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Oklahoma Farm Bureau has a mild mannered employee with an astonishing past that might even make the superhero envious.

uddy Batten displays a small trophy presented to each member of the 1956 Coffeyville Junior College national champion football team during last fall’s reunion. The same group also became the first entire team ever inducted into the National Coaches Hall of Fame by the National Junior College Athletic Association.

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10 • Oklahoma Country • Spring 2007

ove over Clark Kent!

The mild mannered Man of Steel in disguise has met his match, a real-life mild mannered man who holds a distinction even Superman never garnered.

Buddy Batten, who has been an Oklahoma Farm Bureau fixture for more than 38 years, earned an honor last fall that might make even the mythical superhero envious.

The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJACC) inducted the 1956 Coffeyville (Kansas) Junior College football team, which featured the talents of the Farm Bureau technical services manager, into the National Coaches Hall of Fame. It was the first entire team ever to be inducted.

The 1956 Coffeyville Red Ravens played in and convincingly won the first official junior college national championship game at the Los Angeles Coliseum Dec. 15, 1956. Buddy was a two-way player, manning both the offensive and defensive halfback positions.

He was a defensive starter on the 1956 championship team, which notched a lopsided victory over Michigan’s Grand Rapids Junior College.

“I can still see that beautiful green grass (in the coliseum). It was so soft. You could make cuts,” says Buddy, who will turn 70 this summer.

The coliseum turf was a far cry from the home-and-away fields Coffeyville played on during the 1956 season. Buddy vividly remembers the almost rock-hard clay fields where the team played, where players’ cleats barely penetrated.

“The Los Angeles field was so much different, with the lush grass.”

Each team earned the right to play in the inaugural championship game by finishing atop their respective Western and Eastern Divisions in the coaches’ final weekly poll.

Coffeyville, which had just 461 students, finished the 1956 season 100-1, scoring 336 points while surrendering only 75. The only blemish on the record was a 19-19 tie with powerful Northeastern Oklahoma.

Buddy’s team finished first in the Western Division, ahead of Boise (Idaho) Junior College – today’s Boise State University, which defeated the University of Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl in overtime.

Grand Rapids, which had 1,261 students and was then the only Michigan junior college fielding a football team, topped the Eastern Division, finishing 5-1-2. Its lone loss and two ties came at the hands of four-year Michigan universities.

The First “Everything went our way,” Buddy says of the championship game.

“You’d have thought the bigger school would have had the best team on paper. Most of our team was small, and probably was considered an underdog.”

The Red Ravens theme for the 1956 season was “one play all the way.” The first time the Red Ravens touched the football in the game resulted in a punt return for a touchdown.

Buddy wore number 40 and the program listed him as 5 feet 8 inches, tipping the scales at 152 pounds.

“We had some smaller than me,” he says. “Our team was mainly fast and had a lot of desire.”

When the final gun sounded, the 2,000 fans watching in the coliseum saw the scoreboard read 46-6 in favor of the Red Ravens.

While the crowd was small for the venue, Buddy says it still was about 1,600 people more than saw any other Red Raven game that season.

The Red Raven coach played his first and second units in the first half, and the third unit played the entire second half.

Buddy had two outstanding plays in the championship game. He played left defensive halfback and stopped a running play on the right side of the line for no gain.

His other play might have been even more impressive. It was against the team’s 6-foot 4-inch end.

“Being rather short, they put a 6’4” guy against me. He button hooked, and I was behind him. The quarterback couldn’t see me. I stuck my hand through and knocked down the pass to him. The guys really gave me some high fives for that one.”

Buddy’s team also recorded another first while in Los Angeles – they got to go to the newly-opened Disneyland, the first national champions to visit the lavish theme park.

The championship game was on radio – Buddy said there was no television then.

“About all we ever saw,” he remembers, “was in the local paper. They had a function for us when we got back. A doctor took us out for a steak dinner. It was the first national championship for Coffeyville.”

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The Road To Coffeyville Buddy’s road to Coffeyville Junior College went through Texas and Oklahoma. His father worked for an oil company, doing seismographic work, and the family never stayed in one town much more than a year.

He remembers playing organized football starting in the fifth grade while growing up in Texas. The family’s frequent moves did allow Buddy to play on many different teams in Texas.

