Bluefield_Rules 46 Report Share Posted September 23, 2004 http://www.bdtonline.com/articles/2004/09/23/sports/01.chmara.txt Bluefield to honor Chmara Posted: Wednesday, Sep 22, 2004 - 11:10:36 pm EDT By BOB REDD Bluefield Daily Telegraph BLUEFIELD - Friday night will be an historic moment for the City of Bluefield, Bluefield High School and the John Chmara family. In pregame activities the playing surface at Mitchell Stadium will be named in honor of Bluefield High School's all-time winning football coach John Chmara. He coached the Beavers from 1968 to 1985, winning state championships in 1975 and 1984. His overall record was an amazing 130-53-1. Chmara was a 1950 graduate of Oak Hill High School and it is his alma mater the Beavers will battle on the field named in his honor, Friday. Current BHS football coach Freddy Simon played for and later was an assistant coach for Chmara and in a twist of fate, Chmara returned to Bluefield in the mid-1990s and assisted Simon. "Coach's two championship teams are coming in and it will be great to see those guys," Simon said. "On one side of it I played with the guys who won it in '75, I was a senior when they were sophomores, and the guys that won it in '84, I was an assistant coach. "I look forward to seeing those guys and I'm happy as I can be that the field is being named 'Coach Chmara Field' because of the great impact he had on Bluefield High School and the community." Honorary captains for Friday's game will be members of the 1975 and 1984 teams. All former Bluefield football players are invited to come to the sidelines and participate in pregame activities which get underway at 7:15. Following the game, a reception will be held in the BHS cafeteria and all former BHS players are invited to attend. The Beavers will wear the "Chmara Blue" uniforms, the same ones donned for the season-opening game against Graham. According to former player and current assistant football coach Pete Sarver, the Beavers first wore blue jerseys in the 1967 state championship game, the final game coached by the legendary Merrill Gainer, and then wore the uniforms for most home games of the 1968 season, Chmara's first as head coach, and occasionally through 1970. "The blue jerseys came about because Coach Gainer had ordered all-khaki uniforms for the 1967 season, but they were ruled illegal jerseys because they were the same color as the ball," Sarver said. "So coach Chmara told him (Coach Gainer), 'Order the blue ones.'" - Contact Bob Redd at bredd@bdtonline.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shayne 10 Report Share Posted September 23, 2004 Wish I could be there for the tribute to Coach Chmara. I was a sophomore on the 84 team and even though my junior and senior seasons were rare losing ones, I believe his tutelage and work ethic played a big part in the success I've experienced in my adult life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strapiton 10 Report Share Posted September 23, 2004 i think your father had alot to do with those good ole aaa years as well. how are you all doing? how is he doing this year at faquar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shayne 10 Report Share Posted September 24, 2004 He is doing well. Fauquier lost there first game of the year to Tommy Buzzo's Liberty squad 16-13. It was somewhat of a victory that it was so close b/c Liberty is loaded this year with 4 players already committed to division 1 schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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