WS Chronicle

Forty years ago, the men’s basketball team from Rutledge College of Winston-Salem (RCWS) captured the Carolina Independent Conference Championship. Recently, a few of the team members came together to celebrate their championship and their head coach Jim Jackson.

Over the last four decades, the team has remained very close and routinely speak on the phone and congregate to check up on one another. The players also hold Coach Jackson in very high regard, due to the love and dedication he showed the players on and off the court.

With Rutledge College being a small business institution, they were not able to offer scholarships, so the players literally played for the love of the game. Due to the lack of scholarships, most of the players had to work while also attending classes and playing basketball. Even so, they were a very formidable team.

The Royals finished the 1983-84 season with a thrilling victory against Rutledge College of Spartanburg, South Carolina, by the score of 61-60. During that time, Rutledge College had nine branches of the two-year business school throughout the Carolinas. Not only did RCWS play the other branches of the school, they also played other local institutions as well and most often held their own.

When the team recently met at a local restaurant to honor Coach Jackson, five of the teammates were able to make it.  They all have different memories from their time together on the team; however, they all shared one thing: their admiration for Coach Jackson.

“We put this together because we wanted him to know that we remember the things that he did for us, we appreciate him, and we really love him,” said Monty Mitchell. “We went through the season, up and down the road, and it was a tough schedule.”

One of the players on the team is also a Winston-Salem legend in his own right. Ben Piggott, who spent decades dedicating his life to helping kids in the Winston-Salem Recreation and Parks Department, was a forward for the Royals and was known as the “intimidator” for RCWS. For those who were fortunate enough to cross paths with Piggott, for him to be known as an intimidator is a shock.  

Piggott was elated to spend time with his old teammates and coach.

“To me today was special because we can’t take anything for granted,” said Piggott. “I saw my teammates that were here, and I saw my coach. It was great to see the championship team together and I feel blessed to be here right now at this time.  I just thank God that we were able to come together and celebrate the 1983-84 championship team.

When it comes to Coach Jackson, Piggott credits Jackson for making a lasting impact on his and his teammates’ lives.

“Coach Jackson was a person that pushed kids to reach their full potential,” Piggott went on to say. “I am the same way when I worked on my jobs. I always told kids to not settle for mediocre, but instead go for the gusto. He pushed us to be our best, not our least, and he put the idea in our minds that we could be somebody. I already knew I was somebody, but now I am a part of something everlasting and I pushed that into other kids.”

Ray Simon added, “Coach Jackson led us to a victory and led us to become a championship team.”

For Jackson, it was sort of a homecoming for him to be around several of his players once again. He says he is thankful to have had the opportunity to positively impact the lives of his players and to see them doing well.

“The best thing about it is seeing how these guys have lived their lives since the time we were together as a team and playing, that was great to this day,” Jackson stated. “Being able to see these guys and what they have done since that time is great. To see where they are now makes me the happiest.”

To honor Jackson, the team presented him with a special ordered varsity jacket with his name on it. The players wanted to express how much Jackson meant to them by having something that he can always remember them by.

The championship team roster for the Rutledge College Royals is: Tracey Mills, Wayne Smith, Monticello Mitchell, Reginald Lampkins, Darrell Smith, Tony Fields, Keith Lighty, Darric White, Ray Simon, Ben Piggott, Kevin Springs, and Kalvin Edward.