“I had several years experience when my family finally moved to Oklahoma.”

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By Mike Nichols Oklahoma Country • Spring 2007 • 11

Buddy’s family settled in Oklahoma City when he was 15. He went to Taft Junior High and then on to Classen High School. His father supported him playing football, and Buddy says his mother – despite never learning too much about the sport – liked to attend all his high school games.

In the fall of 1955, the new Northwest Classen High School opened and Buddy says about 95 percent of his class moved to the school.

The Northwest Classen team was a powerhouse, ranked number one in the state for several weeks. It finished the season with an 8-3 record, losing to Oklahoma City’s Northeast and Capitol Hill, and one Tulsa high school.

Buddy earned Honorable Mention All City his senior year, when he played halfback on both offense and defense.

“Statistics weren’t kept, so I don’t know what mine were in high school.”

One of the Northwest Classen coaches, Clay Davis, was a high school teammate of a Coffeyville football assistant coach – Jack Hartman.

Hartman, who later won renown as the basketball coach at Kansas State University from 1970 to 1986, split coaching time between the football and basketball teams during his six years at Coffeyville.

“That’s how we got tied in with Coffeyville,” recalls Buddy. “I received a letter that offered me a scholarship. . .”

Only Books and Tuition Unlike today’s collegiate athlete, Buddy’s scholarship covered only books and tuition at the Kansas junior college.

“The chamber of commerce was real active. They found jobs for all the players.”

Buddy worked several jobs simultaneously – he washed dishes at a local restaurant for both the breakfast and lunch crowds; worked evenings at the local theater taking tickets; on Saturdays at the local drug store cleaning windows, stocking shelves and making deliveries; and on Sundays for a couple of elderly women mowing their yard and doing other chores.

“That was tough,” he remembers, “playing football and working so much. We always had four days of full practice.”

Practices were usually from 2:30 to 5 p.m. daily, with Wednesdays being a heavy scrimmage and Fridays a walk through for game day. The team practiced on a high school field, and also played its home games on the high school’s field.

With several jobs and being a full-time student and athlete, Buddy says it “wasn’t unusual to study past midnight. Studying was difficult to tell you the truth.”

But there were fun times, too. The manager of the theater where he worked taking tickets “always went to get a Coke” so all football team members could come in for free while he was on break. Today, Buddy believes the school probably reimbursed the theater manager for allowing the team free access.

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he 1956 Coffeyville Junior College national championship team (below)appeared in the program at left that was reproduced by a member for the team at last fall’s reunion. Buddy is

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on the third row on the far left end.

Inside the program was the grainy old photo of Buddy(far left). He wore number 40 and was the starting left halfback on defense.

Football team members did get a “training table” meal in the evenings Monday through Friday. The cooks at the Coffeyville High School prepared the meals, and players assembled at the high school cafeteria to eat.

Each player always received a quart of milk with the meal, which Buddy says he “always drank.” The “training table” meals were usually “blue plate specials,” such as chicken fried steak, potatoes and gravy, corn, green beans, rolls and a dessert.

While at Coffeyville, he lived in a big two-story house with seven other guys. His housemates were all football players – two were teammates from Northwest Classen. They shared a couple of bedrooms.

Each one had his own bed and a small study table.

“We had to pay our own rent since the school provided only books and tuition. But, the houses were certified by the college to be used as dorms.”

A Winning Tradition Coffeyville has two more junior college football national champions since Buddy graduated, one in 1983 and 1990. In the school’s 80-plus-year history, it has accumulated three national championships, 29 conference titles and a remarkable 35-game winning streak.

Buddy said some of the school’s most notable football alums include Mike Rozier, Ron Springs and Mel Gray. Some 37 school alums have gone on to play professionally.

The championship team Buddy played on had 19 players from Oklahoma, nine from Kansas and two from Texas.

He remembers traveling from Coffeyville to Tulsa for the trip to the championship game, where the team boarded a plane for the trip to California. It was Buddy’s first commercial flight.

That plane stopped in Oklahoma City, where eight Oklahoma City area players including Buddy posed on the boarding steps for the local media.

“The newspaper reporters took a picture and ran the story in local newspapers.”

