Many towns in our state have athletic families that establish athletic legacies in their communities. In Ripley, in Jackson County, one such family is the Ludwig family.
n Max Ludwig: The father of the Ludwig family is Max. A physical, hard-nosed player, Max is still remembered for his toughness as a former Ripley Viking football player. He graduated from Ripley High School in 1951 and went on to play football at WVU. He played on one of the great teams in Mountaineer history, the 1954 Sugar Bowl team with such players as Fred Wyant, Bruce Bosley and Sam Huff. As a defensive end in 1954, Max had 35 total tackles, including 17 solo stops. Max was a courageous football player and he displays that courage now in life. His health is failing as he battles COPD but he still has a smile and a story for everyone he meets.
n Mike Ludwig: A prolific 30-point-a-game scorer, Mike was a Class AAA all-state basketball player for Ripley as a senior in 1975. He led the state in scoring that season and signed with West Virginia Wesleyan. After his senior season he played for a team from West Virginia in the Jerry West All-Star Classic, an all-star game in the old Charleston Civic Center.
n Scott Ludwig: Scott played basketball at Ripley in 1978 for coaches Roger Hart and Jim Dagostine, then went on to play for Jesse Lilly at Glenville State. In 1983 he led the nation in free throw shooting, making 93 percent from the line (114 of 123) He and his dad now own the Ponderosa Steak House in Ripley and while visiting with him there recently he shared a story explaining why he was driven to be a good free throw shooter.
"We were playing in the semifinals of the WVIAC tournament in 1981 and we were on the verge of upsetting Joe Retton and Fairmont State and advancing to the championship game. In the final seconds, I was at the free-throw line with a chance to ice the game. I missed the front end of a one-and-one and we ended up losing. I was crushed and felt like I let the team down.
"After that, I was determined to never let that happen again. I dedicated myself to becoming a good free throw shooter and I worked on it every day. I ended up leading the nation in free throw shooting because I was driven by failure. I never wanted to let the team and my teammates down again."
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Memories of Mike Ludwig triggered a memory of a forgotten piece of our basketball history. In the spring of 1975, the Jerry West Classic was played at the old Charleston Civic Center. It was a unique concept at a unique time.
The game featured an all-star team of West Virginia all-state players against a Russian national team. Keep in mind, this was 1975 and the game was a big deal. The game was at the height of the basketball Cold War between the U.S. and the USSR.
The U.S. had just lost a very controversial Gold Medal game to the Russians in the 1972 Olympics in Munich. The final seconds of the game were replayed three times until the Russians came away with a win. Sports fans in the U.S. were outraged. The U.S. team refused to accept its silver medals and the playrs still have not accepted them even to this day.
USA Basketball could not wait until the 1976 Olympics and a chance to avenge the '72 loss. Basketball patriotism was at an all-time high. All-star college teams featuring players like Bill Walton of UCLA and Ernie DiGregorio of Providence were playing Russian all-star teams in games on national television.
It was against this backdrop that the Jerry West Classic was set up in Charleston. An all-star team of West Virginia high school seniors was assembled.
The team was coached by Tex Williams of St. Albans and Willie Akers of Logan. Among the players were Sam Brooks of Charleston High, Robert "Bass" Moore of Logan, Harvey Austin of Williamson, Bill Herscher of St. Albans, Mike Ludwig of Ripley, Kevin Claudio of Morgantown, Jay Feltz of Monongah and others. Claudio earned a scholarship to Fairmont State based on his play in the game.
The West Virginia team played its hearts out, kept it close but was young and undersized, and the Russians won by single digits. After all, the West Virginia team had the best 17-year-old players in a state. The Russians had the best 21-25-year-olds from an entire country. Many would go on to play in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal and 1980 Summer Games in Moscow.
The game was a great event for the city of Charleston. There was a big crowd in the arena for this forgotten piece of our state's sports history.
Contact Frank Giardina at flg16@hotmail.com.