West Lincoln’s old gymnasium, affectionately known as theGrizzly Den, will be demolished to make room for a new addition tothe school. Progress will wipe away the physical structure but notthe untold number of precious memories produced in the 55-year-oldbuilding.

“That’s a lot of history fixing to go down. A lot of sweetmemories,” said Jack Case, a retired teacher and coach at WestLincoln.

West Lincoln principal Jason Case has many fond memories of theold gym. In 1982, he played his final home game in the Grizzly Den.He would lead the Bears to a second consecutive Class 1A StateTournament championship a few weeks later in Jackson’s MississippiColiseum.

His father, Jack Case, coached the Bears during those gloryyears. Jason Case later coached the Bears himself for 10 yearsafter graduating from Delta State University.

“This gym has a lot of good memories for me,” said Jason. “Ilearned a lot of lessons about life in here.”

His grandfather, the late Emile Case, built a wooden, foulindicator box which was used for years. It hung on the walldirectly below the old scoreboard which featured an 8-minute clockface, complete with minute and second hands.

An all-state guard, Case remembered the heights of the goals.”The goal on the west end was 9-10 and the other goal was9-11.”

Although the the playing surface was short in length, it wasclose to regulation width. In later years, a 3-point shooting linewas installed. In the corners, there were nearly four feet betweenthe arc and the sideline.

It was the mid 1970s when seventh and eighth grade students inthe four Lincoln County schools were bused daily to Eva HarrisSchool. Case, then 12 years old, said he remembered getting off thebus at West Lincoln one afternoon and making his usual run to thegymnasium where varsity basketball practice already was underway.

“I remember running over to the gym to see my daddy and theplayers practice,” Case said. “The players were running laps aroundthe edge of the floor. There was a wet path (caused by sweat) wherethey were running.”

Case said the players were running 98 laps. “My daddy had juststarted coaching at West Lincoln. Enterprise had beat them 98-46the night before.

“Daddy said, ‘They’re going to run 98 because (Enterprise)scored 98 on us.’ I think West Lincoln played Enterprise three moretimes that year and we beat them every time.”

Visitors often referred to the facility as “a big barn.” Largewooden beams supported the interior of the wood-frame building.When a capacity crowd packed the gym, some students would sit onthe rafters to get a better view.

Coach Jack Case came to West Lincoln from Loyd Star in 1977 tocoach the Bears. He has been retired from West Lincoln for threeyears. The new gymnasium was named in his honor three years ago.West Lincoln began playing games in its new gym in the 1982-83season. The Bears captured back-to-back state titles in1981-82.

According to Coach Case, the gym is about 57 years old. “Fromwhat I understand, I found out it was built around 1945.”

Another historian believes the gym was built in 1947-48, makingit 55 years old.

As a standout prep star at Bogue Chitto, Case often played inthe old gymnasium. There was no room on the sidelines.

“When you played Brookhaven, people would say they (fans) werehanging from the rafters,” said Case. “You can’t seat too manyhundred in that gym.”

Standing-room-only crowds often stood on the corners and sidesof the playing surface. “A lot of times with the big crowd, therewould be no corners.”

There were five rows of bleachers on each side of the floor.Beneath the bleachers were cramped dressing rooms.

“All of those victories were sweet. Our kids always believedthat when we got them in our little gym, we could whip them.”

As a coach, Case was using that gym when the Bears wonback-to-back state championships.

According to Case, his teams had a psychological advantage overthe visitors. “It was a mind thing, too. It was compact with thebleachers right on top of you. You could reach out and touch theplayers.”

Case had the opportunity to coach his three children during hiscareer; his daughter Stephanie, and sons, Jason and Kelly. “Iplayed there and my kids played there.”

The West Lincoln Booster Club was formed in the early 1970s andbecame an active force in preserving and improving the school. Oneof the first priorities was to build an addition on the front ofthe aging gymnasium. The first Fleahop Festival, featuring singingand musical groups from the area, served as a fund raiser in theold gym.

In 1972-73, the new front of the gym was added. It included twoclassrooms and concession stand, plus two restrooms. A new roof anda new playing floor also were part of the construction project.

The old, wooden floor, complete with soft spots and saggingbeams, was replaced with a concrete slab. A new, rubberized playingsurface was one of the first in southwest Mississippi. Naturally,it was green in color.

The addition also helped insulate the gym, shielding the playersand fans from the cold, winter wind which whistled underneath thetwo sets of double doors on the east end of the playing floor.

“Most of the time when the crowd was in there, the gym wouldwarm up,” said Case. “Gas heaters sat right on the bleachers backin the 1960s. I know OSHA wouldn’t have approved of that.”

Robert Smith, a teacher at West Lincoln, recalled his playingdays in the old gym. “We would come down here after school topractice. I don’t think there was a heater in the dressing room.Your practice clothes would still be damp from the day before.” Heshuddered. “They felt awful.”

This scribe recalls a district basketball tournament when theLoyd Star girls were undefeated in 32 games and an apparent lock onmaking the state tournament. Bogue Chitto, an ancient rival, upsetthe Lady Hornets in the opening round.

In the early 1970s, West Lincoln hosted an annual girlstournament in late October. South Pike coaching legend DutchNichols brought his Eaglettes to the Grizzly Den for severaltournaments. His girls even performed a pregame dribbling andpassing routine similar to the Harlem Globetrotters.

West Lincoln was recognized for its strong basketball teams. In1957, Pauline Britt coached the Lady Bears to the Overall StateTournament championship, beating Forest Hill in the finals.

West Lincoln teacher Becky Wallace Smith and her sister, PatCase, played basketball for the Lady Bears during the 6-player daysof the early 70s. It was a half-court game, with 3 players strictlyon defense and 3 on offense.

Fannie Lee Lewis, a retired teacher, recalled some of the earlydays at West Lincoln and shared them with Smith. She remembers whena concession stand was located behind the wall on the west end ofthe gymnasium.

Popcorn, soft drinks, hamburgers and hotdogs were available.There was a long counter/soda fountain style area, complete withstools with rotating seats.

Lewis recalled a malted milk machine which provided a popularrefreshment for the fans. “I remember one night when they sold 100milk shakes.”

Velesta Smith, another former player, remembers when WestLincoln had wooden backboards. “We had all kinds of cake sales sowe could purchase glass backboards.”

Smith is married to Gwyn Young, another West Lincoln graduatewho currently serves as athletic director and women’s basketballcoach at Copiah-Lincoln Community College. Sometime in the late1960s, Young publicly proclaimed his love for his future wife,scrawling G.Y. + V.S. on one of the large horizontal wooden beamswhich support the rafters. They’ve been married 29 years.