Rick Gallagher, Elyria Catholic Football

Rick Gallagher was easy to find on the football field, even for fans who only followed the ball. Gallagher was in the middle of the action – as center on offense and middle guard on defense for Elyria Catholic from 1962-64 and middle guard at Ohio Wesleyan from 1965-68. He was a standout on some excellent teams. During his career at Elyria Catholic, the Panthers – who had an undistinguished football history to that point – won their first conference championship and became the first group to beat Lorain St. Mary three years in a row. Gallagher earned three letters in football and three in track at EC. The Panthers had an 8-2 record and won their first North Central Conference championship when Gallagher was a junior. He led the team in tackles. He repeated as the team’s top tackler in 1964 when EC finished second in the conference. In track, he threw the shot put and discus. In 1963 he broke John Beno’s school shot put record and then bettered his own mark two weeks later. He won the shot put at the Sandusky Relays and finished second in the NCC conference meet. In college, Gallagher lettered three years in football and Ohio Wesleyan had a 16-1-1 record over his last two years. In 1967, the Battling Bishops were 8-0-1, won the Ohio Athletic Conference championship and were ranked 16th in the nation. Gallagher was a nominee for Small College All-American and led Ohio Wesleyan to first place finishes in defense two years. After graduation, Gallagher returned to EC to coach football and wrestling for one year, then became an assistant coach at Wellington for two years and finally an assistant coach at Bald Eagle High School in Pennsylvania for four years, finishing in 1976. Gallagher left coaching to pursue a career in business. Gallagher had been a trustee on the Hall of Fame board for many years and his keen sense of humor will be greatly missed.  Gallagher passed away in 2019.

Jeff Lyons, Elyria High Wrestling

Jeff Lyons used to roll down the mat but it wasn’t until he starting pinning on the mat that the two-time All-American wrestler gained success. When Lyons was a third grader at age 8, he followed his older sister Jill to gymnastics, somersaulting down the long mat with great success until he found a new love in junior high – the wrestling mat. That ended Lyons’ gymnastics career and launched a wrestling career than included a state championship in high school at Elyria High and All-America status in 1990 and 1992 at Indiana University. Wrestling was Lyons’ main thing but he also played football where he was an all-conference first teamer and honorable mention All-State as a noseguard. In wrestling, Lyons was the state champion at 132 pounds and finished 34-0 his senior season. His career mark at Elyria was 101-14. He was 9-3 at 105-pounds as a freshman, 28-8 at 132-pounds as a sophomore, 33-3 at 126-pounds as a junior before his perfect senior year. In college, he started at 134 pounds as a freshman and moved up to 142 for the remainder of his collegiate career. Lyons earned All-America honors as a sophomore in the NCAA finals by finishing sixth. He missed as a junior but repeated his All-America honors as a senior with a fifth place finish.

Carol Russo, Elyria High Volleyball

Volleyball has been Elyria High’s most consistently successful sport over the past two decades thanks to the work of Carol Russo. It’s been Russo’s coaching and organizational prowess that has boosted the Pioneers among the state’s most elite and respected programs. When Elyria West closed in 1996, the Volleyball team was one of the few to escape the pains of the merger. Elyria finished that year 28-1 and became the first Elyria High team to win a state semi-final game and play for the state championship. The Pioneers finished as runner-up. It was Russo’s third team to reach the state tournament. When Elyria’s 1988 team made the tournament, Russo and her mother Sue Brady became the first mother-daughter combination to coach teams in the state tournament. Brady’s Oberlin team made it in 1976. Russo’s father Les Brady was also a successful coach in basketball. In addition to the state tournament runs, Russo’s teams have won the district championship 14 times. Elyria also qualified for the state tournament in 1994. Under Russo’s tutelage, Elyria won 18 conference championships in four different leagues: the Buckeye, the Erie Shore, the Lake Erie, and the Pioneer. Russo was inducted into the Volleyball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1998. Russo played volleyball at Oberlin for her mother and played on a Lakeland Conference Champion. She played volleyball at Ohio State and began her high school coaching at Mayfield before coming to Elyria after one year. After 27 years of coaching – including 26 at Elyria, she retired following the 2006 season with a record of 555-119 overall and 543-110 at Elyria. She thought she was finished but when Elyria Catholic’s Volleyball coach stepped down before even playing a game to start the 2010 season, EC’s athletic director Barb Salata sent out the SOS to Russo, who responded to lead the Panthers to their first district championship in 15 years (see picture on right). EC finished 20-7 — advancing to the regional final before falling — giving Russo her 20th 20-win season in her career and a final overall record of 575-126. In 2012, Russo was selected to the prestigious AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame). For the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame, Russo founded the “Ring of Honor” as a way for past Hall of Famers to donate to the scholarship fund of the ESHOF. In 2022, Russo was inducted into the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame along with Browns legend Bernie Kosar, Olympic Gold medalist pole vaulter Katie Nageotte and Tom Hamilton, the voice of the Cleveland Indians and Guardians for many years.

Jack Traxler, Bowling

Any list of Elyria’s all-time best bowlers would have to include Jack “Fat Daddy” Traxler’s name at or near the top. For more than 30 years, when lane conditions were not as they are today, Traxler had a composite 191 average. Six times he won the Pat Henke award for having the highest average in the Elyria Bowling Association. He was the Chronicle-Telegram Bowler of the Year three times – in 1967, 1973, and 1974. He won numerous local titles and twice was the all-event winner in the city tournament. His 771 series at Tarry Lanes in 1963 was (at the time) the second highest series ever recorded in the Elyria Association. His series included 27 strike – 13 in a row. He led his team to a 3,205 series – also an Elyria record at the time. In 1964, Traxler was among the elite bowlers in the entire state and was selected to participate in a Nationwide Insurance Tournament in Columbus. It was televised state-wide and Traxler won two rounds before losing to James Lough of Springfield in the third round. In the tournament, Traxler established records for high single game and series. He averaged 223 and won $1,750.00. He was inducted into the Elyria Bowling Association Hall-of-Fame in 1978. Traxler was more than a bowler. For more than 20 years, he was a standout fast-pitch softball pitcher from 1953 to 1975. He hurled a no-hitter for Pfaudler in the city league in 1953 and led his team to the tournament finals. He had a 6-1 record in the Wellington league, which his team won.  A year later, he pitched Belden to the Elyria finals. In 1955, he fashioned six shut-outs ad Belden won both the Elyria and Wellington titles. Twenty years later he was still winning – pitching the Elyria Bowling Center team to championships in the Elyria regular season and tournament. Traxler died in 1987 at the age of 53.

Rick Underman, Elyria High Football and Basketball

The last of the Undermans – Rick – joined his brothers Jay and Tom – as ESHOF enshrinees. The middle of three sons of the late Jack Underman, who led the Ohio State Buckeyes to the final four in 1946, Rick made his mark mainly on the football field but – like his brothers – was a pretty good basketball player as well. His brothers earned scholarships in basketball after their playing days at Elyria High, but Rick earned his Michigan State and later Bowling Green scholarships on the gridiron. Rick was a 6-foot-2, 210-pound hard-running fullback and linebacker at Elyria from 1972-74. As a senior, he was first team All-Buckeye, was third in the league in scoring and seventh in rushing with 545 yards. He was also a great lead blocker for tailback Warren Fitzpatrick, who rushed for 1,213 yards for Elyria in the Pioneer’s tailback oriented attack. The key game in Underman’s senior year came against Findlay when EHS overcame a 10-point deficit to upset the Trojans, 13-10. He gained 123 yards that night. The win broke a two-game skid and helped Elyria finish with a 7-2-1 season. Underman was also the team’s punter. When the basketball season rolled around, Underman was the sixth man on the 1975 team that finished 22-2 and won the Buckeye Conference and finished runner-up at the regional. Underman was instant offense off the bench. He scored 16 points in helping Elyria defeat previously undefeated Westlake, 62-60, in the district semi-finals and 14 in a 60-56 victory over Admiral King for the district championship.  Rick played varsity football as a freshman at Michigan State – seeing action at fullback and on the special teams. When Michigan State went on NCAA probation, he transferred to Bowling Green and sat out a year. He played linebacker in 1977 and 78 for the Falcons before forgoing his last year of eligibility.

1958-59 Elyria High School Basketball   

Arguably the best team to play for the legendary Dale Reichenbach, the 1958-59 didn’t win a state championship. It didn’t qualify for the state tournament and didn’t even make it to the regional final, but the accomplishments of this team put it at the top of the list in school history. For one thing, the Pioneers completed the regular season with a perfect 18-0 mark – the first of only two teams in Elyria High history to accomplish that feat. From the 75-61 victory over North Olmsted to open the season to the 76-56 victory over Marion to conclude the regular season, Elyria reigned supreme in winning its second consecutive Buckeye Conference championship. Through the 18 regular season games, only one team – Lorain – came within 10 points of the Pioneers, a 68-63 decision on Jan. 30. Elyria sailed through the sectional tournament, giving up only 98 points in the three wins and then routed Berea, 70-52, to open district play at Baldwin-Wallace. In the finals, Elyria faced Lorain and defeated the Steelmen, 68-66, for the third time – Lorain High’s only losses all year. Elyria, ranked second in the state, then met undefeated and defending state champion East Tech in the regional semi-finals – a game billed by many as the ‘real’ state championship. The Scarabs had one of the best teams ever assembled and defeated Elyria, 52-42. It was the closest anyone would come to knocking off East Tech all year. On that team, there were many Hall-of-Famers, including Bill Mrukowski, who set a single game recored with 40 points against Berea early in the regular season. Walt Rock, Jim Jones, Sam Davis, Ritchie Poad, Larry Stark, Jim Guest, Lee Johnson, Steve Lengel and Bill Gast were other ESHOF enshrinees on that team. Rock led the team in scoring (393 points) and rebounding (326), averaging 16.4 points. Rock scored 31 points against Findlay for his high game. Davis was second in scoring with 344 points and Mrukowski finished with 343. The Pioneers averaged 70.5 points per game and gave up only 46.1. The 101 points scored against Fremont Ross (free throw by Tom Shepherd, right)  was a school record at the time. Amazingly, five Hall of Famers are on the floor for the tip-off vs. Lorain as shown. Mrukowski is number 44. Rock is jumping center. Gast is to the left and Jones and Davis are to the right.

