Author Description

Teamwork would have never happened without the persistence of Dale Sexton, a member of the 1961 Ashland Tomcats, whose memory about those glorious days is as sharp as the day they happened. He brings the season to life with the stories he tells and recalls them with uncanny accuracy. Teamwork is a collaboration of Sexton's many memories along with those of his Tomcat teammates and, of course, Coach Wright. Many of the details also came from the storytelling of the late John McGill, the former sports editor of the Ashland Daily Independent who followed the Tomcats every dribble of the way in the 1960-61 season. There aren't meany teams remembered quite like this one, a team that fifty years later is still being called one of the greatest in Kentucky high school basketall history. They are the last state champions from the Sixteenth Region, a team for the ages that supplied many grand memories for fans and a squad that was the true definition of a team. They were unselfish players whose only desire was to win. They did it better than any team in Sweet Sixteen history, sweeping through the State Tournament with four consecutive double-figure victories, culminating with the 69 - 50 win over Lexington Dunbar in the championship game. Teamwork is the story of this team, from the arrival of Coach Wright to Ashland in 1959 through that 1961 championship season.