This pearl of a man was a gem, hoops expert
CULVER - Like so many others, I was saddened to hear of the passing of Culver’s own, Earl Mishler, who passed away this week at the age of 79.
Earl The Pearl, as he was affectionately known, was THE authority on high school boys and girls basketball in northern Indiana and his website Etpearl. com is the Bible for such matters. If you have not seen it, you must. Believe me, all sportswriters/ coaches/ads/bball junkies statewide know about it. It was a labor of love for Earl. He started it in 2000 and John Harrell credits Mishler for the motivation to start his well-respected statewide basketball/ football website. Former Pilot News sportswriter Ken Peterson will take over Earl’s website, but has assured everyone that the name of it will always be Etpearl.
I first met Earl, not surprisingly, at a high school basketball game. In fact, every time I ever saw him, it was at a high school basketball game. I loved talking hoops with Earl. And of course every time I would see him, there would be countless others who would stop by to say hello to him. He was a magnet. I always felt lucky that he included me in those conversations. One time he was telling me about Aubbeenaubbee Township High. I thought he was making it up, but no, it was a real school that had basketball (195068).
He would always laugh at me when I told him I could never remember the middle initial of the Culver Community HS gym’s namesake, John R. Nelson. The signature is
on the wall of the gym, but I can’t make out the cursive middle letter. I’m sure I’ve written game stories played at John L. Nelson gym or John K. Nelson gym. Then one time Earl says, ‘It’s R like Ron.’ Haven’t forgotten it since. Earl probably knew John R. Nelson. It seems like he knew everyone or at least everyone knew him.
Earl was born June 15, 1943 in Plymouth and graduated from pre-consolidated Culver High School in 1961 and was a 1965 graduate of Valparaiso University. He spent 26 years total working for the South Bend Tribune in a number of capacities before retiring in 2014. He also did work for the Pilot News, The Elkhart Truth, Logansport Pharos-tribune, Muncie Star, Culver Citizen, Starke County Leader, and the Laporte Herald-argus. When I first started working in sports journalism, he was a valuable resource. One thing that always amazed me was that when he would interview coaches or players after a game he never took notes or used a tape recorder. He always remembered the quotes verbatim by memory. The capsule previews I write a couple of times a week during basketball season I learned from Earl. He was the master; so knowledgeable and such a great person. I’m sure I speak for many others when I say that I am so thankful that I knew Earl.
More information from Earl Mishler’s obituary:
He was a high school basketball historian and documentarian, having compiled nearly a century’s worth of records and statistics. As a fan,
he began attending high school games during the 1951-52 season and went to at least one Culver and Plymouth game every season since.
He attended at least one session of every Bi-county Tournament since the event’s inception in the 1965-66 season. He began covering high school games for the Culver Citizen weekly while he was in the eighth grade. In 1985, Mr. Mishler was named into the Indiana Softball Hall of Fame by the state chapter of the Amateur Softball Association. Three times in the 1980s, his coverage of amateur softball in The South Bend Tribune was named No. 1 in the nation by ASA. He previously served as National Publicist for the North American Fastpitch Association. He was head statistician, official scorer and public address announcer at numerous local, state and national tournaments conducted by NAFA, the ASA and the International Softball Congress.
He formerly served as official scorer for the South Bend Cubs (then the South Bend White Sox) of baseball’s Class A Midwest League.
While at Culver High, he was starting first baseman for the varsity baseball team in both his junior and senior seasons.
Memorial Visitation for Earl will be held from 5 - 8 pm April 3, 2023 at Palmer Funeral Homes Welsheimer North Chapel, 17033 Cleveland Road, South Bend, IN 46635. Online condolences may be expressed at www.palmerfuneralhomes.com