Kessinger teammate at Forrest City High School. “No telling how many points and events Don and [teammate] Jim Williams piled up in track. As a high school quarterback, Don was all-district, all-state, all-anything.

“Bill Kessinger [an older brother] was close enough to Don that they’d remind you of one another.” Don Kessinger enrolled at Ole Miss, and obviously never regretted it.

In an interview some years ago, he said, “Our basketball and the Razorbacks’ basketball is about equal.Our baseball program probably is stronger.” That was about 25 or 30 years ago. Baseball and basketball at both schools have obviously improved.

“Don is a great kicker,” Garrison said. “He could punt it 68-69 yards. So when he was playing basketball and baseball at Ole Miss, Coach Johnny Vaught saw him kick and tried to get him to punt for Vaught’s football team. For some reason. it couldn’t be worked out.”

Kessinger was a six-time All-Star National League shortstop, setting a record of 54 games without an error in 1969 while batting .273. He topped the league in double plays for five seasons and compiled 500 or more assists for six seasons.

Kessinger spent 16 years in the majors as a shortstop with the Cubs, St. Louis, and as a player manager for the Chicago White Sox. He is now in real estate at Oxford, Miss.

Sports, Pages 16 on 01/08/2013

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