Gordie’s Fairy Dust

“Occasionally Coach Gillespie crossed into the realm of the surreal. In many ways he was a common man, one with whom you could relate to immediately and without hesitation. At other times his wisdom was astounding, leaving the rest of us wondering how he did it.”

Gordie seemed to have magic at his disposal. He used it sparingly, sometimes dramatically, and in other cases quite sublimely. This magic may be likened to “fairy dust” that when applied, his athletes believed and performed.  

I played in four games when a dash of “dust” elevated athletes to new heights. In three of those instances, I was the recipient; in the fourth I was a participant/observer in the most extreme example of Gordie magic I could imagine. 

The first three occasions are examples of Gordie’s incredible ability to ignite and activate an athlete’s hidden talent. If Coach believed you could do the job, the athlete believed without hesitation. Even when the athlete had not done it before.

Two Insignificant Games

Two baseball games stand out in my mind as meaningful to me but insignificant to almost everyone else. My baseball life had been focused almost exclusively on being a first baseman. Sure, I could be competent at the three outfield positions but my height and stretching ability was particularly useful to gather in errant throws from the other infielders. I had an adequate but not strong throwing arm. The pitcher and catcher positions were suited to better arms, and a catcher’s attributes did not include tall and skinny.

These are the reasons that two games stand out for me. For another player, it might not be so unusual. 

“Can You Catch Today?”

In the spring of 1959, Lewis was playing its last game of the year against Aurora College. Final exams were over and two of my teammates were missing, leaving us without our two catchers. My usual position, first base, was the only position I played the entire year although I would periodically catch batting practice for fun.

Coach asked if I would get behind the plate, and I readily agreed although my previous actual game catching experience was one inning in Pony League in Braidwood. (I had never worn a protective cup and didn’t that day.) Gordie “dusted” me, and I caught a 10-inning game that we managed to win. It would be the only game I ever caught for Lewis.

“We need you to pitch.”

In May 1960, we played our final baseball game in Chicago against North Park College. We took the lead 3-2 in the top of the 10^th inning and had to get 3 outs in the bottom of that inning for the win. Don Danz pitched the first 8 innings and the went into left field. Ed Petlak came into relief to pitch the 9^th. Going into the bottom of the 11^th, Ed’s arm trouble took him out of the game leaving us without a pitcher.

Gordie asked if I might be able to pitch in the 11^th although my last mound performance was in Pony League when I was 13. Once again, Coach “dusted” my arm and I proceeded to “side-arm” my way through the inning striking out 3 batters for the win. And, never again to pitch for the Flyers. (BTW: Career average strikeouts per inning: 3.00)

My College Basketball Career

In February of 1958, I was in the stands watching Reed-Custer High School beat Joliet Catholic 45-43 in Braidwood. Looking back, I might have been on either team if my parents had decided on different educational goals. My high school years would be 25 miles north and baseball would continue to be my sport. 

Two years later in February 1960, I was a starting forward for the Lewis College basketball team.

Earlier in the 1959-60 basketball season, Lewis lost to MacMurray College 75-62. As a substitute and playing basketball for the first full season, I managed to make 2 points, both free throws. In February, we again played MacMurray at our home court at Joliet Catholic with a chance for the playoffs.

Gordie had recently made me a starter, sharing time with senior teammate Gordie Kendall. Coach’s faith in me, plus his magic touch, propelled us to a win, 85-78, over our rivals. It was an evening that I seldom missed a shot while scoring 32 points. (10-13 from the field, 12-13 from the line. I still cannot recall missing those 4 shots.) My college basketball career had begun.

1962 NAIA Baseball World Series

“It was the greatest individual pitching performance and the greatest game pitched in Lewis College history.” Gordie Gillespie

By far the most amazing example of Coach Gillespie’s wizardry came in the World Series in St. Joseph, Missouri. Center fielder sophomore Bob Bachman pitched a gem and Lewis survived to play another day.

Bob Bachman was an outfielder for Lewis during the 1962 championship baseball season. But during the NAIA World Series with the Flyers facing an elimination game against Sam Houston State, Gordie asked Bob, a left-hander, to pitch against the predominantly left-handed hitting opponent. Except for one inning earlier in the year, Bob hadn’t pitched since high school.

Gordie briefly “dusted” Bob as he took the mound and proceeded to pitch a shutout for 12 consecutive innings, striking out 16, walking 10, and giving up 4 hits. In all, he probably threw over 160 pitches. Lewis won the game in the 13^th inning, 1-0, as Bob drove in the winning run. Bob’s reward for pitching? Tom Dedin got the win in relief.

Gordie, the Master Coach

The credit for somehow reaching deep inside an athlete – mining the latent ability to perform at the highest level – goes to Coach Gordie Gillespie. In my case, I was a baseball player, a first baseman, who managed to catch one game, pitch one inning, and play a sport (basketball) that I never had played in high school. As he had with many other kids, Gordie had the unrivaled knack to identify talent and bring it to the surface as needed.

It would be less than honest to deny that I had the good fortune to born with some athletic ability.  By the same token, athletic ability lies dormant unless there is a catalyst in the form of a good guide, a coach. Competent coaches can draw out the best aspects of individual players and teams. Extraordinary coaches not only draw it out, but they seem to achieve levels that seemingly exceed human limitations. His belief in me and Bob Bachman was critical.

Of all the extraordinary coaches I can think of in the history of sports, the number one is Coach Gordie Gillespie. He routinely ignited extraordinary feats in countless athletes at Joliet Catholic, Lewis, Ripon, and St. Francis. 

One such athlete was Paul Babcock at the University of St. Francis, and another was Flyer Ray Coughlin. I specifically name these two gentlemen because they both documented their stories in books they have written. “The Team” by Paul Babcock and “Gordie Gillespie: Coach the Kid at the End of the Bench” by Ray Coughlin.

My longtime friend, Pat Sullivan, has also written two books in which he features Gordie as the most influential coach/teacher/leader he has ever met. “Attitude: The Cornerstone of Leadership” and “Team Building: From the Bench to the Boardroom.”