Local hero
“Guess who died?”
The obits page jolted me this week with a dose of mortality. My first sports hero died. You’ve probably never heard of him, although a fair number of Oklahomans are familiar with the exploits of Evard Humphrey.
Evard was a stock car driver who won championships at Oklahoma City’s State Fair Speedway in 1964 and 1966. My father — a preacher, shade tree mechanic and auto racing enthusiast — began taking me to the races at the fairgrounds in 1967 after our family moved to Oklahoma. Daddy liked Evard, so naturally he also was my favorite driver.
I rooted for Evard every Friday night as long as he continued to race, first in his “sonic blue” car, and later in his “black magic” ride — both carrying his trademark No. 12.
Although I never shook his hand, I watched Evard in the pits and during his occasional visits to the stands. I thought he cut a dashing figure in his driving suit, and darned if the photos in The Oklahoman’s archive don’t back up those memories.
On the track, Evard was among the smoothest drivers. He took care of his equipment, was fast without being overly aggressive and generally avoided trouble (although I later learned that in his earlier days he didn’t mind mixing it up).
Like a lot of local kids, I was a big fan of the Dallas Cowboys, Oklahoma Sooners and St. Louis Cardinals, but if you had asked me which of my rooting interests I most wanted to win a championship, I would have nominated Evard.
Evard’s career wound down about the time that my adolescence and my father’s death caused my interest in attending the stock car races to wane.
Forty years after the first race I witnessed, I remain a fan of the sport. But there will never be a driver that I pull harder for than I did Evard Humphrey.
According to his obituary, Evard was 72 and “loved by all” — even some folks who never met him.
Business Writer
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