My best friend and one of Albemarle's greatest fans passed away today at Stanly Regional. He has been in declining health for many years. I could go on and on about the many great times we had following the bulldogs. I will be back later with a eulogy about my good friend.
Bluebones passes away!!!!
- Thread starter Buddy Rich
- Start date
So sorry to hear this, Buddy. I know you are hurting.
My thoughts and prayers go out to Bluebones family. I remember meeting him back in the early 2000s. I made a surprise visit to the "No Class Pressbox" once and enjoyed talking to those folks.
Buddy ... I can't say how sorry I am to hear this. I know that Bones had been sick for many years. So many memories of the early days of the NC Preps board and bantering back and forth with the number 1 Bluedog fan. A couple of quick stories come to mind. In the early 2000s, some kid on the board got so mad at Bones' snappy comebacks when he'd try to post something negative about the Bluedogs, that he couldn't see straight. He finally challenged Bones to a fight. Bones posted back that "sure, I'll meet you" up on some hill at the end of the some dirt road in Stanly County. It scared the kid so much that we never saw him post again (I wonder if the kid knew that Bones had just gotten out of the hospital and that there was no such road in Stanly County!). Then another story with the great 2001 Albemarle team that featured not only TA McClendon. but kicker Tyler Lewis. Playing at Jordan-Matthews, the Bluedogs were ahead something like 65-3 late in the 4Q. JM stopped the Bluedogs on 3rd down around the 30 yard line toward the end of the game. Instead of running out the clock, Gaster called time out and sent in Tyler Lewis for something like a 45 yard FG in which he split the uprights, further humiliating the JM fans. After the game, all the JM fans were on the board talking about the "no class" that Albemarle had shown. Finally Bones got in on the conversation. A JM poster thought he had "backed" Bones into a corner on the boards. He said, "A classy team doesn't kick a FG with less than a minute to play while leading by 60 points. Why send Lewis in? NO CLASS! Now, what do you have to say, Bluebones?" Bones posted the best "no class" answer I've ever heard with four simple words. "Kid needed the practice!" I almost choked! Bones was a legend. We accused him one time of getting put in the Thomasville jail for peeing on the tires of the T-Ville activity bus. We also blamed you because it was your job to "keep in straight in T-Ville." Of course, there was never anything like the "No Class" club with Bones trying to sell franchises to other school ... and taking the money, going to the beach, and buying expensive Cuban cigars. The Bluedog stands will never be the same. There will always be a "no class" void in the fanbase. Farewell Bones. I don't guess God allows a "No Class" club in Heaven, but I'll bet the founding member is right there looking down on the Dogs ... with a Cuban between his lips ...
Thanks Old Rebel. You just made Bluebones proud with that post. You were always one of his favorites on the board. Man those were the good old days on Preps. Bluebones was one of a kind. Will probably never be another like him. Hope you are doing well.
The board around 2000 had a lot of good folks on it. Bluebones might have enjoyed the "no class" label, but he was in a special class of folks around that high mark for AHS. He was "top shelf".
Thoughts and prayers go out to his family. Sad day in Bulldog Country.
Thoughts and prayers from the WM crew to the family. God Bless.
prayers go out from the Hines family. He will have a a great seat looking down on the Bull Dogs!
Buddy I don't have to tell you what you and Bones meant to me and my family. I always enjoyed our roadtrips to the away games and man did we have a time, I know that lately things had been bad for Bones health wise but he always maintained a good attitude about things. I know hind sight is 20/20 but I wish I had spent more time with him and now he is gone but for sure he will not be forgotten REST IN PEACE BLUEBONES I KNOW YOU ARE NOT SUFFERING NOW
Read his stuff for many years on here and it was always hilarious. Never met him in person, but praying for his family and friends who will miss him. It was said earlier on this thread, but now he'll have a pretty darn good seat to watch his Bulldogs! God Bless
God bless all the friends, family, and loved ones of Mr. Bluebones. He was one of a kind!
