Lincoln versus Nokomis
Part two: Catching up with the coaches

 

[February 01, 2019] 

January 26, 2019 - Neil Alexander, Loren Wallace, Steve Kimbro and John Flowers all gather in the same place at the same time.

Stay tuned folks, because this special cross-time, cross-place, cross-relationships, rich in history and deep in basketball gathering of talents will happen again during the 2019-20 Railer basketball season in LINCOLN.

For this year, it was a special reunion of the boys from Fillmore last weekend at Nokomis High School when the Lincoln Railers played the Nokomis Redskins.

Fillmore, a little community in Montgomery County with less than 400 residents, welcomed their hometown heroes and Nokomis High School graduates Neil Alexander, John Flowers, and Steve Kimbro into the gym.

Well, Kimbro is a familiar sight in the gym. He has successfully coached Nokomis boys basketball for 38 years and counting. And he greeted his old friends with open arms Saturday night.

All three coaches grew up in Fillmore, played together as kids, competed at Nokomis High School and went on to successful athletic collegiate careers as well as coaching careers. It was a special evening to see them all gathered in the same place, especially their old stomping grounds.

The evening was even more meaningful with the addition of former Nokomis High School basketball coach Loren Wallace.

Wallace, who also coached the Lincoln Railers from 1975-1987, made the trip from Arizona with wife, Barb, and son, Jeff, to see not only old friends in Nokomis, but also to catch up with his former players. Wallace was a young coach early in his career when he coached these “kids” in their high school years. The gym was full of Nokomis and Lincoln fans Saturday night just as eager to see the coaches as they were the ballgame between the two teams.

It was Class 3A Lincoln defeating Class 1A Nokomis 63-38 on the court while after the game it was a collection of Redskin and Railer fans all excited to visit with the men who mean so much to the community and rich history that is Nokomis basketball.

The matchup between the two hometown coaching legends also pitted the two 800-game winners against each other for the first time. Coach Alexander’s Railers, now 17-2 on the season, were a little too much to handle for Coach Kimbro’s 18-6 Redskins, but the Lincoln coach had nothing but respect for the Nokomis bunch.

After the game Coach Alexander reacted to the win. “I thought our guys played really well,” he said. “I thought in the second half we did a very good job getting out and getting some easy scores. That’s a well-coached team. They’re a Class 1A team and they are going to be very good. They’ve got six losses now and all six are against 3A schools. They are not afraid to play competition. Steve loves a challenge and you know, they banged with us. They are physical. I knew coming in that’s the way he played as a player and I knew they were going to play that way. Usually the kids will play like their coach played when he played. I knew it was going to be a very physical game.”

As far as the overwhelming hospitality of the fans, Coach Alexander offered with a smile, “It was nice. I’ve got a lot of family here. A lot of old friends are here. It was special that Coach Wallace came back. He’s a great man. We’ve learned a lot from Coach Wallace. He’s taught me so much.”

Coach Alexander also took a moment to reflect on what his college coach, Monmouth College Basketball Coach Terry Glascow taught him.

“My old college coach did the same thing,” said Coach Alexander. “My college coach was all man-to-man. Coach Wallace was all zone. You know, you can see where I’m at right now. But I learned a lot from my college coach, too. The discipline, the organization, how you break a practice down and so on, I learned all that from my college coach.”

While Coach Wallace was the only one of the four men who did not grow up in Fillmore and have those deep roots in Montgomery County, he did leave his mark in Nokomis history before moving onto Lincoln and making an impact in Logan County. Coach Wallace and his wife, Barb, still have a heartfelt connection to Lincoln and it showed Saturday in that historic gym in Nokomis.

Coach Wallace reflected on the game between conversations and photos with friends, after Lincoln notched another win.

“It went about the way I thought it would,” said Coach Wallace. “Nokomis was out-manned and out-classed. It was just a matter of competition and bigger schools. I thought that Steve really played the game early by slowing it down a little bit and that kept them in the game. But it got away from them in that second half. Neil played it the way he wanted to. He didn’t want to have a real big blowout. So it was a competitive game and I enjoyed it.”

As for those 2018-19 Railers, who have created an exciting buzz around town, Coach Wallace offered these encouraging words, “I think they got the makings of a good team coming down the stretch.”

Coach Wallace was also very appreciative of the fan’s support. “I didn’t expect it to be quite this way,” he said. “This has really been awesome. We’ve really enjoyed it.”

As for the reunion in Lincoln next season, he said, “We plan on it. God-willing.”

Coach Wallace retired in 2003 as head basketball coach at Quincy High School. He has 682 career wins, having held coaching positions in Litchfield, Nokomis, Lincoln, Bloomington and Quincy.

Old friends just pick up where they left off - the Zurkammers and the Wallaces.

