Matt Wynn - Rich Herrin A Head Coach Ahead of his time

The Miracle Run of the 61 Rangers

I think winning the Super-Sectional in 61 was the spark that set Richs career on fire. Sue Herrin

R ich Herrin sat anxiously outside the board room at Benton High School waiting his turn. Benton High School principal Mr. Herbert Mundell then cracked the door and motioned him into the room. As Herrin took his seat, the board members studied his every move. The smell of cigarette smoke wafted through the room as Herrin confidently fielded all of the questions from the seven BCHS board members. He was young and in formal dress, complete with a tie. He carried an impressive resume into the room. In four seasons at Okawville, Herrin had not lost a home game and compiled a jaw-dropping 95-17 record. He interviewed that night with a nothing-to-lose attitude knowing that if he wasnt hired, he would simply return to Okawville and keep winning games. He felt no pressure. Rich Herrin was one of the best young coaches in Southern Illinois and his success at Okawville spoke for itself.

Herrin knew very little about Benton, Illinois. He had heard of the great football player and shotput state champion John Bauer, but that was about it. Before he interviewed for the Benton job, he did some digging and came to the conclusion that Benton had potential. Herrin was impressed that the school had a last hour athletic period which was a sure sign that the administration valued athletic participation. Last hour athletics meant basketball practice at Benton began at 2:30 and players that lived in feeder communities (Ewing, Akin, and Logan) were transported home by bus after practice. It served as a great way to ensure that boys living in the country could participate in athletics, and Herrin liked the concept. Benton also played in the old South Seven Conference which was the toughest league in Southern Illinois. The Conference at the time featured Benton, Centralia, Harrisburg, Herrin, Marion, Mt. Vernon and West Frankfort. Carbondale would later be added to the conference. He was also keenly aware of the history of the conference, especially in basketball. He knew that Arthur Trout coached thirty-seven seasons at Centralia, beginning in 1914, and led the Orphans to three State Championships. Herrin also knew of Stan Changnons back-to-back State Championships in 1949-1950 with the Mt. Vernon Rams. On a more personal note, Benton was closer to Bridgeport (Richs family) and Marion (Sues family) than Okawville. All of these factors made Benton an attractive job.

Coach Rich Herrin: There were seven board members in the room along with Herbert Mundell and Claude Rhodes. I taught with a man named Russell Weger at Okawvill. He taught agriculture. He was married to Mike McCartys sister. That was my only connection to Benton. John Cherry told me the underclassmen at Benton were pretty good. There were eighteen applicants for two jobs I really felt the interview went well. I felt I had it when I left.

After the interview, Principal Mundell instructed Herrin that he would receive a phone call later that evening informing him of the boards decision either way. Herrin interviewed well. President of the board, Mike McCarty, pushed for Herrin and in a unanimous decision, Rich Herrin was hired as the new basketball coach at Benton High School. The board was impressed with Herrin, and why wouldnt they be? Besides his incredible coaching record, he could bring youth and ambition to an aging BCHS faculty and staff. He was also the son of a Methodist minister, which couldnt hurt. The board didnt take long to decide. Moments later, Herbert Mundell picked up the phone and called Rich Herrin to offer him the head basketball job at Benton High School. Herrin quickly accepted. Little did he know, but with that simple phone call, Herbert Mundell changed the course of the community of Benton for the next twenty-five years.

Sue Herrin: Rich and I lived in a trailer the entire time we lived in Okawville, so when he got the Benton job, we packed up our home and went to Benton. Rich and his dad pulled the trailer down, and Rodney, our one-year-old son, Grandma Herrin and I took our station wagon. It was packed to the gills on top, and when we arrived in Benton around lunchtime we pulled into the Dog and Suds north of town to get a bite to eat. Being so excited at arriving in Benton, I forgot I had stuff on top of the station wagon, and when I pulled under the canopy I knocked out all of the lights in the Dog and Suds. People came running and hollering from every direction. I was so embarrassed! What a grand entrance into my new home. Especially in front of my relatively new mother-in-law. We rented a small lot on Beatrice Street one block south of the high school on which to put our trailer. It was very convenient for Rich as he could just walk down to the school and gym. We lived there for a year. We then bought the Dairy Treet and moved our trailer to North Main behind the Dairy Treet.

Before Rich Herrin accepted the basketball job at Benton High School there were some lean years. Under the guidance of Ralph Davison, the Rangers recorded a dismal 68-101 from 1954-1960. The 1959 Rangers did manage to win twenty games and win the Sectional Tournament. They were led by captains Vic Tasky and Jeff Ferguson. In the trophy case at Rich Herrin Gymnasium, there is a classic team picture of the 59 Rangers in the locker room after the victory. The game nets drape around the necks of Tasky and teammate Jeff Ferguson as the Rangers celebrate the victory. This was the lone bright spot in six years and Ranger fans were ready for winning basketball on a more consistent basis.

Today, there are a total of fifteen maroon banners that line the east end rafters at Rich Herrin Gymnasium. These banners represent all the Ranger teams that qualified for the State Tournament. From top to bottom, the banners display the state finish, the year and the team record. Most of the team records are impressive. For example, the 66 team was 31-1, and the 67 team was 30-1. The 33 Rangers are the winningest team in school history with a record of 35-1. The banner displaying the 61 team record of 17-13 naturally piques the curiosity of the Basketball fan. What happened? How did this team get to the Elite Eight? The improbable run of the 61 Rangers set the table for what would be twenty five years of Ranger basketball dominance. The 61 team has a story similar to the underdog town of Hickory, in the classic basketball movie Hoosiers.

Unfortunately, Vic Tasky and Jeff Ferguson were out of high school eligibility after their Sweet Sixteen run of 1959. The question was this: who were the 60-61 Rangers? When the Rangers opened practice, one thing was for certain; the team was young. Most of the returning players were incoming juniors with very little varsity experience. Mark Kern, Gene Miller and Bill Kerley were the only three seniors returning from a 7-20 season in 1959-1960. Herrin liked the junior class of Wiley Hall, Terry Thomas, Tom Whittington, Bobby Orchid, Ronnie Head, Ernie Duckworth and Dean Manis. The only sophomore on the team was Robert Crawford.

The 1960-1961 school year started in late August at Benton Consolidated High School. To those that remember it, old Benton High School was an architectural wonder. The schools presence gave incoming freshman the feeling they were part of something much larger than junior high. The school had a grand entrance sandwiched between two enormous concrete columns. The floors of the common areas and hallways were solid marble. In the classrooms, twelve-foot ceilings gave way to planked hardwood floors. At this time, there was no air conditioning in public schools but each classroom had giant windows that teachers could crank open to take in wafts of fresh air. The two-story brick school had a majestic look from the outside and a cozy nostalgic feel on the inside. The school featured wide hallways that were lined with class pictures of Benton alumni. It was common to see groups of students stopped in the hall pointing out relatives that had graduated years ago. The school itself was something the Benton people were proud of and was a large part of the fabric of the community.