Phillip “Butch” Newport
Year of Induction: 1992 | Categories: Baseball, Basketball, Football, Individual
A former three-sports star at Salem Community High School, whose athletic career has wound from high school and college, and has culminated with 30 years in the teaching and coaching field, Phillip “Butch” Newport was inducted into the Salem High School Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.
Newport, a 1953 SCHS graduate, is a teacher and coach at Hollis Grade School at Bartonville. In 1989 his team placed fourth in the state in the Class A Division and he was named Division 4 Coach of the year.
An outstanding running back in high school, he led the 1952 Wildcats to a 7-1-1 record, carrying the ball 133 times for 614 yards and nine touchdowns. He had two 100-plus yard games his senior year against Olney and Benton. Newport was selected to the all-conference team that year as Salem won the North Egypt Conference title with a 5-0-1 record. In basketball, his senior year, Newport was the leading scorer with 390 points and a .431 goal shooting percentage. Co-captain that year, he was also named to the NEC second team.
An outstanding baseball player, playing the outfield, he was the team’s leading hitter. He also pitched a 3-2 win over Clay City. The Wildcats won the regional baseball championship in 1952.
After graduation, Newport received a baseball and basketball scholarship from Chipola Junior College in Marianna, Florida, and received honorable mention in baseball for North Florida. He received a baseball and football scholarship from Texas A&M at College Station, Texas, and played football under the legendary coach, Paul “Bear” Bryant. He was named Southwest Conference Baseball Player of the Week in 1956.
Newport graduated from North Central College at Naperville in 1957, began his teaching and coaching career in 1962 in Normal and taught and coached at Washington Junior High in Pekin for two years before starting his 25-year career at Hollis Grade School in Bartonville. He received his Master’s degree from Illinois State University in 1976.
In 1990, his seventh grade basketball team reached the Elite Eight in state tournament play as did his eighth grade baseball team.
December 24th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
Butch and I were roommates at Chipola Junior College 1953-55 and Texas A & M during the 1955-56 year. He did not return for his senior year and I graduated from A & M August, 1957. I played the 3rd base and Butch centerfield at A & M. We lost touch. Thanks for this web site. Maybe we can reestablish contact.
Congrats to Butch for a great teaching and coaching career!!!