Area library honors black athletes

CADIZ -- Black History Month has been observed at the Puskarich Public Library for years, and this year's event, held Tuesday, honored outstanding athletes of Harrison and Jefferson counties.

Scott Pendleton, Harrison County historian, and Kenny Mason, narrator, showed slides of accomplishments of a past baseball player; arguably the greatest black harness driver; and a running back, defensive back and punter who occasionally played quarterback with the Cadiz Cardinals and went on to Miami University.

Alan Webster started his career at Cadiz High School. He earned letters in football as running and defensive back, punter and kickoff player and quarterback. He also played basketball and was the team's second leading scorer,ran track and was a baseball pitcher.

"Webb,"as he was known in Cadiz, received most valuable player and most valuable defensive back titles and was named the OVAC leader in kickoff and punt return yardage. In track, he placed fourth in 1969 regionals and in 1970 set records.

He went on to Southern Colorado State College and played football from 1971-75. There he was ranked fourth in the nation as top kickoff returner. In 1974 he was named defensive player of the year and 1975, outstanding school athlete.

In track, he received the Southern Colorado College All-Conference award for three years.

He signed with Kansas City Chiefs for $25,000 in 1975. He injured his Achilles tendon during practice, hitting a malfunction water sprinkler and ended that career, it was noted.

He went to play with the Jacksonville Express in 1976; British Columbia Lions Canadian Football League, from 1977-80; and the Michigan Panthers and Canton Bulldogs, from 1980-81.

Lewis Williams was an important black harness driver/trainer. He was the first and only top-flight black driver and helped to modernize the sport.

He was aggressive, hustling horses out of third, fourth or fifth place, was a southpaw, could high rein the horse with his right hand and rock his body back and forth to create lift, it was noted.

In 1978, the speed explosion was under way and the Meadowlands meticulous racing surface, combined with aggressive driving styles, made the 1.55-mile commonplace. "Whata Baron" established himself as the best older pacer in the land and was trained and driven by the top black horseman, Williams.

His brother, Chuck, was a trainer at the stables. "(Lewis) invented the quarter-move and won the 1:53 4/5 record with his horse, Whata Baron, with an old wooden sulky. "There is no telling how fast Whatta Baron would go with today's modern, lighter and more efficient wheels," he said.

Williams trained many top stars, including the great Whata Baron; the winner of the 1975 Battle of Saratoga, the 1978 Driscoll and the 1978 William Haughton Pace.

He was the first driver to win the Presidential Free-For-All Pace final back to back, the only driver to win with both male and a female horse and with April's Skipper, a mare, at 1.57 for $300,241. He was inducted in Northfield Park's Wall of Fame in 1990; and the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2009, as the first African-American to receive that honor.

At the time of his death, he recorded 2,023 winning drives, 19 1.55-miles and amassed more than $8.8 million in winning purses. He was 42 years old and was seriously injured while driving a tractor.

Moses Fleetwood Walker was born in Mount Pleasant in 1859, the son of Dr. Moses W. Walker, the first black doctor in Steubenville.

He was called Fleet because of his swift running abilities, it was noted. Upon graduation from Steubenville High School, he attended Oberlin College and was recruited by the University of Michigan, where he had a .308 batting average. Upon graduation, he went to play with the Toledo Blue Stockings in the American Association. He was a catcher but had no mitt, catching barehanded. At the game's end, his hands would be bleeding and swollen.

He played one season in the majors, 63 years before Jackie Robinson, who many think of as the first major league black player. He was playing in Toledo when the Chicago White Stockings visited for a exhibition game. Cap Anson of the Chicago team was opposed to blacks in baseball but Walker's manager decided to play Walker in the outfield.

Walker was a well-educated businessman, newspaper publisher and had patents for artillery shells and motion picture devices to his credits. He died in 1924 in Steubenville.

Jay Peterson, was a Cadiz High footbball standout, scoring a record 377 yards against Mingo High School and other games of 288 and 282 yards each. He scored six touchdowns in two different football games. He broke a 50-year-old OVAC single season rushing record with 2,348 yards on 203 carries and had his football number, 22, retired for the then-Cardinal team.

In track, he owned the Ohio Valley fastest time in 100 meters with 11.0 and, as a senior, the fastest 100 yard time of 10.3. He won the OVAC Class AA 100 meter race in 11.1 seconds.

In baseball, he was All-Valley honorable mention hitting .352 with 25 stolen bases.

He attended and graduated from Miami of Ohio University and was a four letter winner, being fifth in all-time career rushing at 2,874 yards in football.

He chose a coaching career at Cadiz High School for a time upon graduation. He had eight years of coaching at Miami University, 1991-1998; five years at Northwestern University, 1999-2004; and four at Eastern Michigan as assistant head coach defensive coordinator and linebacker coach.

(McCoy can be contacted at emccoy@heraldstaronline.com.)