Mickey Wells was an exceptional multi-sport athlete at Manchester High School where he graduated in 1959. Wells played college basketball at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, for one semester before transferring to Morehead State University where he played one season of basketball. Following is a quotation from an MSU basketball program describing team expectations from Mickey’s transfer:
“The real sleeper on this year’s squad could very well be transfer of Mickey Wells who will add needed strength at the guard position. A transfer from Miami (Ohio) University, Mickey is a great-shooting jumping jack who can dunk the ball although standing only 6’ 3”. He has good speed, is strong defensively and high jumps 6’ 4”. A sophomore in eligibility, Mickey averaged 14 points a game as a freshman at Miami University and was the leading scorer in intramural play at Morehead last year. Mickey is a native of Manchester, Ohio, where he starred in high school competition.”
Mickey played one year of basketball then participated in track and field for fours years. As a member of the track and field team he set school records in high jump and long jump. He graduated from MSU with a bachelor’s degree in 1964 and received his master’s degree in 1966.
Mickey began his education career at Morehead and served as the director of intramurals where he increased the number of activities offered by the University from 10 to 42 and significantly increased participation in all sports. He became head coach for women’s basketball from 1975 – 1984 and posted a 156-91 record during his nine-year tenure with 40 wins and 23 losses in Ohio Valley Conference play. He coached the team to one OVC Championship, one OVC regular season championship, two Kentucky Women’s intercollegiate Conference titles, and two Cincinnati Classic titles. He earned Kellogg’s Coach of the Year, which is a national award, in 1977. He was also OVC Coach of the Year in 1979 and 1982. Mickey was the winningest head coach in Morehead State women’s basketball history and was inducted into to the Morehead State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.
Robert Michael “Mickey” Wells was born May 18, 1941 and died age 79 on February 8, 2021. He was the only child of Robert Hunter Wells Jr. and Ethel Lorraine Bradford Wells of Manchester. Mickey married his high school sweetheart Doris Ann Chandler (1942 – 2021) of Manchester on 9/1/1962. They were married 58 years and were survived by two children, Kelly and Shawne Wells and Brock and Shelly Wells Walter, plus six grandchildren. Mickey and Doris are interred in the Manchester 100F Cemetery, Manchester, Adams County, Ohio.