Walt Kaczay, Distinguished Service

Ray Wilson, an ESHOF inductee in 1977, founded Elyria’s ice hockey program in 1960. When Wilson passed away in 1970, Walt Kaczay stepped up to take over the program and was its primary manager, teacher and organizer at the Elyria North Rink for more than 25 years. Kaczay coached and schooled hundreds of Elyria’s youth hockey teams from the youngest of competitors right up to high school age. He passed away in 2011.

Mark Cannon, Elyria High Football, Basketball and Track

Football, basketball or track – you name it – Mark Cannon excelled in it. The 6-foot-4 Cannon won the state Division I high jump championship three straight years from 1985 to 1987 – the only Elyrian to achieve such a feat. In 1987, his 7-foot-2¼ leap established a state meet record that remains today. In June of 1987 he won the Midwest Meet of Champions. Cannon had an outstanding track career at Ohio State where he became the Buckeyes’ best high jumper. As a sophomore he was third or better in 12 of the team’s 14 meets and finished second in the Big Ten outdoor season. He was also second in the indoor season. His junior year, he was runner-up indoors in the conference meet and outdoors led OSU at the Texas Relays with a 7-foot-1 jump. During the 1990 indoor season, he set a school record with a 7-3 jump. At Elyria High, Cannon earned three letters in basketball and one – as a sophomore – in football. His basketball career had many highlights. He averaged 10.3 points a game as a sophomore, 15.4 and 10 rebounds as a junior, and 15 points and 8.8 rebounds as a senior. He shot 57.6 percent from the floor his senior year and was named Player of the Year in the Buckeye Conference. Cannon was All-County and Special Mention All-Ohio. He was named to the All Buckeye Conference second team as a junior.

Mike Fischer, Elyria High Basketball

Basketball is supposed to be a big man’s game, but nobody stood taller than 5-foot-9 Mike Fischer for Elyria High’s incredible State Tournament run in 1964. Fischer was the man of the hour during a couple of Elyria’s biggest tournament victories in its storied history during his junior season. It was his play that helped Elyria through the sectional, district and regional tournaments to reach the state semi-finals after posting a mediocre 11-7 regular season record. Fischer scored 19 points in a huge 43-42 upset over then unbeaten Cleveland Rhodes, the Cleveland City champion. Twice his shots tied the game enabling teammate Chester Ross’ free throw with two seconds left to win it. The next week – against Toledo DeVillbis – a team that had destroyed Elyria on Elyria’s own floor early in the year – the Pioneers and Fischer took the Tigers to a four overtime classic that Fischer won with a rebound basket in the lane as time expired. Earlier, Fischer’s 3-point play with six seconds left in regulation tied it. He followed that up with an 18-point effort against Lexington to land Elyria in the final four before Cleveland East ended the Cinderella story in the semi-finals. As a senior, Fischer led the Pioneers in scoring with a 17.2 average. At the time, his 362 points were the 10th best in school history and his 32 consecutive free throws is still an EHS record. He was first team All-Buckeye and All-Lorain County. Fischer continued his basketball at Heidelberg College where he scored 1,006 points – 18th on the all-time list at the time.  He was the team’s MVP as a senior – averaging 13.4, 17.5, and 15.7 points per game in his three years on the varsity. He was inducted into Heidelberg’s Hall-of-Fame in 1996.

Doug Gerber, Elyria Catholic Football

The tragedy of Doug Gerber’s football career was that nobody knew what he might have done. A cracked rib in the sixth game of Elyria Catholic’s 1971 season stopped his assault on the school rushing record. He would have led the area in rushing and scoring if not for the injury. But what everybody did know was that Doug Gerber was a special football player. He’d already proven that. His coach, Wayne Diederich, thought his running instincts were among the top three players he ever coached. Even missing four games, Gerber rushed for 936 yards in 103 attempts – averaging over nine yards a trip, and scored 96 points, third in the area. He opened the year with a 267 yard performance against Clearview, then a school record. As a defensive back, he led the Panthers with four interceptions. EC was 7-1-2. The 170-pound running back was All-North Central two years. He lettered three times for the Panthers. Gerber was a standout in basketball as well, starting two years on a team that won 36 of its 44 games. As a junior, he helped the Panthers to a 19-2 season and a NCC title. A year later, he led the Panthers to their first District championship. Gerber led the team in scoring with a 16.5 average, led in assists with 108 and was second in rebounding with 150. He was All-North Central and named Honorable Mention All-State by the Associated Press. Gerber won the Elyria Jaycees Sportsmanship and Lou Rotunda Award as a senior.

Gary Grambley, Elyria Catholic Basketball

If any player defined championship basketball at Elyria Catholic, it was Gary Grambley’s 1977 and 1978 seasons. In one way, it’s a curious definition because the Panthers were a TEAM in capital letters – strong, well-balanced, and eager to boost each other. Yet it was Grambley who was the marquee player – the all-state guard who led the Panthers in scoring, including a memorable 30-point performance in the District Championship victory over Elyria West. The Panthers were 22-2, ranked number one in the state by the UPI and reached the regional finals. Grambley, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard, averaged 17.2 points a game, was second in assists with 112, shot over 50 percent from the floor, nearly 80 percent from the free throw line and made the AP’s All-Ohio first team – the second Panther to be so honored following Russ Sherman. He was named to the UPI’s second team. Grambley was AP’s District player of the year, first team all-conference in both the North Central and Erie Coast and first team All-County. He played in the North-South All-Star game, scoring 19 points to lead his team to victory. As a junior, Grambley averaged 11.3 points and led the team in assists with 96. He was named to the All-North Central Conference team and Elyria Catholic won the league title – finishing with an 18-3 mark overall. Grambley played two years of basketball at Kilgore Junior College in Texas, averaging 13 points and five assists his freshman year and 16 points and six assists for an 18-7 team a year later. He then played two years at Sam Houston State, a Division I school. The team won the Lone Star Conference in 1982 with Grambley averaging 10 points and four assists.

Robert Palmer, Little League

Robert Palmer was the model of a Hall of Famer in terms of sports service. Palmer, who died in 1994, gave his time and his money for Little League Baseball. He was a huge part of Little League South for 30 years, more than 20 as its president, and he kept working at South long after his own children had gone through the league. More than once, it was his money that kept the league alive and going – it was his diligence and dedication to Southside youngsters. Money, sponsors and adult manpower have long been short in supply at Little League South and the league has endured ongoing acts of vandalism that has taxed its meager resources. That the league survives today is testament to Palmer’s work. The league’s fields are named in his honor. Palmer was born in Keysville, Georgia and grew up in Pittsburgh but Elyria was his home for 47 years. Not only was he active in Little League, he was president of the Elyria Neighborhood Center from 1975 until his death. He served on the Capital Fund Drive that raised a half million dollars for repairs, renovation, equipment and expansion of the Haven Center for the Homeless. He was also active in the Urban League’s Lorain County Mentoring Program. One of his sons – John Bohannon – is also a member of the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame. Palmer passed away in 1994.

1973-74 Elyria Catholic Cross Country 

Elyria Catholic’s powerful football teams of the 1970s had to share the state spotlight with the cross country program. The seeds for success were planted and nurtured by the 1973 and 1974 state champions – the first state titles for the school. Actually, the success began in 1972 when Tim Kuhman and Tom Schmidt helped EC to a state runner-up finish behind Chardon. A year later EC won the whole thing, placing five runners among the state’s top 20: Kuhman was fourth, Schmidt sixth, Bill Stetson seventh, Bob Schmidt 19th and Jeff Brizes 20th. Lee Korzan and Dave Schlather also contributed to the team’s success. In a sport where the low score wins, EC’s 56 points were less than half of its nearest rival – Colonel Crawford.  A year later, Brad House and Eric Essenmacher were on the team as the Panthers defended the championship, beating Tipp City by a whopping 60-110 margin. Stetson was fourth, Brizes ninth, House 10th, and Bob Schmidt 16th. The Panthers almost had five top 20 finishers again – this time missing by one place. The EC success continued. The school won two more state titles in 1977 and 78, was second in 1979 and third in 1975. Dick Elsasser, an ESHOF enshrinee and Tom Mahl coached the Panthers.

Ernie Ensign, Distinguished Service

In continuing an eight-year tradition, the ESHOF awarded Ernie Ensign with the Distinguished Service Award. The award was initiated in 1991 to give recognition to deserving Elyrians.

Ensign became the first to be recognized for his fame in the sport of Auto Racing — as an owner of a race car. Ensign was the owner and head mechanic for a team that won the 1975 National Sprint Car title. The car was driven by Larry Dickson. In 1974, his car driven by Dickson, won the Little 500. Bob Frey, Ensign’s Son-In-Law, also drove for Ensign, and won the 1973 Florida State International. Ensign passed away in 2004.

