Parkwood Coach Dewey Combs passes away...

[JHS Radio Guy]

Combs, a 2010 inductee into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, compiled a 213-68-14 record during his 29-year career. He coached the final 19 years in Joplin and won 77 percent of his games here, going 157-39-7 with the Eagles, Bears and Eagles again.

After directing Trenton to a 10-0 record in 1966 and a Class M state championship as voted by the state sports writers, Combs was selected from a pool of 54 applicants to be the new coach at Joplin High School. He replaced Ron Taylor, who left to coach high school ball at Park Forest, Illinois.

In 19 years in Joplin, Combs’ teams won or shared 13 Ozark Conference championships — the first in 1967 in the final year of old Joplin High School and the last in 1985, the first year of the new Joplin High School.

In between, Combs coached the Parkwood Bears to 11 league titles and undefeated state championships in 1975, 1980 and 1983. The 1976 Bears also were unbeaten at 10-0, but the failed to qualify for postseason play under the points system used by the MSHSAA.

 

[anon_ijjn3x9baf01k]

Praying for peace and comfort for his family.

 

[blue and white pride]

Legend.

 

[msubearssuperfan1]

Glendale ended Parkwood's 32-game winning streak in '77 and Parkwood's 24-game Ozark conference winning streak in '81.

 

[Wikileaks]

Rest In Peace my friend...

 

[panther72]

I was a very lowly assistant coach - emphasis on either a small"a" to start with or accent on first syllable - at the second Show Me Bowl in St. Louis in 1980. All the teams were housed in, I think, a Holiday Inn close to Busch Stadium. There was a meeting at the hotel that night after the banquet on the Friday night before the games in response to a recent high-rise fire in LA and the hotel spokesman gave us a briefing on what would happen if that were the case here. When he was finished and asked if their were any questions, Coach Coombs took over. Short story, he was far better prepared in his questions and grasp of the possible situation than the "hotel safety expert" was. The rest us in the room had enough sense to just listen.
Only time I ever was around him, but his level of preparation was outstanding and left a well earned respect from the rest of us in the room just from that moment let alone from their performance against a very talented Hazelwood Central team the next day.