More Than Rivals Read online

  © 2016 by Ken Abraham

  Published by Revell

  a division of Baker Publishing Group

  P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

  www.revellbooks.com

  Ebook edition created 2016

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

  ISBN 978-1-4934-0424-7

  Published in association with the literary agency of Mark Sweeney & Associates, Bonita Springs, Florida 34135

  This book is a retelling of a true story and is based on actual events. Certain items or incidents have been adapted for dramatic effect, and some artistic license has been taken to assist in the flow of the storyline. In some cases, for the sake of the narrative, conversations have been created, composite characters combined, or chronologies adjusted. Some names and details have been changed to protect identities.

  “A riveting true story of friendship between two boys—one black, one white—during the racially polarizing years of the Deep South. This book will inspire and touch the hearts of young and old alike.”

  —Roscoe Orman, actor; entertainer; and for forty years played Gordon on Sesame Street

  “More Than Rivals, a book based on a true story from the 1960s, allowed me to reflect on how far we have come in this country and how far we still have to go. This book will make you laugh, cry, and want to get to know people who don’t look like you or come from your same background. Unity is what will bring us together as a people, if we just take time to reach out and get to know others from a different race. I have learned over the years that real friendships are based not on the color of your skin but on the love and respect you have for one another. This book is a must-read for adults and teens.”

  —Yolanda Conley Shields, CEO, Let’s Go Innovate; author, Letters to Our Sons

  “One of the best heartwarming and inspiring books I have read. Wow, powerful. Amazing how one act can change everyone’s tone as it did that night in Gallatin.”

  —Mark White, Tennessee state representative

  “Simple, direct, and powerful—this is a story about how human kindness and understanding transformed a community. One act of kindness helped a community heal and transcend into a better, more inclusive town in the heart of America. A story of compassion that survives the decades of time . . . and the eternal truth that in the end, love wins. Add More Than Rivals to your library!”

  —Jack E. Pattison, lieutenant colonel, infantry, US Army (retired); president and owner, Pattison Enterprises

  “More Than Rivals holds a candle with true light to a dark place we wish had never been. While it shares a painful journey, it also hints at a promise of the silver lining within the cloud, an engrossing history lesson in which spiritual redemption, sports, leadership, and brotherhood can bring young men and their town to an important crossroads. An informative and engrossing read that grabbed me in the first pages and never let me go.”

  —Catkin Kilcher Burton, colonel, US Marine Corps (retired); president, Alaska Humanities Forum Board of Directors; CEO, Eagles Enterprises

  “More Than Rivals offers a rewarding reading experience. You are taken back in time to witness the nostalgia of small-town America and the struggles of the segregated South. I strongly recommend that you purchase a copy of More Than Rivals and read it immediately. It is truly an outstanding story and shows me that Eddie and Bill (now adult friends) continue to have an important role in the lives of children and youth in Gallatin and throughout the New South.”

  —Charles Martin “C.M.” Newton, former basketball coach, Transylvania University, the University of Alabama, and Vanderbilt University; former athletic director, University of Kentucky; former chair, NCAA Rules Committee

  “Ken Abraham is one of my favorite writers. More Than Rivals is a monster slam dunk that will impact your life in a powerful fashion.”

  —Pat Williams, founder and senior vice president, Orlando Magic; author, It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who You Are

  “A championship basketball game was much more than what it appeared. The year was 1970, and this game was a reflection of a community on edge, at the crossroads of racial tension and hope. More Than Rivals is a true story about a friendship that transcended the past, reconciled the present, and imagined a new future.”

  —Skip Prichard, CEO, OCLC; leadership insights blogger at Skipprichard.com

  “I think the best stories in the world are the ones you’d never expect. Leave it to Ken Abraham to keep finding true stories that absolutely must be told.”

  —Dave Ramsey, New York Times bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio show host

  “Dick and I played high school basketball in Indiana in the ’60s, so More Than Rivals brought back many great memories for us. We loved the diversity of sports and loved playing, traveling, and living with teammates of a different color. If everyone would love like that, despite differences in skin color, it would be a better world. The players accepted and loved and appreciated one another. Most of all, we understood one another. The relativity of the blending of sports and race relations is more important today than ever before. More Than Rivals gives the reader a little of both sides.”

  —Tom & Dick Van Arsdale, Indiana University All-Americans; twelve-year NBA players; three-time NBA All-Stars

  Dedication in Memorium

  The

  MORE THAN RIVALS

  team

  wishes to honor

  the following individuals:

  Anna Bransford Ligon

  (mother of Bill Ligon)

  Jimmy H. (Bo) Sherlin Jr.

