Inducted 2007
THE 1961 PIONEERS: (From Top Clockwise) Rick Coven (32), Ron Korka (50), Bill Jackson (40), Dick Roberts (22), Jim Garbash (14), Steve Hays (20), Lee Johnson (44), Fred Bernstein (12), Dave Dicken (30), Rick Brecklebaum (42), Bob Clark (34), Ken Dick (24).
Legendary coach Dale Reichenbach built Elyria High into a basketball hotbed in the late 1950s and 1960s. Over the course of 10 years from 1957 through 1966, Elyria won the big school district championship nine times – including an unprecedented eight straight but it was the 1961 team that came closest to taking all the marbles. The Pioneers hadn’t even won their own league as they finished second behind Sandusky.
However, led by Elyria’s first All-Ohio basketball player – Lee Johnson – the Pioneers (20-6) caught fire late in the year – beating Clearview, 84-31, Elyria Catholic, 54-20, and Lorain, 65-35, in sectional tournament play. The Pioneers then avenged one of their regular season losses by 
defeating Lakewood, 52-49, in the District semi-finals at Baldwin-Wallace before eliminating highly-favored West Tech, 56-47, to qualify for the Toledo Regional.
In the semi-final at Toledo against Lima Senior, Johnson (shown at right against Portsmouth) hit one of his patented turn-around jump shots to win the game, 44-42, in sudden death overtime – the final sudden death game ever played in the state of Ohio. The Pioneers drilled Toledo Libbey, 68-51, the next night to qualify EHS for it’s first-ever appearance in the state tournament.
Elyria lost the semi-final game, 54-52, to eventual state champion Portsmouth. Johnson (409 points), Rick Coven (330) and Ken Dick (276) were the high scorers on the team. Jim Garbash (236 points), Steve Hays, Bill Jackson and Dick Roberts were other major contributors to the success of the team. Johnson was said to be Reichenbach’s pet project from his freshman year on – turning him into a great scorer and rebounder. Garbash, ironically, hadn’t played varsity basketball all through high school until he was invited to try out for the team for his senior season. The year 
before, Reichenbach suggested he play in the local YMCA league to hone his skills to become the point guard on the state-bound team. That’s Coach Reichenbach instructing the 1961 team during the tournament at B-W.
| Elyria High School Pioneers 1960-61 Basketball | |||||||
| Head Coach: Dale Reichenbach Assistant Coach: Bob Hersman | |||||||
| # | Player | G | FG | FT | TP | High | AVE |
| 50-51 | Ron Korka | 4 | 6 | 4 | 16 | 8 | 4.0 |
| 12-13 | Fred Bernstein | 9 | 10 | 23 | 43 | 14 | 4.8 |
| 14-15 | Jim Garbash | 26 | 89 | 58 | 236 | 19 | 9.1 |
| 20-21 | Steve Hays | 20 | 16 | 21 | 53 | 9 | 2.7 |
| 22-23 | Dick Roberts | 14 | 24 | 15 | 63 | 10 | 4.5 |
| 24-25 | Ken Dick | 25 | 106 | 64 | 276 | 21 | 11.0 |
| 30-31 | Dave Dicken | 5 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 2.4 |
| 32-33 | Rick Coven | 26 | 136 | 58 | 330 | 25 | 12.7 |
| 34-35 | Bob Clark | 10 | 16 | 1 | 33 | 8 | 3.3 |
| 40-41 | Bill Jackson | 16 | 26 | 14 | 66 | 15 | 4.1 |
| 42-43 | Rick Brecklebaum | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 2.5 |
| 44-45 | Lee Johnson | 26 | 160 | 89 | 409 | 29 | 15.7 |
| 10-11 | Bob VanValkenburg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 52-53 | Bill Masonis | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Marty Frankiewicz | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | |
1960-61 Schedule and Results (20-6)
| Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Leading Scorers |
| Nov.25 | North Olmsted | 56-50 | (1-0) | Dick 14, Johnson 10, Jackson 10, Roberts 10 |
| Dec 2 | Lakewood | 71-72 | (1-1) | Johnson 25, Garbash 17, Jackson 15 |
| Dec 9 | Massillon | 59-36 | (2-1) | Dick 20, Garbash 12, Johnson 10 |
| Dec10 | at Berea | 57-47 | (3-1) | Coven 21, Garbash 11, Dick 10 |
| Dec16 | at Findlay* | 62-48 | (4-1, 1-0) | Johnson 26, Coven 10 |
| Dec 22 | at Fremont Ross* | 61-24 | (5-1, 2-0) | Coven 18, Dick 13, Garbash 11 |
| Dec30 | Lorain* | 39-38 | (6-1, 3-0) | Johnson 15 |
| Jan 6 | Sandusky* | 54-56(SDOT) | (6-2, 3-1) | Johnson 29, Roberts 10 |
| Jan 13 | at Marion Harding* | 57-74 | (6-3, 3-2) | Johnson 13, Coven 10 |
| Jan 20 | Findlay* | 69-48 | (7-3, 4-2) | Johnson 23, Coven 14, Dick 14 |
| Jan 21 | Canton Lincoln | 53-61 | (7-4) | Johnson 15, Dick 14, Coven 13 |
| Jan 27 | Fremont Ross* | 71-49 | (8-4, 5-2) | Johnson 26, Bernstein 14, Garbash 10, Dick 10 |
| Jan 28 | at Mansfield | 56-50 | (9-4) | Dick 19, Coven 14, Garbash 11 |
| Feb 3 | at Lorain* | 66-46 | (10-4,6-2) | Coven 22, Dick 13, Johnson 10 |
| Feb 4 | Toledo Libbey | 63-51 | (11-4) | Dick 21, Johnson 18 |
| Feb 10 | at Sandusky* | 33-47 | (11-5,6-3) | Johnson 11 |
| Feb 11 | Ashland | 83-48 | (12-5) | Coven 25, Garbash 19, Johnson 12 |
| Feb 17 | Marion Harding* | 58-54 | (13-5,7-3) | Johnson 20, Coven 13, Garbash 11 |
| Elyria Sectional Tournament | ||||
| Feb 24 | Clearview | 84-31 | (14-5) | Johnson 19, Coven 17, Dick 12 |
| Feb 28 | Elyria Catholic | 54-20 | (15-5) | Johnson 16, Garbash 11, Coven 10 |
| Mar 3 | Lorain | 65-35 | (16-5) | Dick 17, Johnson 17, Coven 16 |
| Berea District at Baldwin-Wallace | ||||
| Mar 8 | Lakewood | 52-49 | (17-5) | Coven 18, Garbash 14, Johnson 12 |
| Mar 12 | West Tech | 56-47 | (18-5) | Dick 17, Coven 14, Johnson 11, Garbash 11 |
| Toledo Regional at Toledo University | ||||
| Mar 17 | Lima Senior | 44-42(SDOT) | (19-5) | Johnson 18, Coven 13 |
| Mar 18 | Toledo Libbey | 68-51 | (20-5) | Coven 22, Dick 18, Johnson 12, Garbash 12 |
| State Tournament at Columbus (St. Johns Arena–Ohio State) | ||||
| Mar 24 | Portsmouth | 52-54 | (20-6) | Johnson 17, Coven 13, Garbash 11 |
Buckeye Conference Standings: Sandusky 8-2, ELYRIA 7-3, Marion 7-3, Lorain 5-5, Findlay 2-8, Fremont 1-9.