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Fred Myers
The Centralia Sports Hall of Fame
2009 Veteran's Individual Award Winner


 


After taking up golf at the age of 40 Myers quickly became one of the premier golfers in Southern Illinois.  In 1959 he was the MVP in the Meadow Woods Country Club Twilight League. In 1964 he captured the Southern Illinois Golf Association championship. Myers won first place in both the Meadow Woods CC Thursday evening league and the two man competition in 1965.

In his first year to be eligible (age 55) for the Southern Illinois Seniors Golf Association he was overall champion and flight champion shooting a 152. He was SISGA flight champion 12 more times from 1973 through 2001. He won the Steffy Furniture Co. tourney in 1978 and was runner-up in 1979 and 1980. In 1982 Myers teamed up with Wendell Lamblin to take first place in the SISGA better ball tourney. He was Meadow Woods CC champion in 1980, '82, '90 and 2000, and he had a hole-in-one on the 7th hole in 1985.

In 1987 he shot his age (69) for the first time at the SISGA tourney in Mt. Vernon.  With a "3" handicap he qualified to try out for the U.S. Open at Bell Rive Country Club in St. Louis . In 2000, at age 84, Myers took the gold medal in the Southwestern Illinois Regional Senior Olympics. And showing that he was not only a golfer he took the gold medal for bowling at the same Olympics.  Also as a bowler in 2003 he won the VFW state tournament and once had an all-spare game. He was a member of the Pracht"s Bowling Team for 12 years and the team was league champions 10 of those years. Myers carried an average of 180-192 bowling one night a week.

In his earlier years he played on the first Centralia High School baseball team in 1932. The team had a total of 12 balls and three home made bats fashioned from a wagon tongue by Coach Harry Fortney.  The team had a record of four wins and four losses. Myers played baseball in the "Twilight League" in the 1930's and 40's. He played third base and pitched and was selected to the All-Star team every year he played. He batted .375. Myers was also chosen by the fans to play in a special celebration game when Major League pitcher Ray Starr (a 1989 HOF inductee) of the Cincinnati Reds came back to town.


 

 

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