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TOPIC: Buckles scholarship
OUR VIEW: Giving back always a great thing

Quite possibly, it may have gone unnoticed to many in Hardin County.

But there it was, on Page B2 of the Feb. 29 sports section of The News-Enterprise: Norton receives Buckles Scholarship.

As a way to give back to a sports program that gave coach Terry Buckles and his family so much over the 19 years that he was the girls’ head basketball head coach at Central Hardin High School, the family is annually awarding a $500 scholarship to be used for college to a senior member of the Lady Bruin program.

The program was established last year — the winner this year was Lauren Norton.

Buckles was Central Hardin High School girls’ basketball. When the school opened in 1990, he was head coach. It stayed that way until he announced his retirement from the game in 2009.

The gym floor is named after him as well.

Along the way, Buckles, who also spent five seasons leading the East Hardin High School girls’ basketball program, won 548 games, six region championships and earned a berth in the 1996 state championship game.

Now, he and his wife, Benita, also a retired teacher from Hardin County Schools, are giving back to the program that has etched hundreds of fond memories in them and their family.

For the Buckleses, it was a family affair for CHHS girls’ basketball. Their daughters were involved in the program and they all have shared smiles and tears over wins and losses.

There’s an impact coaches leave on student-athletes. Terry Buckles left plenty on his former players and now he and his family are impacting student-athletes they may not know nearly as well.

The high cost of college can be a challenge for many today. This is a way for the Buckles family to help ease some of the financial burden.

The winners of the scholarship won’t be just  those who score the most points, grab the most rebounds or skin their knees the most. The criteria is based on someone who has made a positive impact on the Lady Bruin program through academics, leadership and citizenship.

What the family is doing is a wonderful thing for student-athletes at Central Hardin High School and is a tribute to the kind of people Terry and Benita Buckles are. They continue to give long after the horn sounded to end his coaching career.

This editorial represents a concensus of The News-Enterprise's editorial board.