As another baseball season begins, I am reminded of a Durango success story that has occurred only once: the story of Johnnie Seale. He graduated from DHS in the 1950s and has been a lifelong Durango resident. In the days he played professional baseball, he was known as the Durango Kid.

I first met him in October 1958 at the age of 10. As a DHS student during the winters of 1964-66, Billy Higgins and I would help Seale get ready for spring training. I last talked to him in 1968, after he pitched for the Denver Bears.

These things make Johnnie’s a Durango story worth knowing and remembering: He is, to my knowledge, the only Durangoan to play major league baseball. In the summers of 1964 and 1965, he was a relief pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. Hall of Famer Steve Carlton, and perhaps others, retired to the area, but Johnnie is the only one from Durango that stayed there.

Second, he is a man of average height and weight, yet competed successfully at the highest level. I hope every youngster in La Plata County who is interested in playing sports knows that someone else from Durango made it and they also can.

Third, the story of the Durango Kid must include his late wife Peppy. Hers, too, is a true Durango success story, and in my opinion, is owed a debt by every young woman who has, is or will participate in college sports. That debt extends to all who support women’s sports. Johnnie continues to live in Durango and continues to be a unique Durango success story.

David Watkins

Redington Shores, Fla.