The Southsider Voice
Visit us at these places!
  • Home
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • Sports
    • Car Nutz
    • Stilley Goes Trackside
    • Southside Deaths
    • Personal Recollections
    • Reminiscing
  • About the Voice
  • Advertising
  • Contact
  • Newspaper Archive
  • Classifieds

Sports enthusiast enjoys team research

9/27/2018

1 Comment

 
By Al Stilley
Senior staff writer

Did you know that Beech Grove High School’s football program is just three wins from its 300th all-time victory? Did you know that Ben Davis played its first home football game under the lights in 1945? Did you know that legendary Southport boys basketball coach Carl “Blackie” Braden won the Marion County tourney with Warren Central one year before being hired as the Cardinals mentor?

Did you know there have been 19 football coaches at Beech Grove since 1939, and that Robert A. “Bob” Johnson is the winningest with 53 victories (1953-65)?

Did you know that Carmel did not have a football program from 1935-49? Those a just a few facts about central Indiana high school sports that lifelong Beech Grove native Jim Pich has found in his spare time as a sports historian.

Pich’s love for sports guides his research. “I’m going to continue to do it until I drop,” said Pich, 53, who has handled some public address chores for selected Beech Grove High School sports events since 2012.

“The research is authentic; I don’t make this stuff up.”

Friday night, longtime BGHS football and basketball announcer Steve Nontell and Pich were in the press box as the Hornets defeated Monrovia to move into second place in the Indiana Crossroads Conference. Nontell, with his vast knowledge of Hornets football, added to Pich’s expertise. Beech Grove has played Greenwood more times (56) than any other opponent. And programs that are recent powerhouses dot the Hornets’ history (won-loss records against BG): Avon (1-12), Ben Davis (2-4-1), Carmel (5-7-1), Center Grove (1-3) and Warren Central (1-4).  

Pich enjoys high school football slightly more than other sports.

“My favorite sports season is when it occurs,” said Pich, who began researching Ben Davis football in 2010. “I do strictly high school sports research.”

Pich has relied on microfilm from three Indianapolis daily newspapers, various histories at Beech Grove, Central Library in Indianapolis and Terre Haute newspapers for early team histories. Research via computers has aided his recent research, which had been handwritten and is now done with spreadsheets.

His interest in sports began with a communications class at BGHS, where he graduated in 1984. He enjoyed video production, working mostly behind the scenes on audio and camera. He played freshman basketball, ran track and was on the speech team. He was a freshman class officer. His research of Ben Davis football led him to research the history of Indiana’s prolific Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference, formed in 1996.

Pich recently completed his research on Edinburgh football and the boys basketball at Center Grove. He is working on an accurate history of Mid-State Conference football. His research has been used by area newspapers. He has two brothers and a sister who live in central Indiana.
1 Comment
Teddi Barney
11/13/2018 08:53:50 am

Talking to Jim about high school sports is like opening an encyclopedia. The facts he is knowledgeable about never ceases to amaze me. His passion and love for Indiana High school sports is truly a gift. I’m so thankful for this article which shows that there are others who appreciate the hard work he has done to keep the past alive!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014

    Categories

    All
    Arts & Entertainment
    Lead Story
    Sports: 500
    Sports: Basketball
    Sports: Track

    RSS Feed

 DROP OFF: The Toy Drop 6025 Madison Ave., Suite D
Indianapolis, IN  46227  |  317-781-0023
MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 17187, Indianapolis, IN 46217

[email protected] | [email protected]
Website by IndyTeleData, Inc.