With minimal editing, here is his epic recounting of what became known as the “Battle of the Purple Chicken.” Enjoy.

As Mike tells it, “In 1968, at Lake Shore Central High School in Angola, I was named head basketball coach for a program that had not done very well during the ’60’s.

“I’m not putting blame on anyone, but after playing basketball at Dunkirk High School, and Cardinal Mindszenty High School my senior year, Lake Shore’s program left a lot to be desired. The intensity that we were used to in Dunkirk and at Cardinal Mindszenty had not arrived for the basketball program at Lake Shore. Losing was accepted. Lake Shore athletes performed as if they weren’t good enough to compete with teams like Springville, Iroquois, Clarence, Williamsville North and South, Sloan, Grand Island and others like Lackawanna.

“The problem that I saw immediately was the great coaches were in football, led by one of the best high school football coaches I had seen. Skip Maue was a disciplinarian and successful in his sport with undefeated seniors and multiple championships in the tough ECIC League.

Bill Herold

Skip and I became friends. I admired him because he got the most out of his players by teaching them to play hard, play smart, and that winning meant something, as did losing.

“My first year there was tough because even though these kids were nice kids, they didn’t know very much about being coached in basketball as Skip had coached them in football.

“When I hear the idea in today’s game that a coach will take over a team because ‘the kids like him’ I cringe. A coach’s job is not to be just liked, but also respected. When a coach is trying to turn a losing program around, a coach will not always be liked, especially when hard decisions are made.

“The seniors that I inherited were not serious about making a commitment to excellence. In tryouts, I cut all four, and had a completely junior squad. We went 4-14 my first year, but got better every day, i.e. the 1% rule. These were hard-nosed kids who learned after Mr. Maue, that Coach Tramuta wanted to make them better players and people.

“Thus, exit the 1967-68 season and enter the 1968-69 season. My kids came back bigger, stronger, smarter from the previous season after summer basketball and weight training and conditioning.

A clumsily colorized black and white photo of Bucky from the 1970 Lake Shore Central Shorelines yearbook.

“Enter the ‘Battle of the Purple Chicken.’ Lake Shore Central had not beaten Springville Central in the ’60s. The 1968-69 team thought that this was the year.

“In the beginning of the season, my point guard, Billy Herold, took it upon himself to purchase a live chicken, actually a rooster. He named him Bucky and dyed him purple. Springville’s mascot was a capon and their colors were purple and gold.

“Billy’s dad provided a super ‘coop’ for Bucky and he became our mascot and focused on upsetting Springville.

“The week of our first game with them was at their court. During the week our high school principal, Mr. George Johengen, told my assistant coach, Bob Uszacki, and myself that ‘under no circumstances, take Bucky to Springville,’ because he didn’t want an ‘incident.’

When we came to the bus, the day of the game, and told the team, they were destroyed because Bucky was now a part of our team. The bus went quiet.

Bill Hammond

“Coach U and I looked at each other and said, ‘We’re taking the chicken.’

“We almost lost our jobs over this, but George had been a coach and cut Bobby and myself some slack.

“The game was down to the last 30 seconds and we were tied 54-54. They had the ball and worked it in to their big center Waterman, who made a tough shot just as time ran out and we lost 56-54.

After the game, Springville coach Phil Smolinski, who at the time was one of the best basketball coaches in the ECIC, came into our locker room and wanted Bucky. I told him if they beat us at Lake Shore Central, we would turn him over. Thus started the Battle of the Purple Chicken.

“Toward the end of the season, we were 15-3, losing only to Springville, Lackawanna and Iroquois. All were powerhouse teams and champions that year.

“Sometimes, we as coaches, get too much credit, and the kids not enough. That game at Lake Shore Central was one of the finest high school basketball games that I was involved in up to that time. The lead changed hands 10 times and with 5 minutes left in the game, we found ourselves down by 14 points.

“This is where, as a coach, you have to know your kids and what they will respond to. Our timeout, with 5 minutes to play, went something like this:

‘Don’t stop playing. They are tired and we are not done. We are going to press full-court man-to-man, run-and-jump press. Billy, do you realize if we lose this game, Bucky is gone forever?’

“He looked at me and said, ‘What? OK, I got this.’ He then orchestrated five straight steals combined with seven straight jump shots to tie the score and then put us ahead.

“Was I surprised? No, because these kids were the kind of kids that had the will to win, the will to excel and the endurance in giving it all. We won 81-76 and the ‘curse’ was broken.

“After the game, Coach Smolinski came downstairs and was amazed at how much Bucky meant to our team. He congratulated each kid and shook my hand.

“The next day in the Courier- Express, Jim Baker, the sports editor, wrote an article declaring that Lake Shore had won the Battle of the Purple Chicken!” “After the game, the dye was removed. Bucky had done his job. He attended Billy’s graduation party then passed away when Billy was a college freshman.”

Quite the inspirational memory, Mike. Had not heard that story before. Thanks for sharing. Sure made my job easy this week.

And speaking of sharing, my sports memory bank is bordering on empty these days. I would love to hear more stories like Mike’s from my readers. I know more great stories are out there. Trust me to retell your tales. Reach me at mandpp@hotmail.com.

Bill Hammond is a former EVENING OBSERVER Sports Editor.