Dick Paul fathers two sports clubs

The Washington Athletic Boosters began thanks to the hard work and determination of parents and sports fans. One man who deserves a substantial share of the credit for getting that club on its feet is Dick Paul. Paul helped found the De-Men boosters in the 1960s and was the group?s first president. Through his fine negotiating skills, Paul lassoed the best athletes in the nation to speak at the De-Men Booster banquets, including a Major League Hall-of-Famer and the NFL?s Most Valuable Player. Paul was also influential in putting together the University of Iowa Club (I-Club) for Washington County in the 1970s, which has grown ever since.

Paul was born and raised in Washington. He graduated from Washington High School in 1947. He left town in the 1950s to enter the military but returned later that decade. In the 1960s, he had children who were about to enter high school athletics. He contacted other parents who wanted to promote the school?s athletics and together they formed the De-Men.

Paul remembers that the founding fathers of the De-Men included Elden Brake, Bill Hennigan, Don Schwartzendruber, Paul Gebhardt, Arlow Doughty, Sam Young, Ray Carter, John Green, Tub Walker and G.J. Nemmers.   

Paul explained that the club chose that name because, in the beginning, all the members were men. The name has since been changed to reflect the role women play in the organization, and in fact is now headed by a woman ? Jen Weidman.  

The De-Men wanted to hold one grand banquet where they could honor all athletes, rather than several small picnics for each sport. In 1968, the De-Men organized their first all-sports banquet. Paul was in charge of finding a speaker for the banquet.   

?We wanted a speaker who the kids would know and be impressed with,? said Paul. ?When it came to bringing in speakers, we didn?t go half-way. I never thought little. We wanted to do something really big that would draw people.?

The banquets were held in the Knights of Columbus Hall. Paul said the banquets consistently drew between 300 ? 500 people in the first few years. It?s not hard to see why when looking at the guest list. Paul?s first invitee was All-Pro guard and future Hall-of-Famer Henry Jordan of the Green Bay Packers.   

?He was the No. 1 motivational speaker among football players,? said Paul. ?He was great. He really set the tone for the other banquets.?

Paul sought and obtained another big-time star for the second banquet in the spring of 1969 ? Earl Morrall of the Baltimore Colts, who was named the NFL?s Most Valuable Player and the Player of the Year for the 1968 season. Morrall wasn?t the only one who had a good year on the gridiron. The Demon football team was literally unbeatable in 1968, going 9-0.

?That would be like getting Peyton Manning or Drew Brees today,? said Paul.   

The athletic boosters were on a roll and got yet another celebrity to speak the third year ? Don Nelson. Nelson had played basketball at the University of Iowa and at the time was playing for the Boston Celtics. Nelson later coached in the NBA for 30 years.

Paul was responsible for picking up the athletes at the airport. He had an experience he?ll never forget when he went to pick up Nelson at the Cedar Rapids Airport. Paul was at the airport and watched as the passengers exited the plane that Nelson supposedly took. As the last passenger stepped off the plane, Paul?s heart was beating a million times a minute. Don Nelson was nowhere to be seen. Finally, a man on crutches came to the front of the plane, and who could it be, none other than the NBA great. Nelson sprained his ankle the day before.        

A few years after later in 1975, former Cleveland Indians pitcher and Hall-of-Famer Bob Feller gave the banquet?s keynote address. The booster club designed a placemat every year of the banquet, which included a picture of the sports teams and the featured speaker. Paul has saved a number of these from the 1960s and 1970s. He said the student athletes had the professional athletes autograph their placemats.    

These top-notch athletes demanded a pretty penny to speak at the banquets. The booster club paid Jordan $700 for his visit. Morrall normally charged $1,000 for a speaking engagement, but cut Washington a deal for only $500 because his wife Jane Whitehead was from the town.