The photo and story about the Oklahoma City area players appeared on the front page of the local sports section. Buddy and three other members of the team were all first year players from Northwest Classen High School.

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A Football Class Reunion Buddy’s championship team assembled in Coffeyville last September for a reunion and school induction ceremony. Some 20 members of the 60man team came for the event, where the team was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame and presented mementos from the earlier national induction.

After some 50 years, Buddy says the team has not kept in touch as might be expected. He previously ran into a teammate by chance in downtown Oklahoma City. The former player was a captain with the Fire Department.

At the school’s Hall of Fame ceremony, Buddy says each team member was introduced individually, given a memento and the opportunity to speak and introduce family members that were present.

“When it was my turn, I said I sure had a lot of wonderful, fond memories and I’m going to keep them to myself.”

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A Tragic End Buddy’s career ended tragically his sophomore year in the season’s fourth game.

A crack back block destroyed his right knee, ending his gridiron days. He cannot remember the team Coffeyville was playing, but does recall the offensive halfback hitting his knee cap head on and the pain.

“I never saw him coming, but I suspected it was the end. My foot didn’t come out of the turf.

“They took me to a local doctor. He looked at it and said it’s going to be okay. He gave me some pain pills and wrapped it up.

“But it was like the knee was hollow. It was a very strange feeling.”

Buddy had surgery on his knee about three years ago because of the chronic pain. He went in the hospital at 1:30 p.m. and was on his way by 5 with absolutely no pain. If the same arthroscopic procedure had been available when he was injured, he believes his career might have continued.

He did continue running track at Coffeyville after the injury, but knee problems also plagued him in that sport.

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bout 20 team members and relatives attended last fall’s reunion at Coffeyville Junior College to be inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame as well as accept congratulations for being the first

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14 • Oklahoma Country • Spring 2007

entire team to be inducted in the National Coaches Hall of Fame. Buddy, decked out in his Red Ravens cap and jacket, is on the row of those kneeling, the second from the right.

“My knees wouldn’t let me continue. I was ineffective as an athlete. I didn’t have the speed or talent to move on.”

After Football Buddy graduated on schedule from Coffeyville with his associate’s degree. He spent some time in the oil patch in New Mexico, barely avoiding two near fatal accidents before returning to Oklahoma City to look for employment.

“I couldn’t find a job, and I took at look at the Army,” where he enlisted.

The Army shipped Buddy out the very same day to Fort Chaffee, Ark., and then to Fort Sill in Lawton for six months before sending him to Korea on Christmas Eve 1959.

He was stationed near the DMZ, about 30 miles from Seoul. He worked in the communication center as a cryptologist with code machines to send orders to units in the field.

“It was on the job training. The guy was shipping out, and he taught me everything he knew. Korea was classified as undesirable duty, and that was limited to one year.”

After a year in Korea, Buddy was shipped back to the U.S. and given his choice of three assignments – a cook, supply clerk or military police.

He opted for MP duty, and spent the next year investigating traffic accidents for the Army.

Buddy was offered another tour in the military, but declined the offer for a higher rank and grade when he was told he probably would be sent to Vietnam as an advisory.

After the military, he returned to Oklahoma City.

“Coaching crossed my mind, but I had to find a way to make a living and that wasn’t in the books.”

He went to work for the City of Oklahoma City as a water billing supervisor, spending about three and a half years on the job.

“My wife decided I should finish school.”

Buddy finished his college studies at the University of Central Oklahoma, getting a degree in business administration. He was married for a second time, and had a son, Dustin, who is now 32 and pursing a master’s degree at a New Mexico school.

He and his second wife have been divorced for about 25 years, and Buddy has made his home in an Oklahoma City apartment. He stays active in his church and is a good golfer.

“At one time, I put some thought into playing football further. Our coach knew which teams were looking for certain players. I had aspirations to play on.”

Today Buddy can only daydream what might have been.

“I love football. In fact, some days I feel like I could play again.

I still miss it.”

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OKLAHOMA’S NEWEST Uncle Gary is extremely proud of the 20-year-old blonde who took the crown in Las Vegas January 29.

By Mike Nichols ike any good uncle, Custer County Farm Bureau Agent Gary Winters is extremely proud of his niece.

