Trigg County High School inducted its ninth athletic Hall of Fame class Saturday. One of the inductees was James Guess.
James Guess was heard more than he was seen at Trigg County football games for over four decades. James served as the public address announcer for Wildcat games at Perdue Field for 41 years. Guess called over 200 games for 41 teams, nine different head coaches, and tens of thousands of Wildcat fans.
Guess was a member of the 1942 Trigg County football team. Like several players on the team, he said the first football game he ever saw he played in. Trigg County did not field a team his senior year in 1943 and the two following years due to World War II.
Trigg County did field a basketball team during his senior season, with Guess leading the Wildcats in scoring at 11.5 points a game. He accounted for 38-percent of Trigg’s scoring that season, which would equate to averaging 30 points a game on a modern team that scored 80 points a game. He was named All-District for Lee Redden’s Wildcat team that went 8-11.
Guess began calling Trigg County football games in 1960, the same year he became owner of the Western Auto Store in downtown Cadiz. The following year, Trigg County moved to their new field which is now the practice field and playground area. He called the games and helped Jack Turner run scoreboard.
Not only did Guess call football games at Perdue Field, but heavy rains in the 1972 postseason forced Trigg County to play two playoff games at Walnut Street Stadium in Hopkinsville.
Guess retired from calling Trigg County football games following the 2001 season at the age of 75. He passed away in Alabama in March 2012.