Ensign joined a select group of Elyrians with the Distinguished Service Award. The first recipients were Jack Wilhelm, Karoly Molnar, Doug Donaldson, Bob Lynch, Dr. Robert Stevenson, Ed Murphy and Jerry Rombach.

Steve Bankson, Basketball

He’s the winningest coach in the history of Baldwin-Wallace and he calls Elyria his home town. He is Steve Bankson who eclipsed Ray Watts’ record 246 victories for the Yellow Jackets in 1998. Bankson passed the 300-victory plateau in 2001 and eclipsed 600 during the 2002-03 season. In 2004-05 Bankson’s team won the OAC post-season tournament and wound up 20-9 overall. Bankson is a 1963 graduate of Graceland (Iowa) College and received his master’s degree from Indiana University in 1964. From 1964-68, Bankson coached high school basketball in Indiana and at Port Huron, Michigan, compiling a 49-24 mark at that level. He then joined the staff at Lorain County Community College and stayed 12 years, guiding the Commodores into the national junior college spotlight. Bankson’s record at LCCC was 232-90 and included 10 trips to regional competition. At B-W, Bankson’s first squad in 1980 compiled a 22-6 mark – an outstanding .786 winning percentage that remains the best in B-W history. Bankson retired in the spring of 2008 as the winningest basketball coach in school history, the second winningest men’s basketball coach in the state of Ohio and the third winningest in Ohio Athletic Conference history with 701 victories overall during his 44-year coaching career. At B-W, Bankson compiled a 420-328 record with five OAC titles and five NCAA Division III postseason appearances. An amazing 83 of the 85 four-year players earned their degrees under Bankson.  As the athletic director at the College, Bankson helped the B-W men to capture the 1989-90 OAC All-Sports Trophy and worked to ensure that each team was funded, equipped and given the opportunity to be successful. In 2008, Bankson was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame. His 652 victories at the college level is the most credited to any coach in Ohio history.

Mary Ann Kobb Herrick, Elyria Catholic Tennis

Mary Ann (Kobb) Herrick started playing tennis at the tender age of 11 and soon became a dominant player in city and county circles. At age 17, Herrick was ranked first in the Northeast Ohio Tennis Association, 15th in the Western Tennis Association and 109th nationally. She compiled a 52-0 record in four years of playing at Elyria Catholic and went on to play at Austin Peay University. She played professionally in Europe and on the Florida Women’s tour. In 1994, she received the Herb Nold Award for volunteer work in Northeast Ohio. She continues teaching her craft as a certified professional. She was named Elyria Catholic’s Outstanding Female Athlete in 1978. Herrick was inducted into the USPTA Hall of Fame in 2019 and currently she is president of the Board of Directors for the Blessing House.

John Husband, Elyria High Football

At 210-pounds, John Husband was right in the middle of one of Elyria High’s greatest ever backfields – in fact, he was part of two of the greatest teams ever fielded by the Pioneers. It was Husband at fullback for the undefeated teams of 1968 and ’69. The balance Elyria had on offense kept any of the runners from amassing eye-popping numbers, but Husband ran for 466 yards and scored 34 points as a junior and added 814 yards and 36 points as a senior. He and backfield mates Tony Godbolt and Mac Thomas are all members of the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame. All three were named first team all-Buckeye Conference and Husband was selected to the 2nd team All Ohio by the Associated Press. Elyria was ranked among the best teams in Ohio both years – finishing fourth in the rankings in 1968 and second in 1969. Never was Husband’s presence felt more prominently than the Sandusky game. It was his pounding runs that led Elyria to an 82-yard, game-winning touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter that beat the Blue Streaks in one of the greatest high school games ever played at Ely Stadium. Husband started the drive with a nine-yard game and carried the ball six straight times, one for a 20-yard gain and another of 11 yards that set up the winning TD pass from Brad Barton to Thomas. Husband was awarded the Lorain County Golden Helmet award. He earned a scholarship to Ohio State and not only played in the backfield but on the line of scrimmage as a guard.

Guy Schuler, Elyria Catholic Football

For three seasons at Elyria Catholic and his career at Grand Valley State, Guy Schuler was the man with the golden arm. He was the quarterback who provided his teams with the ability to move the football through the air. For those two schools, nobody did it better. Schuler set records and standards for winning that few can equal. He became EC’s signal caller the second game of his sophomore season in 1980 after the Panthers had lost their opener. They would not lose another regular season contest over the next three years. The 1980 team won its last nine games, the 1981 team finished 8-0-2 and the ’82 team was 9-0. All three were Erie Coast Champions and later won two regional titles – falling in the state semi-finals to eventual state champion Akron St. Vincent/St. Mary. At 6-foot-2, 188 pounds, Schuler set nearly every EC passing record. He threw for 3,410 yards in his career, completing 58.4 percent of his passes. As a senior, he threw 14 TD passes – completing at least one for a touchdown in all but one of EC’s games. Twice he was first team all-conference and as a senior he was Back of the Year in the county, district and conference – earning All-Ohio first team honors as well. At Grand Valley State, a Division II NCAA school just west of Grand Rapids, he completed 414 of 780 passes worth 5,786 yards – second best all-time in school history at that time. His 2, 331 yards passing in a season was also a record at the time. He also held the mark for pass attempts and total offense in a single game.

1969 Little League West Baseball  

In 1969, Little League West’s 11- and 12-year old all-star team set sail on a great adventure that wound up being tied as the 3rd best team in the world. The West All-Stars won nine games and tied one in 11 starts in tournament competition. In order, West defeated Avon, 6-1, New London, 5-1, and Collinwood, 4-1, to win the District. In the state tournament, West defeated Poland, 6-0, Marion, 1-0 in 12 innings and Wintersville, 4-0, for the championship. At the Central States regional in Ottumwa, Iowa, West beat Chicago Evergreen Park, 5-1, and in the finals, beat Sedalia, Mo., 2-0, to advance to Williamsport. At that time, West was just the third Ohio team to play in the Little League World Series. Elyria opened with a 5-2 win over Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, then faced Taiwan in the semi-finals, losing a hearbreaker, 4-3. In the consolation, Elyria and Tampa were tied 1-1 after nine innings before the game was game was halted due to the championship game scheduled to be on national television. The team was managed by Don Biltz and coached by Ray Esser. Members of the team included Chris Wisneski, Craig Schumacher, Dave Gibbs, Pierce Burt, Glenn Johnson, Steve Eisom, George Biltz, Ken Bellottie, Ric Bellottie, Tom Moyer, Bill Berenzi, Bill Green, Randy Below, and Rob Remick.

Jerry Rombach, Distinguished Service

One of the founders of the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame, Jerry Rombach was also the sports editor of the Chronicle-Telegram for many, many years before retiring. Rombach’s column — Sportscope — was a staple of the Chronicle for many, many years. Rombach helped establish the annual banquet as one of the most important events the City of Elyria looked forward to each year. He served as a director for the ESHOF for over 25 years.

As sports editor, Rombach has been inducted into both the county football coaches and basketball coaches Hall of Fame. Twice he served as chairman of the Ohio Prep Sportswriters and has won many writing awards. He passed away in July, 2017.

Betsy Riccardi, Elyria High Track

Betsy Riccardi earned her place in the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame by excelling in track – both at Elyria High and later at Eastern Michigan University. In the Mid-1970s, women’s track was just getting a foothold in area high schools when Betsy starred for the Pioneers. She was named Most Outstanding Female of the 1975 Lorain County Junior Olympics and later ran in the state track meet as part of Elyria High’s 880-medley relay team. Outside of school, in a summer meet, she won the 10K Elyria Distance Classic. Later in college, Riccardi set a school record in the 440 hurdles and the mile relay, qualifying for the national meet in the relay. While selected for enshrinement based on her athletic achievements, Riccardi could well have been chosen for her coaching as well. After coaching three years of high school track, she became the University of Toledo’s head women’s coach and cross country coach in 1984 – the first Elyrian to coach a Division I university track team. She then took charge of the women’s track program at Stanford University of the Pac Ten as main assistant head coach – helping the Cardinal to second place in the nation in the 1992 indoor meet and fourth place at the national outdoor. Prior to a maternity leave in 1994, she directed the Nike/Stanford Track and Field Invitational, the university’s biggest nationally televised event in history. She and her husband, Brooks Johnson – a former world track record holder and Olympic coach – have a son. Riccardi went on as a part-time assistant coach for her husband at California Poly at San Luis Obispo and currently lives in the Orlando, Florida area.

Rob Sheldon, Elyria High Football

It was almost destined that Rob Sheldon would be a successful coach. It was in his genes. After all, Rob’s father, John Sheldon, was probably the best line and defensive coach in Elyria High football history and his uncle – Bob Jabbusch – was an Elyria High sports star in the 1940s. Both are members of the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame. But Rob didn’t receive enshrinement because of his father and uncle. He did it on his own as a great boys basketball coach at Wynford High School in Bucyrus for 28 years where he won 450 games and lost only 195, a nearly 70 percent winning percentage.  He was Crawford County’s Coach of the Year seven of the 10 seasons including five in a row. His team has won the North Central Conference championship nine times. Rob has led his team to 11 sectional titles, 5 district championships, and two regional titles leading to a pair of State Tournament appearances. Sheldon was so well-regarded statewide that he was elected president of the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association and was chosen to coach the Ohio All-Stars in July of 1996 in a four-state tournament with Indiana, Michigan, and Kentucky. In 1989, Sheldon coached Ohio in a game against Michigan’s All-Stars and in 1988, he coached in the Ohio All-Star game. No other Elyria grad has ever had so many coaching victories or gained such fame throughout the state for his coaching. At Elyria, Rob was the point guard for the Pioneers in the late 1960s, graduating in 1969 and going on to a fine career at Bluffton College, where he also was the school’s point guard. One of his six sons, David, became a star player in his own right at Bluffton.

