Lucy Slager (Mraz), Elyria High Volleyball

A 1985 graduate of Elyria High, Lucy Slager Mraz was the first Lorain County volleyball All-Ohio selection as a senior in the fall of 1984. Mraz also lettered in track and basketball at Elyria High and is the daughter of Hall-of-Famer Bob Slager, the long-time track coach at EHS and Coleen, both of Elyria. As a senior, Mraz led the team in hitting and was named the MVP. She was first team All-Buckeye Conference and won the Jaycee’s Women’s Sportsmanship award. She played for Carol Russo, another member of the ESHOF. Mraz held the women’s discus record at Elyria 15 years. She married Dean Mraz in 1991. They reside in Elyria.

Jodie Williams (Johnson)m Elyria High Volleyball

Jodie Williams Johnson, an Elyria High grad in 1995, was a key player on Elyria’s state tournament volleyball team in 1994. Johnson, the current Elyria High varsity volleyball coach, was named Miss Volleyball in Lorain County in 1994 and was 3rd team All-Ohio as a junior and 2nd team All-Ohio as a senior and was District III player-of-the-year. She was the Erie Shore Conference player of the year both as a junior and senior. She also lettered three years in basketball. She was a four-year varsity starter at Edinboro College and was the captain her senior season. She is a member of Edinboro’s 1000 kills club. She is married to Isaac Johnson, a former basketball and football star at Elyria and are the proud parents of Isaiah. Jodie is the daughter of J.D. and Linda Williams.

Joe Savoy, Elyria Catholic Football

Elyria Catholic’s two consecutive football state championships in 1983 and 1984 may never be duplicated and two-way tackle Joe Savoy was certainly a key to both titles. Savoy, an All-Ohio selection in 1984 dominated both sides of the ball for the Panthers. Savoy was the lineman of the year in both conference and district selections and earned a scholarship to Rutgers. At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, Savoy and fellow Hall-of-Famer Geoff Poyle, led the blocking for Al McKinney, Lorain County’s Golden Helmet winner and another member of the ESHOF. Savoy’s graduating class at EC finished with an unprecedented three-year varsity record of 37-1. Both of EC’s state champion teams have already been inducted into the Hall. Joe is an insurance agent in Elyria.

Sam Davis, Elyria High Basketball

Dale Reichenbach, Elyria High’s legendary basketball coach, said all you need to know when it comes to Sam Davis. “Sam Davis was the best basketball player I ever coached,” Reichenbach said back in 1999 when the 1958-59 Elyria High team was inducted into the ESHOF. “We had some glorious years in those days, and I had many, many great players but Sam was the best. He could do anything on the court and was quick as a cat.” As a sophomore in 1958, Davis scored 18 points in helping Elyria defeat John Marshall for the District title at BW. On the undefeated Buckeye Conference champion a year later, Davis scored 344 points for the Pioneers – second only to Walt Rock and one point more than Bill Mrukowski – both Elyria Hall-of-Famers. As a senior, Davis led Elyria to its first appearance in the regional finals with 399 points, 108 assists and 277 rebounds. In his three years with the varsity, Elyria High won 64 games and lost just seven times. Davis played college basketball at Texas Southern and was invited to try out for the Detroit Pistons. Davis also ran track and played football at Elyria. He passed away in 2003.

Cory Hodge, Elyria Catholic Basketball

At Elyria Catholic, Bob Guinta turned out a lot of great teams and had a number of outstanding players, but one of his personal favorites was Cory Hodge. As a sophomore, Hodge scored 147 points as EC finished 15-8, but a year later, Hodge was EC’s leading scorer (334 points) as the Panthers won 19 games and lost just 4 including a heartbreaking 48-47 loss to Olmsted Falls in the District semi-final. In Hodge’s senior year – and Guinta’s finale as head coach of the Panthers — Elyria Catholic nearly qualified for the state tournament – losing in overtime, 72-70, to Mansfield Malabar with Hodge leading the effort with 22 points. That year, Hodge led EC in scoring and rebounding with 482 points (18.5 average) and 240 rebounds. In the regional semi-final against Elida, Hodge scored 24 points – hitting 11 of 15 from the field and both his free throws in a 66-52 victory. Elyria Catholic was 22-4 and Hodge was named to the second team All-Ohio. A 1988 EC grad, Hodge went on to Oberlin College and now resides in the Detroit area.

Undefeated 1969 Elyria High Football Team

Joining its predecessors from the year before, Elyria turned in an undefeated season and wound up ranked as the second best team in the state. Now this team joins the 1947 and 1968 EHS football teams in the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame. The Pioneers rolled through their first six games with no problem but then found themselves trailing Sandusky, 12-7, with just 4:47 left and 82 yards away from the end zone. In front of an estimated 9,000 fans at venerable Ely Stadium, Elyria marched the distance behind its Golden Helmet winning fullback John Husband. Husband carried six straight times to give Elyria a first down at the S-26. On a fourth down play at the S-17, Elyria drew the Blue Streaks off-side to keep the drive alive and then surprised Sandusky with a Brad Barton to Mac Thomas pass for the winning score with just 52 seconds left. The Pioneers defeated a fired up Marion Harding team a week later, 24-19, at Marion and finished up with big wins over Fremont Ross and Lorain. Elyria was ranked 2nd in the Associated Press poll and 3rd in the UPI. There were no play-offs in football at that time. Husband, Thomas, Tony Godbolt, Tom Szabo, Dick Armstrong and LaRond Corn were named first team All-Buckeye Conference. Godbolt rushed for 1144 yards, Husband right behind at 814. Elyria outscored its opponents 297-53 for the year.

Ed Betzel, Distinguished Service

Since 1998, the Chronicle-Telegram’s Ed Betzel has designed and organized the program for the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame banquet. The program has been a keepsake to everyone who has attended the banquet – whether an inductee, a family member or just a casual fan. The ESHOF committee honored Ed with this year’s Distinguished Service Award for his outstanding contributions to the organization.

Jack Marsh, Elyria High Football

A 1967 graduate of Elyria High, Jack was named 2nd team All-Ohio and first team All-Buckeye Conference as an offensive and defensive lineman on the Elyria’s 8-1-1 state ranked team that featured fellow ESHOF’s Jack Beidleman. The Pioneers only loss came to undefeated Sandusky. Legendary Ohio State coach Woody Hayes personally visited the Marsh family in Elyria and gave Jack a full-ride scholarship to play for the Buckeyes where he earned a letter in 1970. Jack was the Chronicle-Telegram’s co-player-of-the-year with Beidleman in 1966, earning player-of-the-week honors three times during the season. He teamed with Carl Leslie to give Elyria an outstanding tandem at defensive end. Jack was singled out by a number of opposing coaches during the season for his defensive prowess. As an offensive guard, Jack helped open holes as four different backs – including two other Hall-of-Famers (Al Robinson and Tim Johnson) gained at least 100 yards on the ground led by Beidleman, who set a then school record 1,160 yards. Elyria finished with nearly 2,400 yards rushing and over 3,000 yards total while holding its opponents to half that total. The Pioneers scored 251 points and relinquished just 69. After graduation from Ohio State, Jack married his high school sweetheart Paulette and recently retired after a successful business career with Worthington Steel in Michigan.

Peggy Fortune Yetman, Elyria High Track, Cross Country, Swimming

Peggy, an Elyria High grad, earned 16 varsity letters at Baldwin-Wallace and is a member of B-W’s Hall of Fame (Class of 2001) for excellence in track, cross country and swimming. Peggy, known by her maiden name of Fortune at Baldwin-Wallace, was a D-III All-American in the 10,000 meter race where she set the school record. She a 4.0 student and three-time All-Academic All-American for the Yellow Jackets and still holds B-W’s indoor 3,000 meter record of 10:11.5. As a youngster, Peggy was rated as an outstanding gymnast and just recently competed and finished fourth in the World Triathlon in Kuilua-Kona Hawaii. The Triathlon consists of 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking and 26.2 miles of running.

Jerry Gilbert, Elyria High Basketball

The name Gilbert has been synonymous with athletic excellence in Lorain County and Elyria starting with Jerry Gilbert Sr., a 1957 EHS grad. Jerry Jr., a 1974 graduate Elyria High in 1974 led a dramatic tournament run during his junior year that saw the Pioneers come within a whisker of knocking off eventual state champion Cincinnati Elder at the state semi-finals. His sister Ann is already enshrined in the ESHOF and his step-brother – Eric Gilbert – was Mr. Basketball at Clearview in 1997. Jerry was named to the All-State tournament team as he led the Pioneers’ valiant effort with 22 points. It was Jerry that caught fire in leading Elyria to regional victories over Cleveland powers Kennedy (56-55) and defending state champion East Tech (72-61) the week before in a memorable tournament at John Carroll. As a senior, Jerry led Elyria is scoring (18.7) and he shot a sizzling 140 of 173 (81 percent) from the foul line for his varsity career. As a junior varsity pitcher, Jerry was 5-0 with an earned run average of 0.46 – fanning 50 hitters in 31 innings. On the varsity, Jerry was a key hitter and pitcher on two Buckeye Conference championship teams, hitting .326 as a senior and 5-0 as a pitcher. Jerry walked only three batters in 33 innings of work and had an ERA of 0.64 while striking out 32 hitters. Elyria won 37 games and lost only three in those two seasons. Jerry played both basketball and baseball at Ashland College after graduating at Elyria before enlisting in the Air Force. Jerry lives in Sacramento, California.