  (brother of Eddie Sherlin)

  Dan P. Herron

  (former principal of Gallatin High School)

  Professor John V. Malone

  (former principal of Union High School)

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Endorsements

  Dedication in Memorium

  Acknowledgments

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  29

  30

  31

  About the Author

  Photo Insert

  Back Ad

  Back Cover

  Acknowledgments

  THE DREAM FOR MORE THAN RIVALS originated in the heart and mind of Eddie Sherlin, one of the key figures in the story, when he realized that people are still longing for the hope this story inspires. Eddie took his ideas to Nancy Bailey, president of ACT 2 Films, a film development company in Nashville, Tennessee. Nancy worked with indefatigable determination for more than seven years to bring this story to the world. She shared the idea of a book with Regina Moore, owner and CEO of Moore Casting, who connected Nancy with me. Thanks, Regina! I am deeply grateful to Eddie, Nancy, and Regina for entrusting this powerful story to me. Thank you, Nancy, for believing and for all your hard work!

  Eddie Sherlin is a personal i
nspiration to me. His humility and kindness are traits I hope to emulate. Thank you for sharing with me not only your story but also your heart. Eddie says he can teach almost anyone how to shoot a basketball better. Maybe someday you can teach me how to shoot as well as you! Thank you, Eddie.

  Bill Ligon was also tremendously helpful in telling this story. Bill graciously granted personal interviews with me and continued to answer my questions throughout the writing process. I deeply appreciated Bill’s honest perspectives. Thanks, Bill!

  Special thanks and kudos to Jennifer Easton, an education reporter for the Tennessean and the Gallatin News Examiner, who served as the project’s primary research specialist. Jennifer has published numerous articles about these events, and she conducted many of the initial interviews with people who knew the inside details of the story. Your contributions were invaluable, Jennifer, and much of the credit for the success of this book goes to you!

  Kevin Shaw, director of photography, did an outstanding job conducting interviews with the people in Gallatin and drawing out their true feelings surrounding the events in the story. Thank you, Kevin!

  Johnnie Scoutton did a fantastic job creating a website that conveys the concepts of More Than Rivals. Thank you, Johnnie!

  A special thank-you goes to Bonnie Bailey for her skillful blogging and tweeting!

  We are also indebted to every person who graciously granted interviews for this project, many of which were conducted by Nancy or Jennifer. Your contributions make this story work. Special thanks to:

  John Alexander Mary Malone

  Benny Bills George Offitt

  Frank Brinkley Betty Carol Purcell

  Velma Brinkley Jordan Scott

  Buddy Bruce Betty Sherlin Shaw

  Julian Buford Jacob Sherlin

  William Buntin Jim Sherlin

  Susan Dalton Andrew Turner

  Sue Herron Jerry Vradenburg

  Joseph Malone

  Heartfelt thanks to the marvelous editorial and marketing teams at Revell—Andrea Doering, Vicki Crumpton, Amy Ballor, Twila Bennett, Claudia Marsh, and Brittany Miller—bless you for taking this story to the world!

  Most of all, thanks to the One whose peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation we all need: the Lord Jesus Christ.

  1

  THE MOURNFUL WAIL of a distant train whistle pierced the afternoon calm as eleven-year-old Eddie Sherlin and his brother, Bo, two years his senior, struggled to pull a heavy 4´ × 4´ wooden pallet along the track.

  “Hurry up, Eddie,” Bo urged, “or we’re gonna get caught.”

  The two brothers had just stolen the large pallet from the storage area of the local shirt factory. They were hauling it to their backyard, more than two miles away, where they planned to hoist it onto a pole and use it for a basketball backboard. The pallet wasn’t worth much, and had they asked the manager if they could have it, he might have given it to them for nothing. But that would have meant going inside the factory and searching out the shift foreman—something Eddie was far too shy to do. Besides, the boys figured it would be easier to seek forgiveness than ask for permission, so they opted to steal the used wood.

  Although the pallet was too heavy and bulky to carry, Eddie and Bo had managed to drag it to the railroad tracks, where once they hoisted it onto one of the rails, they could slide it along the shining track as fast as they could walk or run. As long as they kept at least part of the cumbersome pallet on the rails, it skimmed along. But when the pallet slipped off, the friction from the coal and dirt between the railroad ties quickly grabbed the pallet, jerking it out of the boys’ grasp, slicing their fingers or stabbing their hands with rough splinters.

  Another wail of the approaching train split the air. The sound was clearer and the train much closer.

  “Hurry, Bo! It can’t be far away,” Eddie prodded his brother, just as the pallet skidded off the track again. Eddie reached down and grabbed the left-hand corners of the pallet, lifting and dragging it back onto the rail at the same time. The pallet rotated slightly, and for a moment Eddie thought it was going to twist his entire wrist with it, but quickly, Bo took the pressure off by grasping and lifting the right-hand corners. The boys precariously balanced the pallet on one rail as they yanked it farther up the track and toward a trestle, where the rails and railroad ties formed a bridge over the creek below. They could have pulled the pallet down into the thistles and briar patches on one side of the tracks, but that was sure to be painful, so with a hastily exchanged glance, both boys knew what they had to do.

  They tugged and strained with all their might, hoping to get the pallet over the trestle before the train came. Nothing but empty space and air were on either side of the trestle. Nowhere to dive into the weeds should the train come around the turn before the boys got the pallet to the other side and back onto solid ground.