While many fans were thrilled to see Loren and Barb Wallace, it was longtime Railer ticket manager Patsy Zurkammer and her husband, ticket taker Wayne Zurkammer, who drew high praise from the couple who left Lincoln in 1987. “They took care of me for 12 years,” said Coach Wallace of the Zurkammers. Jokingly, he added, “They couldn’t keep me outta trouble but they took care of me.”

The Zurkammers and Wallaces took pictures together and chatted as if no time had passed.

Barb Wallace was also busy chatting with several old friends throughout the crowd while husband, Loren, was busy working the court, reminiscing with Lincoln and Nokomis fans alike.

From left to right a lot of wins here - Coaches Steve Kimbro, Loren Wallace, John Flowers and Neil Alexander

Barb Wallace and Denise Alexander share laughs and memories at Nokomis.

Barb hugged Denise Alexander and couldn’t stop smiling when she said, “Lincoln has always been very special to us. We have so many good friends still there. And so many of our players.” Barb commented that former Railer Joe Weingarz came all the way from Chicago to just catch a little of the game. “He just got here for the last few minutes of the game,” she added.

LCHS Class of 1986 graduate Eric Robinson drove down from Chicago, too, just for the occasion. Robinson sat with longtime friends and Railer fans, Don and Shirley Jordan.

Former Railer football coach John Flowers was happy to see Patsy and Wayne Zurkammer.

Thrown into the pile of those who traveled far and wide in the middle of winter was former Railer football coach John Flowers. Flowers had a successful collegiate football career at Southern Illinois University following graduation from Nokomis High School. He joined the Lincoln coaching staff in 1978 as an assistant football coach. He became the head football coach in 1983. It was the history-making 1984 Railer football season he may best remembered for. That team boasted a 9-2-0 record and appeared in the state playoffs.

Since leaving Lincoln, Coach Flowers has spent 34 years living in Memphis, Tennessee. He coached football at the University of Memphis for 25 of those years.

“It’s kinda been a whirlwind,” said Coach Flowers. “We went to the then Memphis State University in 1985. Went there and we got fired that year. I got rehired by the next coach and well, I’ve worked with five different head coaches throughout the 25 years I was on the football staff. After that 25th year, and going to five bowl games in six years, we got fired.”

Sounds like a tough business.

Coach Flowers agreed. “It is a very difficult business,” he said. “But it was a great time and we had wonderful experiences. We traveled all over America, from New York to Florida to LA to Texas, just all over the place. I think we played and coached in 29 different states in my career. It’s been a really neat deal. Then the university wanted to keep me on to help with the building of new facilities. So for the last nine years I’ve been overseeing building projects. I just finished a 58,000 square foot basketball practice facility for Coach Hardaway, $20 million. I am building a football facility right now. New offices, new training room, new lobbies, and a new indoor facility. Another $20 M. We are building a parking garage on campus and a bridge, about a $62 M project. So I’m spending all their money now. I oversee all the athletic facilities.”

Coach Flowers also has fond memories of Lincoln.

“Fabulous memories,” grinned the coach, with a southern drawl. “I am coming to this game next year. I am coming to Lincoln to see Nokomis and Lincoln play. I talked with Joe Ryan and we are going to try to get that 1984 team back together to where I can see everybody. I want to see how their lives have changed and the successes that they’ve had. I’d just love to see those guys again. I really would. Joe Cook, Tommy Bonaparte, Andy McDonald, Justin Thies, Scott Bunner…..and so many others. I can’t wait. It’s fun. This has been great.”

Coach Flowers was really enjoying the gathering on the court following the Railers win over Nokomis. “I coached this little knucklehead,” he said, nodding to Eric Grunder as he walked by. “And I coached their son, too,” said Coach Flowers, motioning to Wayne and Patsy Zurkammer nearby.

In case you already didn’t know, Coach Flowers has personality plus and it’s pretty evident he could talk with a smile for days. Although his size and his voice still prove he can command respect and get one’s attention easily. He’s quite the character, full of life and life’s stories. His final words on this night, until next year in Lincoln, “Go Railers!”

Coach Flowers may no longer coach football but it’s evident he still has a passion for the game and a love for Lincoln.

Finally, on the losing end of this night filled with emotion, Nokomis Coach Kimbro still had a smile as he said of the evening, “This was great. It was a lot of fun.”

Coach Kimbro walked off the court clutching the new IBCA plaque highlighting Nokomis’ 1,500 wins. As a new member of the 800-win club, Coach Kimbro sits at No. 6 on the all-time list for Illinois coaches with 808 wins. Just ahead of him a couple spots at No. 4 sits Coach Alexander with 822 wins.

It’s nice to see that neither boy from Fillmore has lost their competitive edge or passion for the game as they show no signs of slowing down.

So keep the calendar open in January of 2020 for the rematch at Roy S. Anderson Gymnasium. It’ll be a hot ticket for sure.

[Teena Lowery]

Father and son - Coach Neil Alexander with his dad, Elmer.

The Alexander men - Elmer with his sons, Neil, Earl and Francis.