Brad House, Elyria Catholic Track

Brad became Elyria Catholic’s first track state champion by winning the 880 in 1978 with a school record 1:56.0. Jim Rattay, an Elyria Sports Hall of Famer as EC’s successful football coach, also handled the track team and sighted Brad for his role in running both the 440 and 880 for the Panthers’ North Central Conference champions – giving the Panthers NCC titles in football, golf, boys’ basketball, wrestling and track in their final year competing in the conference. The track championship ended Bedford Chanel’s four-year grip on the title. Brad also was a member of the 3200-meter and two-mile relay teams. As a freshman, he ran on the 1974 state championship Cross Country team and came back from a tonsillectomy that kept him on the sidelines the first two weeks of his senior season only to come back to help the Panthers to another crown in 1977. Brad finished 13th overall at the state meet by trimming 1:40 off his best time.  He earned a scholarship to the University of Toledo.

Suzanne Camp, Elyria Catholic

Suzanne, a 1970 EC graduate, returned to her alma mater to help organize and build a successful women’s sports program for the Panthers. She was EC’s first women’s coach in basketball, tennis, track and volleyball as well as Women’s Athletic Director, a position she held for many, many years. As a volleyball coach, Suzanne won over 300 games and directed the Panthers to the 1993 state tournament. The Panthers were 21-4 that season. She won a number of conference coach-of-the-year awards.

1977 & 1978 Elyria Catholic State Championship Cross Country Team

Joining its predecessors from  1973 and 1974 as members of the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame will be Elyria Catholic’s back-to-back state champion cross country teams. Under the direction of Steve Currier, EC won the 1977 championship. Two runners – junior Bill Kukucka and senior Brad House – finished in the top 15 as the Panthers won with a score of 106. The following year, Hall-of-Fame coach Dick Elsasser returned after a two-year hiatus to lead the Panthers to an incredible winning score of 43 which remains the lowest in the history of cross country state meet. All five Panther runners finished in the top 15 at the meet. Sophomore Ron Rick finished fourth, sophomore Mike Wirscham sixth, senior Adam Rick seventh, senior John Murphy 12th and senior Kukucka 14th as EC finished in front of runner-up Navarre Fairless by an incredible margin of 84 points. Only 22 seconds separated EC’s top five runners in 1978 and all five turned in their best times of the season at Columbus.

Doug Schmittgen, Distinguished Service 

Doug has been a fixture on the Ely Stadium chain gang for football for over 30 years. He has been very faithful and has missed just a handful of games over that span. The Hall of Fame presented Doug with his very own set of first down markers in honor of his service to Elyria High and Ely Stadium. Doug passed away October 27, 2022.

Ashley Anderson-Petit, Elyria High Softball

Today, Elyria High is recognized as one of the premier softball programs in the state of Ohio thanks in part to the foundation built during the early 1990s. Certainly, Ashley Anderson-Petit was one of the key players that built that solid foundation of Softball excellence. Anderson, a 1993 EHS grad, was the Pioneers first Miss Softball of Lorain County in leading the Elyria to two straight district championships in 1992 and 1993 under Coach Sue Cohagen. Anderson was the premier pitcher in the area in leading Elyria to a back-to-back 20 win seasons in 1992 and 1993. Anderson fashioned an 18-3 record her senior season. At Elyria High, Anderson not only excelled as a softball pitcher, but made her presence felt in both volleyball and basketball. In volleyball, Anderson was named second team All-Ohio in 1992 and was second team all-county in basketball. Before competing as a senior at Wright State, she was named to the American Softball Association All-Ameican first-team in the summer of 1996. She earned a full scholarship to Wright State where she was a four-year starter, an all-conference selection, the Raider Award winner and a two-year captain. More recently, she participated in the Columbus Marathon, the Outer Limits Triathlon and finished second at the 26th annual Twin Sizzler 28-mile bicycle race in 2001.

Donna Donath-Garriques, Elyria Catholic Tennis 

A 1981 graduate of Elyria Catholic, Donna Donath-Garriques dominated the local tennis scene in Lorain County from the late 1970s through the decade of the 1980s – winning her first Women’s Singles Championship at the age of 14. Twenty-two times, Donath was crowned champion in various categories in Elyria city play – winning the women’s singles title a record six years in a row (1977-1982). She also won four consecutive mixed doubles crowns from 1979 through 1982. In county play, Donath won four women’s singles titles and eight girls’ singles titles – both county records. She was undefeated in dual match play at Elyria Catholic and placed fourth in state doubles with partner Eleni Segos in 1978 and third in doubles in 1979. She was awarded a full scholarship to Kent State in 1981 but when Kent dropped women’s tennis a year later, Donath transferred to Stetson on a full scholarship where she was ranked 6th nationally in D-II doubles with partner Sharon Swanberry. In Northeastern Ohio, she was ranked 2nd in 1977 for singles and was a member of the Northeastern Ohio Wightman Cup Team in 1981 and 1982. In addition to her city and county championships, Donath won 17 other crowns in various tournaments.

Ken Lengel, Little League South 

A dominating right-hand pitcher, Ken Lengel led Elyria’s Little League South All-Stars to the Majors Division state championship in 1958 – the first state title in any sport for the city at that time. He was the winning pitcher for the state title game. Lengel enjoyed a four-year career at Elyria High and earned a baseball scholarship to Miami of Ohio where he lettered for the Redskins – as they were known at that time. Locally, Lengel participated in the Pony League and played under Bob Rieth on the American Legion Post 12 baseball team four years. As a sophomore for the Pioneers, Lengel tossed a no-hitter and struck out nine batters against Marion to clinch the Buckeye Conference championship. In Pony League play, Lengel threw a perfect game in July of 1960. He also had a number of one-hitters and numerous shutouts, striking out 10 or more hitters on a number of occasions. In addition to baseball, Lengel was a key player on Elyria’s Cinderella basketball team in 1964 that surprised unbeaten and state-ranked Cleveland Rhodes for the district championship on their way to a final-four appearance in Columbus. Lengel is a retired school teacher from the Midview district. This year, he joins his older brother Steve, a 1994 inductee, as members of the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame.

Jim Reighley, Elyria Catholic Wrestling

Elyria Catholic has built a well-respected wrestling program and Jim Reighley certainly helped build that tradition by bringing home EC’s first-ever individual state championship of any kind at 167 pounds in 1976. Reighley, a ‘76 EC grad, won 76 matches for the Panthers and was 58-2 combined over his junior and senior years and finished with a four-year career mark of 76-21-1. As a sophomore, Reighley finished fourth at the state tournament at 155 pounds. For his EC career, he recorded 32 pins and won two North Central Conference championships. He was Elyria Catholic’s Most Valuable Wrestler in 1976 under Coach Dan Hornbeek. On the football field, Reighley was a three-year letterman for the Panthers and was an all-conference lineman in 1975. As a senior, he won the Jaycees Sportsmanship award. He attended Ball State on a wrestling scholarship and competed as a freshman but transferred to Ohio State a year later where he graduated in 1981.

Andy Volney, Elyria High Baseball and Football

A 1982 Elyria High graduate, Andy Volney excelled on both the baseball and football fields for the Pioneers. As a second baseman under Coach Chuck Ziemke, Volney batted .453 and was selected All-Ohio in 1982, earning him a scholarship to Kent State. He was a 3-year starter on the Pioneer baseball team and led Elyria (21-4) to the Buckeye Conference championship and district finals in 1982. During veteran American Legion coach and fellow ESHOF’s Bob Reith’s final season, the versatile Volney was pressed into playing every position on the field but catcher and pitcher and led the team in hitting (.406), runs scored, hits, doubles, home runs and RBIs. He was selected to play in the annual American Legion All-Star game at Ashland College. In football, Volney was named to the second team All-Ohio as a punter and defensive back his senior year. He averaged 35 yards a punt and intercepted nine passes during his senior season including three in a 31-7 romp over North Ridgeville and two more in a 7-0 victory over Toledo Macomber. He also returned a fumble for a score against Fremont Ross. Volney won three letters under Coach Terry Doan. He was named to the first team in the Buckeye Conference for both sports and won Elyria’s prestigious George Day Award in 1982 as well as being a National Honor Society member.

1961 Elyria High Basketball Team   

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. 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 (see picture at right). In the semi-final at Toledo against Lima Senior, Johnson 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 after Reichenbach had told him to play in the local YMCA league to hone his skills and become the point guard on the state-bound team.