Any locals that want to pay their last respects to Bluebones there will be a service at 11:00 sat at Stanly Funeral Home followed by visitation with the family. Just a little history. His real name was James Keever, wife Suzy and had 2 daughters that were deaf at birth. He loved his family and of course the Bulldogs. Just a few memories I would like to share. Never forget our first state championship game in Chapel Hill in 2001. Of course that was the year 0f probably the greatest Albemarle team of all time. After we had dismantled WRH, Bones and I left the stadium and we both lit up a Cuban and enjoyed a smoke of victory. And on the way home we all stopped and had a big steak dinner. What a day. One of the greatest things we shared was seeing the bulldogs play in 5 state championship games and never coming home a loser. Also I remember one sat afternoon we just got out and rode around the piedmont and checked out several high school stadiums. Along with our love of hs football we also shared many other interests. We both loved the Duke Blue Devils, music from the 40's, 50's and 60's, especially beach music, talking politics, a good smoke, an occasional sip of the spirits and of course our families. I will miss my good friend Bluebones terribily, but I will also cherish the many great memories we shared together. RIP my friend.
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Said goodbye to my friend Bluebones this morning. Service was a little different from what I'm used to. As I said earlier his 2 daughters are deaf so everything was done with a sign language person. Even the songs. He was decked out in his Albemarle and Duke attaire. Very fitting. Casket had a Duke blanket drapped over it. At the end of the service as everyone was leaving they were playing "I love Beach Music". Everything was what he requested. As I left I was singing to myself,my favorite song " We'll Meet Again". So long Bones.
So sorry to hear this Buddy. Thoughts and prayers for Bluebones' family and friends. It has been a pleasure reading the banter of the No Class Club all these years.
Bluebones was an NCPrep original, and always enjoyed his comments about his Bluedogs....
My thoughts, prayers and condolences go out to his family and the Albemarle Community!
My thoughts, prayers and condolences go out to his family and the Albemarle Community!
Condolences to BlueBones family and friends and the Albemarle community. he was a classic poster and I enjoyed reading him. Us in the Murphy community know what it feels like to lose a legendary supporter as we lost the most famous Murphy supporter less than 2 years ago. I hope if Albemarle and Murphy ever play again Bluebones and Whitey Scroggs have the best seats high above the field.
I remember the first time I ever saw Bluebones at an Albemarle game. It was when Albemarle was playing Starmount on the road in the playoffs the year before they won their first state championship. I had the pleasure of standing next to the group he was with on the back row of the bleachers. I'm pretty sure you were with him Buddy but I didn't know you at that time either. Back then you could smoke in the stands and I don't remember if Bluebones was smoking a cigar or a pipe but I pretty much watch the entire game through a smoke screen. I remember him being very vocal to say the least and especially vocal when the referees missed the touchdown call late in the game. I asked my good friend Clockman who he was and he told me his name was James Keever and him along with Buddy Rich were two of the biggest bulldog fans around. I later found out how true that was. Bluebones will be missed.
I also found out yesterday that a long time poster on NCPREPS Football Deacon passed away this past February 21st and Im sorry to say I didn't even know it at all but he was a good guy that went to a few Albemarle games in 2014.
Sad to hear this about Bluebones, like some others on this thread, I've remembered seeing that name on this board for the entire time I've been reading and posting, almost 15 years...I met Bluebones and more of the No Class Club at the Albemarle @ Jordan-Matthews game in 2003 mentioned by Old Rebel (actually it was 21-0 at the time and the FG was no good, Alb. ran back opening kickoff and scored on TD on either defense or a punt, offense neutralized by a record number of flags against one team)...After about the 25th offensive holding of the game against Alb., we saw Coach Gaster talking to the white hat and Bluebones said, "UH OH, LOOK, he [Gaster]'s pointing that finger again, I know what means, every time...", then it's not five seconds before another flag flies for unsportsmanlike conduct on the coach, Bluebones says something like, "See, I told you: you see him go to pointing that finger, he's gonna upset somebody", what a run the program had for three years there between the 2001-2003 seasons, threepeating, going 47-1 over the span, with the one loss coming by one point, to a team they would beat two weeks later in the playoffs, outscoring opponents 2416-459, registering shutouts in 20 of those 48 games, and our fallen friend was there for it all, as one of, (if not the) biggest fan(s)
I remember the JM game very well tarheelg. We named it the "Flagfest Bowl". It got so redilicous we all just started laughing about it. During our 3peat run we had the best of times. That's when the NCC was born with our own Bluebones at the head of it. Gaster loved it and we all became one big happy family. The stories I could tell are endless. Not only at the games but everyday at practice we would all gather and plan our next exploit for the upcomeing game. Bluebones had a warped mind, lol, and we just followed his lead. Someday I may write a book entitled "Our Dogs and the NCC". Would probably be good reading.
