Sept. 17, 2003
This is another "B" Line column, a collection of news items of particular interest to members of the Baylor "B" Association. Contribute news about you or your teammates via e-mail to Lee Harrington (leenelaine@281.com), Dutch Schroeder (Dutch_Schroeder@baylor.edu), Reba Cooper (Reba_Cooper@baylor.edu) or Jack Loftis (Jack.Loftis@chron.com). The mailing address is Baylor "B" Association, P. O. Box 8120, Waco, TX 76714.
He has a somewhat unassuming presence, especially surrounded in the "B" Association Room by former Baylor University Hall of Fame members in football, basketball and other intercollegiate sports, but a smiling Johnny Appell knows who he is. The 1942 Baylor baseball and basketball letter-winner is the newest inductee in the International Fast Pitch Softball Congress Hall of Fame.
Appell, 79, a Waco resident who played in the outfield and managed, is the third member of a legendary 1950s Central Texas team to enter the softball shrine in Kimberly, Wisconsin. Earlier inductees were pitcher Clayton Dugger and first baseman Dick Gonzales, the latter a basketball letter-winner for the Bears in 1946 and 1947.
Appell was just a teen-ager at Waco High School in the 1930s when he was invited to play with the long-established R.C. Cola team in Waco's Major League Division. After his Baylor days, World War II and a fling at professional baseball, Appell returned to softball and helped the sport become extremely popular in the Waco area, particularly among returning veterans of the war.
At the age of 27, Appell played and managed a team comprised of players from Waco, but sponsored by the neighboring city of Calvert.
Appell explains that Calvert already had a terrific pitcher-catcher combo, but needed some other good players to compete at a higher level.
National Championship . . .
In 1951 Appell led the Calvert team to the national tournament in Phoenix and - advancing through the losers bracket - brought the championship back to Texas. In all, the team won 85 games that year while losing only three.
In 1952 the Calvert team finished second in the nation and third the following year.
Now retired from Acoustic Ceiling & Ceramic Tile in Waco, Appell attends many Baylor athletic events and he still believes hitting a fast-pitch softball ranks among the most difficult feats in sports.
In a recent "B" Room conversation, Appell pointed out that today the pitcher's slab is 45 feet from home plate and batters still have difficulty catching more than a glimpse of the ball. "When I was playing it was only 40 feet," he added.
Appell and wife Beth have contributed many volunteer hours to Waco area organizations, including the Waco Chamber of Commerce, the Baylor Bear Foundation, the Baylor "B" Association and the Baylor-Waco Foundation.
They have two children, John Jr. and Suzanne, and are members of the First United Methodist Church in Waco.
THE NAME GAME - In the Bears' first two home games the careers of former Baylor greats Cotton Davidson and James Ray Smith have each been featured on the BaylorVision screen at Floyd Casey Stadium. Davidson was a Baylor quarterback in 1951-52-53 and is a member of the Baylor Athletics Hall of Fame (1982). Smith, who lettered at tackle in 1952-53-54, was an All-American in 1953 and 1954. He also is a member of BU's hall of fame as well as being an inductee in the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. Both Davidson and Smith had excellent careers in professional football - Davidson playing for the Baltimore Colts and Oakland Raiders of the NFL and the Dallas Texans of the former American Football League. Smith was an all-pro tackle for the Cleveland Browns and wound up his career playing for the Dallas Cowboys in 1963 and 1964 . . . The next two former players scheduled for BaylorVision attention will be All-American defensive end Roger Goree on Sept. 20 and quarterback Cody Carlson on Oct. 4 . . . Something new in the "B" Room: To help cope with the increasing costs of pre-game meals for letter-winners and guests, a number of "B" Association members have stepped up to be sponsors. Jim and Diane Evans of Dallas received a round of thanks and "B" Room signage for the SMU game and a group from Southeast Texas (Ken Dunlap, Jerry Mallett, Jerry Marcontell, Matt Miller and Jack Loftis) have contributed funds for the early dinner prior to Saturday night's Sam Houston game . . .
(The "B" Line column is written by Jack Loftis, editor emeritus of The Houston Chronicle and chairman of the Baylor "B" Association Communications Committee.)