Connie Rusynyk, Distinguished Service 

One of the unsung heroes behind the success of Elyria High’s volleyball program is the work of long-time assistant coach Connie Rusynyk. Rusynyk was Carol Russo’s loyal sidekick for 24 years – winning 349 games as junior varsity coach. Rusynyk was always involved doing the thankless tasks that make a program successful – running tournaments, summer leagues and youth camps. She provided statistics to the media, typed nomination forms, attended countless coaching clinics and always provided a positive attitude for her players. Rusynyk retired as Elyria’s assistant coach but joined Carol Russo in coaching Elyria Catholic’s district champion team in 2010.

Tony D’Orazio, Elyria Catholic Football

A 1970 graduate of Elyria Catholic, Tony D’Orazio’s biggest claim to fame came after he finished his career as quarterback and defensive back for the Panthers and a three-year letterman and captain at Ohio Northern. Tony played for the Cleveland Falcons – a minor league professional football team – for 10 years and was enshrined in the Minor Professional Hall of Fame in 1992. D’Orazio led the Falcons to 10 division titles, six league crowns, and five state championships as quarterback. He was a nine-time all-star winning 102 games during his career that included three undefeated seasons and the league MVP in 1983.

Jim Guest, Elyria High Tennis

Jim Guest, a 1959 Elyria High graduate, teamed with Larry Stark to bring home the Pioneers first state championship – a tennis doubles crown under the direction of Hall of Fame coach Jim Rakestraw. Guest had teamed with Paul Walker to finish runner-up in doubles in 1958 after a spectacular singles career for the Pioneers. As a senior, Guest lost just one match – finishing 13-1 and helped Elyria win the Buckeye Conference tennis title two times. At Fisk University in Memphis, Tennessee, Guest not only won two conference singles crowns but two doubles championships as well. He has retired as a lawyer and was chairman of the American Sickle Cell Anemia Association of Cleveland. Guest passed away in June, 2020.

Bob Leshnak, Elyria Catholic Football

Bob Leshnak, a 1984 graduate of Elyria Catholic, was All-Ohio for the state champion Panthers of 1983. Leshnak, the Lombardi Trophy winner signifying the counties outstanding lineman, played on both sides of the ball and was the Erie Coast Conference Defensive MVP. He also participated in wrestling and baseball for the Panthers – winning a conference championship on the mats and was named the MVP of the league in baseball. Leshnak went on to become a four-year starter for the University of Cincinnati and was the Bearcats captain his senior year.

Wilbur Lewis, Elyria High Wrestling

Wilbur Lewis, a 1967 Elyria High grad, was just about perfect as a wrestler for the Pioneers. He was undefeated and state champion at 138 pounds as a senior and finished third in the state as a junior, losing his only match to the eventual state champion at 133 pounds. In his junior and senior years, Lewis compiled an amazing 56-1 record under Coach Bill Pierson. Elyria, with Lewis and teammate Lanny Bush winning state titles, finished third in the state in 1967. Lewis was a two-time Buckeye Conference champion and placed third at the National Junior College Championships for Lorain County Community College in 1968. Lewis enlisted in the Air Force where he won a number of wrestling championships and is a retired Master Sergeant after a distinquished military career. He attended and started the wrestling program at McKendree College in Bellville, Illinois.

Kevin Ziegman, Elyria Catholic Football

Kevin Ziegman, an Elyria Catholic grad in 1980, not only was named All-Ohio his senior year when he rushed for 1,508 yards and scored 12 touchdowns for the Panthers, but was also All-Ohio as a junior – rushing for 1,242 yards and scoring 17 TDs. He was named to the Catholic High School All-American team his senior year. While at EC, Ziegman also participated in basketball and track all four years. He earned a scholarship to Miami of Ohio where he played football all four years for the Redskins – as they were known in those days. Ziegman, now a professional photographer, graciously volunteers to take pictures each year at the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame Banquet.

1984 Elyria Catholic State Football Champions 

Fred Schmitz took over as head coach from Jim Rattay for the 1984 season after Elyria Catholic had swept through the 1983 season as state champions. Once again the Panthers roared through the regular season undefeated and managed to get past both Lima Bath, 7-6, and Orrville, 14-13, in the playoffs before crushing Cincinnati McNicholas, 45-20, for the Division III state title. EC completed the season a perfect 13-0 to extend the school’s unbeaten string to 26 games. The Panthers outscored their opponents, 553-84 for the year with five shutouts. Four EC players were named to the All-Ohio team with Al McKinney named as the Back of the Year and Geoff Poyle the Lineman of the Year – unprecedented for Lorain County schools. In addition, Ron Traut made first team as a defensive back and Joe Savoy as a defensive tackle. Placekicker Jim Molnar was named to the second team and Paul Yeager was special mention. McKinney was Lorain County’s Golden Helmet winner while Poyle won the Lombardi Award.

Hal Minnich, Distinguished Service 

Hal Minnich, a 1953 Elyria Catholic grad, has served on the EC Dad’s booster club as treasurer for over 40 years, raising over a million dollars for the school athletic programs through a monthly raffle that he helped organize before the school even opened. Minnich, a well-known barber in the city, received the EC “Distinguished Alumni Award” in 1993 and as been a fixture for promoting Elyria Catholic his entire adult life.

Dave Disbrow, Elyria High Football

Dave was one of those unsung heroes for the Elyria Pioneers during the 1958 and ’59 seasons. He did the dirty work on the line of scrimmage and was named to the UPI All-Ohio team his senior year. Disbrow was heavily recruited to continue his football career in college. He was offered scholarships by Indiana, Rutgers, Miami of Ohio, Toledo, Ohio University, Bowling Green, Arizona State, and the University of Tennessee. Dave eventually chose to attend Tennessee but unfortunately a serious knee injury prevented him from a potential NFL career. Today, Disbrow and his family own and operate Midway Oh Boy Restaurant, an Elyria tradition founded by another one-time EHS lineman, Nelson Krugman, in 1953. Disbrow was highly thought of by both head coach Bill Barton and line coach John Sheldon. Disbrow was first team All-Buckeye Conference, on both sides of the ball and was named Elyria High’s outstanding lineman of the year for the Buckeye Conference co-champions.

Allen Fields, Elyria High Football

Al, as he is best known to his close friends, was one of the most durable football players at both Elyria High and Ashland College. Fields graduated from EHS in 1965 and was a key performer on one of the Pioneer’s best teams ever – the 1964 state ranked, Buckeye Conference champions. Fields played both ways – the only player on that team to win All-Conference honors on both sides of the ball. “He was our only 100 percent two-way player and is very deserving (all-Buckeye) because of his tremendous desire,” said Elyria coach Bill Barton shortly after Al’s senior season. He lettered two years with Elyria and the team won 17 of its 20 games. He was an offensive end and defensive safety – catching seven passes in Barton’s run-oriented offense and intercepting four passes on defense. He was honorable mention All-Ohio in an era when only 11 players were named to the first team. He also played basketball and participated in track for the Pioneers. At Ashland he lettered four years and started every game. Ashland was 26-6-4 during his four-year career. He was named to the NAIA All-American team as an offensive lineman his junior year and was enshrined in the Ashland College Hall of Fame in 1983. He is currently the superintendent of the Salisbury Township Schools in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He formerly coached both football and track at Emmaus High School and Paulding High School.

Geoff Poyle, Elyria Catholic Football

Geoff Poyle was a mainstay on EC’s two straight state championship teams in 1983 and 1984 when the Panthers won a county record 26 games in a row. The Panthers were an amazing 43-1 during Geoff’s four years. Geoff was all-Ohio his senior year and second team all-Ohio as a junior. He was the class ‘AA’ Lineman of the year his senior year and the county Lombardi Award winner. Geoff earned a scholarship at Indiana University and played in two bowl games. A knee injury suffered during his junior year at Indiana halted his football career. He was also a good baseball player. Geoff was a member of Little League North’s state champion team in 1982 and Post 12’s District champion team as a 16-year old.

Randy Stevenson, Elyria High Football and Basketball

Randy was the first Golden Helmet Award winner in Lorain County for his hard-nosed play at linebacker for the Pioneers. Randy was a three-year starter for Elyria under Bill Barton who called him “the best linebacker for all-around ability and other assets I’ve ever had at Elyria”. Randy was second team “AA” All-Ohio in an era when there were only 11 players selected to the squad. Randy was selected to the Sunkist All-American team his senior year. He was all-Buckeye conference as well. Randy earned a scholarship to Duke University where he played Monster Back until a series of head injuries shortened his career. Randy was also a valuable member of Dale Reichenbach’s final team at Elyria High that lost in the regional semi-final to Lima Shawnee.