That was back when I was in college and started off as a poster on this message board, primarily following my high school (Gates County) and soon started following all of the 1A conferences around the state. I must admit that when I first saw the Albemarle contingent on these message boards, I did not like the image they were projecting, and I did not like seeing the score being run up every week, and that last regular season game against Thomasville in 2001 (the one loss over those three years), perhaps fulfilling the notion that they hadn't played anybody, and not having seen any of these teams play, I assumed it would be a quick playoff exit, especially having to go to Thomasville in 2nd Rd, but that was not to be. But let me explain how I grew to respect and appreciate the Blue Dogs over the next few weeks and years. So the Gates Co. HS team I kept up with also had a good run going in 2001 and 2002. In 2001, they finished 4th in conference behind Williamston, Plymouth, and Perquimans (not sure what order), but got hot in the playoffs and blew out Pamlico, dominated Louisburg, and ran away from North Brunswick in first three rounds, in that order...then in Eastern Finals the game changed with a trip to Wallace-Rose Hill, Gates Co. had two 2000 yd backs and an offensive line with the attitude of 'we're going to run the ball and there's nothing you can do about it', that didn't even pretend to try to throw the ball in many games, well that night, WRH did something about it, we ran into a strong, fast, physical run-stuffing Cover 1 or Cover 0, 9 or 10 guys in the box every play defense...they held both of our guys under 100 yards, WRH won 42-24, but one of our TDs was a kickoff return and another was a garbage time score when it had been 42-16 late in 4th...I thought, well Gates Co. had a good run but these WRH guys will win it all next week...If they shut both of our guys down, there's no way that one guy at Albemarle will do much against them (TA McClendon)....WRONG, something like 265 yds and 7 TDs in a 66-28 laugher, later heard that WRH not once actually tackled him to the ground that day, on all of his carries, either he scored, got pushed out of bounds, or they just blew the whistle when the forward progress was stopped, realized right then that not only is Albemarle really for real, so is Thomasville, for having beat them the first time they played
The next season, I drove to Thomasville to see the last regular season game, and it was a great one, Albemarle won 14-7 i believe, on their way to another conference and state championship. At that point, part of me still did not want to believe that the Blue Dogs were as good as they were cracked up to be, since McLendon had graduated, and since I still sometimes got annoyed with some of the NCC posters and the very confident ramblings with a tinge of cockiness and arrogance, but the team TA left behind brought back almost everybody else...that year my Gates Co. team also brought back almost everybody from the team that went to Eastern finals and had worked hard in the weight room all off season, finished in a three way tie for second in conference, still behind Williamston, tied with Roanoke and Southside, we drew the short straw and had to go on the road in 1st Rd and play at Williamston in 2nd Rd, Gates lost at Williamston 28-21 in regular season in a 'kicking yourself the whole ride home' game since 14 of their 28 points were gifts that the IRS should allow to be written off as charitable donations, this 2nd Rd Playoff game would be different we thought, the offense played about as well as they were capable of, defense looked good at times too, but couldn't ever get that knockout stop to seal the win, games goes to OT, then 2OT, then 3OT, I still think one of our big backs broke the plane on 4th and Goal but there's no review in HS so we lost to defending state runner up (Williamston was small 1A in 2001, big 1AA in 2002) in 3OT, who went on to win their next two playoff games both by three TDs, before giving Albemarle the biggest scare in a state championship game (31-26, I was at that game too), and I KNEW how good Williamston was, because i knew how good my team was that year, and after that I had to tip my cap and acknowledge that it was not a one man team, it was not a fluke, and kind of at the same time decided the message board banter really wasn't so bad...the next (and last) time I would see Albemarle play would be that Flagfest at Jordan-Matthews in 2003, where for the first time I decided to embrace the NCC instead of root against them, I met Titleist and Bluebones (and maybe Buddy Rich too, can't remember) and realized these are respectable folks, with more class than they let on when posting on here, and that night they had sympathy with the more than 300 penalty yards.
