EAST SPENCER — The legendary Torbush drive that led to the renaming of an East
Spencer street as Torbush Drive in his honor was clearly on display Saturday morning.Carl Torbush, the East Spencer lad who rose
to become the current head coach of the University of North Carolina football team,
grabbed the microphone at “Carl Torbush Day” and would not be denied — any
more than five blockers could have denied him from bringing down a running back during his
college days as an All-American linebacker at Carson-Newman.
Torbush promised to make brief
remarks, but once he got up to speak there were simply too many people to say hello to,
too many people to thank, and too many people with which to reminisce. He talked about
“family, friends and faith” — the three constants in life— for a
spell. Then he got on a roll, spinning yarns and sharing boyhood experiences. And of
course, not a soul minded one bit, despite the heat.
“I am one of the great
reminiscers,” admitted Torbush, who quickly went about proving his point.
It was a profoundly pro-Torbush
crowd — family and friends and people from the old neighborhood, with a generous
sprinkling of UNC boosters thrown in.
Ronnie Smith, of the Educational
Foundation, actually led cheers for Torbush without the benefit of pom-pons.
“Let’s make it sound
like it’s Kenan Stadium next Saturday (when Torbush’s Tar Heels host
Virginia),” yelped Smith with impressive enthusiasm. “Give me a C, give me an A,
give me an R, give me an L. What do you got? CARL!!! That’s CARL, the greatest fellow
around!”
A crowd of 150 or so that had come
to see East Spencer’s most famous former citizen, responded eagerly to Smith’s
entreaties.
Not to be outdone, Cheerwine
executive Mark Ritchie, Smith’s chief rival for No.1 Rowan County Tar Heel honors,
rammed in his two cents worth.
He produced some Cheerwine,
Torbush’s beverage of choice, for the coach, and offered: “This is for the No. 1
Tar Heel who is Cheerwine’s No. 1 fan from the No. 1 at Cheerwine who is the No. 1
Tar Heel fan.”
In addition to Cheerwine, Torbush
received a key to the city of East Spencer, a clock “so he could get to practice on
time,” T-shirts from Richard’s Bar-B-Que (his favorite eatery), Food Lion gift
certificates for Salisbury steaks, a desk from the old East Spencer schoolhouse and
armloads of plaques, T-shirts and caps, all with “East Spencer, N.C.”
prominently displayed.
Torbush examined his haul and
proclaimed: “This stuff is going on the wall of my office. Somethings that on the
wall now might have to come down, but anything with ‘East Spencer’ on it is
going up.”
The crowd bellowed its approval
— because it realized Torbush wasn’t just blowing hot air.
He really does love East Spencer
and is exceedingly proud of his roots, even though he had to leave town at age 11 when his
late father, a railroad man, took a job in Knoxville, Tenn.
Torbush told a story about the
time he first arrived in Chapel Hill as an assistant coach for Mack Brown. The press asked
where he was from and believing that no one would have any clue where East Spencer was, he
told them his origins were in Salisbury.
His response made it into print,
and it wasn’t long before Torbush was getting mail from outraged old buddies.
“Nasty letters,” said a
grinning Torbush. “At least five of them.”
The one that really hit home was
from old pal Charles Love, who’s now the football coach at North Iredell High. Love
told him that if he was going to say he was from Salisbury, he might as well go all the
way and just go ahead and tell people he was from Knoxville.
Love made his point. And from that
time forward, Torbush became an ambassador for East Spencer, and claimed the town every
chance he got.
“I decided right then and
there that people might not know where East Spencer was right now, but by the time I was
gone from Chapel Hill, the whole world would know about it,” Torbush said.
Torbush is a sentimentalist.
Anytime he drives this way on 1-85 he takes the East Spencer exit (“And I sure am
proud that we have an exit”). Partly to drink the Cheerwine and eat the barbecue, but
mostly just to drive up and down those streets he walked as a kid.
He takes in Spencer’s 8th
Street Ballpark where he played Little League ball (he was also an All-American player in
that sport at Carson-Newman), the fields and creeks where he roamed, the houses and the
schools. Most of all, he checks out the railroad tracks that were his father’s life
and put food on the Torbush table.
“My childhood memories of
East Spencer are stronger than any adult memories I have,” said Torbush, who credited
the town with providing the moral, educational and athletic backgrounds that helped him
succeed.
“I can only remember one
phone number I had in my life — ME6-4382. That was my phone number in East
Spencer,” he said.
And though it’s been 36 years
since he moved away, the 47-year-old Torbush can still spout off his old East Spencer
street address. “512 Heilig Street,” he recites, as the crowd whoops.
Saturday, of course, Heilig Street
officially became Torbush Drive.
There was a bit of opposition to
the re-naming of the street. Torbush wasn’t at all upset about that. He says he
understands the fuss.
“First I heard about them
changing the street name, I thought they were pulling my leg,” he said.
“I’m not sure I deserve something like this. It’s truly humbling.”
Torbush was being sincere.
He’s still down to earth. He proved it by patiently signing autographs for all who
requested one and by providing Tar Heel trinkets for the masses. And he proved it again
when he was genuinely touched to receive a North Rowan High football jersey (“the one
he would have worn if he hadn’t moved away”) courtesy of Cavaliers coach Roger
Secreast.
Before the celebration moved on to
Royal Giants Park, Torbush brought the assemblage to cheers and tears one last time.
“I can take it when 60,000
people jump on my tail at KenanStadium,” Torbush said. “But I don’t want
East Spencer to ever be mad at me. I thank you for what you’ve done for me, I promise
that I’ll never forget you, and I promise I’ll never embarrass you. East Spencer
will always be an important part of my life.”
A few seconds later, a train
whistle blew.
Maybe someone knew Carl Torbush
had come home. |
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