Cliff Zunis, Elyria High Baseball

Cliff not only played the game of baseball – and played it well – but he made his mark as a coach at Avon Lake High School where his Shoremen were 227-187 in 18 years. Zunis’ teams won three conference titles, two district championships, and one regional championship. Cliff was Division II coach of the year in 1999 when the Shoremen finished the regular season undefeated and ranked as the number one team in the state. Six of his teams finished ranked in the top ten. At Ashland College, Cliff was a four-year starter at shortstop with a career batting average of .325. He led the team to a second-best all-time college Division II team fielding percentage at .978. He made only one error his senior year.  He led Ashland in hitting two of his four years and ranked fourth in the nation in doubles in 1973. At Elyria High, Zunis was a two-year starter at shortstop and was selected for the All-State team in leading the Pioneers to the regional finals. Elyria won 22 games – a school record at the time and his .483 batting average was also the school standard through 1970. Cliff led the team in doubles, triples, runs batted in and tied for the lead in home runs. He was named to the All-Buckeye Conference first team.

1958 Little League South   

It was a memorable year for the city of Elyria in 1958. The city celebrated its 125th anniversary during the summer of 1958 with the South Little League capping off the celebration with the city’s first state little league championship. Manager Don Holzhauer and Coach Frank Woods assembled the all-stars from the Majors division at Little League South. At that time, South’s home was known as Troxel Field. It was built behind the Troxel Company. That location now houses a furniture and department store. Members of the team included Tim Orvis. Jim Lepkowski, Greg Young, Frank Finch, Joe Zaleski, Bill Ignatz, Craig Crozier, Houston Young, Ron Zidek, Dave Dicken, Ken Lengel, Denny Kaminski, Rich Pichola, Steve Perkins, Eddie Woods and Dennis Crozier. On July 23rd, South opened its tournament run with a 10-0 shutout of North. Right fielder Zidek clobbered a pair of home runs and knocked in four. Dennis Crozier threw a 5-hit shutout at North with his battery mate and cousin Craig getting three hits and scoring three runs. Lepkowski, the lead-off third baseman, drove in three runs. Lengel followed up Crozier’s shut-out pitching with a four-hit, 8-0, whitewash of Medina. Lengel helped his own cause with two hits and two RBI. Woods had three hits, Young and Zidek two each. Zidek was credited with throwing out two would-be scorers from right field to help preserve the shut-out. South then eliminated West, 8-3, at Lappin Field behind the old General Motors plant. South scored three runs in both the third and fourth innings to open a 7-0 lead. Pichola and Woods each had a pair of hits. Lengel drove in two. South then shut-out Painesville, 11-0, on a two-hitter by Dennis Crozier in what was called a sub-state game at Lappin Field. Lengel was three for four at the plate with Pichola and Dennis Crozier hitting homers. In the next game, Lengel struck out 13 and fired a one-hitter as South defeated Austintown, 6-1, at Campbell, Ohio. Young had three hits, Woods two to pace South’s 11-hit attack. South advanced to the state title game with a 9-5 victory over host Massillon on August 4th. Elyria built an 8-0 lead at one point behind back-to-back home runs by Zidek and Dicken. Zidek had three hits in the game. Young, Lengel, Craig Crozier, and Dicken each had a pair. South then won the city’s first state championship with a 2-0 win over Ashland at Galion in front of an estimated crowd of over 2,500 fans. South scored single runs in the third and fourth innings. Lengel, an 11-year old, struck out seven and walked four in winning his fourth tournament game. He allowed just two hits. Young’s double to right-center scored Pichola with South’s first run. Dicken scored the other run on a after a walk, a wild pitch and a single by Dennis Crozier advanced him to third. He then scored with some alert base running on a ground ball by Lepkowski. South outscored its opposition, 66-9, during its championship run. South lost its bid to advance to the World Series with a heartbreaking 6-5 loss in 12 innings to Birmingham, Michigan in a game that took two days to complete.

Marcia Hersman, Distinguished Service

Marcia Hersman served in the background as the Elyria Schools Administrative Assistant to the Athletic Director for nearly 20 years. She began her career with the schools as a clerk-typist at Eastern Heights Junior High in 1978. In May of 1980, she took her first position in the Athletic Department as the accounting clerk and worked in multiple capacities until she retired in March, 1999. During her 20 year career in the Athletic Department, she worked for five different ADs: Jim Schrock, Marty Hoover, Jim Reitenbach, Margaret Wear and Mark McGuire. If you wanted an answer to a question regarding Elyria Athletics, she was the person to ask. If you needed information on a particular athletic event, she was in the know. Marcia Hersman defines Distinguished Service. Her husband Bob was a long-time fixture in coaching at Elyria High and is also a Hall of Famer. For many years, Mrs. Hersman was a member of the ESHOF board.

Max Jalowiec, Elyria High Golf and Bowling

Known mostly for his golf game, Max Jalowiec is a versatile athlete in several areas including bowling and softball. Locally, Jalowiec designed the courses at Brentwood and the back nine at Indian Hollow. He’s had three holes-in-one in his career. At Elyria High, Jalowiec participated on Elyria’s 1937 state qualifying golf team after winning district honors at Grantwood. He was club champion at Spring Valley in 1942 and at Cherry Ridge in 1943. Jalowiec won two Lorain County Golf Championships in the 1950s and won the first American Legion Golf tournament. He led American Legion Post 12’s gold team to state titles in 1968 and 1969. He was medallist three times at the state tournament. On the lanes, Jalowiec bowled a 667 series (226-198-243) in an era when a 600 series was considered an outstanding and rare feat. It was a league high that season. On the softball diamond, Jalowiec pitched for the legendary 1940 city and county champion Vic Silver’s Jewelers in fast-pitch softball, which was very competitive in that era. Max passed away in 2008.

Ed Ransom, Elyria High Basketball

Long time Chronicle-Telegram sports editor Jerry Rombach once described Ed Ranson as the ‘best all-around player’ he’s ever seen. Ransom was one of the key performers on legendary coach Dale Reichenbach’s final team at Elyria High in 1965-66. Ransom, at 6-foot-3, led the Pioneers to the Buckeye Conference championship and a regional tournament appearance. He scored 378 points and led the team with 235 rebounds – 103 off the offensive glass. He was credited with 62 assists and averaged 15.8 points per game. Ransom had the highest efficiency rating ever under Reichenbach’s elaborate way of evaluating his player’s performance. He made 45 percent of his field goal attempts and 66 percent of his free throws.  He continued his basketball career at Lorain County Community College under head coach Chuck Machock, the former Elyria Catholic coach, who said of Ransom, “he’s the best I’ve ever seen at his position.”

Ron Rick, Elyria Catholic Cross Country

A champion cross country and distance runner throughout his career, Ron Rick excelled at both Elyria Catholic and Wake Forest. He was fourth overall as EC won the cross country state title in 1978. At the state track meet in 1981, Ron was first in the 1600 and the 3200 at state his senior year – an amazing feat. He won the 1600 race by an estimated 25 yards over the second place finisher and easily won the 3200 by an estimated 40 yards. He personally scored 20 points for EC at the state meet – giving the Panthers fourth place overall – their highest finish at that time. (The 1600 meters used to be called the mile, the 3200 two miles). His time (4:14.04) for the 1600 set a state record. He ran the 3200 in 9:22.92. He qualified for the state meet three straight years. At Wake Forest, Ron was an all-ACC runner all four years – the only Wake Forest runner ever to accomplish that feat.  He was also named to the ACC’s 50th anniversary men’s cross country team in 2002.

Steve Sunagel, Elyria High Baseball

A three-year sport star at Elyria High, Steve Sunagel went on to a great baseball career as a 3rd baseman at Wooster. On the football field, Steve was a starting safety on the undefeated 1971 2nd ranked Pioneers. He was named honorable mention as an All-Buckeye Conference defensive back his junior year and 2nd team All-Conference his senior season. That team finished 9-1 and were ranked 5th in the state. Steve also lettered in wrestling at 126 pounds but he is best known for his play on the baseball diamond. At EHS, Steve led the team in hitting as a junior and followed that up by leading the team in hits, runs scored, stolen bases, and RBIs his senior year. Elyria won the Buckeye Conference and set a school record for the highest winning percentage at that time. Steve was named ‘the most athletic’ male at Elyria High. At Wooster, Steve was a two-year letter winner. He led the Scots in hitting (.378), runs scored, home runs, and RBI his senior year. He was named to the All-Ohio Athletic conference team and was a 2nd team NCAA District IV selection. He led Wooster to its first post-season NCAA appearance. Presently, Steve was the head baseball coach at Elyria High after holding a similar position at Lorain County Community College. Sunagel continues to coach college-aged players in summer leagues.

Bobby Warden, Elyria Catholic Basketball

Longtime Elyria Catholic legendary coach and Elyria Sports Hall of Famer Bob Guinta tutored many all-star players, but he ranks Bobby Warden right up there with the best. Bobby earned all-Ohio status for his play on Elyria Catholic’s regional qualifier in 1981 under Guinta. Warden was runner-up as Ohio’s “Player of the Year” in his class. Bobby led the county in scoring with his 26.7 average in 1981, becoming the first Elyria athlete to top the 600-point mark at the time. EC was 23-2 his senior season and 19-3 during his junior year. For his career, Bobby scored 1,286 points (213 as a sophomore at Elyria High and 320 as a junior at EC). It was a city career record at the time. He shared Mr. Basketball honors for the 1980-81 season with EHS Hall-of-Famer Tom Underman. He went on to play collegiate basketball at Sheridan (Wyoming) Junior College and the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Bobby passed away in March of 2019.