Since then, my primary allegiance has shifted from Gates Co. to South Granville (since I live and work here now) so I spend more time on 2A boards for football, baseball, etc. but it's always fun to think back to the time when those of us that love high school sports first found a new dimension to explore and celebrate our fanhood with sites and message boards just like this one, and have some way to keep up with what's going on statewide. Bluebones was one of the original classic posters on this site and will always be missed. I wonder what he would say about the potential changes coming to Stanly Co. Schools
The next season, I drove to Thomasville to see the last regular season game, and it was a great one, Albemarle won 14-7 i believe, on their way to another conference and state championship. At that point, part of me still did not want to believe that the Blue Dogs were as good as they were cracked up to be, since McLendon had graduated, and since I still sometimes got annoyed with some of the NCC posters and the very confident ramblings with a tinge of cockiness and arrogance, but the team TA left behind brought back almost everybody else...that year my Gates Co. team also brought back almost everybody from the team that went to Eastern finals and had worked hard in the weight room all off season, finished in a three way tie for second in conference, still behind Williamston, tied with Roanoke and Southside, we drew the short straw and had to go on the road in 1st Rd and play at Williamston in 2nd Rd, Gates lost at Williamston 28-21 in regular season in a 'kicking yourself the whole ride home' game since 14 of their 28 points were gifts that the IRS should allow to be written off as charitable donations, this 2nd Rd Playoff game would be different we thought, the offense played about as well as they were capable of, defense looked good at times too, but couldn't ever get that knockout stop to seal the win, games goes to OT, then 2OT, then 3OT, I still think one of our big backs broke the plane on 4th and Goal but there's no review in HS so we lost to defending state runner up (Williamston was small 1A in 2001, big 1AA in 2002) in 3OT, who went on to win their next two playoff games both by three TDs, before giving Albemarle the biggest scare in a state championship game (31-26, I was at that game too), and I KNEW how good Williamston was, because i knew how good my team was that year, and after that I had to tip my cap and acknowledge that it was not a one man team, it was not a fluke, and kind of at the same time decided the message board banter really wasn't so bad...the next (and last) time I would see Albemarle play would be that Flagfest at Jordan-Matthews in 2003, where for the first time I decided to embrace the NCC instead of root against them, I met Titleist and Bluebones (and maybe Buddy Rich too, can't remember) and realized these are respectable folks, with more class than they let on when posting on here, and that night they had sympathy with the more than 300 penalty yards.
Since then, my primary allegiance has shifted from Gates Co. to South Granville (since I live and work here now) so I spend more time on 2A boards for football, baseball, etc. but it's always fun to think back to the time when those of us that love high school sports first found a new dimension to explore and celebrate our fanhood with sites and message boards just like this one, and have some way to keep up with what's going on statewide. Bluebones was one of the original classic posters on this site and will always be missed. I wonder what he would say about the potential changes coming to Stanly Co. Schools
Great post I feel as if I know you now. Jack Gaster's thinking was it was the other teams job to stop his offense and when they couldn't he never took his foot off the gas. Like it or not that was who he was. This gave Bluebone's the idea of a NCC and we proceded from there. It was all in fun and we had a blast with it. The other posters on the board gave us hell especially when their team was on the receiving end of a Gaster blow out. He built a powerhouse through hard work and discipline and demanded the best from his players. They all had great respect for him. Jack and I were the best of friends and weither you liked his coaching style or not, he was one of the great hs coaches. We also almost never threw the ball as well, but not many teams could stop his ground game. Thomasville being one of the few. The NCC was just a group of avid hs football fans who added another deminsion to the game. My friend has been sick for many years and he finally was unable to attend the games anymore. Probably just as well as Albemarle's days as a football powerhouse are all but over. I fully expect our local school board to close the school as enrollment has dropped , what with all the new charter schools, etc. But Bluebones, myself and the others will always remember the good old days and the fun we had with the NCC. RIP Bluebones.
Sad to hear the news. One of the best on here and one of the originals that made the 1A football board the best around. Boy some good times back then. RIP Bluebones
I met football deacon at the Catholic/Gonzaga game in 2013 and again the enxt week vs Northwestern. What a guy! RIP Football Deacon!
Been out of the preps loop last couple of weeks recovering from my transplant. Not the kind of forum topic you want to see, but I want to give my condolences to Mr. Keener (Bluebones) family, friends, and the entire Albemarle community. During my time on here I've enjoyed seeing the posts from Albemarle fans such as bones and Buddy and many others. They are the true definition of what a high school fooball fan is. Although I didn't personally know him, my heart is still heavy, but at the same time there's a comfort in knowing he is no longer having to endure the pain and discomfort that this world can sometimes bring. RIP Bluebones
I have not checked the boards for several weeks. So sorry to hear of the loss of Bluebones. RIP
My sincere condolences to Bluebones' family and friends. I've read his posts over the years and laughed many times at the anti-Albemarle fans and the posters who didn't know him well. If there's a team in heaven, I'm sure he is on the top row giving his opinion and enjoying the game among the group. RIP, Sir!
Sad news. I didn't know Bluebones long (as much as you can know somebody just from their forum posts), but he was certainly one of a kind. Prayers for all, and condolences to his family.
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