February 3, 2005

A dedicated Bulldog for life

By Lauren Heaton

Yellow Springs High School sports teams come and go, but those who regularly attend games know Stewart Miller is a Bulldog for life.

Too busy to stand in one place too long, Miller is the streak one often sees running the chain crew on the football field, filling water bottles for basketball players and taking responsibility for the behind-the-scenes needs of a sporting event. He has been assisting YSHS teams for nearly 22 years because it gives him something to do, and because, he said, he just likes it.

Miller does more than most fans. The basketball games, of course, are exciting, and Miller often arrives early to take the balls out of the cage, sweep the floor and supply the players with plenty of ice and towels. He rides the team bus to away games, corralling the players here and there and picking up after them when they leave.

But Miller also comes to practices to perform the same tasks, his head down with a sense of purpose. He is always there, working nearly as hard as the players, and they consider him a part of the team.

“Stew is a cool person, everyone on the team likes him,” said Jordan Skinner, who after playing for the Bulldogs during his high school career is now an assistant coach. “It’s kind of like he’s a team member.”

Miller takes his obligations seriously, but he has a sense of humor too. Sometimes when the players are practicing free throws, Miller makes mooing and hissing noises from the sidelines like the opponents do in games. He does it to help them get better.

And the players want to improve so Miller will keep going to the games.

Last year Miller watched the Bulldogs win their first five games, but when they lost the sixth and he didn’t show up the following game, Skinner recalled, the team knew it had to do better to get Miller to return. Their hard work paid off because when tournament time came Miller showed up decked out in a sports jacket and tie.

During football season Miller takes on similar duties on the field. He gets water for the players, picks up the field before and after the games and fills in for the chain crew, a task he especially enjoys.

Yet he considers none of it hard work. He is glad to do it, he said, because he likes helping people and being part of the excitement. “Nah, it’s not hard, it’s not hard,” Miller said. “It’s an exciting time.”

Miller always wanted to play football and basketball while he was a student at Yellow Springs High School and Cedarville High School in the early 1980s. He never tried out for a team, but in 1983, when the YSHS basketball team went to the Final Four, he said, he leapt at the chance to be part of the hype and school spirit by helping out where he could.

He was so involved that within a few years, he had earned himself an official lifetime YSHS sports pass for his “long hours of dedicated, selfless service to the YS teams that went above and beyond the call of duty,” athletic director Chris Rainey said.

Though Miller now says he should have joined one of those sports while he was in high school, he has played softball for most of his life, and hanging around athletes has helped him to become a “decent hitter,” Rainey said.

Being a part of the sports world suits Miller’s penchant for physical activity. He walks or rides his bicycle everywhere in town. When he isn’t helping the sports teams, he is working at Ye Old Trail Tavern, mowing lawns or helping his parents around their house. His work ethic is a good model for the students who see his discipline and dedication not for personal glory but for the simple joy of serving others, basketball coach Brad Newsome said.

“He’s a hard-working guy who has a good spirit and a good nature and is excited about coming out and helping,” Newsome said. “We’re lucky to have him.”