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Click Here 60 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, March 6, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend February 20, 2004 Where are they now? Wayne Gillaspey Eagle Point High School, 1954 By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune Wayne Gillaspey traces his competitive nature to his grade school days, when he and his grandfather, with whom he lived in Eagle Point, would play catch and shoot baskets behind the woodshed. They’d play till dark, then do it again the next day. He’s been going ever since. From his days as a 15-letter athlete at Eagle Point — four each in football, basketball and baseball and three in track — into the service and throughout his adult life, Gillaspey, 69, has been a competitor. Presently, he does most of the bodywork for local stock car racer Markie James, with whom he’s worked for 41 years; he races his own horses — he has 19 head and two studs — at Grants Pass Downs; and he recently bought a Corvette to restore and enter in car shows. Advertisement "Sports and that have always been my life, and I’ve always tried to be competitive no matter what branch," says Gillaspey, who, with his wife, Juanita, bought 52 acres and returned to Eagle Point four years ago after living on the Applegate River. "I kind of wanted to be a leader, I guess, and that’s the way it worked out, too. But I had wonderful people behind me all the way." Gillaspey worked for 35 years with the City of Medford Parks Department, retiring six years ago. He’s had a chance to observe the evolution of youth sports, noting athletes are far better protected today, yet rivalries aren’t as prevalent. "When I went to school, we were rivals with every school," says Gillaspey. "When we were on the field, it was all out, but afterward, you could put your arm around the people you just played and meet them in town, just like you went to school with them. I think we were more competitive then than they are now." He tells of suffering a badly cut lip and talking the EP football coach into putting him in with a cast on his face. Gillaspey was the deep man on a kickoff return, thinking the ball wouldn’t come to him. Yet, he wound up with it and nearly returned it for a touchdown. "I got to the 10 and got caught," says Gillaspey. "I didn’t have any holes in the cast except for my eyes, and I couldn’t breathe." He also starred in basketball and baseball, no-hitting Phoenix his senior year, he says, and broad jumped and ran the 220-yard dash in track. After high school, Gillaspey joined the Army and was part of special troops whose duty was to play ball. He hooped it up at Fort Ord in California with a couple of sons of Harlem Globetrotter players and played basketball and football while stationed in Germany. Upon getting out in 1958, he hoped to play college football, but a knee injury ruined those plans. He settled into civilian life and played baseball and softball in the Rogue Valley. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times