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It
was not only what Jerry McCarrey
accomplished on the playing field or court,
but how the 2016 inductee into the Centralia
Sports Hall of Fame went about it. The
1967 graduate of Centralia High School was a
three-sport star for the Orphans and while
earnig accolades for his play, also drew the
recognition and respect of the opposition
for his sportsmanship. Those
efforts even drew an editorial from a Mt.
Vernon radio station commending him at the
conclusion of the 1966-67 season. Prior
to that he was a hard-running fullback for
the Orphans and set a record for career
fushing yardage that stood for 46 years. "He
loved football," said his older brother
Ken, himself a former Orphans football
player. "Jerry could gain all the
yards in getting the ball downfield and
someone else might get to score the
touchdown. But that never bothered
him. He was all for the team." As
an eighth grader playing for the Centralia
Tiger he scored 15 points against Herrin in
the Southern Illinois Junior High School
Athletic Association semi-finals in
1963. A game later he had a team-high
20 points as the Tigers closed out an 18-0
season with a 28-ointn win over Anna. Upon
his arrival shortly thereafter at CHS Jerry
McCarrey made his mark starting in
football. As a sophomore, and listed
as a 6' 180-pound fullback he ripped off an
81 yard touchdown run in a season-opening
win Shrine Bowl victory against Salem. Later
that year he pushed across for the winning
score in a 13-7 victory over West Frankfort
that gave Centralia the South 7 Conference
championship. For the season he gained
805 yards and scored 72 points. Up
to 192 pounds as a junior he totaled 756
yards and 66 points in helping Centralia to
a 7-1-1 campaign and another league title. Despite
being hindered by late-season back and ankle
injuries as a senior Mcarrey had his best
year yet in rushing for 1,044 yards,
starting with a 248 yard, four TD effort in
the Shrine Bowl. He also finished with
14 touchdowns and was fifth on the all-time
CHS scoring list with 212 points, while
earning All-Southern Illinois and All-South
7 honors as Centralia went 8-2 in Jimmie
Evers' final year as coach. That
gave him 2,605 career yards, a mark which
would stand until 2012. He
also played outfield for the Orphans'
baseball squad, batting .383 as a sophomore
and .286 with two homers and a team-high 12
homers and a team-high 12 RBI in a
rain-shortened 1966 season. In
basketball he earned a place as a starter on
the 1966 team that reached the
super-sectional and was the recipient of the
Golden Orphan Award as a junior. While
not a high scorer, his efforts were often
focused on guarding the opposition's top
scorer, and as a senior McCarrey received
the team's Defensive Award. It
was also following that season in which WMIX
recognized him for his on-court demeanor. The
editorial, in part, reads: "This
sports editorial in intended to be a
compliment for one high school basketball
player in Southern Illinois rather than
against lack of sportsmanship. We are
attempting to give this youth some of the
recognition we feel he deserves. The
lad we are speaking of who has to our
knowledge always displayed outstanding
sportsmanship, even above and beyond the
call of duty is from Centralia High
School. His name is Jerry McCarrey...senior
guard for the Orphans." "From
our observations of this lad during the past
two basketball seasons he seems dependable
enough, but the quality which really stands
out is his sportsmanship. He is always
courteous in every game we've seen him
in. It's not just his playing and
consideration for others, but you can see
that it is his attitude. His attitude
toward other players, coaches, officials and
to my knowledge has always been above
reproach. "Our hope is that more
high school athletes will be more like him
and display the McCarrey brand of
sportsmanship." "We
take this means offering the recognition we
feel you deserve. So, Jerry McCarrey, good
sport....WMIX salutes you!" After
his graduation from CHS Jerry McCarrey
servid his country in the Air Force and was
a military police officer, a career he
followed into civilian life. He move
to Georgia and resided there until his
passing last March at age 67. "We
went through a lot together," said Ken
McCarrey who also resides in Georgia.
"He was a really great guy who would do
anything he could to help someone." list@morningsentinel.com
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