But about 3 million other Oklahomans now share Gary’s pride along with countless others in the United States who watched Lauren Nelson win the 2007 Miss America crown in Las Vegas January 29.

“She’s beautiful and very talented, and so pretty inside, too,” said Gary of his niece.

“She’s a super young lady and she will be a great ambassador. We’re very proud of her and we’re still kind of on Cloud Nine.”

Gary and his wife, Terri; Lauren’s parents, Mark and Sherrell Nelson; and her siblings, Logan, 15, and Morgan, 17, were among the multitude of more than 300 Oklahomans who attended the Miss America Pageant at the Las Vegas Aladdin Hotel.

The Oklahoma throng was there – start to finish – for the almost week-long contest.

“Our family is really close. We went for the whole thing.”

Gary said the Oklahoma group toned down its enthusiasm somewhat during the preliminaries, fearing it might jeopardize Lauren’s chances. Other contestants had only 35 to 50 backers each in the crowd.

“She had quite a following and rooting section. Thursday and Friday in the preliminaries, we toned it down some because we were so much louder than the other states because we had so many there.”

“We had over 300 people come from Oklahoma, and so really every time I stepped out on stage, I thought about performing for them,” Lauren said in one interview.

Despite his unwavering support for Lauren, Gary says he and other family members “didn’t have a clue” of how she would do in the pageant.

The Oklahoma contingent watched night after night – first the preliminaries and then into the finals. The preliminaries lasted two hours or more, and Gary said they got to see all of the contestants compete in all phases of the pageant.

Family members were allowed a brief, chaperoned visit with 16 • Oklahoma Country • Spring 2007

contestants during the preliminary rounds after the nightly sessions concluded.

The Monday night finale was broadcast live on CMT, and attracted a television audience of 7.2 million.

Gary remembers the night well.

“When she got to the top 10, we were sitting on pins and needles. I told her brother that I hope she wins, but this sure ain’t bad. Then she gets into the top five, and I think boy this is really cool.

“They announced the top three, and I’m shaking like a leaf by then. You talk about exciting, my gosh, you just don’t know. When her name was called, it just erupted. We were jumping for joy.”

Lauren was whisked away from the stage when the television coverage ended Jan. 29.

FBI agents approached Mark and Sherrell Nelson that night after the pageant regarding security measures.

Family members also were invited to a secured area backstage for a brief reunion with Lauren.

Parents and siblings were allowed in, but others were prohibited.

Gary chuckles about being barred from the reunion. He told security officers that he was Lauren’s “favorite uncle,” but his argument fell on deaf ears.

“It was,” he declares, “one of the most exciting things I’ve been to in my life. I had never been to a pageant. I’ve never been to anything like that. It’s unbelievable.”

The event might have been equally unbelievable for Lauren, a petite 20-year-old blonde who told pageant judges she wishes she were taller. t was the second year in a row for Miss Oklahoma to win the contest.

Last year’s Miss America, Jennifer Berry of Jenks, crowned Lauren.

It was the first time since 1960 that a contestant from the same state won the crown in back-to-back years, and Oklahoma’s sixth contestant to win the crown, putting it in a tie for the most Miss America winners.

Lawton’s Lauren Nelson is crowned Miss America for 2007 by Jenks’ Jennifer Berry, Miss America 2006, Jan. 29 at the pageant in Las Vegas. It was the first time since 1960 young women from the same state won the crown in back-to-back years, and only the third time in pageant history that contestants from the same state won in consecutive years.

Far Left: Custer County Farm Bureau agent Gary Winters is the proud uncle of the 2007 Miss America. Gary and his wife, Terri, attended the nearly week-long pageant in Las Vegas and still admits to being on “Cloud Nine” with his niece Lauren Nelson’s crowning as Miss America.

Oklahoma Country • Spring 2007 • 17

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LAUREN NELSON: Profile “It was so exciting, not just for her but for the state,” the 2006 Miss America told the press later. “It was a historic win. To have Miss Americas crowned in back-to-back years around our state’s centennial, it was just the perfect situation.”

“I watched Miss America as a little girl since I was 2 years old, and never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would be one of those girls on that stage, and never did I think that I would be Miss America,” Lauren said in an interview shortly after winning the crown.

“It’s sinking in,” she said nearly a week after the pageant. “I’m Miss America. Miss America. That’s just still so crazy.”

