Vincent Allen Triplett
Youth Sports Champion & Coach
Vincent “Vince” Allen Triplett, son of Willie Charles “Butch” Triplett and Tillie Bond Triplett, was born in McCune-Brooks Hospital in Carthage on January 30, 1968. Vince attended Eugene Field School, Carthage Jr. High, and Carthage High School, graduating in 1986. His passion for sports began playing basketball with friends in Carter Park as a child, continued through his own involvement in youth sports, jr. high, and high school basketball and baseball, which lead to long career in youth coaching.
Vince began his coaching career in 1985 with boys’ basketball at the Carthage YMCA. He also started refereeing. From 1986 – 2000, he continued to coach youth boys’ sports in Carthage, predominately basketball, T-ball, and baseball. He also often served as an announcer for the adult softball leagues.
When Vince’s twin daughters Talia and Whitney began playing sports in 1996, he continued to coach boys’ baseball and added girls’ softball and basketball to his coaching roster. Hooked on his twins and their sports, Vince focused on his daughters’ competition teams from 2000 until 2010. With his daughters’ high school graduations, he began coaching their successful Missouri Smash team.
For more than 20 years, Vince was a champion of youth softball. He spent most nights, weekends, and summers running softball games at the Carthage Sports Complex. Vince coached and inspired many young athletes, always sharing his joy of playing sports and his belief that building character was more important than winning. His drive to better our community’s youth through sports will long be remembered.
From 2002 – 2017, Vince served the Carthage sports community as the Treasurer, Vice President, and then President of the Carthage Sports Complex, later known as the Fair Acres Sports Complex.
Vince worked in the medical field for more than 25 years and passed away on January 31, 2018, at the age of 50. He is buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Carthage. His legacy lives on through his twins and 4 granddaughters, as well as the annual Vince Triplett Memorial Softball Tournament.
