Galen Neal marks 60 years at high school scorers' table

For part of the past seven decades, Galen Neal has been a mainstay of Highland County basketball from the scorers' table, and he hasn't lost his zeal for the game or the community.

Neal, who scored his first game in 1954, his senior year of high school at Sinking Spring, recently marked 60 years since scoring his very first game.

Scoring basketball games for Neal began with his father being injured his senior year of high school, followed by a conversation with then-Sinking Spring head coach Glenn Armstrong.

"I told Coach Armstrong I was going to turn in my uniform because I couldn't make practice," Neal said. "He then asked me 'How about keeping score?'

"I told him 'I don't know how,' and he said 'sit down.' He showed me, and I've been doing it ever since."

Looking back at the first year he kept score, Neal mentioned there were no "official" scorers, but they did have a person from each team sit at the scorers' table and keep score.

"As long as the scorebooks matched, they didn't care," Neal said with his trademark smile. "I was a nervous wreck that first time I kept score … a nervous wreck. I was 17 years old."

Since 1964, Neal has been the scorekeeper of the Hillsboro Indians, missing just five games in that span.

"I started in Hillsboro in 1964 because Lynn (his wife) found out they needed someone to do the scorebook, and she told them I knew how," he said. "It was definitely different the first time I kept score for Hillsboro and not Sinking Spring.

"I didn't know anybody. George Williams was the athletic director, I believe, and after a few games, he said I needed a striped shirt. So he gave me a striped shirt, and I've still got it …. that's been a long, long time ago."

Asked about all that he's seen since the mid-1950s, Neal didn't hesitate when he said, "A lot has changed."

One of those changes was the process with the jump ball.

"When there was a jump ball, they jumped to start the game and had a jump ball to start each quarter," Neal said. "Anytime there was a tie-up, they would jump then too in either the key way or in the center … wherever they were at.

"And there were no 3-pointers when I first started, or a 10-second line, nothing like that. When they stopped with all the jump balls and started with the possession arrow, it made the game faster."

As for the 3-pointers, Neal said it has changed the scoring of the game.

"There were good players back years ago, before they started having official three pointers, who shot from that distance but only got two points for it," Neal said. "Those guys would have a lot higher scoring now than what they had back then."

Keeping score of the game is more than just showing up with a pencil or pen and writing down some numbers. Neal has seen thousands of games, driven even more miles and has done so for one single reason: enjoyment.

"I just enjoy it," Neal said. "I've seen a lot of referees, coaches, ball players and scorekeepers. Some have been around a long time too. Jesse Mount at Lynchburg-Clay has been doing this longer than I have. Plus, Karen Yeager of Greenfield … I don't know how many years we would have totaled up, and that is just for Highland County.

"Myself and Lynn, we've been to lots of different places and never asked for any mileage … we just go. We enjoy going to the games anyhow. Lynn always goes with me. I think the only games she's ever missed was when my mother had cancer, and she stayed home with her for three or four games."

Since he's been at Hillsboro since the 1964 season, Neal has had the opportunity to see some of the best Hillsboro teams, including a team that went 20-0.

"Joe B. Stewart was the coach the year Hillsboro went 20-0 and the next year went 19-1 … that was fun," he said. "Lots of people followed that team, and you know what, Hillsboro still has a good following. Sam Snyder also had some great teams."

No matter the record of the team, Neal said keeping score for the Indians is simply just "enjoyable," plus he doesn't know what he'd do if he had to sit in the stands.

"If I had to ever sit in the stands, I could yell at the referees," he said with a laugh.

Hillsboro assistant athletic director, teacher and former coach David Hilliard explained how much of an asset Neal is for Hillsboro and how much he means to the school and community.

"Galen is someone that you associate with Hillsboro basketball," said Hilliard. "To me, it is just like expecting to hear Marty Brennaman when I turn on a Reds game on the radio … I expect to hear him. When you go to a Hillsboro basketball game, you expect to see Galen.

"When I was coaching in the boys program, it was always a great relief to know that he would take care of the scorebook and we wouldn't have to worry about finding someone else – just a valuable asset that everyone who coaches really appreciates."

