Jack Dial Sporting Goods

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The second location of Jack Dial Sporting Goods at
1560 4th Ave., across from Wiggins restaurant.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HUNTINGTON – Born in Huntington in 1927, Jack Winston Dial was a graduate of
 the old Huntington High School, where he was a member of the 1944 state
 championship basketball team. He attended West Virginia University
 on a basketball scholarship until he entered the U.S. Army.

Following his military service, he was employed by the U.S. Veterans
Administration and the U.S. Post Office before opening Jack Dial
 Sporting Goods, which he owned and operated for 20 years.
 When his store’s original downtown location burned, he
 moved to 1560 4th Ave. (across from Wiggins
restaurant) circa 1963.

At his first two locations in the 1960s, he rented the buildings.
Circa 1973 he bought a piece of property and built
 his own building at 1518 4th Ave.

He hadn’t considered selling, but within a matter of days he
received two offers – one for the building and one for
 the inventory. He accepted both offers and
moved to Charlotte, N.C., in 2001.

Jack Dial was well-known in athletic circles around the state and was a
popular sports official for many years. He was named in 1963 as a
 “Sports Great” by the Lions Club and the West Virginia Centennial
Commission, recognized by the state Secondary Schools
 Activities in 1970 for his contribution to West
Virginia’s athletic programs, and in 1990
 was elected to the charter class of
Huntington High’s Hall of Fame.

He died in Charlotte in 2007.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Note:  This Article and picture appeared in the Herald-Dispatch Newspaper on Jan. 28, 2020.

-----------------------------------------------------------

[ Back ]