Berea College
Leveling the Playing Field
At Berea College, the students are our mission. Working to continually expand and improve the campus is just one of the many ways we strive to help them reach their fullest possible promise. One example is the recently completed Elvin Combs Fieldhouse.
With more than 10,000 square feet of state-of-the-art indoor training space, this new building is a major upgrade for Berea athletics. It’s not anywhere near the giant indoor practice facilities of Division I athletics at flagship schools, but as right-sized for Berea, it is a needed and very welcome asset to our Division III student-athletes who aspire to excel in the clasroom and on the field. In fact, student-athletes at Berea graduate at a higher percentage than students who don’t participate in athletics here.
Berea basketball player Vance Blade ’82 and baseball player David Shelton ’69 are both excited about the impact this new fieldhouse will have on student-athletes. As Blade sees it, this “will level the playing field for our student-athletes, since many of our competitors already have indoor training facilities.”
Shelton also predicts that the new fieldhouse will remove many preparation obstacles for Berea athletes, a fine tribute to Elvin Combs. “Mr. Combs would be proud of what the fieldhouse will do for our students,” he said. “It is admirably and respectfully fitting that this facility bears his name.”
Sports played outdoors, like baseball, softball, and soccer, can often be at the mercy of the weather, particularly in January and February. It’s hard to play almost any outdoor sport when a late-winter/early-spring snowfall arrives. Before this fieldhouse was built, athletes were forced to crowd into the Seabury Center to train whenever the weather refused to cooperate. A host of problems large and small always followed, ranging from scheduling conflicts to overcrowding to frequent broken windows.
Angel ’25, both a soccer player and track-and-field athlete, explained that “practicing in bad weather increases the risk of injury and illness. When the weather was bad and practice was moved inside, most sports wouldn’t have the equipment needed to host a practice indoors or have the space.” Now, when cold, wet, rainy conditions threaten, Berea athletes will have a purpose-built place to keep training. With the new fieldhouse, Angel tells us, “Even when weather is bad, I am still able to put work in and be fully prepared for my athletic season.”
At Berea, it’s all about the students and helping them reach their dreams. That’s why we are so thrilled to be able to provide this new facility for Berea athletes. Just as Elvin Combs spent his career mentoring Berea students, especially student-athletes, the building named for him will continue to develop and support student-athletes for the competitions that await them.
A Berea Legacy—Elvin Combs
Throughout its history, Berea has been blessed again and again with staff and faculty who go above and beyond to serve the students. One shining example was Elvin Combs, Berea’s beloved sports equipment manager for more than four decades. A native of eastern Kentucky, he worked as a coal miner and served in WWII before moving to Berea. Elvin began his Berea College career as a painter before beginning his service as sports equipment manager in 1947. As a gifted athlete himself and a lover of sports, the College’s athletics program was a natural fit for him. He served with distinction for more than four decades, retiring in 1988. His presence touched the lives of countless students and helped them achieve personal and athletic excellence.
John Combs ’69, Elvin’s son, echoed Shelton’s sentiment about his dad’s role in Berea students’ lives, mentioning the “fatherly advice” that benefitted so many Bereans during their college years. “He always told me to treat other people the way you want to be treated, and to remember that you’re no better than anyone else and no one else is better than you,” he said.
Known on campus as “Mr. C,” Elvin’s legacy endures in the many alumni who recall him with such warmth.
Vance Blade ’82, a Berea basketball player, thinks back on Elvin as “a mentor who deeply cared and provided me with solid advice and encouragement. He was always there for me, and so many other student-athletes.”
David Shelton ’69, who played baseball at Berea, recalls that “He was like a second dad. He was the go-to person when some of us occasionally strayed, pulling us back to center. He truly loved students.”
Mr. Combs was to me a larger-than-life fixture at Berea. He was always willing to share a story or provide some sage advice when asked. Sometimes that advice was not what you wanted to hear but what you needed to hear. But, no matter the message, it was delivered with a compassionate heart. He wanted nothing but the best for Berea students. I feel privileged to have known him.
At Berea today, we are still striving to follow Elvin’s example. Just like he did, we work to help students develop the habits and values that will empower them to excel. John says he is pleased that the College is helping keep Mr. C’s legacy alive and pass on his father’s wisdom and principles.
“When you go to a college campus and see a building named for someone, usually that person is a large donor,” John said. “This one is named after someone who didn’t give a lot of money but gave service. His recognition comes from his actions.”