Behind the scenes: A Q&A with Cheboygan Catholic sports figure Gee Watson

CHEBOYGAN – When you think of Cheboygan Catholic Central athletics, Leo Yeck is usually the first name that comes to mind.

But there's another Eagle alum who somewhat gets overlooked when it comes Cheboygan Catholic.

That would be Gee Watson, who was a part of the first Cheboygan Catholic High graduation class of 1953. In 1953, Watson helped lead the Eagles to a memorable boys basketball district championship victory.

Over the next few decades, Watson – considered the guy who ran things behind the scenes at Cheboygan Catholic – turned into one of their most famous coaches, while basically being an encyclopedia as far as what happened during those days. Up until 1986, when Cheboygan Catholic shut down due to low enrollment, Watson was one of the most important figures in the school’s athletic history.

Most recently, Watson, 87, chatted with the Cheboygan Daily Tribune about his athletic and coaching career, as well as his times with Yeck, a Cheboygan Catholic coaching legend.

Q: First of all, how did you get into coaching in the first place? 

Watson: My uncle Tony Clark, he had three or four boys who were all good at football at Cheboygan, but he was a coach in little league. He asked me to help out coaching and I said, “Yes, here I come.”

Q: Were you always a big sports guy to begin with?

Watson: Always. My dad (Walter William Watson) was a professional baseball player. He was in the (Detroit Tigers) system. He signed a contract with the Toledo Mud Hens in 1919, and he was all around the country as far as Detroit and other places.

Q: What was your athletic career like?

Watson: I played baseball at 10 years old. I was always a baseball player. I played all three sports, baseball, football and basketball. And it was six-man football, by the way. My sophomore and junior year were still at St. Mary’s school, before the merger (into Cheboygan Catholic). Those three years we won the conference championship in six-man football, only losing four games in three years.

Q: We always hear about Leo Yeck, but what was it like to work with him?

Watson: He was a big name but he was a little man. I worked with him every day. He was not necessarily disciplined because he let a lot of things go. When he meant business, he meant business. That was true about him. I (worked with him) every year he coached basketball, which was from 1963 until I’m not sure. We were very close when we worked in basketball.

Q: Both of you played a big role in making Cheboygan Catholic athletics into what it was. What were your goals as a coach?  

Watson: Just working with the kids, just working with the boys. We had some terrific students every year. They were some of the best.

Q: What sport did you like playing the most?  

Watson: I think it’s baseball because when I grew up playing baseball, there was no playing hockey in those days. I played basketball and football in high school, but baseball was my big sport right off the bat when I was growing up.

Q: People say you were a bit of a "behind-the-scenes" guy at Cheboygan Catholic. What were your goals in terms of putting Cheboygan Catholic athletics on the map? 

Watson: Well, I think we did for a while. In fact, I know we did because all activities – baseball, football, basketball and also track – we had some all-staters in track and field. (Louis) Fournier set the record for the shot put, and his record was beaten by Steve Bur, who was also a Cheboygan Catholic member. Louis Fournier played (football) at Notre Dame, but he hurt himself. I would say he’s probably the most famous athlete out of Cheboygan Catholic. It was a thrill in my career to work with everybody else. There were a couple state champs individually. In football, Joe Poirier kicked the longest field goal until his record was broken by a 43-yard field goal against Alcona.

Q: You had children who were Cheboygan Catholic athletes. What was it like working with your own kids during those years?  

Watson: There were three, Tom, Charlie and John. It was very easy (to work with them as a coach). They were all anxious to play. They weren’t outstanding athletes, but they were good kids.

Q: Who were some of the greatest athletes that you were fortunate enough to coach?  

Watson: Looking at basketball, one would be Chris Lindsay. Joe Antkoviak in basketball. Dave Fought in basketball, definitely. Larry Bucallis in football, very good football player. In baseball, we just had some outstanding athletes. Dave Elliott, Marty Stempky in baseball. Tim Munsca was good. Rick Swiderek was good. All kinds of Scheeles and they were all good. (Louis) Fournier was obviously outstanding. A bunch of Stempkys were really good.

Q: When Cheboygan Catholic closed in 1986, how difficult was that for you, your family and anybody who was involved with the school?  

Watson: Very difficult. Thinking about the future, there were not many kids in the school. There were 53 kids in the school when it closed in 1986, and John was one of them. It was tough, but I knew it was going (to close) because there were just no kids to go to the school anymore. Fifty-three or 54 guys is not many for a high school. When we made the playoffs in football, we were one of the smallest schools in the state to do that. We lost our first game to Crystal Falls Forest Park.

Q: Some have said you're a sports junkie. What teams have you enjoyed watching over the years?

Watson: (University of) Michigan. Hockey is also really big. I had two grandkids who both played goalie. Nick Watson, who’s Charlie’s son. He was on the (Cheboygan High School) team that won the (2011-2012 MHSAA Division 3) regional title, and John had an outstanding goalie whose name was Max, and they made it to the semifinals and got beat by Brighton about 10 years ago. He lives downstate in Farmington Hills. My kids are spread out all over the country, Florida, California, South Dakota, everywhere. But yes, I like Michigan, I like the Red Wings, and I like all the Detroit sports teams. The Lions. Sometimes I’ll stay up late at night to watch – too late.

Q: Was there a favorite team at Cheboygan Catholic?

Watson: These guys right here (the 1953 Cheboygan Catholic district championship boys basketball team). Going back a few years, I had a brother-in-law in the middle (1950s) who made it to the regional finals and got beat by (Maple City) Glen Lake, and Glen Lake won the next two state championships.

Q: What do you miss the most about coaching?  

Watson: It always goes back to the kids. The boys, especially. I enjoyed coaching the girls. We had some pretty good teams when I coached. We first started girls basketball at Cheboygan Catholic in 1973, but I coached later on.

Q: Do you still keep up with athletics in Cheboygan and in the area?  

Watson: I keep up with it, but not watching. I read sports; I have tons of books all over the place.

Q: What’s the biggest thing you learned from coaching that still holds true today?  

Watson: That’s a good question. Every year there were four or five boys that were really close to each other, and I think I got it out of them when I coached. Sometimes you could get closer talking to the assistant coach because you felt a little more at ease talking to him if you had a problem or things weren’t going well, as opposed to approaching the head coach. If you went to me, you could talk to me on the side. It would only go that far if you wanted it, so I was there if people weren’t comfortable talking to Leo. I think the biggest inspiration I had was Don McKinzie. We got along really well.

Q: What did winning that 1953 district basketball title mean to you?  

Watson: I knew all of (my teammates) because they were all scattered all over the streets. They were my neighbors, most of them. It was almost like a neighborhood team.

This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Behind the scenes: A Q&A with Cheboygan Catholic sports figure Gee Watson