Former Hillsboro superintendent, teacher and coach Rick Earley also spoke highly of Neal.

"Galen is a true professional (at the scorer's table)," said Earley. "If there's a question on stats, fouls, free throws, he'll have the right answer. He's just very good at what he does.

"In addition to his six decades of scoring high school basketball games, Galen and his wife, Lynn, are also supportive of local student-athletes.

"Galen and Lynn care a lot about the kids at Hillsboro and around the county. They travel a lot to support the kids. If there's a wrestling match, they're always among the first people in the stands to support the kids. And if there's a student in need and they find out about it, the need is mysteriously taken care of.

"Hillsboro is very fortunate to have Galen be a part of its high school athletics."

Neal's scorekeeping abilities didn't just stop at Sinking Spring and Hillsboro. In the 1980s, he was the official scorekeeper for the girls state tournament, where there were 12 games in three days.

"That was an experience, because you didn't know know anybody on either team," Neal said. "The very first game, the two teams were red and white, and white and red, and all five players had matching numbers. It was a booger, but at least I had a spotter."

After thinking back, Neal had a bit of a laugh, telling a story about the first game of that tournament, which was held at St. John Arena at Ohio State University.

"Back then, the girls, their uniforms were kind of short-sleeved and the boys had warmups that were short-sleeved like their jerseys. Every once in a while in the boys games, the boys would come up with their warmup jerseys still on and we would say 'Got to take your shirt off,'" Neal said.

"The first girl came up to sub in, and I said 'Got to take your shirt off,' and she says 'WHAT!' and I realized what I said, and I know I turned red as a beet.

"Lynn was sitting behind me and later asked 'What did you say?'"

Being in the game of high school boys varsity basketball, Neal has seen pretty much everything.

"One year, we were at New Vienna – that was before there was an East Clinton – and Hillsboro had a kid who was No. 7, and I had a No. 7 in the book, but the other scorekeeper didn't attach it," Neal said with a sheepish grin on his face. "I would just yell out his name whenever he scored or made a foul."

Here is where the story get interesting, because back then players had home numbers and away numbers with the same color jerseys … the jersey that kid had on that night was his home number, and not his away one.

"At halftime, I told him he had the wrong jersey on, and he switched to the right jersey and we got through the game without a technical," Neal said.

Speaking of technicals … Neal said he received one in his earlier days of keeping books, and it wasn't for having the wrong lineup in the scorebook.

"One year, we were at Belfast and back then, they only had two referees at the time," he said. "Bruce Taylor was the referee, and he'd only been refereeing a couple years. There was an over-and-back, and I told him that was an over-and-back, and he said no, it wasn't.

"I then said something I shouldn't have said to him, and BOOM, he stuck me with a technical. He didn't stutter and he didn't hesitate. Bruce and I were good friends and were until the day he passed away. Bruce was a good man."

Neal has only missed five games since taking over for Hillsboro.

In keeping the book for all the years as he has, Neal also mentioned how he worked with Ed Fawley for 38 years, who ran the clock, and since then, he's sat by Bruce Davis. Even after all these years and working with hundreds of different folks, Neal still looks forward to all the games.

"I absolutely look forward to the games," he said. "I work with good people."

One of Neal's favorite parts of being around high school basketball are the county rivalries, because as he explained, they are all in good fun.

"What I like about playing the county schools now is it is good rivalry," he said. "People in Hillsboro work out in the county, and they'll see someone in Mowrystown or Leesburg and they'll say 'See you at the game tonight,'" he said. "'Who is going to win?' they'll ask. Then they'll answer, probably Mowrystown … bet you a candy bar on it.

"Just stuff like that … it makes it fun. I still like to see that."

Being around many folks in basketball throughout the past 60 years, when asked if he's met a lot of people and made a lot of friends, Neal has three words … "I hope so," as he ended by saying:

"I still don't mind doing it, still enjoy doing it and how long I'll do it … I don't know, whenever they tell me to quit," Neal said as only he can, with a smile and a laugh.