Lewis Huskey asleep under the bleachers, Gaffney Track Annals 1970

     A couple years ago Johnny Dawkins told me about the Track Meet at Shelby HS where Gaffney woulda been on same field with future novelist Ron Rash and his four by 100 baton handoff the great David Thompson. Turns out Dawk was not in that race which he remembers as Jimmy Baker, David Roseboro and likely Lynn Mabrey and Lewis Huskey. Turns out they set a record for Gaffney High School but mighta lost to Shelby or the other NC school in the county as Rash team was first or second in the state of NC that year in that event.

       But according to two sources the more memorable event mighta been later in the spring of 1970 at the SC State finals in Columbia. Dawkins, Jimmy Baker, Lewis Huskey and Lynn Mabrey placed second in the preliminaries in the spring medley. A runner ran a hundred then two followed them with 220 s and the last runner Lynn Mabrey ran a 400 hundred.

    Those four had a chance to become legendary but Huskey fell asleep under the bleachers so Gaffney was disqualified for the finals. You have to have the same four as you had in the preliminaries. Huskey told me last night Coach Whitey Smith was furious and was gonna leave Lewis in Columbia. But as the bus was pulling out, a teammate spied Lewis under the bleachers and Jimmy Baker and Lynn Mabrey retrieved him for the ride home.

     Solid relay team. I wish they coulda brought home the title.