Gary Stevenson, Elyria High Football

Gary Stevenson is truly an American Sports figure. Stevenson is a self-made sports entrepreneur with ties to many professional athletes and organizations. From his athletic accomplishments at Elyria High to national prominence as a business agent for one-time Miami Dolphins and NFL Hall of Famer Dan Marino to being president of a national cable network, Stevenson has touched many people both individually and professionally. Stevenson’s first moment in the spotlight out of Elyria came on the floor of St. Johns Arena for the Pioneers in the 1973 Ohio High School State Basketball tournament. A starting guard on that outstanding team, it was Stevenson who became the central figure of a controversial play in the closing seconds of the semi-final contest against Cincinnati Elder. The Pioneer press had Elder on the ropes as Elyria made a furious comeback in the fourth quarter. On an inbound pass, with Elyria down by just a single point, an Elder player charged into Stevenson, who had position and was standing still. However, the referee pointed to Stevenson (see right) as he sat on the floor after being knocked over by the charging Elder player. The free throws ultimately clinched the victory for Elder, who won the state title the next night. It ended what many believe was Elyria’s best chance at winning a state championship. To this day, Elyria fans still talk about that fateful call. Following graduation from Elyria – where Stevenson also played quarterback for the football team – he earned a bachelor’s degree from Duke University and a master’s degree from George Washington University. After a brief career fighting forest fires in Oregon, Stevenson headed to Washington D.C. to work for a tax firm. That led to a job with ProServe, one of America’s original sports marketing and management firms.

Eventually, Stevenson established his own company, with partners, called Advantage International, a sports company that not only managed athletes such as Marino but promoted such projects like the Kemper Open and Buick Open in golf. From there, he went on to a Professional Golf Association (PGA) as a top official which put him on the ground floor as president of the Golf Channel, a 24-hour cable network. He has worked for the NBA as well. He started OnSport in 1997 — a media company that promoted the PGA tour, NASCAR, and professional tennis. He was the former executive vice-president of the PGA in business affairs and later was the Chief Operating Officer for the launch of the Golf Channel. Stevenson also taught “The Business of Sport” at Duke University from 2000-2007. In 2010 he established a scholarship at Elyria High in honor of his parents — Dr. Robert and Eleanor Stevenson. Stevenson remains a member of the USGA Executive Committee and was named president of PAC-12 Enterprises in August, 2011 where he helped launch the conference’s network on August 15, 2012. In 2013, Stevenson was named president and managing director of Major League Soccer Business Ventures.

Steve Tovar, Elyria West Football

The only question about Steve Tovar’s enshrinement into the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame was not ‘if’ but ‘when’. Tovar is perhaps the greatest athlete produced by Elyria West High School. He was not just a player at West, Ohio State and the Cincinnati Bengals, but a star performer at all levels. With the Bengals in 1993 as a rookie (see right), Tovar led the team in tackles with 122. It all started at West where he not only dominated on the football field but on the hardwood of basketball as well. Football drew the attention of scouts across the nation his senior year when he earned the Lorain County Golden Helmet award, the most prestigious football honor given out that is usually reserved for an offensive star. After graduation, Tovar was given a scholarship to Ohio State where he earned Kodak All-America honors as a senior for the Buckeyes as well as a three-time All-Big Ten selection (see cover of 1992 Michigan game). A lifetime Cleveland Browns fan, Tovar changed his allegiance once he was selected in the third round by the Bengals. Tovar played eight seasons in the NFL – six with Cincinnati. He also played for San Diego and Carolina. Currently, Steve is a special assistant with the football program at his alma mater Ohio State.

1968 Elyria High Football

Ed Green (75), Mark Harvey (64), Chris Zaffer (53), Wayne Clemmons (71), James Plato (47), Colin Messaros (61), Jim Orwig (45), Tim Walsh (87), Mac Thomas (42), Robert Zvosec (33), Gary Beury (52)) gave the 1968 Pioneers football team its rightful place in the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame but the offense wasn’t too shabby either. Led by a great quarterback, a solid back-up signal caller and a backfield loaded with talented runners deep enough to field two teams, Elyria rolled to its second undefeated team in school history and a fourth place finish in the state polls – the only measuring stick for state champions at the time. The offense sputtered early in the year but adversity molded his unit into Hall of Fame greatness. Five defensive stands within the Red Zone – four within the 10-yard line – enabled the Pioneers to survive a potential early ambush by Admiral King. Then, in the next game against Findlay, Elyria’s defense had four more defensive stands in a 13-2 victory. From there, the offense (Above) — Bill Couch (82), Tom Szabo (70), Eddie Elerson (62), Harold Kehler (50), Don Buttle (60), Neil Mitchell (77), LaRond Corn (80), Cliff Simonson (41), John Husband (35), Al VanValkenburg (11), Tony Godbolt (46)) found its gear and the Pioneers rolled to their first undefeated season in 21 years and set the tone for an amazing five year run where Elyria was 46-4 all under Bill Barton (shown below). Defensively, the Pioneers allowed only one team to score a touchdown. No team sustained a drive more than 33 yards. Opponents scored only 24 points all year – the lowest total allowed by EHS until the undefeated 1979 team.

Edward H. Murphy, Distinguished Service

Ed Murphy played a key role in developing the present validation system still used today by the Hall of Fame to come up with its nominations and eventual selection for the Hall of Fame. Murphy, now retired from the Chronicle Telegram as personnel director, also kept statistics for Elyria High’s football team for many seasons. He also wrote a column for the CT on Automobile Racing.  Murphy spent many years on the executive board of the ESHOF, serving as chairman in 1978. He was a member of the original Hall of Fame board in 1972.  Murphy was active in Little League baseball and covered motor sports at Lorain County Speedway for many years. He was also president of the Elyria High Pioneer Club in 1973 and 1974.

Ann Forbes, Elyria West Track

Success in athletics was never a problem for Ann Forbes. She left a trail of high school and college achievements to prove it. From the time she won the Lorain County Pentathlon as a sophomore at Elyria West, it was obvious Forbes was a special athlete. Her track career culminated with a Class AAA state championship in the high jump, the first individual state track title ever won by a female athlete at West. But Forbes, a 1988 graduate, was at her best in basketball. A 6-foot-1 guard, Forbes set more than 10 school records during her career at West, including single-game marks for points (39) and assists (12), and season marks for points (545) and free throw percentage (77) and assists (125). Her 300 career assists were also a West record. Forbes received a string of honors after averaging 22.3 points and 9.3 rebounds in leading West to a 22-2 record her senior season. She was Lorain County’s Co-Ms. Basketball, All-Lorain County Division II Player of the Year, Lorain County Conference MVP, The Chronicle-Telegram Player of the Year, All-District first team, All-Ohio second team, and the George Day Award winner as West’s outstanding senior athlete. She continued her basketball career – and success – at Kent State, where she moved into the starting lineup six games into her freshman year. She made the MAC All-Freshman team, was honorable mention All-MAC as a sophomore and was first team all-league as a junior and senior. A two-year co-captain, Forbes led the MAC in scoring as a junior. The 1,728 points still ranks fourth all-time for the Flashes and her 20.2 scoring average is still third-best all-time for a single season and her 16.5 career average is fourth. She still holds the school record for points in a game with 43 in 1991 during the MAC tournament vs. Bowling Green. Forbes still ranks among Kent’s career leaders in three-point shooting percentage, free throw shooting percentage and blocked shots. She was inducted into Kent State’s Hall of Fame in 2003 and currently is employed by the United Parcel Service in Hilliard, Ohio.

Ann Gilbert, Elyria High Basketball

Whether at high school or college, Ann Gilbert left her mark on the game of basketball. A standout point guard at Elyria High, Gilbert led the Pioneers in scoring, assists, and defense her junior and senior years. She averaged 18.5 points a game and dished out 106 assists as a senior to earn a spot on the All-Ohio first team. She was also named the 1986 Lorain County Ms. Basketball. Gilbert’s prowess earned her a scholarship at Ohio University where she excelled for two years before transferring to Oberlin College where she blossomed. She led the nation in scoring as a junior (31.1 ppg) and was second as a senior (31.2). A two-time NCAC Player of the Year and Division III first team All-American, Gilbert was honored by Sports Illustrated and Honda as America’s Female Athlete of the Year in 1991. Holder of 24 Oberlin College and 10 NCAC records upon graduation, she also held the NCAA Division III single game scoring record (61 points), field goals (28) and field goal attempts (55). She still holds 22 of Oberlin’s records. Upon graduation, Gilbert returned to Oberlin College to serve as an assistant coach for both the women’s and men’s programs and was named the head women’s coach in 1994. She was inducted into Oberlin College’s Hall of Fame in 2001. Ann has been the head women’s basketball coach at several universities.

