There are 3 individual photos of Head Coach Charles Huggins. The 1st is the standard head shot, the 2nd has Huggins with his hand on his forehead as he spurs on the Tigers, and the 3rd shows him screaming his approval of yet another Strasburg victory.
STRASBURG - Trying to corner Charles Huggins and getting him to tell you which players have been the key to Strasburg High's success is like trying to coax him into talking about Charlie Huggins, the young, highly-successful Tiger coach. Huggins refuses to brag about Huggins. Similarly, he does a strategic withdrawal when asked about an individual player. One of his favorite subjects, on the other hand, is the Strasburg Tigers, all 12 of them!
That's easy to understand, because this year's squad has won 17 straight and will be seeking an 18th tomorrow night when it ends its season at Hiland. "We have 12 playrs on this club and they better believe that or they won't be around long," Huggins adamantly observes. "Unselfishness is the key factor and I can honestly say there isn't a selfish player on our squad. Sure it takes a John Studer, Ed Yackey or a Charlie Jones to make a good team, but you have to have a Gene Bayer, Gary Phillips, Mike Rieger or a Tom Ferris to be a good team. Each one is important." Therein is the logical reason why Huggins' teams, in his 4 years as a head coach, have compiled a 65-19 record. Included is a 2-year, 31-13 standard at Stone Creek prior to its merger with New Philadelphia.
It's true some members of the Tiger bench would be regulars any season but this one. But this makes for a stronger club by providing tougher practice sessions and forcing 1st team members to hustle more to hold their positions. A player such as Mike Rieger often plays in the shadows of his bigger teammates, but in Huggins' scheme of things is rated just as important as a leading scorer. That's why the little guard is fondly dubbed "Big Spike" by his coach and teammates. Other guards like Phillips and Ferris still scrap just as hard in practice as they did last November. That, too, is axiomatic of Huggins-instilled discipline. Huggins isn't hesitant in saying modestly he doesn't contribute the least bit to his squad. Religion plays a big role in his personal life and any success the Tigers enjoy he attributes to "the man upstairs." "I used to worry myself sick about things," he comments. "But not any more. If the Good Lord sees fit to carry us on, he will do it. If we get beat that alone won't lower the caliber of our boys."
TIGER BENCH JUST AS IMPORTANT AS LEADING SCORERS, SAYS HUGGINS!
Thursday, February 9, 1967
Ed Smith
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio
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