1976-77 Elyria High Basketball

Elyria High set a school record with its 24 wins in 1976-77 – going undefeated in regular season play for only the second time in school history. Under Mike Riley, the Pioneers qualified for the state tournament with thrilling wins over John Adams (39-37) and Toledo Scott (52-48 in overtime) at the Kent State regional before being humbled at the state tournament by defending champion Barberton. In all honesty, the team probably peaked too early in the year. Elyria thrashed second place Findlay, 88-39, on January 21 – the worst defeat the Trojans ever absorbed on the basketball floor – and the Pioneers followed that up with a 91-55 whipping of Sandusky. For the season, Elyria averaged 67 points a game and gave up only 49.3. Richard Montague (see right), a 6-foot-9 senior All-Ohio center, finished as the all-time leading scorer in Elyria High history with 1,109 points (a mark since eclipsed by Brett Larrick and Lou Tumblin). The starters were Montague, Hubert Oliver, Robert Trice, Steve Lindquist, and Eddie Byrd. Riley’s two top bench players were Mike Warden and Brian Balser. Others on the team included Jamie Gilbert, Donald Glass, Mike Underman, Wayne Ross, and Sam Paige. Assisting Riley were Dick Roth and Doug Grayson. Bill Myers was the trainer. Student managers were Don Edwards, John Heidrich, John Cooper, and Chet Jones. Chuck Federanich was the student statistician. It marked the last time an Elyria High boys team won a district title until 31 years later.

Roger Negin, Distinguished Serive

Long-time Chronicle sportswriter Roger Negin served on the ESHOF board for nearly 30 years, serving on the executive committee for many of those. He was chairman of the Hall of Fame in 1981. He had written the scripts for the banquet for nearly 20 years and his introduction of both the past and newest inductees was always a treat at each banquet. Negin won many writing awards and covered many of Elyria High’s, Elyria Catholic’s and Elyria West’s greatest triumphs. He was inducted into the Prep Sportswriter’s Hall of Fame in 1998 and was honored by both the county football and basketball coaches association by being inducted to the local Halls of Fame. He was chairman of Little League North’s board from 1979-1985 where he was president, vice president and player agent. He was a member of the Vic Janowicz Day Committee in 1991 and was on the Pioneer Fieldhouse Committee from 1992-1994. He was blessed with a great memory and could recall details of past events as if they just happened. Negin retired from the Chronicle in 2009 and passed away in 2016.

Earl Chesler, Elyria High Swimming

Earl Chesler is one of the most unique inductees of the class of 2003. Chesler was a one-man swim ‘team’ for Elyria High School back in 1935. Elyria High had dropped the sport in 1934 but Chesler continued his rigorous training at the Elyria YMCA. At his own expense, he competed and finished second at the Lake Erie League meet, second at the North East Ohio district meet, third in the North East Ohio senior competition and fourth in the State Scholastic Championships. His best time for the 100-yard was 1:13 at the district. The state record at the time was 1:12.3. Chesler continued his swimming career at Ohio State where he received his freshman letter for the 1935-36 season and a varsity letter for the 1939-40 season. He graduated from OSU in 1940. Ohio State won the national AAU indoor championship with Chesler contributing a 2nd place finish in the 200-yard breast stroke. Chesler was part of a record-setting 800-yard relay team that established the World Record on February 4, 1939 in a dual meet against Wayne University. Chesler teamed with Olympic breast-stroke champion Johnny Higgins and teammates Al McKee and Bob Johnson to set the World Record with a time of 10:08.6, beating the previous mark held by the University of Michigan by nearly six seconds. Chesler would go on to become a captain in the United States Army – serving in World War II as a navigator, bombardier and a statistical control captain. He served from November 21, 1942 until March 8, 1946. His certificate of separation from the Army states he “navigated aircraft over land and seas by pilotage, dead reckoning, celestial and radio navigation to reach objective at the predetermined time without departing from the intended track.” Chesler passed away in 2009.

Anne Densmore, Elyria High Cross Country

Anne Densmore is one of the most accomplished distance runners ever at Elyria High. Starting with her freshman year in cross country, Densmore won and set records at the Buckeye Conference meet, the sectional, and the district and finished in 1st place at State. She was the first Elyria runner to win a state title in cross country. For the track team, she won the Buckeye Conference, District and Regional 3200m run. Densmore repeated her freshman performance as a sophomore in cross country where she again won the conference, sectional and district meets and finished 3rd at state. In track she won three events at the Buckeye Conference meet (800, 1600, 3200). Densmore won the district and regional 3200 and finished 2nd at state. She repeated conference, sectional and regional first place cross country finishes as a junior – finishing 4th at the state meet – becoming a three-year All-Ohio cross country runner. She was first in four events her junior year in conference track including one relay team. She set district records in the 800 and 1600 and finished fifth in the state 1600 event. Leg injuries prevented Anne from further running competition at EHS but she won letters in swimming and tennis. Densmore still holds the school record in the 5000 meter, the 3200 meter, and the 1600 meter. Densmore continued her athletic career at Ashland College – competing in cross country, track and swimming. She swam on two record setting relay teams (200 freestyle and 400 freestyle) while at Ashland. She continued as an assistant and head coach at several area schools.

Wayne Diederich, Elyria Catholic Football

Wayne Deiderich took over Elyria Catholic’s struggling football program in 1961 and quickly built it to respectability. EC had won only three games in the previous two seasons but in Diederich’s 10 years at the helm, his teams won 73 percent of its games (68-25-4) but if you take away his first two seasons (10-8), the percentage grows to 77 percent. After graduating from North Ridgeville, Diedrich went on to Western Reserve University graduating in 1955. He earned his Masters degree in 1965. Diederich is credited with instilling “Panther Pride” and building the foundation that turned Elyria Catholic into a state powerhouse. Seventeen of his former EC players went on to complete careers in college. Diederich also handled the athletic director duties at Elyria Catholic for four years and added wrestling and cross country teams to the program in addition to football, basketball, track and golf. Diederich headed the project to build the Coliseum – still considered by many to be the finest high school facility in the county.  Diederich also installed outside and inside curbs on EC’s track. The athletic program flourished under Diederich’s leadership.

Craig Schumacher, Elyria High Baseball

Craig Schumacher, a 1974 Elyria High grad, was a three-sport star at EHS and continued his baseball career at Kent State. He was a pitcher on Elyria Little League West’s state champion team that finished 3rd in the World. That team has already been enshrined in the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame. Schumacher pitched the victory over Puerto Rico in the World Series. Schumacher was a punter and split end on Elyria’s Buckeye Conference football champions in 1972. His 30-yard reception for a TD on a fourth down play netted Elyria a 7-0 victory over Lorain and a share of the Buckeye Conference championship in the season finale. In basketball, Schumacher was a member of Elyria’s regional champions in 1973 and was one of the key members of Elyria’s 14-6 team the following year. Against Southview, Schumacher connected on 11 of 13 floor shots, added two free throws as Elyria won, 71-67, behind his 24 points. On the baseball field, Schumacher’s pitching led EHS to two Buckeye Conference titles. He won two letters in football and basketball, three in baseball – earning the sought-after George Day award his senior year.  At Kent, Schumacher was a starting pitcher all four years for the Flashes. Schumacher was named to the Cuyahoga ‘AAA’ baseball hall-of-fame in 1984.

Keith Slavin, Elyria Catholic Football

Keith Slavin became Elyria Catholic’s first-ever All-Ohio football player for the 1971 season. Slavin was a first team defensive back and was called “the finest defensive back I’ve had in my 12 years coaching” by then Elyria Catholic head coach Tom McCartney. Slavin was in on 53 tackles, caused two fumbles and intercepted five passes. He was also the captain of EC’s basketball team and earned All-State honors for his American Legion Post 12 baseball team (EC did not field a baseball team in those years). Slavin was a three-year letterwinner in both football and basketball for the Panthers. He went on to participate at the University of Toledo for two seasons (including one year of baseball).

Friends of Little League East, Distinguished Service

For the first time since the Distinguished Service Award was first presented in 1991, a group of people rather than an individual was recognized by the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame with the class of 2003. After playing at numerous locations in its first 50 years, Little League East brought all of its age groups together at one complex — apply named after Elyria’s most famous athlete — Vic Janowicz. The Vic Janowicz Park off Chestnut Ridge Road has eight baseball and softball diamonds, a concession stand and restrooms along with a paved parking lot all thanks to the work and contributions of the Friends of Little League East. Ground was first broken in 1991 and the fields were ready for play a little more than a decade later. The league had to borrow money three different times — peaking at $180,000. Project co-chairmen Bill Bird and Jim Grace put together the fund-raisers and hurdled all the roadblocks to get the park completed. The Mortgage was burned on Memorial Day weekend just a few weeks after being honored by the ESHOF. The project spanned the league presidencies of Grace, Greg Oliver, Rick Medvetz, Joe Scarbrough and Kevin Brubaker. In recent years, the park has played host to numerous district and state tournaments all thanks to the hours of service volunteered by parents, players, coaches and sponsors. The efforts of the Friends of Little League East enabled Vic Janowicz Park to host numerous state and regional tournaments in both baseball and softball.