Lee Johnson, Elyria High Basketball

One of the brightest stars during Elyria High’s ‘Golden Age’ of basketball during the late 1950s and early 1960s, Lee Johnson was a fan favorite who seldom let them or the team down. During that Golden Age, the Pioneers under the legendary Dale Reichenbach, won or shared four Buckeye Conference championships in five years from 1957 through 1962. In post-season, Elyria won an amazing 10 of 11 sectional and district championships and twice gained berths at the state tournament. The first of those teams was led by Johnson in 1961. It was Johnson who scored what would become the last sudden death field goal to eliminate Lima Senior at the Toledo Regional. Elyria would lose by just two points to Portsmouth, the eventual state champion, in the state semi-finals. Johnson was named to the All-tournament team at the state tournament and became Elyria High’s first All-Ohio first team selection. Reichenbach praised Johnson as “a team player, a good leader who led by example.” Despite being only 6-foot-4, Johnson consistently outplayed every center he faced as a senior. He set a single game rebound record that may never be broken when he pulled in 31 rebounds against Findlay. He was the Buckeye Conference scoring champion as a senior and was named to the first team All-Conference as a junior and a senior. Johnson played in the prestigious North-South All-Star game and accepted a scholarship to play basketball at Texas Southern University in Houston. Johnson still resides in Elyria and still follows the Pioneers.

Dan Ternes, Elyria High Wrestling

Several area Halls of Fame could lay claim to Dan Ternes, but Elyria was the first to honor him in 1995. Ternes’ work as a wrestling and baseball coach at Southview only scratch the surface of what Ternes has meant to both programs. His dedication to both sports is as outstanding as his record. He was also a great athlete at Elyria High, winning sectional and district wrestling championships. He was the team MVP and went on to a fine career at Bowling Green. After assisting one year at Elyria, Ternes began a legacy at Southview that remains alive today. He led the Saints to five undefeated seasons and 16 conference championships in 19 years. His 1993 team finished second in the state and Ternes was named Coach of the Year. Among his individual champions have been G.T. Taylor, who continued to have an outstanding wrestling career at Arizona State, and Juggy Franklin, who went on to wrestle at Ohio State. Ternes has helped run and organize a number of local tournaments including the Divison I sectional. He has been active in the Lorain County Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association. Ternes has also been very active in youth baseball – most notably at Little League North in Elyria. He coached all-star teams to state tournaments in the Majors division (1988), Juniors (1989) and Seniors (1991). He revived the city’s dormant Big League program for 16 to 18 year olds and took two teams to the state tournament. He took over as Southview’s baseball coach in 1995 and was instrumental in turning Southview’s baseball field into one of the best in the area.

Billy Joe Williams, Elyria Catholic Basketball

Billy Joe Williams only played two seasons on the varsity at Elyria Catholic during the late 1970s, but his impact is still evident today as far as Panther lore is told. Williams was a fluid scoring machine who reminded local fans of Dr. J (Julius Ervin) or even Michael Jordan. Williams scored points in huge amounts not only for EC but at Walsh College and professionally in France. In two years as a Panther, Williams led Elyria Catholic to 33 victories in 45 games, winning the area scoring title in both years – averaging 20.6 points as a junior and 25.5 as a senior. His 52 point outburst against Lorain Catholic remains the single-game scoring record for the city of Elyria and was the fourth highest single game in Lorain County history at that time. He shot a sizzling 50 percent from the field. He was named first team All-Ohio as a senior and scored 41 points in the Akron Classic All-Star game. He added 26 more points and was the MVP in the Buffalo Classic. At Walsh, Williams played two seasons and set school records for career (1,654 points), season (708), and single game (48). He was NAIA third team All-American and honorable mention in his two years of college ball. In July, 1985, Williams left for Nancy, France to play professionally. He played for better than 10 years.

Dr. Robert W. Stevenson, Distinguished Service        

Dr. Stevenson provided assistance to area athletes for many, many years. His resume and his wife Eleanor’s (shown with Dr. Stevenson at right) resume read like something out of a Hollywood script. They both graduated from Elyria High in 1940 and certainly had a positive impact on the community ever since. Dr. Stevenson was born in Elyria while Eleanor was born in Tiffin but moved to Elyria at the age of four. They lived in Elyria until 1980 when they first moved to the Vermilion lagoons before moving to Cary, North Carolina in 1986. Dr. Stevenson, after serving in the Coast Guard through World War II, opened his chiropractor office in 1948 and continued to serve athletes from all over Lorain County up to his retirement in 1986.  While Dr. Stevenson was known mostly for helping Elyria High athletes, many area schools were familiar with his practice. Dr. Stevenson passed away in 2015.

Bob Kaminski, Elyria Catholic High School

There have been many younger brothers who have followed their older brothers lead as outstanding athletes and Bob Kaminski certainly fills the bill. Bob followed his brother Dale as one of the greatest athletes in Elyria Catholic history. Big Bob – 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, played football and basketball for the Panthers and went on to play offensive guard at West Virginia University. As a senior at EC, Bob was named the Most Valuable Lineman for the 1971 8-2 Panthers – a team that wound up second in the North Central Conference. He was a key member of the 1970-71 basketball team that became the first in school history to win a District championship and qualify as a member of the “Sweet Sixteen”. Bob’s heavy recruiting schedule kept him from participating in basketball as a senior when he selected the Mountaineers and lettered twice under the legendary Bobby Bowden. His last year at West Virginia, the Mountaineers finished 9-3 and defeated North Carolina State – then coached by Lou Holtz – in the Peach Bowl. Bob had aspirations of playing in the NFL but a neck injury prevented him from taking his fifth year (he was redshirted as a freshman) with the Mountaineers and kept him from entering the professional draft. Bob remained active in the West Virginia football program as a recruiter while selling heavy industrial equipment in Beckley, W.V.     

Steve Lengel, Elyria High School

A letterwinner in three sports at Elyria High and later a long-time successful junior high coach for the Pioneer program earned Steve Lengel recognition as a member of the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame. Lengel was a member of some of the most memorable teams in EHS lore. He played on the 1959 football team that tied Lorain and Marion for the Buckeye Conference championship – finishing with a 7-1-1 record. He played on the Hall-of-Fame 1958-59 basketball team that was the first to go through the regular season undefeated. The Pioneers weren’t defeated until losing to eventual state champion East Tech in the Regional semi-finals. A year later, he played an integral role on the 21-4 Regional finalists and that spring wound up his high school career as a member of the Buckeye Conference co-champion baseball team. Upon graduation, Lengel accepted a football scholarship from Ashland College and played three years for the Eagles. After receiving his B.A. from Ashland, Lengel went on to get his Master’s Degree at Kent State. As a youngster, Lengel played Little League, Pony League and American Legion Baseball. He was a member of LLW’s district champions and participated on several junior high track, wrestling and basketball teams at Franklin Junior High.

 

Jack Meyer, Elyria High School

One of the most versatile athletes of the 1930s in Elyria High history was Jack Meyer. Meyer was a standout in football, basketball and track – earning three letters each on the gridiron and basketball court and one in track. He was an All-Lake Erie guard on the school’s championship basketball team and won similar honors for the football team. He attended Kiski Prep in Pennsylvania for one year – earning letters in football, basketball and baseball and continued his football career at Michigan where he played quarterback for the Wolverines during the Tom Harmon era. In fact, Meyer was Harmon’s roommate and received the prestigious Sphinx and Druids awards for his participation in sports. His career came to a premature finish in 1938 when he suffered a severe knee injury in the middle of the season. Although he tried to play again, his playing days ended three games later in the season finale against Ohio State when he re-injured his knee. Meyer, nicknamed ‘Keg’ in college because of his build, played under Roy Clymer, who also coached ESHOF members Ed Czak, Fred Lehmann, and Tony Wolodzko.
 

Vic Stewart, Jr., Elyria High School

Though very active in Lorain County politics, community matters and owner of a successful insurance business, Vic Stewart still found time for his kids – not only his own 10 – but the hundreds of others he coached in his two decades of coaching Elyria’s Little League baseball and youth basketball leagues. Stewart’s love of baseball began in the 1940s as a player at Elyria High. He went on to John Carroll University where he had ideas of coaching high school athletes but passed them up in favor of the insurance business. Instrumental in organizing Little League North, Steward began coaching youth baseball in 1954 and found immediate success with a 20-0 season. That team, co-coached by Ted Tracy, is believed to be the only one in Elyria Little League history to finish a season undefeated. Stewart had several 19-1 seasons as well. A strict disciplinarian on the diamond, Stewart compiled a record of 274 wins and 165 losses in his tenure at North and East. Stewart was an All-Star manager five times – winning the East championship once and the North title nine times. His teams finished runner-up in the city tournament three times and once he won the Elyria City Championship in 1972. Stewart coached basketball for 22 years – winning 25 games with the YMCA Class D team in 1943-44. A few years later, he took St. Jude to several CYO championships. Now retired, Stewart looks back on a long, illustrious career in local politics. He served on the Lorain County Board of Elections for 30 years, was a member of Elyria City Council and served the city as Mayor in 1959. Stewart served on the Lorain County Democratic Central Committee from 1964 to 1984 and was chairman of the Elyria Democratic Central Committee from 1956-1986. He was a delegate to the National Democratic conventions in 1964 and 1968. He retired as the Lorain County Democratic party chairman in 1990. He also served as the county’s chairman for Gov. Richard Celeste’s campaign in 1978. Stewart and his wife – the former Helen R. Murray – have 21 grandchildren. Vic passed away on October 30, 2011.

