A wall honoring Ceredo-Kenova state champions is being erected at Ward-Craycraft Stadium. It features elements from Ceredo Elementary, C-K Middle School and C-K High School.
A wall honoring Ceredo-Kenova state champions is being erected at Ward-Craycraft Stadium. It features elements from Ceredo Elementary, C-K Middle School and C-K High School.
The cover of ƵCoach Carl Ward: A WonderƵs LegacyƵ by Rick Chaffin is shown.
Submitted photo
A wall honoring Ceredo-Kenova state champions is being erected at Ward-Craycraft Stadium. It features elements from Ceredo Elementary, C-K Middle School and C-K High School.
Submitted photo
A wall honoring Ceredo-Kenova state champions is being erected at Ward-Craycraft Stadium. It features elements from Ceredo Elementary, C-K Middle School and C-K High School.
KENOVA Ƶ Capturing coach Carl WardƵs life in writing would require volumes that would fill a library.
Rick Chaffin, a former player and assistant for the legendary Ceredo-Kenova multi-sport coach, not only wrote a book, he and several others in the C-K community are building a wall at Ward-Craycraft Stadium in honor of Ward.
Chaffin wrote ƵCoach Carl Ward. A WonderƵs Legacy.Ƶ The book details the WondersƵ 10 football state championships, two boys basketball state titles and one track crown.
Ward teamed with top assistant the late Dale Craycraft for 243 football victories in 28 years. What those two did to develop boys to men, however, is what Chaffin wanted to capture in his writing.
ƵHeƵs 91 year old and not in the best of health and I wanted to do something as a tribute to him,Ƶ Chaffin said of Ward. ƵCoach Barry Scragg pushed me to do it. I told him I couldnƵt because there were so many gaps, but he told me I could do it, that I had talked with coach Ward enough to fill in the gaps.Ƶ
Chaffin joined Ric Griffith at the construction site of the 30-foot by 16 1/2-foot wall three weeks ago. The wall features pieces from Ceredo Elementary School that burned down in 1957 and C-K Middle School that was torn down several years ago, along with the cornerstone set at C-K High School in 1921.
On the backside of the wall will be a mural 12 feet tall and 28 feet long commemorating the state championships. On the front will be several unique items from the elementary, middle and high schools.
ƵWe saved all these pieces and are putting them together,Ƶ Chaffin said ƵWe saved bricks from the grade school and the middle school and are incorporating them in. We took the shield from Kenova grade school and it weighs 900 pounds. We took the scrolls that were there and are incorporating them.Ƶ
At the top of the wall will be ƵWard-Craycraft StadiumƵ and the bricks at the other end will form ƵCeredo-Kenova Elementary, from which will be a piece of sandstone from Ceredo Elementary in 1911. A flowerbed will be out front.
ƵItƵs a tribute to coach Ward, but to also all the players and coaches,Ƶ Chaffin said. ƵPeople like my grandson and youth leaguers are going to see that right along the highway and ask what it is and people can tell them not just about their teams but what kind of men they were and what they meant to the community.Ƶ
Chaffin stressed the importance of CraycraftƵs inclusion.
ƵWhen you think of coach Ward, you think of coach Craycraft, who died in 2002,Ƶ Chaffin said. ƵThey are intertwined.Ƶ
Chaffin said he appreciates the support of the community in the project.
ƵThe mayors of both Ceredo and Kenova have been involved from day one and have given us manpower at times as well as equipment,Ƶ Chaffin said. ƵSeveral individuals have donated money including players from several state championship teams who are giving back to the community the same as everyone else. The brick work has been quite expensive Ƶ we hired that part out Ƶ and the materials needed to build the Memorial were quite expensive as well. Luckily, we have very generous graduates of C-K High School.Ƶ
Proceeds from the book help fund the project. They are available for at least a $20 donation at Griffith & Feil Drug in Kenova, C-K Florist, the City of Kenova Municipal Building, and the Town of Ceredo ClerkƵs office.