Al Campbell, Elyria High Football

When Elyria High’s 1964 state ranked football team needed a yard or a score, Al Campbell was the man. Campbell led Elyria High’s Buckeye Conference champions in rushing and scoring in the fall of ’64 with 958 yards on the ground in 138 carries – a 6.9 average – and scored 146 points. He led the area in scoring with his 22 touchdowns and 14 2-point conversions. His 146-point total bettered Vic Janowicz’s long-standing school record 101 points scored during the storied 1947 season and remains among the best totals in its history dating back to 1893. The 22 touchdowns Campbell scored is still one of the best all-time for the Pioneers. Undoubtedly, Campbell would have gained more yardage and perhaps scored even more points if it weren’t for such a talented Elyria backfield that included fellow ESHOF’s Houston Love and a scrappy undersized overachieving fullback named Bill Alley. Campbell was named to the UPI’s All-Ohio first team. He was 2nd team on the Associated Press All-Ohio squad. Elyria finished ranked 3rd in the UPI’s season-ending poll and 4th in the AP. Only Massillon and Canton McKinley were rated better by both polls. Unbeaten Springfield South were rated 3rd in the AP. Unfortunately, the state play-off format was still eight years from being a reality. The Pioneers lost their opening game to Barberton, 6-0, before winning their final nine games including a 32-6 trouncing of then unbeaten and state ranked Sandusky. Elyria capped the season with a come-from-behind 23-14 victory over an inspired Lorain team that led 14-0 in the first quarter. At Sandusky, with a packed stadium that included several hundred fans ringing the track in the end zones, Campbell bulled his way to four touchdowns. His 24-yard run opened the scoring and he finished with 110 yards on the night. Hall of Fame coach Bill Barton called the victory ‘his greatest win.’ Five times Campbell gained over 100 yards during the season. Campbell was named to the All-Buckeye Conference team and led the league in scoring with 122 points – more than double the point total of the second place finisher. As a junior, Campbell rushed for nearly 400 yards and scored 40 points. He was also a member of Elyria’s state tournament qualifier in basketball and was a very good baseball player as well. Campbell went on to play collegiate football at Miami of Ohio. Campbell passed away in 2008.

Tony Godbolt, Elyria High Football

Awesome was the only way to describe Elyria’s 1968 and 1969 undefeated and state ranked football teams and Tony Godbolt was at the center of attention in the Pioneer backfield. Godbolt – along with fellow ESHOF’s Mac Thomas and John Husband – led Elyria to unprecedented back-to-back 10-0 seasons. The 20-game win streak remains EHS’ longest in its glorious football history that began in 1893. On a team with four players accounting for at least 400 yards on the ground, Godbolt, a junior, led Elyria with 704 yards rushing and nine touchdowns. He scored 56 points to lead the team. A year later, Godbolt roulled up 1.144 yards on the ground – second best all-time for Elyria at the time and still among the best-ever in the history of the school. He led the team with 11 touchdowns and 76 points. In ’68, Elyria’s offense rolled up 2, 437 yards on the ground and 3,237 total yards. In ’69, Elyria amassed 2,795 yards rushing and 3,178 total. For the two years, Elyria outscored its opponents, 598-77. In one of the more memorable games in Elyria history, the Pioneers came-from-behind to nip Sandusky, 13-12, driving from their own 18-yard line with less than five minutes to play to clinch the winning score with just 52 seconds remaining. The ’69 schedule was described as one of the toughest Elyria would ever face. Sandusky (8-2), Marion Harding (8-2) and Lorain (7-3) were all rated very strong. Godbolt’s senior season included seven 100-yard rushing games. His best effort came against Admiral King (165 yards, 15 attempts, 3 TDs). Ten times Godbolt rushed for better than 100 yards in his career. The ’68 team was ranked 4th at the end of the season in both wire service polls (AP and UPI). The ’69 team was second to Upper Arlington in the AP, third behind Upper Arlington and Cincinnati Moeller in the UPI. His son, Tony Jr., joined his father as an inductee in 2019.

Bob Holliday, Elyria Catholic Basketball

One of the most prolific scorers in Elyria Catholic history was Bob Holliday. The 6-foot sharpshooter didn’t have the luxury of the 3-point arc in his playing days but he still managed to put hp some pretty fantastic numbers just the same. By the time he graduated from EC, Holliday held every Panther scoring mark – hitting 50 points in a single game against Midview, 557 points in a single season and 1,220 for his career. He averaged 27.9 points per game for the 18-2 Panthers as they christened their Coliseum under Hall of Fame coach Chuck Machock. Holliday sank nearly 50 percent of his field goal attempts his senior season (208 of 419) and nearly 70 percent of his free throws (141 of 208). He was second on the team in rebounds with 166 and led the defense with 34 steals. Elyria Catholic was a perfect 10-0 in the North Central Conference and Holliday was the league MVP. He earned Special Mention All-State in leading the area and his league in scoring. As a junior, Holliday hit 47.5 percent of his field goal attempts (112 of 236) and 60 percent of his free throws (66 of 112). He scored 290 points and was the co-leader on the team in rebounds with 124. He led the league in scoring and was named to the all-North Central team. Holliday went on to play basketball at Baldwin-Wallace but an injury halted his collegiate career.

Henry Slay, Elyria West Football

Arguably one of the best football teams ever to play in the City of Elyria, the 1992 Elyria West Wolverines advanced all the way to the Division II regional final and were winning 16-0 before a 75-yard trick play by eventual state champion Fostoria turned the complexion and the momentum of that game. Fostoria went on to win, 26-16 to end the Wolverine season at 11-1. The key performer on defense was Henry Slay, a 250-pound defensive end. Slay led the state’s 3rd ranked team in sacks (13), tackles for losses (25), and recovered fumbles (10). He had more than 100 tackles on the season as West shut out six opponents and outscored their foes, 399-66. Slay was named first team All-Ohio as well as first team All-County, Conference and District. As a junior, Slay made his presence felt as well. He had 81 tackles – 10 for losses in yardage – and led the team with eight quarterback sacks. He was first team All-Lorain County and was already projected as a D-1 College prospect. Slay didn’t disappoint. He was outstanding for the University of West Virginia, earning the Big East Conference award as Defensive Player of the Year. He was selected to play for the Atlanta Falcons and played briefly for both the Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans.

Margaret (Cough) Wear, Elyria High

When it comes to women’s sports, Margaret (Cough) Wear did everything asked – including driving the bus – in bringing girls high school sports to the forefront. Wear began her association in service humbly enough. She was a school bus driver for the Avon Schools from 1965 to 1974 before becoming the Transportation Supervisor for the Elyria City Schools in 1974 and 75. All the while, she continued her education at Lorain County Community College, Oberlin College and the University of Akron. Wear became a physical education teacher at Elyria High and became Elyria West’s first girls basketball coach for the 1974-75 season. She eventually took over the Elyria High volleyball program (’75 and ’76) and basketball program – both junior varsity and varsity for the 1975-76 and 77-78 seasons. She continued as EHS basketball coach through the 1981 season, compiling an 81-37 record. Her ’78-’79 team advanced to the state tournament in Columbus – the first Lorain County Division I girls team to advance that far. That team was inducted into the ESHOF in 2001. Wear was Athletic Coordinator for both Elyria High and Elyria West programs from 1976 to 1994 and became Athletic Coordinator (Athletic Director) from ’94 to ’97. She was the AD when Elyria’s two high schools consolidated and was instrumental in getting Elyria accepted into the Lake Erie League in 1997 after the breakup of the Erie Shore Conference. Earlier in 2002, Wear was among the first class inducted into the Lorain County Girls Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame and she was named as Lorain County’s Athletic Director of the Year for the school year 1993-94. Wear served many years on the ESHOF board. Mrs. Wear passed away on February 10, 2011.