 

Bob Van Valkenburg, Elyria High School

Bob Van Valkenburg will live forever in Elyria sports lore as engineer of the greatest football rally to avoid defeat in Elyria High School history. A quarterback for the 1962 Pioneers, Van Valkenburg started the fourth quarter of the Sandusky game trailing 20-0. The Blue Streaks were undefeated and ranked as the second best team in the entire state. Elyria hadn’t won a game all year. When the final gun sounded, Elyria had miraculously tied the powerful Streaks, 20-20, sending shock waves around the state. Van Valkenburg had two touchdown passes and connected on a 2-point conversion pass that knotted the score. Coach Bill Barton – ill with the flu – directed the game from the warmth of the press box. He called the game one of his greatest coaching thrills. Van Valkenburg was the starting quarterback for the Pioneers for three seasons and was named All-Buckeye Conference as well as honorable mention to the All-state team. In baseball, Van Valkenburg was named to play in the Ohio All-Star game in 1963. He was also a prominent member of the basketball team for three seasons. After graduation from EHS, Van Valkenburg went on to play football at Kent State. Later, his younger brother Al directed Elyria to its undefeated 1968 season.

 

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE

Bob Lynch, Chronicle Telegram

For many years, The Elyria Chronicle-Telegram was blessed to have artist Bob Lynch on-board to draw cartoons and caricatures of special sporting events as they came along. At the right is an example of his talent. It’s a drawing that appeared in the Chronicle-Telegram just prior to the opening of the football season showing Elyria High’s Bill Barton and Elyria Catholic’s Wayne Diederich. both Elyria Sports Hall of Famers. For the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame, Lynch drew the caricatures for our ESHOF program through the first twenty-plus years. His editorial cartoons are still one of the more popular features found in the Chronicle. Lynch was a great athlete in his own right and is enshrined in the Midview Athletic Hall of Fame.

Dot Boreski

Known primarily as an outstanding bowler, Dot Boreski paved the way for women’s role in track, softball and basketball back in the 1930s. Northern Ohio was a hotbed for women’s softball in the late 1930s through the 1940s and Boreski made her mark playing with and against the best. She began honing her diamond skills as a student at North Ridgeville. Over the course of the next decade, her softball accomplishments earned her wide-spread recognition. Soon she was being recruited by teams all over the northern part of the state. In 1939 she was a member of the Akron Roverettes, who once played an indoor game at the famed Madison Square Garden in New York. She later played in the national women’s softball tournament as a member of the Dayton Morain Products team. As a pitcher Dot fired a perfect game against Lorain in 1939. At the same time her softball career was getting underway, Dot was also making her mark in track. She won the broad jump in the Lorain County track meet and was a member of the Rangers’ winning relay team. In the winter months, Boreski turned her attention to basketball. She was a teammate to the famous Cleveland athlete Stella Walsh on the squad that won the AAU championship. Dot beat out Walsh for MVP honors in that tournament. In the 1950s, Boreski shifted her efforts to the bowling lanes where she had much success for many, many years. A consistent high scorer, she earned the All-Events title in the 1971 Elyria Women’s Bowling Association City Tournament. She came back in 1986 to win the tourney’s championship teamed with Barbara Kaminski. In 1974 her 267 single game was the highest of the entire season for area women bowlers. Dot’s bowling achievements earned her selection to the 1975 EWBA Hall of Fame.

Ed Czak (1919-2008)

Elyria High School has produced a number of outstanding football players, but Ed Czak was labeled “the greatest player I ever coached” by veteran mentor Roy Clymer. In Czak’s final game at Elyria High in 1936, he scored all the points in the contest as Elyria defeated its biggest rival – Lorain, 12-0. He earned two letters and all-league honors in high school. He also was the recipient for the Agenda Trophy for sportsmanship. Czak went on to the University of Michigan (left), earning two letters and playing three years. He played on the same Wolverine team with the legendary Tom Harmon and Forrest Evashevski. Michigan, a perennial national power, had so much talent in those days that to just make the team and earn two letters is a feat as great as starring on a smaller college team. Had Czak gone to a smaller school, he may have been an All-American. Czak scored two touchdowns for the Wolverines, one of them captured on the front sports pages of one of the Detroit daily newspapers. Michigan never lost to Ohio State while Czak was there and he was on the field with Harmon when the Wolverines routed the University of Chicago, 85-0.
 

Tom Szabo

It was no coincidence that you found a winning team wherever Tom Szabo played football and baseball. Szabo was a key performer on the two straight undefeated Elyria football teams in 1968 and 69. On the baseball diamond, Szabo was a key pitcher for a pair of Pioneer teams that combined for a 39-9 record. He went on to Ohio State and played briefly on the football team during the Woody Hayes glory years before a knee injury curtailed his playing time but he contributed to the baseball team that played for the Big 10 championship. Szabo was a 6-foot-1, 220-pound tackle and defensive linebacker for the Pioneers. He earned honorable mention in the all-conference voting his junior year. A year later, Szabo was named All-Buckeye conference and earned mention on the All-Ohio team. On the baseball field as a junior, he combined with two other pitchers in hurling a no-hitter and helping Elyria to an impressive 17-3 record. As a senior, he pitched the only perfect game in Elyria High history, a victory over Midview. Elyria finished with a 22-6 mark, setting a school record for victories in a season at the time. He pitched on the first Elyria High squad to play in the regional finals. In two years, Szabo was 14-2 with an ERA of 0.58 as a junior and 1.20 as a senior. At Ohio State, he lettered in baseball, earning a spot in the starting rotation. He played two years before the football injury flared up.  Tom passed away on July 8, 2023 at the age of 70.

 

Dave Wessely

You could say that Dave Wessely has always been in the swim of things. He was a member of the swim team at Lakewood High and Muskingum College. After graduation in 1966, he joined the Peace Corps and spent three years in Botswana teaching math and science to village children and how to play baseball. In 1971, Wessely began teaching math at Elyria High and organized a swim team at the Elyria YMCA. Over the next 22 years, his teams captured 10 first place trophies and 11 second place finishes in the Northeast Ohio NEO YMCA Swim League. In 1977 he was honored as the Outstanding Young Educator by the Elyria Jaycees. His coaching philosophy was simple – no one gets cut and everyone performs to the best of their abilities. That work ethic earned him and his teams a 146-13 record. It has been calculated that Wessely spent over 10,000 hours of his time in community service. Wessely figured when he first arrived in Elyria, he spend about five years and move on to better things. After 22 years, he remained a guiding force in an outstanding program. It is his dedication to youth and swimming that earned him a berth in the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame. 

 

1973 Elyria High Wrestling    

On March 10, 1973, Bill Pierson boldly led his four-man team into St. Johns Arena in Columbus. At stake was the state championship, a prize no other Elyria team in any sport had captured to that time. Pierson was confident. He had watched Ricky Lewis, Kenny Redd, Larry Beal and Mike Sittinger mature under his tutelage and he knew his own version of the “Big Red Machine” was capable of greatness. The championship came down to Elyria, Akron Garfield and Mentor and the lead changed hands three times on that March night but Lewis put away his opponent, the muscular John Steele of Oak Hills, in a convincing 3-1 win to grab first place in the 126-pound class to put the state crown within reach. In the end, Elyria edged Garfield by two points, 36-34. Beal finished third in the 155-pound class, Redd fourth at 98, and Sittinger sixth at 145 pounds. 

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE

Doug Donaldson

For 32 years Doug Donaldson and Eastern Heights Junior High were synonymous. You couldn’t have one without the other. Donaldson graduated from Kent State in 1955 and that fall begin his career as a teacher and coach at Eastern Heights. The number of lives he touched during those 32 years is obviously countless. Donaldson was the consummate team player — always getting his teams ready to compete and participate at Elyria High once they left Heights. He never took himself too seriously. He always had a touch of sarcasm and interjected humor when the need was there and he always understood his teaching position took precendence to his coaching. 

Tim Johnson

When it came to track – whether as participant or coach – Tim Johnson performed very well. At Elyria High, Johnson was a two-sport star – excelling both in track and in football. Johnson won the Lorain County Decathlon in 1966 – one of only two sophomores in the 27-year history of the event to take the top prize. The following year, he was runner-up. In football, Johnson was a wingback on an outstanding 1966 Pioneer team that finished 8-1-1 and finished second in the Buckeye Conference to Sandusky. As wingback, Johnson was mainly a blocker for fellow hall-of-famers Jack Beidleman and Al Robinson but he still finished with a 5.4 yards per carry average – accumulating 323 yards rushing on 59 attempts. He was second to Beidleman in scoring with 28 points and was named to the honorable mention team for the Buckeye Conference. Thanks to his blocking, Beidleman ran for over 1,100 yards and Robinson nearly 700. Johnson’s best night came in a 35-8 pasting of Findlay when he carried 12 times for 86 yards – a 7.1 average. Elyria received the second half kick and marched 87 yards in 10 plays with Johnson getting the call seven times for gains of 13, 14, 14, 4, 5, 4 and the final seven for the touchdown. In track, Johnson set records in the low and high hurdles to lead Elyria to the District championship. Some observers called the ’67 Pioneers the best track squad ever assembled in Lorain County. Also on the squad – in addition to Johnson, Beidleman and Robinson – was record setting pole vaulter Jerry Klyop – also an ESHOF. Johnson “paid forward” by returning to Elyria to assist in track and football. He’s also been an assistant at several other area schools. 

