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Longtime Ernest Ward High School Coach Inducted Into Hall Of Fame
November 29, 2008
A former longtime North Escambia coach was recently inducted into the Atmore Area Hall of Fame.
Better known as Coach Latham, Joe Latham dedicated his life to sports, making his mark in in his 27 years at Ernest Ward High School. He coached basketball, tennis, baseball and football.
Coach Latham graduated from high school in Maplesville, Ala. in 1939. After serving in World War II, he graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1948. He was picked up by the Los Angeles Rams, then went to Detroit as a single-wing fullback before beginning his coaching career.
Coach Latham coached all sports but his favorites were football and baseball. He coached at Walnut Hill, Pass Christian, Miss.; Franklinton, La.; Orville, Ala.; and Wildwood, Fla. He dedicated 36 years of service to young people – 27 years at Walnut Hill. Coach Latham returned to Walnut Hill in 1960 after coaching in south Florida for two years.
He received a number of honors during his career.
He was named Coach of the Year for the Escambia River Conference in 1961, 1964, 1965, and 1971.
In 1965, Coach Latham was inducted into the University of Southern Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, having played fullback there in the 1940s. He was assistant coach for the North All-Star Football Team in 1965.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame at his alma mater in Maplesville, Ala.
To honor Coach Latham for his dedication, the Ernest Ward High School stadium was named for him in the 1980’s.
Article and photos courtesy Atmore News.
Pictured top: Coach Joe Latham. Pictured below: Members of the Latham family on hand for the Hall of Fame ceremony were (L-R front) Suzanne Rodgers, Kathryn Rodgers, Laura Latham, Mary Hunter Latham; (L-R middle) Cynthia Rodgers, Evelyn Latham, Carolyn Loggins, Jay Russell, Gary Loggins; (L-R back) Mark Rodgers, Leigh Ann Russell, Joe Latham Jr., Susan Latham. Submitted photos by Atmore News for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
6 Responses to “Longtime Ernest Ward High School Coach Inducted Into Hall Of Fame”
I have been cleaning out a family estate on Staten Island in NY and came across some letters from a Joseph Franklin Latham written to our Fetteroll relative. It sounds like they may have met after Robert retired and the family spent their winters in Florida. Did he serve on the USS Maryland out of CA? Knowing that ship was part of the Pearl Harbor attack made me want to find out if this particular J Franklin Latham survived the war.
Thank you,
Jan
I played under Coach Latham and Coach Hoffman. I will always look back upon those days with pleasure. He was a rugged man with a huge heart and knew the secret to makin a great hush puppy.
i’m doing a newspaper article on this.
he seems like a well known athlete coach!
Coach Latham was such a GREAT man! He not only was a great coach but also a family friend. “Papa Joe” meant a lot to my family, especially my father John Henry Vaughan. My favorite memory of him is going to his house in Atmore to visit with him and his wife. They had a collection of Dr. Suess books that I would sit and read everytime I went. I am now a teacher and every year I make sure to pass on that love of books through Dr. Suess. Thank you for doing this for his family, they are a GREAT bunch of people.
GOOD JOB.
I WENT THERE LAST YEAR!!!
BUT IT IS A MIDDLE SCHOOL NOW!!
Thank you for this very nice editorial about daddy. I really appreciate all you do for the community.