General 9/29/2022 7:55:00 AM

Where Are They Now? - Clyde Whitworth (Men's Basketball)

Clyde Whitworth was shooting guard on the basketball team for Lipscomb University. He was a member of the team that traveled down the boulevard Jan. 13, 1972 to end an eight-game losing streak to archrival Belmont with an 88-86 win on its home court. He spent some time this week talking with Lipscombsports.com.

Name and sport played:

Clyde Whitworth. Basketball.

What years did you compete for Lipscomb, and who coached you?

I played from 1971 through 1974. The coach my freshman year was Mike Clark. The rest of the time, it was Charles Strasburger.

What teammates were most memorable, and why?

I have good memories of many of my teammates there. But if I narrow it down it would be Cooper Wood, John Buford and Bobby Ferrell. Cooper, John and I were like the "Three Musketeers". We were pretty tight. Bobby was my age. I was younger than John and Cooper. They were all great guys.

John Buford was from Alabama. I am from Alabama. I knew of him in high school. John and I were both sort of shy. Cooper took us under his wings. A great friendship was born there. Bobby and I were great teammates, friends and sort of competitors. He was a point guard and I was a shooting guard. We were always pushing each other.

What degree have you earned, from where, and when?

I have a B.S. degree in accounting from Lipscomb University in 1975.

Why did you attend Lipscomb?

One reason was I wanted to play basketball. I had been hurt my senior year in high school. The only offers I got were from smaller schools.

The other part is my mother's (Willie Metta) family were generations of Church of Christ members including preachers. My mother told me if I was going to a small school I needed to go to Lipscomb.

The third thing, and maybe the most important, was finding a great wife.

What is your favorite athletic memory at Lipscomb?

A couple of things come to mind. As a sophomore, I had a big night against the University of the South. I had 27 points and 10 rebounds. What made it special was one of my high school teammates played for Sewanee.

When I was a freshman, I was the sixth man most of the year. I wound up starting near the end of the year.

We had this awesome player, Bruce Bowers. We were playing Florence State, which is now the University of North Alabama. They recruited me. I have joked for years that Bruce Bowers and I combined for 61 points against Florence State. Of course. Bruce had 51 and I had 10.

The next week he scored 51 against Athens State. I had 12. I loved Bruce. I was the sixth man until he got hurt near the end of the year.

Who influenced your athletic career at Lipscomb?

I know it sounds like a broken record but I would have to say Cooper Wood. He is the one who kept all of us engaged. Cooper had us playing in several basketball leagues. John Trotwood Moore had a league. There were city leagues. He would have John Buford and me play with him in three-on-three tournaments.

I told Cooper if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have done any of that. Cooper kept us going. That influenced me quite a bit.

My freshman year there were two guys who were awesome to me. I don't know why. One of them was Bruce Bowers. The other was Roy Pate. They both mentored me my freshman year.

What do you remember about Lipscomb campus life during your time here?

The thing I remember the most is meeting and dating my wife, Jane Holt. The big thing for me was dating Jane. We got married after my sophomore year. After that, it was all about basketball and getting my accounting degree.

I lived in the dorm for two years. The seventh floor of High Rise was the athletic floor back then. That was just wild and crazy. There were always things going on there.

What is are the most valuable lessons you learned in your time at Lipscomb?

The value of hard work and the value of my degree. Getting out of school and looking back years later the professors in the business department were greater than most big universities, much less a small school like Lipscomb, would have.

Who were your favorite professors and why?

Dr. Axel Swang was the head of the department then. He was just an impressive guy. He was somebody, but was still very personable to us.

Charles Frasier was great. Intermediate accounting was so hard for me. We were traveling by car to most of the basketball games and we might take a day longer to get back on campus. I would come to Mr. Frasier's office and tell him I had been gone for three days and I was trying to read on the road. I made an 80 on a test instead of a 90. He just looked at me with that little smile and said, 'Clyde, ten years from now it won't make a bit of difference.'

Hal Wilson taught statistics and advanced accounting. He was a super sharp guy. He had a bunch of country music people as clients. When we would be frustrated over something in statistics he would say, `you just have to write one hit song and you will have it made.' He was a character.

Barry Dean was younger than me. We ended up being big buddies. He became a partner in a firm with Charles Frasier. I would like to think I helped influence Barry to be an accountant, but I don't know if I did.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Madison, Alabama, but went to Decatur High School.

Where do you live, and what do you do now?

I live in Athens, Georgia. It is a great place to live. I am the chief impact officer for Family Promise of Athens. It is a non-profit. We help house homeless families. It is a great work. I was sort of semi-retired. I knew people on the board and I was familiar with it. They sort of talked me into it. I really enjoy it.

I was the CFO for a big real estate company in Atlanta out of college. I went into the full-time ministry preaching at churches in Atlanta and New York City for 15 years.

I got out of the ministry when my son, Spencer, was diagnosed with brain cancer at the age of 30. He lived another seven years before the cancer came back. The ministry is 24-hours a day customer service and we wanted to have time to spend with my son and his wife.

I became a commercial lender for BB&T and then PNC banks. I was doing consulting work before I started with Family Promise.

Tell us about your family:

I married Jane in 1973. We lived in "the ghetto" for two years. John Buford and his wife and Cooper Wood and his wife lived over there as well. We had quite a time.

Our oldest daughter is Camille. Our youngest daughter is Genevieve.

FAST FINISH:

Favorite food: Anything on the grill
Favorite TV show or movie: Man on Fire
Favorite Bible scripture: Philippians 4:13
Favorite sports team: Alabama football
Pet peeve: Mean people
Person I most admire: My mom because she basically raised four of us on our own. She was an awesome woman. My wife is a great mother and great grandmother. We have been through a lot. She is tough. I would have to say Spenser. He made a valiant fight against cancer while remaining faithful to God through all of that.
Person I'd most like to meet: Jesus
Rather ride or drive? Drive
Pick one – salad or dessert: Salad
Dream vacation spot: Anywhere with my wife
Early morning or late-night person? Definitely late night

If you wish to contact Clyde, he can be reached at the email below:
Email address: Cwhitworth01@gmail.com

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