At a recent breakfast meeting of retired teachers and coaches in the area, I made the rounds to take some candid photos. The monthly event in May was an informal farewell to retired West Aurora boys basketball coach Gordie Kerkman, who has now moved to Oregon with his wife.
Only as I reviewed the photos later did I discover that the one included with this story had a special meaning, and not just for its obvious sports implications.
It is true that Wendell Jeffries, Jim Roberts and Kerkman were the longest-tenured boys basketball coaches at East Aurora, Batavia and West Aurora high schools respectively. Their combined years serving as head coaches totaled 82, and together they guided their teams to almost 1,500 victories. Kerkman leads the way in both categories with 39 years and 805 wins.
But as a lifelong Auroran who has followed all of our area teams and also covered hoops contests for the Beacon over many years, the photo evoked many memories of fun and excitement in our schools and communities as a whole.
I have vague memories of West Aurora basketball success in the 1950s, but clearer memories of some of the near-mania beginning in the 1960s and ’70s, and continuing into the ’80s and ’90s. Aurora, Batavia, Geneva, Oswego and other nearby communities came alive with excitement as high school boys (and later girls) basketball squads put together great seasons and advanced to many state tournaments. The Fox Valley was an exciting place to be, and the experience was wonderful for those who were around during those years.
Coaching in the smaller community of Batavia, Roberts has many memories of supportive community involvement.
“We were fortunate, and the teams always had a good following,” he said. “A lot of older people continued to attend games long after their children graduated. It was a real community feeling, and carried on through many of the coaches. I was just a piece of the puzzle.
“The year we went to state (1991) we had 865 kids in the school. Everyone knew and supported one another.”
Kerkman began his head coaching years at West Aurora in 1976, following the well-known John McDougal, whom he had assisted for many years. Not many people know that Kerkman was an assistant coach at West for a full 14 years before becoming the head man. He mentioned that he probably would have stayed on as a McDougal assistant because he so much enjoyed working with him.
Excitement reigned supreme on the West Side during the next 39 seasons as Coach Kerkman led the Blackhawks to many state tournaments, becoming state champs in 2000.
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“Overall, East, West and Batavia all have had an excellent following and great support in the community,” Kerkman said. “I think sometimes people took success for granted and expected we were going to win. If we didn’t, they raised questions.
“The barber shop was a hotbed, and people had players they really liked.”
I asked Kerkman how basketball success had contributed to a positive school environment.
“It was exciting in the 1980s during the Kenny Battle years,” he said. “They were really a fun team to watch. But even last year, I thought the student body at West High home games was very excited and vocal.”
A product of the East Aurora schools, Wendell Jeffries remembered starting to feel the “basketball vibes” when he was in fifth grade at Krug School in 1975.
“East High had a tradition of the elementary school teams playing at halftime of the varsity games on the big floor in front of the big crowds,” he said. “That’s when the feeling of excitement started for me. We also won the city ninth-grade championship with Coach Ort.”
Ironically, Jeffries also served as an assistant coach for 14 seasons before becoming head coach in 2001. East High made multiple trips to state during his years as an assistant.
“Those years were really exciting,” he said. “For the trip to state in 1992, the atmosphere was electric. Students and fans would talk about and always look forward to the games. When I played, and also when I started coaching, the games were sold out and people were outside scalping tickets.”
Jeffries’ years as a head coach were highlighted by the playing career of Ryan Boatright from 2008-11, and the highlight game was the upset of number one ranked and undefeated Benet Academy in 2011. Boatright later became an NCAA champion in 2014.
Even later in his basketball coaching tenure, Jeffries appreciated the community support.
“We had the faithful long-term fans in Section R and behind our bench,” he said. “They love basketball, the community and the school. They’re going to show up and support as loyal fans.”
We owe a debt of gratitude to the longtime coaches in all of the sports and at all of our area high schools. They have fostered a spirit of community in all of our ethnically diverse towns and high schools. A tall task, and as a group of dedicated men and women, they have done a splendid job.
Thanks for the memories.
Tom Strong is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.