Cindy Nehrt Cozart, left, and Tim Mannix were inducted into the Crothersville Athletic Hall of Fame during Crothersville’s boys basketball game against Rising Sun on Jan. 27.
Arv Koontz | The Tribune
CROTHERSVILLE — Cindy Nehrt Cozart and Tim Mannix are the newest members of the Crothersville Athletic Hall of Fame.
They were inducted Jan. 27 prior to the Tigers’ varsity boys basketball game against Rising Sun.
Cozart is a 1976 graduate of Crothersville High School, where she participated in basketball and track. She was named most valuable player in both sports.
She was the first Crothersville girl to compete in the state track meet, in the shot put and softball throw. She went to state her junior year. She was on her senior class trip when the sectional was held her senior year. She said she improved her distances in both the shot put and softball throw her senior year.
Cozart was a sectional champion in the shot put and held the school shot put record for 33 years. She was all-conference in the Mid-Hoosier in both sports.
“I just loved sports,” she said. “I loved to play volleyball. I played volleyball after I got out of high school. I enjoyed attending a small high school. You knew everybody, and I thoroughly enjoyed it and I enjoyed the teachers. I enjoyed the fellowship you had with your classmates, your teammates, the coaches. There was respect back then.”
She said it was a special feeling being inducted into the hall of fame.
Mannix is a 1974 graduate of CHS, where he ran cross country and track. He was a conference champion in cross country in 1974. In track, he was the school record holder in the 440 yards, 880, mile and two mile and tied the school record in the 220.
In March 1974, Mannix had the fifth-fastest indoor 440 in the nation. He was a sectional and regional champion in the 440 and competed in the state meet.
One of his favorite memories in cross country came in seventh grade, beating all of the seventh and eighth grade runners on the seven or eight teams in the race that was held at Henryville. He still has that trophy today.
Mannix said winning that invitational “got me going, and my dad (Ben) was around, too. He was a state champion (at Louisville Manual). He always gave me advice. He said when I was down in those blocks, you take off as fast as you can and you keep turning left, so I followed that advice. I had success, and I enjoyed it. “
He was a Mid-Hoosier Conference champion in both sports. He ran cross country at Taylor University.
“We ran 20 miles some days,” Mannix said.
In track, he said the 440 and 880 were his favorite events. He set the school record in the 440 at 49.5. He said when he was at Taylor, the track coach had some magazines and found his name that had him listed as the fifth-fastest 440 runner in the nation.
“That was kind of fun seeing my name listed in print. I just loved going fast,” Mannix said.
He advanced to state his senior year in the 440. He said he ran his fastest time at the regional at Columbus East.
Of getting inducted into the hall of fame, he said, “I didn’t think it would be that big a deal, but when I got that phone call, I was really honored. I was proud of wearing that red uniform because I was able to go out and run against some of the best guys in the state. Sometimes, we traveled to summer meets together. I was proud I could compete with these guys and that I was representing a small school.”