2008
Kilpatrick, Clark inducted in ECCC Athletic Hall of Fame
tl1rough the many posl·sea~on UIIP<.>arances." One aspiring goal that Clark w,ts unable to achievewas vinuin,g a Region ~3 tit le, although his tc•arns appeared in five region tour· naments. Jle was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor prior lo tlw 2001 season and lost his hatth· Ill l'ancer at age 4~J later that year on july 18. ·nw Diamond Warrior stadium wa!; named in his honor the following year. Clark's J• rst > #I I was also retired and is promi– nt·ntly displayed in tht' lobby ol tlw Bt.tckecn-Wood Physical Edu\' 11 · tiun Bl•ilding. A replica of lhe jl·• ~y is display<'d on the right field f, lilt' at Clark Stadium. '-lportswritcr \1arty Stamper. in an .uticlt' following Clark's dei11h. quolt•d his frit•nd's t'>..'J)lanation for nnl l'llfllllrillg a Ht·gion ~rown. Wt•'tl' just twn players away .... :-.r.unpt•r -:,aid U.trk told him on st'\ , ',,I Kilpatrick excelled in football and bilskl'tball at East Central: howevt r, a football injury near the end ot his sophomore season cut his carct•r short. Ht· transferred to lht- Univer– sity ol ~outhern Mississippi and receivt•d a bachelor's degrN• in health and physical education in 1954. Ih• later earned a master's degn:c in school administration (1971) lrom Mississippi College. Kilpa1rkk began his coaching caret.•r in 1954 as an assistant at J,Z. (,~;urge High School in Car– rolltou. He helped lead the Sena– tors to the Cotton Bowl Ce10ference Championship his first year and the conference runner-up title the follow in~ year. The team·~ two-year record when he wa" on staff was 14-7. lk also served as a head bas– ketball coach and led Uw H>54-55 men ' team to the conference crown. IIi" first stint as head coach was at Noxubee High School in Macon in 1955. He s uccessfully led the Tig<>rs for 10 seasoRS. caplttring two l.... hoctaw Conference titles en routt· to an overall 76-21-5 rcconl. During this period, he was also sell'lWd as an assistant coach on the North High School All-Star foothall team in 1962. Kalpalrick also served as Nox– ube(·'s head basketball coach and led 11w 1965-66 boys' squad to con– ference and district titles anclthree invitational tournament crowns and a 24 -4 record. In addition, he found success as track coach and led girls' teams to threc stale titles, six district ('ham– pionships and a conferenct' crown. "One of the major highlights of my career as a player and coach involved Uw Choctaw Conferc>nce." Kilpatrick stated. 'Winning a con· fercncc title as a basketball player th(•n capturing conferences titles in football, basketball and track as a coach was very speciaL" 1\ilpatrick leftMacon in 19t5fl for from staff reports LJE.CATUR- Former East Cen– tral Community CoUl'ge athletic ·oordimttor and head football coach A.J. Kilpa!J'ick and the late Diamond Warrior head coach jamit- Clark are the newest mem– bers of the college's AthiC'tic Hall of Fame during recent homecoming activities on the Decatur campus. .J. Kilpat rick Kilpatrick, an ECCC alumnus who led the Warrior football pro– gram irom 1982 to 199~. -;uccess– (ully guided community/junior col– lege and high school football teams to a n overall 238-13~·12 record during his 36-year care<' I' as a head coach. His resume includes a state junior college championship and several division titles. conference crowns on the high school level and several bowl gamt.• victories. He also won championships as _a b.igh school basketball and track coach. "Although l never rrally fin– ish<.'d tlw job [would have liked to at Ea~l C.-ntral in winning a cham– J)ionship, I really apprt>ciate the . Coll<•ge for remembering me and my family with lhis award," Kil– patrick said after beins:r notified of his selection. Kilp Kilpatrick season berth. He said when he took over the ECCC football pro– gram, he knew winning would be a challenge, mainly due to the small recruiting di~trict. "We did not have as extensive a recruiting district as the other junior rollcges al that time," KiJ– patrick staled. "We worked ve ry hard to g<•t our recrui~ district expanded ... but were nOt able to take advantage of the additional players FC wa-s eventually allowed to sign from .1\labama." 1l1anks mainly to Kilpat.rick, ECCC's recruiting district for foot– ball incluclcs Tuscaloosa County, Ala., f.rom where 10 players are considered as in-district signees each yt:ar. Other small community and junior colleges have also ben– efitted from Kilpatrick's efforts in revising Ow n•cruiting process. When he left EC, Kilpatrick said he had several offers to continue coaching, "but I was afraid it might affect my state retireme nt. Plus, l have really enjoyed watching my grandkid;; grow up and following their panidpation in sports." Kilpatrick and his wife Versie have two sons and a daughter. would be s hare d by those who playe d for him. This is so wonder– fully deserving ... my feelings, as well as our kids' feelings, are so overwhelming and emotionaJ con– cerning this honor. ~ Audr ey said coaching at East Central "was not just a job to Jamie: it was his life living out his dream. He loved coaching baseball at East Central and loved being a parl of the ECCC family." Audrey. 3 fourth-grade teacher inAustin, said Jamie toucl1ed lives on and of the field. "Jamie was an amazing coach on the fi eld but also an amazing leader off the field ,'' she said. "T feel those who played for him left East Central a much better person. He often said that his successes were the successes of those who played for him." She added, "Jamie began a respectable baseball program at East Central and I'm sure he is looking down smiling at Neal (Hoi· timan) and all the improvements being made (with the baseball pro· gram). Jamie lived his life with dig– nity and honor, and I am so blessed that he shared his life with me. J
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