Unlike many young women in the Miss America pageant, Lauren was a relative newcomer to the contest trail.

Gary said his niece, who completed her freshman year at the University of Central Oklahoma, first became interested in pageants while attending Lawton MacArthur High School, where she graduated in 2005.

“She didn’t start competing until her junior and senior year. She won the Miss Teen Oklahoma contest her first try, and then entered the Miss Grand Lake contest, where she was the runner up. Then she won the Miss State Fair contest and was its representative in the Miss Oklahoma contest that she won.”

Lauren is an aspiring Broadway star, who began singing in a church choir as a girl. She has appeared in musicals such as “Bye Bye Birdie” and “Anything Goes” over the years.

“She has such a presence on the stage that it’s remarkable,” says Gary. “I think, golly, she’s come a long way. Lauren’s character, her poise, her presence and what she stands for – she’s the whole deal. She’s a very talented young lady – just everything about her.” he will be on the road almost constantly for the next year, traveling about 20,000 miles each month making personal appearances.

Lauren’s personal platform issue for her reign is protecting children from online predators. She also will work as an ambassador for the Children’s Miracle Network as well as promoting her platform of Internet safety for children.

She received a $50,000 scholarship as the winner of the Miss America contest. Her scholarship as Miss Oklahoma was in the $20,000 to $25,000 range, according to Gary. And she was the swimsuit competition winner in the Miss America pageant, which also carried a scholarship award.

“She’ll be all right,” declared Gary, “when she returns to school.”

Lauren’s scholastic ambition is to eventually obtain a master’s degree in musical theater, move to New York and one day become a Broadway performer.

She’ll only get two days off – Easter and Christmas – during her yearlong reign, so family time will be extremely precious for the Nelson and Winters clans.

“I’m very proud, but I already miss her,” says Gary.

Left: Lawton’s Lauren Nelson was crowned 2007 Miss America January 29 in Las Vegas. She and her family are Oklahoma Farm Bureau members, signed up by her uncle Gary Winters, who is an agent in Custer County.

Right: Lauren holds the trophy she received at the pageant after judges selected her as the winner in the Lifestyle & Fitness in Swimsuit.

Lauren Nelson is a student at the University of Central Oklahoma, majoring in music theater. While at UCO, she was chosen as one of two freshman to perform in the fall production of “Pajama Game” and was a featured performer in UCO’s production on “Hot N’ Cole: A Cole Porter Celebration.”

She is the daughter of Lawton’s Mark and Sherrell Nelson, who are Custer County Farm Bureau members. Mark is employed by a credit life insurance company and Sherrell teaches physical education at a Lawton elementary school.

Lauren has a brother and sister, Logan, 15, and Morgan, 17.

In 2005, Lauren graduated from MacArthur High School in Lawton.

While in high school, she was a member of the National Honor Society and a three-year recipient of the Renaissance Academic award.

She was an active member of Student Council, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and MacArthur Leadership Class. She was a member of the Lawton Student Civic Council in 2003 and a graduate of the Junior Leadership Class of 2003-2004. She was a fiveyear member of the Lawton-Fort Sill Teen Council and chairman of the council for the 2004-2005 year.

Sport: football Sports team: University of Oklahoma Sooners Actor: Will Ferrell Actress: Julia Roberts

Singer: Faith Hill Author: Dan Brown Television program: Grey’s Anatomy Thing to do on a weekend: Go to a University of Oklahoma football game Charity: Make-A-Wish Foundation Way to spend a day off: Hang out with friends by the pool What were you like when you were a child? I loved to perform whether it was on stage or in my back yard. My friends and I were known to put on backyard productions complete with costumes, props and scenery.

Who is the most influential person in your life: My high school music teacher, Beth Stukey, has been a huge influence. She was the first person to introduce me to music theater and is the reason I study music theater today.

What is the one thing about you that people you meet may not immediately realize?

When you first meet me you see a trendy, fun loving, all American young woman. What you would never guess is that I love the spotlight and grab any chance to get on stage and belt out a song.

What was one defining moment in your life? The first time I performed in a high school musical theater production I felt the thrill and energy of a live performance and knew from that moment I wanted to be on Broadway.

Oklahoma Country • Spring 2007 • 19