Social - November 2003

Abernethy, an avid fan

By DIANE TURBYFILL, Staff Writer

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Grady Abernethy thrives on the roar of the crowd, the speed of the ball and the thrill of the game.

The 85-year-old Lincoln County native says he’s a sports fan through and through.

A graduate of Lincolnton High School, Grady has supported the high school’s sports teams for more than 50 years.

“Every game when Lincolnton played I went to the game — home or away,” he says.

Grady would sit in the stands at football, baseball and basketball games.

He remembers lending a hand during some of the baseball games back in the 40s.

“When Ralph Conner was pitching, he was a knuckleballer. I used to put on a mask and warm him up,” Grady says.

The avid sports fan played some sports of his own in his day. Playing football didn’t seem an option for him, he says. Grady says he weighed 93 pounds when he was a graduating senior.

He chose baseball.

Grady played baseball a little before enlisting in the Army in 1937.

When he returned home in 1946, Grady grabbed his mitt and ball again. He took his position as short stop and third baseman for the High Shoals mill team and later the Buffalo Shoals Chiefs — who won 22 games that season.

But Grady had to give up the game due to a war injury.

His inability to play did not hinder his enthusiasm for sports.

Grady continued to attend ball games for years. Since 2000, the sports enthusiast hasn’t filled a seat at Lincolnton’s games. Due to vision trouble, he can no longer drive at night.

Though he misses watching spectator sports at the old gym, Grady says the games have changed over the years. He says there is a lack of enthusiasm compared to when he was younger.

“The fans weren’t as supportive as they were earlier,” he says. “I couldn’t understand it.”

But Grady’s enthusiasm hasn’t been curbed. He now keeps up with sports through TV and newspapers.

Grady still gets to assist and watch some live games at the Buffalo Shoals Club House near his home.

“I still watch the sports. I watch the young kids play,” he says. “I try to help them anyway I can.”

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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