 

John McNulty

John McNulty has done it all when it comes to wrestling. As a senior at Elyria High, McNulty capped a 30-0 season with a state championship in 1976. He went on to become an international champion, winning the World Games freestyle championship for wrestlers under 21 years of age at 136 pounds. In 1979 he was bronze medal winner for the United States in the Pan Am Games in Greco-Roman competition. He also wrestled for the United States against Mexico, Canada, Korea, and West Germany. In 1975 – prior to his sophomore year, McNulty won seven matches at the world team tryouts in Omaha to earn a berth on the U.S. World junior team which went on to compete with teams from 27 countries in Santa Domingo. He captured a gold medal at Santo Domingo, winning five matches in the 132-pound class. He pinned competitors from Argentina and Panama, while his other victories came over wrestlers from Switzerland, England and Peru. The U.S. team won the tournament with six firsts, two seconds, and one third. During his senior season at Elyria, the Pioneers compiled a 10-1 dual record and won the Buckeye Conference championship. The Pioneers placed eighth in the District and 11th at State. He enrolled at the University of Arizona where he wrestled at 142 pounds for two years, transferring to Louisiana State after Arizona dropped the sport of wrestling. At Arizona, his record was 18-3 before transferring. A motorcycle accident ended his mat career but his love for the sport did not end. He became involved in coaching – first as an assistant to Dan Ternes at Southview before completing successful stints as head coach at both Elyria and Elyria Catholic.

 

Jim Rattay

It was by pure luck that Elyria Catholic hired Jim Rattay to take over as head coach for the 1976 season. Rattay became one of the most successful high school coaches not only in Lorain County but wherever he went. Rattay was hired very late prior to the 1976 season after the sudden resignation Mike Noonan. Rattay went on to take that team to the state championship and finished his outstanding EC run by winning the 1983 state title. In his eight years as head coach of the Panthers, Rattay was 79-7-3. Five of his teams qualified for the state playoffs including a runner-up finish in 1977. Two other times, his teams were eliminated by the eventual state champion in the semi-finals. While at Elyria Catholic, Rattay never lost more than one regular season game, never lost an Erie Coast Conference game, and never lost at Knights of Columbus field—EC’s home turf. EC lost only one game to a county rival under Rattay’s tutelage. EC had compiled a 38-game regular season winning streak when he left following the ’83 championship season. Fifty of his players made either first or second team All-Ohio and he was named the Coach of the Year by both wire services in 1983.  The Panthers continued their success the next season with another undefeated, state champion that Rattay certainly laid the groundwork for. Rattay went on to a successful year at Euclid in 1984 before heading west where at Mesa High in Arizona he won a couple more state championships.

 

Don Rothgery

In a sport generally dominated by Canadians, Elyria’s Don Rothgery found a way to attain a great deal of success. A graduated of Elyria High in 1981, he became the first Elyrian to earn a hockey scholarship and play at Ohio State. Rothgery played youth hockey in the Elyria program up through his sophomore year when he switched his emphasis to Juniors. He competed with the Cleveland Americans as a 16-year old, then went on to play with the Cleveland Junior Barons, the Austin (Minnesota) Mavericks and the Waterloo (Iowa) Blackhawks. At age 17, he was a member of the select group representing Ohio at the Olympic Training Center Camp in Colorado Springs. Rothgery fine-tuned his prowess at Ohio State where he earned four letters and played a major role in the Buckeye’s program. He was Ohio State’s Defensive Player of the Year as a senior – a rare feat for a forward position. Professionally he saw minor league action with the Miami Valley Sabres, Knoxville Cherokees and the Virginia Lancers. In addition to his hockey, Rothgery was an accomplished runner – earning two track letters and three letters in cross country letters for Elyria High. He was a member of the 1980 Buckeye Conference champions. After his hockey career concluded in 1989, Rothgery turned to weightlifting where he won the 1990 Ohio Regional Qualifier, lifting over 1,537 pounds.

 

Tom Underman

It was quite a year for Tom Underman in 1992. He became part of the second class of enshrinees at Robert Morris College’s Hall of Fame and then joined his late brother Jay in the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame a few months later. Tom was the last of the four Underman brothers to play for Elyria High and upheld the tradition established by Jay, Rick and Mike. Tom played three years on the Elyria varsity – leading the team in scoring and rebounding as a junior and a senior. He was first team All-Buckeye Conference, All-District, All-Lorain County and third team All-Ohio as a senior. He led the Buckeye Conference with a 23.0 point average. He was fourth in free throw percentage and fifth in field goal percentage. Tom was named as a co-winner of the Lorain County Mr. Basketball Award as he turned Elyria around from a 6-15 season as a junior to a 13-8 winner in 1981. His career at Robert Morris was also honor-filled. He scored 1,210 points, grabbed 576 rebounds and was the school’s all-time free throw leader with 388. His name is listed prominently among the leaders in several categories at Robert Morris. His high game came in a victory over Buckness in 1984 when he poured in 35 points. He was named to the league’s all-rookie team in 1982 and its all-league team as a senior. He was an honorable mention on the AP All-American team in 1985. Tom played on two NCAA tournament teams while at Robert Morris and became the school’s first player to exceed 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in his career.
 

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE

Karoly Molnar

The Greater Elyria Soccer Association — better known simply as GESA — was first organized and started by Karoly Molnar. Literally thousands of Elyria’s youth got their first exposure to this world-wide sport through the work of Mr. Molnar.

Ray Armstrong

Born to run describes Ray Armstrong. He loved to run. The Elyria West graduate sprinted his way into Lorain County history as a senior in 1979, winning three state Class AA track championships. His strong legs carried him to wins in the 100-, 220-, and 440-yard dashes, victories that led the Wolverines to a second place team finish in Columbus. The 220-yard victory was his second straight state title. Only one other Lorain County athlete was able to achieve the triple feat to that point – Ralph “Bunny” Fields in 1932. Armstrong’s impressive accomplishment capped an outstanding high school athletic career. In addition to the dozens of track victories, the three-year letterwinner set and reset county sprint records, becoming the first Lorain County high school performer to run the 440-yard dash in under 49 seconds. Armstrong didn’t limit his exploits to track. He excelled on the gridiron, lifting the Wolverines to a share of the Erie Shore Conference championship in 1978. Tabbed as “unquestionably the fastest football player ever at West High School, Armstrong rushed for 1,204 yards as a senior to become only the second gridder in West history to rush for better than 1, 000 yards in a season. That football prowess earned him a scholarship to West Virginia University where injuries cut his career short. However, he did start some games for the Mountaineers his freshman year, showing the promise he had shown as a Wolverine. Armstrong pursued a military career after his West Virginia days and was a part of Operation Desert Storm. His unit was deployed in Iraq where it supplied jet fuel to helicopters on the front lines.

Bill Pierson

Elyria High has known no better wrestling coach in its long history than Bill Pierson. A science teacher who retired in June, 1995, his accomplishments as head wrestling coach from the mid-1960s to 1980 rank him among the best Lorain County coaches ever. His record speaks for itself. In 1973, Pierson guided the Pioneers to the school’s first state championship in a team sport and his 1967 team finished third. He captured nine Buckeye Conference titles. He coached 55 wrestlers to Buckeye Conference Tournament championships. He saw 19 of his wrestlers qualify for state tournaments and he coached four individual state champions. One year after leading Elyria to the state title, Pierson was forced to retire from coaching the Pioneers due to a back problem that prevented him from being able to teach through participation. His retirement was short-lived. A year after resigning his head coaching position at Elyria, Pierson accepted the job to coach Lorain County Community College wrestlers. He returned to Elyria to assist three more years and was the head coach in 1979-80 before finally hanging up the whistle for keeps with a final record of 91-15-3 under his belt. His four individual state champions were Lanny Bush and Wilbur Lewis in 1967, Tim Swiegard in 1972 and Ricky Lewis in 1973, He also mentored 19 individual state qualifiers and 55 Buckeye Conference champions.
 

Gust Ristas

Gust Ristas was one of the greatest wrestlers the city of Elyria ever produced. Ristas began his grappling career at Elyria Catholic and went on to wrestle at both Lorain County Community College and the University of Toledo. Ristas’ career at EC was phenomenal. His career mark was 72-10. As a junior and senior, he was just about unbeatable – going 22-1 as a junior and 29-3 in those seasons. Ristas also was a three-time North Central Conference champion and the league’s Most Valuable Wrestler. In his senior year, Ristas led EC to the sectional title as he won the 126-pound individual class crown. He finished fifth in that year’s state meet, losing two bouts in overtime and one on a referee’s decision. Ristas spent one year at LCCC. He won championships at the LCCC-Cuyahoga West tournament and the Michigan Invitational. He went on to wrestle three years for Toledo, finishing 26-4 in dual meets and third place in the MAC his junior year in the 134-pound weight class. As a senior co-captain of the Rockets, he was undefeated in dual meets and won tournament titles at Wright State, Indiana State and the Toledo Open. His biggest achievements at Toledo came in 1980 when he won the MAC tournament at 142 pounds. He also competed in the NCAA championships.
 