1983 Elyria Catholic Football    

When Elyria Catholic opened the 1983 football season with three straight shut-outs, little did anyone know the Panthers were on their way to 26 straight victories and two straight state championships under Hall of Fame coach Jim Rattay. In fact, EC allowed only 20 points all year in qualifying for the Division III playoffs as the top seed in Region 10. The Panthers, behind junior tailback Al McKinney, defeated Fostoria, 13-6, at George Daniel Field in Lorain to start their play-off run. They defeated Leavvittsburg LaBrae, 12-0, at Baldwin-Wallace’s Finnie Stadium in Berea before coming from behind to defeat Urbana, 14-9, at the horseshoe at Ohio State. McKinney raced 69 yards for the winning score after EC had spotted Urbana a 9-0 lead. McKinney scored from two yards out in the second quarter. Jim Molnar converted after both touchdowns. Tim Coy had a 95-yard interception return in the Fostoria game – the longest interception return in school history. Chico Smith picked off three passes in the Chanel game and Ron Traut returned a blocked field goal 97 yards against Lorain Southview. Those are also EC records. EC rolled through the regular season, blanking Circleville, 13-0, Midview, 27-0, and Chanel, 47-0, to start the year. The Panthers then defeated Toledo Libbey, 34-6 before knocking off cross-town rival Elyria West, 56-7, to begin Erie Coast Conference play. Two more shut-outs followed – 31-0 over Holy Name and 42-0 over  long-time nemesis Lorain Catholic. EC beat Padua, 39-7 before coming up with two more shut-outs – 34-0 over Mansfield Malabar and 55-0 over Southview. The Panthers entered the post-season having outscored their opponents, 379-20. Elyria Catholic had three All-Ohio players – McKinney, Bob Leshnak and Geoff Poyle.

Gordon Cohagen, Distinguished Service

Volunteering has become a way of life for Gordon Cohagen. A former president of Little League East, Cohagen has distinguished himself as a volunteer assistant coach for Elyria High’s highly successful softball team for over 25 years and three state championships. He’s been Ken Fenik’s right-hand man through many years.

Kevin Higgins, Elyria High Football and Wrestling

At 18 months of age, Kevin Higgins was involved in an accident that cost him sight in his left eye. So much for a sports career – right? Wrong! Higgins not only played but excelled in varsity football and wrestling at the high school level and went on to become one of the finest collegiate wrestlers ever to come out of Lorain County. He later coached a state champion wrestling team in the state of Georgia. From humble beginnings as a freshman wrestler at Elyria High, finishing with a 9-7-2 record, Higgins went on to a 19-1 record as a sophomore, 10-6 as a junior and 29-6 as a senior. Higgins handed 145-pound state champion Mark Buddie of St. Ignatius his only loss. On the Pioneer football team, Higgins was an All-Buckeye Conference center in 1984. Higgins went on to Baldwin-Wallace (pictured at right) where he was 1989 National Division III champion and was named the Yellow Jackets outstanding wrestler all four years – the first and only wrestler to do so. At B-W, Higgins won 100 matches, eight tournaments and placed in nine others. At one point he won 20 straight matches. His college winning percentage was .785 with 23 pins. At Sequoyah High School in Canton, Georgia, Higgins became the head coach in 1994 (co-coaching with Bob Eddy from 1994-98). His teams were county champions in 1995, 96, 97 and 99 when he was also named County Coach of the Year. His teams were regional champions in 1996, 98, 99, and 2001 and were state AAAA champions in 1996 and 99. In 1999, Higgins was selected NWCA Georgia Coach of the Year. He has coached eight individual state champions and 26 state placers.

Brett Larrick, Elyria High Basketball

Brett Larrick wasn’t born with a basketball in his hands, it just seemed that way. Larrick rewrote Elyria High’s record book during his career and went on to make quite a name for himself at Charleston Southern University as well. At Elyria High, Larrick holds nearly all the school’s scoring marks – 43 points in a single game, 551 in a season, 1,351 for his career. He also holds the best two free throw shooting percentage figures – hitting a lofty 90.1 percent of his foul shots his junior year (110 of 122) and 89.5 percent as a senior (94 of 105). His 27 straight free throws ranks second behind fellow ESHOF’s Mike Fischer (32 in a row). Larrick was named All-Ohio and Lorain County’s Mr. Basketball his senior year as well as being named a nominee to the prestigious McDonald’s All-American  team. On top of all that, Larrick also was an ace student with a 4.2 GPA. At Charleston Southern, Larrick led the Big South Conference in scoring and was named to both the All-Big South first team and All-Academic team. He was named the top male athlete at the university. In his final game in the NCAA tournament against UCLA, Larrick had 32 points, six rebounds, six assists, and threw in 6 3-pointers. He made the Dean’s list all four years. Larrick was inducted into Charleston Southern’s Hall of Fame in October, 2004. As of 2013, Larrick’s 1,738 points ranked third in school history as does his 604 total field goals. He ranks 2nd all-time in 3-pointers with 234 and his free throw percentage of .789 ranks among the best in school history. After a professional stint in Europe, Larrick returned to his home town. He was an assistant to Mike Walsh for the EHS girls teams for several years and after assisting Bob Walsh with the boys varsity for three years, became Elyria High’s head coach for the 2008-09 season.

Mark “Torry” McGuire, Elyria Catholic Wrestling

There isn’t a challenge too big for Mark “Torry” McGuire. Small in physical presence but huge in stature, McGuire began his high school athletic career as a 98-pound wrestler at Elyria Catholic. He finished with a 55-11-1 record. By the time he graduated, McGuire became the first EC wrestler to place at the state tournament and went on to earn three letters at the University of Toledo. McGuire returned to his hometown and became the head wrestling coach at EC from 1977 to 1986, compiling a 72-32-2 dual mark for the Panthers, winning 10 team tournament championships along the way. In 1984 his Panthers won the district title and were 2nd at the 1986 regionals. He was North Central Conference coach of the year in 1978 and Lorain County Coach of the Year in 1981, 84 and 86. McGuire was on a committee that founded the Lorain County Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association (LCWCOA) and served in various capacities including President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. He was inducted into the LCWCOA Hall of Fame in 1995. McGuire was instrumental in EC’s football success as well. He was head freshman coach for 14 years, compiling a 79-20-1 record with four undefeated seasons. He also assisted at the varsity level for many years. In 1986, McGuire became the Athletic Director at Elyria Catholic and brought the district wrestling tournament to the Coliseum. In the fall of 1997, McGuire became the Elyria Schools Athletic Director – becoming the first person to be AD at both schools. He has helped keep the Division I and IV baseball tournaments at George Day Field and helped organize the successful Lorain County Holiday Classic basketball tournament as well as the Elyria Softball Classic. He was named Lorain County’s Athletic Director of the year in 1997. He has since moved on to become the Athletic Director at Solon and has retired as of the end of the 2019 school year.

John Mihalik, Elyria Catholic Football, Basketball, Baseball

Little did anyone know when John Mihalik won the local punt, pass and kick competition at the tender age of 9, what it could lead to. Mihalik went on to an outstanding high school career at Elyria Catholic and was a 3-year letterman at Boston College. At EC, Mihalik excelled in football, basketball and baseball. He led the area in scoring for the 1981 season with 132 points on 22 touchdowns. He rushed for 1,115 yards to keep the great tradition of wearing number 44 at Elyria Catholic. He had six games where he gained at least 100 yards. Mihalik was all-conference, all-county, all-district and a nominee for the Golden Helmet. The Panthers finished the regular season 8-0-2 and qualified for the state play-offs. EC won the regional title by beating Bellevue, 7-6, but lost to Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary in the state semifinals. In basketball, Mihalik was EC’s MVP and was named all-conference and all-county. He led the Panthers with a 14.8-point average. In baseball, he was a three-year letterman. At BC, Mihalik participated in the 1982 Tangerine Bowl, the 1983 Liberty Bowl, and the 1985 Cotton Bowl. He was the team’s punter as a freshman, averaging 38.9 yards per kick.

Rebecca “Becky” Paukst, Elyria West Volleyball and Softball

Name the sport and Becky Paukst probably excelled but she made her biggest mark as a softball and volleyball player at Elyria West High School before winning three letters at Ohio University in softball. Paukst was an all-star in baseball, softball and volleyball, a champion tennis player, a record-setting track star, and placed third in a state-wide basketball shooting competition. At both 11- and 12-years of age, Paukst made baseball little league all-stars, leading off and playing centerfield on both squads – the only female to be voted a member of the all-star team. At Elyria West, Paukst was a 4-year letterman in volleyball and softball and was named the Ms. Volleyball winner in 1993. She was honorable mention All-Ohio, first team all-conference and all-county, all-district three years and conference player-of-the-year twice. She holds the distinction of being the first freshman in the 20-year history of Elyria West to play and start on the varsity team. She holds game (18), season (156) and career (419) records for digs at EWHS as well as holding the record for saves in a career (117). In softball, Paukst was first team all-county four times, first team all-conference three, and first team all-district once. She was All-Ohio honorable mention in 1994 as she led the team in batting with a .594 mark. She participated on numerous champion summer softball teams. In 1994, Paukst was a member of the Ashland Blaze – the National Softball Association World Series Champions. She was voted first team All-Nation at the NSA National Softball Tournament in Chattanooga, Tennessee. While at West, Paukst was the George Day Award winner – given to the outstanding senior athlete at West. At OU, Paukst was a member of the 1995 Mid-American Champions – one of just three starting freshmen for the Bobcats. In 1997, Paukst was named Ohio U’s defensive player of the year and was a first team selection to the All-MAC team. In 1998, Paukst was selected to play with other top collegians against the European National Team.

