SPORTS HALL of FAME ATHLETE
Kermit Marble '55
This story is as much about surviving a hard life growing up as it is telling about excellence on the field of play. It is the story of Kermit Marble. Kermit was always a competitor. He loved being on the baseball or football field or the basketball court. However his desire to remain there was tested early in his high school career when at age 16 his father Bertrum passed away. His mother Olive and brother Maurice moved to Bainbridge by necessity and figured Kermit would join them. But Kermit made a hard decision to stay in Sidney because of the sports programs and coaches like Fran Redmond and Al Drake. And for the next three years, he worked two jobs - starting at 4 a.m. daily - delivering milk for Carr's and Spencer's Dairies. This money (and it wasn't much)allowed him to rent a room in a rooming house where he lived alone
Even with these challenges, Kermit made a lasting impression on the teachers, coaches and teammates at Sidney.
By his senior year, Kermit was elected captain of his baseball and basketball teams. In baseball he was a hitting and pitching threat, highlighted by what the Reflector called a "brilliant one-hitter" against Chenango Forks.
In football, Kermit had the ability to score points in bunches. In one game, versus Whitney Point, the talented back accounted for 19 of the Warriors' points in a 25-12 victory. Actually, he accounted for all 25. His one yard run capped an early drive that tied the score at six. Moments before the half ended, he passed for a 35 yard score to Bill Daniels then scored the extra point (all PATs were scored as one point back then) to put Sidney up 13-12. Scoring runs of 36 and 18 yards put the game away in the second half. Later, during a 14-13 squeaker over Delhi, Kermit's through-the-line plunge for an extra point provided the difference. This came right after he had scored on a one yard burst to tie the game. THAT touchdown was set up by a 49 yard pass play from Marble to Daniels.
Baseball was the sport where it seemed he may have had a bright future beyond high school. Besides his one hitter versus Forks, Kermit was one of only three players selected in unanimous voting as part of the Susquenango Conference All-Star team. He helped Sidney to a tie for the North Division title that season.
Upon graduation, Kermit started a job at Bendix, though he later got his shot at a pro baseball career through a tryout with the Binghamton Triplets, a Yankees minor league team. But the Army's training and benefits provided a more secure living at the time. For more than three years, he was a member of the U.S. Army's Guided Missile Outfit.
During that time, Katherine became his wife and soon they started a family. By 1959, a return to Sidney and his old job at Bendix provided a new sense of stability for Kermit, a stability he had not experienced since before his dad passed away. As the boys got older and showed they carried on their dad's athletic talent, Kermit turned to coaching. Many years with the Moose Little League All-Stars and American Legion teams showed he could coach as well as play.
His oldest son Charlie still holds football school records for pass receptions. David ("Skinney") was a guard on a Final Four basketball team his senior season, and Don ("Lonnie") was a punishing running back in football and was a starter on the first Sidney State Championship basketball team in 1979.
A 40-year career as a machinist and toolmaker eventually gave way to retirement and a relaxing life for Kerm & Kay. They moved to Shell Knob, Missouri in 1998 where Kermit plays pool, fishes and golfs. It's a nice half-way point between Sidney and Phoenix, Arizona to keep track of grandkids and long-time friends - especially in Sidney.
Thanks to Kermit's high school catcher Dave Ineich for providing some of the scholastic memories. Dave says he can STILL feel how sore his hand was when catching Kermit.
Congratulations to Kermit Marble, not only for what you accomplished, but for how you accomplished it. Welcome to the Sidney Alumni Sports Hall of Fame.