  “Pull, Eddie!” Bo yelled, his eyes wide.

  Eddie glanced back toward the warehouse. Around a large tree-covered curve, he saw what had prompted Bo’s outburst. The cowcatcher of the locomotive had just rounded the bend and was fast approaching, less than a couple hundred yards away. Struggling to keep his feet from slipping between the railroad ties spaced about twelve inches apart, Eddie tugged on the pallet with every ounce of his strength. He cast a wary glance to the dirty creek waters swirling below the trestle.

  “I’m pulling, Bo! We can do it. Only another ten or fifteen yards to go. Come on!” Eddie looked over his shoulder. The train was in full sight now. The engineer was leaning out of the side window. He sounded the shrill whistle, warning them to get off the tracks.

  Eddie knew there was no stopping the locomotive. They were running out of time. The train had picked up a head of steam coming around the bend and down the straight stretch. Even if the engineer slammed on the brakes, the train would roll over him and Bo if they didn’t clear the tracks.

  The engineer laid on the train whistle, its steady blast urging the boys to run faster, to get off the trestle and away from the track.

  The whistle screamed as the train bore down on Eddie and Bo. “Five yards, Bo!” Eddie yelled. “Just five more yards. Don’t give up. Don’t let go. We can do it!” Splinters from the rough-hewn wooden pallet pierced Eddie’s fingertips as he clutched the wood, dragging it down the vibrating rails. They had hauled it this far; he wasn’t going to let it go now.

  “Almost there!” Bo grunted, his words barely audible over the roaring locomotive. “Roll to the right!” he called to his younger brother.

  With one foot still on the trestle and one off, Eddie gripped the pallet and lunged.

  Bo gave a mighty heave of the pallet, lifting it off the track and toppling it in Eddie’s direction as both boys dove for the weeds and rolled down the embankment just as the train’s cowcatcher cleared the trestle, thundering past them. The long line of boxcars clacked along the tracks as Eddie and Bo scrambled to their feet and began tugging thistles off their clothing.

  “Whew! That was close. You okay?” Bo said.

  “I think so.” Eddie studied his bloody fingertips. “My set shot’s gonna be a little rough for a week or so, but I’ll live. How’s the backboard?”

  Bo trudged up the embankment where the pallet was lying on the ground, just clear of the tracks. “Looks like it’s still in one piece. C’mon. Let’s get it home.”

  “Help me get it back on the track,” Eddie said, “and we can slide this thing all the way to the house.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think another train will be coming through for a little while.”

  The boys lugged the pallet back onto the rail and resumed dragging it toward their home.

  The train tracks stretched all the way through the boys’ hometown of Gallatin, Tennessee, passing within twenty feet of the Sherlin family’s backyard, behind their two-bedroom home at 225 Morrison Street. Eddie and Bo, along with their two younger sisters, Delilah and Debbie, heard trains rattling down the tracks so often, even at night, that they rarely paid them much attention. E
ddie loved hearing the trains at night. In fact, the clacking sound of a train rolling past his bedroom was a soothing balm, a reminder that all was well with the world, even when things weren’t so good at home, which they often weren’t.

  Just short of their house, Eddie and Bo lugged the pallet off the railroad track and over an embankment. The boys picked it up and slowly walked it through the brush and trees behind the Sherlin home, inching their way along, shifting their grips every thirty seconds so the splinters wouldn’t catch in their hands. They finally dragged the pallet to a light pole their dad had installed near the garage at the end of the gravel driveway. That pole was going to be the brace for the Sherlin boys’ new backboard.

  Bo found a ladder in the garage, and Eddie grabbed a hammer and some eight-penny nails from the toolshed. “Do you think these nails will hold it up?” Eddie asked. “That pallet is pretty heavy.”

  Bo eyed the nails skeptically. “I guess we’ll find out. Is that all you can find?”

  “These are the biggest nails Dad has. There are a few spikes in there too. They’re a little longer, but we only have a couple of them.”

  “Better grab those too,” Bo said. “We’ll probably need them. This backboard is going to take a beating, so we need something strong to hold it up there on the pole.”

  The boys slid the heavy pallet up the pole, carefully measuring so that the spot on the wood where they planned to attach the basketball rim would be ten feet off the ground. They secured the backboard to a makeshift crossbar and then attached the whole thing to the light pole. They nailed it from every angle, making sure the backboard wouldn’t fall down.

  When the pallet seemed strong enough, Eddie scampered down the ladder and grabbed the basketball rim. “Now we need to make sure this is level with the ground.”

  “I know, Eddie. You think I’m a dummy? It needs to be ten feet high and parallel to the ground. No problem. Now, hand me the bolts so I can attach the back of the rim. You hang on to the net until I make sure the goal is strong.”

  Bo drilled three holes in the pallet and tightly fastened the base of the rim to the wood with strong bolts. “This baby ain’t goin’ nowhere.” He flashed a grin at his younger brother. “Toss that net up here, Eddie.”