June 13th saw the second annual Turn Back The Clock Night at Constellation Park, as the Skeeters honored the Sugar Land Heritage Foundation. Lou Payton (SLHS '46) threw out the ceremonial first pitch, which was a called strike low on the inside corner.
Three of Lou's friends and team mates joined him on the field. They were:
It was a great night at the ball park. Click on the image below to view a selection of photos from that evening.
Three of Lou's friends and team mates joined him on the field. They were:
Jim Shamblin, who played 2nd base for the first National Championship team at the University of Texas in 1949. He held the hitting record of 5 hits in one game at the College World Series that stood for over 50 years. He played for Weimar in the Houston Post Semi-Pro Tournament in 1949 and Victoria in 1950 when both teams won the tournament.
Roland Walton, a 4-year letterman at short stop and MVP in 1951 at the University of Houston when U of H won the Missouri Valley Conference Championship. He played on the Houston Post Tournament Championship teams from Victoria, and coached the Cougar baseball team from '74 to '86.
Felix Fraga, a 4-year letterman at first base for the Cougars. He played on the '51 Championship team and captained the '52 Cougars. He has been involved with the youth program at Ripley House for over 60 years. He served on the HISD school board for 4 years and was a City of Houston Councilman for 6 years.
And, of course, Lou who played center field for the '51 and '52 Cougars. He was captain and MVP in '52. He played for the Ft. Bend Jaybirds and other local semi-pro teams for several years. He won the batting title of the Houston Post Tournament in 1950 with a .500 average and played on the Jaybird team that won the tournament in '52.
It was a great night at the ball park. Click on the image below to view a selection of photos from that evening.
