A
sports lover, Olan Barclay has been involved in baseball, basketball, and
softball throughout his life. While still in high school, Olan Barclay
displayed promise that was noticed in a Joplin, Missouri, tryout for a farm
team for the New York Yankees. After graduating in 1947 and joining Crawford
Manufacturing Company in Kansas City, Kansas, Olan Barclay continued to play
sports, concentrating his athletic talents in basketball and fast-pitch
softball. Later on, Olan Barclay played for the Union Wire Rope Corporation of
Kansas City, Missouri, whose softball record included 422 victories in 521
games played. At the end of the 1950 and 1951 seasons, Olan Barclay and his
teammates reached the league’s world tournament, hosted in Austin, Texas, and
Detroit, Michigan, respectively. At a certain point in his life, Olan Barclay
decided to shift his focus from playing sports to coaching. While living in
Missouri, Olan Barclay began leading a basketball team of seventh grade boys.
At the end of the season, he took the team to the first U.S. Amateur Athletic
Union (AAU) Junior Olympics Basketball Tournament. Following a successful
season with the seventh grade team, Olan Barclay coached the Hillcrest
Steelers, whom he led to the AAU Eighth Grade Junior Olympics National
Championship. The team defeated the Oklahoma City All Stars, a group that
included a future National Basketball Association (NBA) player. Today, Olan
Barclay is retired. A devoted father, he takes prides in his accomplishments as
an athlete and coach.
