Tweet
At the end of the summer Dan posted a message asking if returning to a trophy presentation on race days would benefit the sport.
If giving individual trophies out at each race is too expensive (and experienced drivers may not even want them) how about a few perpetual trophies that would change hands year to year?
Dan’s post reminded me about the Buck McClung Memorial Trophy which was a perpetual trophy given out by the boat racing club that sponsored the stock outboard-alky races at Portsmouth, VA in the mid-1970’s. This is the same club to which the Hardins belonged.
Buck McClung was before my time. I don’t know who he is or why the trophy was dedicated to him. Does anyone know? Does anyone know where this trophy is, who has it, or if it was permanently retired?
I won this trophy in 1974 or so. Sorta. Kinda. Read on…
Now THIS was a trophy! As I remember the trophy was a silver cup in an enclosed glass case that stood about 5 feet tall. Ok, I may be exaggerating a little. It stood about 5 feet tall sitting on the coffee table in my parent’s living room, so the actual case may only have been three feet tall.
It was big enough that I had trouble fitting it along with all my other racing gear into the 1970 Buick Estate station wagon that I used to cartop my hydroplane to races back then.
On the four sides of the wooden base that held the silver cup were name plates of the previous winners.
In the mid 1970’s the Portsmouth course was surveyed for records. OPC ran on Saturday, Stock Outboard/alky ran on Sunday. The Buck McClung Memorial Trophy was awarded to the Region 4 Stock Outboard driver that beat a current record by the most mph or who came closest to an existing record.
In 1973 I was the first driver in region 4 to get a Merc 25SS. Race committees graciously allowed me, and other 25SSH’s that followed, to race with the BSH’s because there weren’t enough of either to race separately.
So this meant that I almost always had a BSH or two (or three) in front of me even though I was often the first 25SSH to finish. Doug Temple and Karl Daniels (who both drove boats built by Toop) were the two transoms I recall seeing in front of me the most.
So when I won the Buck McClung Memorial Trophy (sorta, kinda) in 1974 I wasn’t the first to finish the race in the combined BSH-25SSH field but I was the first 25SSH to finish.
And I lobbied the race officials to make sure they knew to check my time against the 25SSH record and not the BSH record. And since 25SS was a relatively new class then, the record was somewhat low.
So the race committee did the calculations. No one broke any records that day but sure enough I came closest to beating the record in my class. I was awarded the huge glass enclosed trophy in front of all the other boat racers at the regular post race awards ceremony. I was one happy, smiling teenager.
I managed to pack it into the car and I proudly placed it in my parent’s living room for all to see as soon as I got home.
A few days later a very embarrassed race official called from the Portsmouth club. He explained that um….er… there had been a mistake.
The winner in DSH was from Region 3 and didn’t qualify to win the perpetual trophy so they skipped over the DSH results. It wasn’t until later that they went back and looked at the second place finisher. It turned out that Tom Barrett from Region 4 was closer to the DSH record in second place than my first place time was in 25SSH.
Tom and I were in the same boat club -- Prop Riding Outboarders of the Potomac (PROP) so I called him and made arrangements for delivery. And one night after work I removed the trophy from my parents living room and drove the two hours to his house. All the house lights were out by the time I got there so I did what he requested. I put the trophy in the back yard next to his garage.
I don’t know who won it the following year. Can anyone provide the history of subsequent winners?
Mark Ritchie
72@E
Never Say Never Again
If giving individual trophies out at each race is too expensive (and experienced drivers may not even want them) how about a few perpetual trophies that would change hands year to year?
Dan’s post reminded me about the Buck McClung Memorial Trophy which was a perpetual trophy given out by the boat racing club that sponsored the stock outboard-alky races at Portsmouth, VA in the mid-1970’s. This is the same club to which the Hardins belonged.
Buck McClung was before my time. I don’t know who he is or why the trophy was dedicated to him. Does anyone know? Does anyone know where this trophy is, who has it, or if it was permanently retired?
I won this trophy in 1974 or so. Sorta. Kinda. Read on…
Now THIS was a trophy! As I remember the trophy was a silver cup in an enclosed glass case that stood about 5 feet tall. Ok, I may be exaggerating a little. It stood about 5 feet tall sitting on the coffee table in my parent’s living room, so the actual case may only have been three feet tall.
It was big enough that I had trouble fitting it along with all my other racing gear into the 1970 Buick Estate station wagon that I used to cartop my hydroplane to races back then.
On the four sides of the wooden base that held the silver cup were name plates of the previous winners.
In the mid 1970’s the Portsmouth course was surveyed for records. OPC ran on Saturday, Stock Outboard/alky ran on Sunday. The Buck McClung Memorial Trophy was awarded to the Region 4 Stock Outboard driver that beat a current record by the most mph or who came closest to an existing record.
In 1973 I was the first driver in region 4 to get a Merc 25SS. Race committees graciously allowed me, and other 25SSH’s that followed, to race with the BSH’s because there weren’t enough of either to race separately.
So this meant that I almost always had a BSH or two (or three) in front of me even though I was often the first 25SSH to finish. Doug Temple and Karl Daniels (who both drove boats built by Toop) were the two transoms I recall seeing in front of me the most.
So when I won the Buck McClung Memorial Trophy (sorta, kinda) in 1974 I wasn’t the first to finish the race in the combined BSH-25SSH field but I was the first 25SSH to finish.
And I lobbied the race officials to make sure they knew to check my time against the 25SSH record and not the BSH record. And since 25SS was a relatively new class then, the record was somewhat low.
So the race committee did the calculations. No one broke any records that day but sure enough I came closest to beating the record in my class. I was awarded the huge glass enclosed trophy in front of all the other boat racers at the regular post race awards ceremony. I was one happy, smiling teenager.
I managed to pack it into the car and I proudly placed it in my parent’s living room for all to see as soon as I got home.
A few days later a very embarrassed race official called from the Portsmouth club. He explained that um….er… there had been a mistake.
The winner in DSH was from Region 3 and didn’t qualify to win the perpetual trophy so they skipped over the DSH results. It wasn’t until later that they went back and looked at the second place finisher. It turned out that Tom Barrett from Region 4 was closer to the DSH record in second place than my first place time was in 25SSH.
Tom and I were in the same boat club -- Prop Riding Outboarders of the Potomac (PROP) so I called him and made arrangements for delivery. And one night after work I removed the trophy from my parents living room and drove the two hours to his house. All the house lights were out by the time I got there so I did what he requested. I put the trophy in the back yard next to his garage.
I don’t know who won it the following year. Can anyone provide the history of subsequent winners?
Mark Ritchie
72@E
Never Say Never Again
Comment