Charlie Smith

Charlie Smith is one of those rare individuals who made a significant contribution to golf as a player, teacher, program organizer and course builder. Even at the age of 62, Smith continued to be a player of note as a senior in the Northern Ohio PGA and a teacher at Silver Tee in Westlake. Most of his achievements came as the head pro at Spring Valley Country Club and as a pro/owner at Forest Hills – both in Elyria. Smith was a native of Olean, N.Y., and through high school his major sport was basketball. He was a three-year letterman in high school and captain for two years. He became a pro shop worker at a country club in Olean that launched his golfing career. After becoming a pro, he took the assistant pro’s post at The Inverness Club in Toledo. He spent two years in the service, managing the Officer’s Club at Fort Hood in Texas, then returned to Inverness in 1952, staying until 1959. He came to Spring Valley after that, stayed for six years before buying into Forest Hills in 1965. An excellent teacher, Smith organized many programs for junior golfers. In 1968, he expanded Forest Hills to 18 holes and sold his interest in the club in 1975. Smith has long been recognized as one of the top players ever in this area. He holds numerous senior titles and is a former Northern Ohio PGA Seniors Champion. Twice he qualified for the U.S. Open and participated in the PGA and Cleveland Open as well. He has been a top 10 qualifier in the Ohio Open.

Bruce Yeager

When you mention outstanding athletes from Elyria Catholic, one name immediately comes to mind – Bruce Yeager. A 1973 graduate of EC and a letterwinner in football, basketball and track, his awards were numerous and prestigious. His football ability placed him on the High School All-America team. He was selected to play in the Ohio North-South game and he was selected to participate in the Pennsylvania “Big 33” All-Star game. He was awarded the Lorain County Golden Helmet award that goes annually to the outstanding senior player in Lorain County. Yeager was the first EC back to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season and he accomplished that feat twice. At one time, Yeager held the Lorain County all-time career rushing record. He was outstanding on both sides of the ball in 1972, rushing for 1,546 yards in leading the Panthers to a 7-3 mark. He averaged 7.0 yards per carry and rushed 222 times. As a junior, he gained 1,093 yards on 155 attempts (7.1 average). He was named second team All-Ohio. During his three-year career, Yeager topped the 100-yard mark 15 times and finished with 3,128 yards on the ground. In addition, Yeager averaged 38.7 yards per punt and scored 224 points – both school records at the time. He was named the Most Valuable Player on the track team in 1973 – tossing the discus a record 150-feet, eight inches. Upon graduation, Yeager went on to Georgia Tech where he played fullback and halfback until late in his junior season when he was switched to tight end. His blocking was his forte in Tech’s wishbone attack. He was a true ‘Student-Athlete” as he made the dean’s list as an industrial management major.

 DISTINGUISHED SERVICE

Jack Wilhelm

Wilhelm retired as Lorain County Community College cross country coach in 1985 but his legacy remains very visible. Wilhelm designed the cross country course at the college that remains a very challenging one for area high schools. In 1977, he started the Elyria Distance Classic — later called the Applethon — as a joint venture with the city of Elyria and the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame.

Bob Hersman

Bob Hersman defied Leo Durocher’s saying that ‘Nice guys finish last.’ Hersman, a long-time assistant basketball coach under Dale Reichenbach and later a head coach of the Pioneers, was one of the ‘nice guys’ and he certainly didn’t finish last. For 13 years, Hersman was Reichenbach’s right-hand man and had a lot to do with the success of the basketball program – consistently sending talented players to the varsity. As a junior varsity coach, Hersman compiled a 165-25 record – twice finishing with undefeated seasons. At one time, Hersman’s teams had won 51 games in a row. When Reichenbach retired following the 1965-66 season, Hersman took over and kept Elyria’s tournament magic alive. After compiling a so-so regular season record, Elyria caught fire at tournament time – knocking off Bubbles Harris and the powerful second ranked Admiral King Admirals, 73-72, in one of the storied all-time Elyria victories. The Pioneers defeated Sandusky a week later – avenging four regular season defeats in the process (two to King and two to the Blue Streaks). Elyria’s tournament run ended the next night in the regional finals to East Tech. Three years later Hersman had Elyria playing for the regional championship again but came up short. Hersman coached the Pioneers from 1967 through 1971 before switching over to Westlake to serve as Athletic Director. Hersman retired in 1986 after 36 years in the teaching profession. He later served as commissioner of the Erie Shore Conference. Hersman’s motto was to be ‘a good teacher, be good with the kids and be good for the kids.’ He certainly was.
 

Houston Love

Success has followed Houston Love wherever he has gone. At Elyria High, Love was a 3-sport star – accumulating nine varsity letters. A 1965 EHS grad, Love earned three varsity letters in each sport he participated in – football, basketball and track. He nearly earned a fourth in track. He played tailback, punted and kicked off for the 9-1 state ranked Buckeye Conference football champions. In basketball, he was a 3-year starter at center and forward, helping the Pioneers to a state final four berth in the 1964 tournament. Love, in spite of his modest 6-foot height, used his strong thighs to out-jump many taller players and was a rebound magnet for coach Dale Reichenbach. In track, he competed in the long jump, the 100- and 200-yard dashes and was a member of the 880-yard relay team. He captained the track team his junior and senior seasons. He earned a scholarship to Miami of Ohio, where he earned one letter under Bo Schembechler, who later coached at Michigan. After college, Love landed a position in the Lorain City Schools – teaching and coaching at Admiral King. As track coach at King, Love’s teams set a record with 52 consecutive dual and triangular meet victories. He later served the Lorain Schools as athletic director before retiring. Love continues to teach in the Elyria Schools today.

 

Les Miles

Les Miles competed in baseball and wrestling in the early 1970s at Elyria High, but his forte was – and is to this day – football. At Elyria, Miles earned a reputation as one of the best linemen ever to wear the red and white. Miles continued his great play at Michigan and after graduation, became a line coach for Colorado before returning to assist with the Wolverines. Miles completed a very successful head coaching stint at Oklahoma State before accepting a position as head coach at LSU where he led the Tigers to the national championship by beating Ohio State, 38-24, on January 8, 2008 for the 2007 title. At Elyria, Miles was a two-way star, playing both offensive and defensive guard. In 1971, Miles was a key performer for Elyria’s undefeated 2nd ranked Pioneers. Elyria was 10-0 on the year, finishing behind only Warren Harding in the final rankings. (There were no post-season playoffs in Ohio in 1971). Miles headed a defensive unit that relinquished the fewest yards for a season in school history. Offensively, Miles led the way to enable Ike Maxwell to establish a then Lorain County single season scoring record of 166 points and establish an Elyria High single season rushing mark of 1,870 yards – a mark still standing today. Miles earned first team honors in the Buckeye Conference on both sides of the ball and was named first team All-Ohio by the UPI. Opposing coaches described him as ‘virtually unblockable’ and labeled him a ‘major college prospect’. He proved everyone right by earning two letters as a member of Schembechler’s offensive line. Miles also coached for the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL. Miles eventually took over the program at Oklahoma State and managed to coach the Cowboys to a couple of upset wins over national powerhouse Oklahoma. He accepted the head coaching position at Louisiana State to start the 2005 season. At Oklahoma State, Miles compiled a 28-21 overall mark – very good considering his team finished 4-7 his first year. Coming into the 2010 season, Miles has an astonishing 51-15 record in his first five years with the Tigers and is the third-winningest coach in school history. His four bowl victories rank second among all LSU head coaches. 

       

Ralph Treuel

Elyria High produced a number of great pitchers in the 1960s and 70s and Ralph Treuel has to be considered at or near the top of the list. Treuel was groomed in Elyria’s outstanding Little League program before becoming an outstanding hurler for the Pioneers – going 6-1 his senior year as the Pioneers finished 18-2 and Buckeye Conference Champions in 1973 under coach Jim Beery. That summer, Treuel was 7-1 and named the MVP of the American Legion Post 12 team. He turned down a college scholarship to sign a professional contract with the Detroit Tigers in 1973. For most of the 1970s, Treuel had many great moments in minor league baseball. He was rated at one time to be the top minor league prospect for the Tigers. In 1977, at Lakeland, Treuel once retired 20 straight hitters and finished with a 3-hitter. He once had a no-hit game through seven innings. His 10-6 mark qualified him to start the first game of the post-season playoffs. In 1978, Treuel pitched for both Montgomery in Class AA and Evansville in AAA, posting a 14-9 record overall, 12-6 at Montgomery where he started 7-1. He was named to the Southern League All-Star team. In ’79 he started 6-1 for Evansville before finishing 8-7. Shoulder problems cut his career short but he finished with a professional mark of 53-43 with 10 shutouts. He later coached for both the Tigers and the Boston Red Sox in major league baseball. 

1976 Elyria Catholic Football                

There is nothing like being first – especially when it comes to winning a state football championship. Elyria Catholic’s Panthers turned in the impossible in 1976 in winning the state championship under a first year coach – Jim Rattay. The fact Rattay even had the job is a story in itself as Mike Noonan left the Panthers with almost no notice after a 7-2 record in 1975.  That came on the heels of a 0-10 season in 1974. Imagine a new coach taking over a program at the last minute that just suffered through a winless campaign two seasons ago. Rattay, an assistant at Lake Catholic in 1975, saw his team lose its only game in 1976 to the very Cougars he had helped the year before but from that point on, EC was unbeatable – winning its final seven games and trouncing undefeated Brookville, 34-10, at the Rubber Bowl in Akron. The Panthers had knocked off previously unbeaten Huron the week before, 14-0, at Baldwin-Wallace in the State semi-finals. In the championship game, Bryan Thomas had an incredible 287 yard rushing night – an Elyria record at the time – scored three touchdowns – one a 78-yard TD run and another coming on a kick return of 95 yards – all state tournament records at the time. The 1976 Panthers paved the way for two other state championships in 1983 and 84. Until Avon Lake turned the trick in 2003 – EC was the only Lorain County school to claim a state football title.