EDITOR’S NOTE: The Odessa American will feature some historical highlights for those of you having sports withdrawal during this unexpected hiatus from local, college and professional sports. Happy reading!
>> 1965: On this date, All-State center Skippy Spruill from Odessa was getting ready to lead the North football team into workouts. In the All-Star basketball game, former Permian coach Jack Crawley was getting ready to coach the North basketball squad.
>> 1972: Ector High School’s Darrell Mitchell was named to the Texas High School Coaches Association All-Star basketball team. Mitchell was a member of the 1972 state championship team. … Ector High’s Sammy Fields was named to the All-Star football game roster along with Permian’s Dennis Smelser. … Radiator Service of Odessa remained undefeated in the Hi-Junior District Baseball Tournament after taking an 8-6 win against Big Spring. Ray Nunez was the winning pitcher, going 4.1 innings.
>> 1984: The opening ceremony of the 23rd Olympic Summer Games was held in Los Angeles with Rafer Johnson lighting the cauldron at Memorial Coliseum. The United States would go on to win 174 medals, including 83 gold, to finish at the top of the table.
>> 2001: Permian girls head soccer coach Kent Rivas added another title to his list when he was named the school’s volleyball coach. Permian girls basketball coach Rob Young was originally the first choice but had a scheduling conflict. Rivas had previously been an assistant volleyball coach in 1997 and 1998 at Permian. … The Midland RockHounds defeated the El Paso Diablos 7-4 at Christensen Stadium. The win put the RockHounds at 5-7 in their 12-game home stand. … The Jackalopes re-signed defenseman Adam Doyle while coming to terms with goaltender Mike Gorman for the upcoming season. … The MLS All-Star game was held in San Jose, Calif., with the Eastern Conference and Western Conference playing to a 6-6 draw.
Contact the Odessa American sports department by phone 432-333-7703, email oasports@oaoa.com or on Twitter @oa_sports.
