Wallace Celebrates Coach Oppert, New Chapter in Sports

Matt Boster

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Posted by: Matt Boster
Date: Aug 05 2020 9:18 AM

Dothan, Ala. – With the ceremonial swing of a team of shovels, Wallace Community College-Dothan (WCC) took the first step to building the future of Wallace athletics – the Coach Johnny Oppert Athletic Development Facility. The groundbreaking celebration was held Thursday, July 30.

 

Oppert is a Wiregrass sports legend who, in 1965, became WCC’s first athletic director and coach. He led the very first baseball team at Wallace and has achieved many accolades since.

Perhaps his greatest accomplishment is the guidance he provided to students. Over the years, Coach Oppert’s influence on his players grew beyond baseball. As he observed from the front row, friends and former players gathered to celebrate the well-deserved recognition.

 

“He was a father figure and mentor to countless athletes throughout the state and the region,” said Wallace President Dr. Linda C. Young. “His influence on sports at Wallace is known to many.  He taught his players not only how to win in sports, but also how to succeed in life. On day one, when coach Johnny Oppert came to Wallace, his commitment was on student success. I can’t tell you how proud we are that this facility will be name in his honor.”

 

Oppert worked hard for his own success before becoming a coach. After college and a four-year stint playing with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, he returned home to coach at Wicksburg High School, eventually signing on as athletic director and head basketball coach at Wallace. The baseball team was added to his duties the next year.

 

Oppert’s achievements are many, including induction into four halls of fame: 1991 Alabama Community College Conference Hall of Fame, 2001 Wiregrass Sports Hall of Fame, 2010 Samford University Baseball Hall of Fame, and the 2020 Houston Academy Hall of Fame. The 2019 Hoops Tournament was played in his honor. They even named the Dothan Civic Center basketball court for him.

The first few years of Wallace baseball were a test. Training players and sharing the field with a few livestock were just a few of the challenges. But the gritty Govs overcame all of these distractions and won a loyal following. In 2016, they were honored at Wallace on the fiftieth anniversary of the team.

 

David Money, Henry County Probate Judge and Commission Chair and a member of the first Govs team, also had the distinction of hitting the first homerun for the organization. The circumstances of the play have become baseball lore among the players. They were a tight bunch, coming from different circumstances, and Oppert developed them into a team.

Money met Oppert through a relative who brought his best friend (Oppert) home from college for the weekend.  A few years later, they met again – and Wallace baseball was their connection. 

“I couldn’t afford to go to college. My uncle called and said I was going to go to a junior college in Dothan and play baseball. Tuition was $75 a quarter in 1966.” A few days later, Johnny Oppert called Money about the opportunity. “Now I was going to College and baseball was the reason. The only difference was I had to call him Coach, not Johnny. It was Coach Oppert that made me stay in college.”

 

Kelly Colbert, president of Covenant Steel, a friend of the Opperts and a WCC alum, spoke for the Oppert family. “When I met Johnny, I was an eighteen-year-old searching for something in my life.” Colbert remarked on Oppert’s leadership in how he leads his life. “He changed my life forever.”

 

Colbert advised baseball coach Mackey Sasser and softball coach David Russo on their relationship with their players. “Coach Oppert took time for me. Invest in your players.”

 

Sasser, who has coached the Govs to 730 victories, played under Oppert from 1981-1983. He learned about being a leader from Coach as well. “We have to teach our kids the right way, to make them better people and successful adults. This will help them with recruiting and improve their skills and maybe get them to a four-year school and finish their education,” he said.

The Coach Johnny Oppert Athletic Development Facility will have three batting cages and three pitching mounds for baseball and softball. The space is an extended environment to develop athletic skills, in any weather. The facility is flexible and can be rearranged to accommodate training.

 

“It’s a great recruiting tool, especially for local players. Out of all the things we do as coaches, our players being successful in life is the most important,” Sasser remarked. At Wallace, baseball and softball can teach many skills, on and off the field.

 

Oppert coached at WCC-Dothan for 27 years, and continues to support athletics in the area. The Facility will be a tribute to his dedicated support of his players.

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