1978-79 EHS Girls Basketball  

The girls state basketball tournament was still in its infancy when Elyria High – coached by Margaret Wear – qualified for the fourth annual final four by defeating Ashland, 50-46, at the Sandusky Regional. They truly were ‘Pioneers’ by becoming the first Lorain County girls team to compete at the state finals. The Pioneers won 23 games, lost only twice in earning the Buckeye Conference championship as well as Sectional, District and Regional titles. The team helped set a record for consecutive regular season wins when they defeated Admiral King, 51-43. They also set the mark for most points in a single game when they rolled over Vermilion, 88-17. They lost to eventual state champion Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary in the state semi-finals. Gloria Barbee was named the MVP for the team – averaging 13.6 points a game and five rebounds. She had 61 steals, 35 assists and led the team in scoring with 288 points. Mary Lakotas was the team’s best defensive player. Lakota led the team in steals with 115 and contributed 61 assists. Barbee and Lakotas were the team captains. Tina Brown led the rebounding (10.1 rebounds per game) and averaged 6.1 points. Rochelle Corn pulled down five rebounds and scored 9.3 points a contest. Sharon Kaplan led the way at the foul line – sinking 69 per cent of her free throws. Other squad members included Betty Halliburton, the Jaycee Sportsmanship winner, Lisa Harris, Joanne Hinkofer, Linda Dehart, Cindy Janasy and Jackie Hill. Cassie Pileski was the team manager.

Bill Gast, Elyria High Basketball

During the late ‘50s and early 60s, Elyria High’s athletic prowess was at its peak with many of that era honored by induction to the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame. Among them was Bill Gast. Gast was a star on the basketball court for some of the school’s best teams. As a junior in 1959, Gast helped the Pioneers to an undefeated season and a district championship. The ’59 team is already enshrined in the Hall of Fame. A year later, Gast helped the Pioneers advance to their first regional championship. The Pioneers were district champions during each of Gast’s three years competing with the varsity. Gast’s baseball exploits may have even been better. A shortstop, Gast led the Pioneers to a district title in 1959, the first district championship in school history. A year later, Gast was named All-Ohio with his selection to play in the All-State star series in Columbus. In all, Gast earned eight letters at Elyria – four in baseball, three in basketball and one in cross country. At Bowling Green, he earned five letters – three in baseball and two in basketball. He had a career .300 batting average for the Falcons and on the basketball team played with one of the greatest BGSU squads in the history of the school — teams that featured Nate Thurmond and Howard Komives. BG won the MAC championship in 1962 and ’63. Gast came back to the area and became Lorain Southview’s first baseball coach.

Hank Janowicz

Immediately after graduating from Elyria Catholic in 1953 and earning 10 varsity letters, Hank Janowicz wanted to stay involved in sports. He became an official – first as a youth umpire in baseball and later switching to basketball and football. Janowicz refereed over 1,000 basketball games and over 400 football. In his first year of basketball, he officiated 56 games – mostly junior varsity, freshman or junior high games. He built such a reputation for being an outstanding official he was immediately promoted to the varsity level. By 1962, his fame spread and the Ohio Conference along with many colleges around the state, recruited Janowicz to do its basketball and football games. He worked on the collegiate level for 16 years. While officiating, Janowicz served time as president of the Northeast Ohio Officials Association in both basketball and football and was a rules interpreter for other referees at pre-season meetings studying changes since the previous years. After his retirement from active officiating, Janowicz stayed involved by acting as a referee evaluator, hired by college and high school conferences to grade officials’ performances. Hank’s brother, of course, is the famous Heisman Trophy winner and Elyria Sports Hall of Famer – Vic Janowicz. Hank passed away in April, 2019 at age 84.

Al McKinney, Elyria Catholic Football

What Bryan Thomas was to Elyria Catholic’s great 1976 and ’77 football teams, Al McKinney was to the Panthers in 1983 and ’84. He was the star tailback, the man who with a burst of speed and a nose for the end zone that brought two state championships to EC. On a team full of standouts, McKinney was the brightest star. In fact, he played for three years – helping the Panthers to a state semi-final berth as a sophomore and then leading them to back-to-back 13-0 seasons. The 26-game winning streak remained a Lorain County record until Avon Lake eclipsed the mark with its own state championship and runner-up finish in 2003 and ’04. As a senior, McKinney ran for 2,398 yards and scored a nation-high 49 touchdowns – both county records. He is the school and city career rushing and scoring record-holder. He was first team All-Ohio for two years by the United Press International and AP All-Ohio his senior year. He was named Ohio’s Back-Of-The-Year by both wire services as a senior. Twice he was Back-Of-The-Year in the district, Lorain County, and Erie Coast Conference. He was nearly as outstanding in track, winning conference championships in the sprints and the long jump. He was the state’s long jump champion in Class AA with a leap of 22 feet, 9 inches. McKinney was the recepient of the coveted Lou Rotunda Award for athletics, academics and extracurriculars at Elyria Catholic. He went to the University of Cincinnati, playing four years and remains one of the all-time rushers for the Bearcats with 2, 227 career yards rushing. Upon graduation, he ranked second in all-purpose yards with 4,040 (2,227 rushing, 828 receiving, and 985 return yards) and remains in the top five all-time. In 1987, he led Cincy with 950 yards on the ground and in ’88 rushed for 829 yards.

Amy Schloss, Elyria High Volleyball

When Monica Taylor graduated from Elyria High and went on to Ohio State, she passed the volleyball leadership torch to Amy Schloss and the Pioneers never missed a beat. Schloss was a sophomore and Taylor a senior when Elyria qualified for the state tournament for the first time in Volleyball. Taylor was the state’s player of the year. When she left, Schloss picked up the slack. Schloss was named to the second team All-State a year later and was Ohio’s Division I Player of the Year, MVP for the Erie Shore Conference, Player of the Year in the District, MVP on the Lorain County All Star team and was a representative to the state’s all-star game. She was Lorain County’s Miss Volleyball award winner. In her three years on the EHS varsity, the Pioneers were 74-6 including 25-1 in 1990. The Pioneers won four Erie Shore titles and two districts in her four years in the program. She was outstanding in every area: hitting (89 percent), blocking (53 percent), serving (95 percent) and serve receiving (96 percent). The 5-foot-10 Schloss played collegiately at Michigan State, lettering four years. She was named to the All-Tournament Team in the DePaul Tournament and twice was an All-Big Ten academic selection (1993-1994). She was captain of the Spartans in 1994. Schloss was also an excellent swimmer – competing for the Elyria YMCA swim team and for Spring Valley Country Club. She was part of the Cadet Medley Relay record-setting team at the Y in 1982 and was a record holder and MVP at Spring Valley. Schloss-Yates is a trustee with the ESHOF and chairs the awards committee.

Monica Taylor, Elyria High Volleyball and Basketball

In the late 1980s, you couldn’t tell the change of seasons by watching the stars at Elyria High. The brightest may have been Monica Taylor – no matter what the sport. In the fall it was volleyball; winter was basketball, but in both cases Taylor was the star, the highlight player who lifted the Pioneers past their rivals. Taylor won both the Lorain County Miss Volleyball and Miss Basketball awards. She was voted first team All-Ohio in volleyball both her junior and senior years and led the Pioneers to their first state tournament appearance as a senior in 1988.  She was also All-Ohio in basketball, leading Elyria to the district finals and a conference championship. She shared the Division I player of the Year award and was named to the Parade Magazine All-America team. She averaged 19.5 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots in leading the Pioneers to a 22-2 record and a No. 4 ranking in the state polls. Taylor won four letters in basketball and was all-conference and all county. She helped a team of Ohio All-Stars to a victory over a team of stars from Michigan, scoring 12 points. Taylor could have played both sports at the college level but she chose basketball. She played two years at Ohio State before leaving because of a dispute with then coach Nancy Darsch. Taylor’s legacy at Elyria High helped build the solid female programs the Lady Pioneers have in volleyball and basketball.

1935 EHS Relay Team

On a May day in 1935, it’s doubtful that the four Elyria High runners would realize their performance would bring them lasting prominence. But they did know they had accomplished something pretty special – in fact no Elyria High mile relay team had ever gone the distance in less than three minutes, 40 seconds. At the state track meet, the team of Bob Vanek, Chuck Streicher, Don Hull and Bob Roe did just that. They didn’t win the state meet – Toledo Scott’s relay team did that. They didn’t even place but their time of 3:33.7 was best in school history and the best ever run by a Lake Erie League quintet to that time. The previous school record was 3:42.2 set in 1931 and the mark Vanek, Streicher, Hull and Roe set lasted 26 years – a remarkable feat. Elyria’s Sports Hall of Fame has honored football, baseball, basketball and wrestling teams but the 1935 Mile Relay team was the first Track team to be so honored. The relay team is pictured (Left to Right): Don Hull, Bob Vanek, Bob Roe and Chuck Streicher.

Dick Elliott, Distinguished Service

Back in 1970 when Elliott was executive director of the Elyria Chamber of Commerce, the Lorain Chamber of Commerce launched a sports hall of fame for that city. In December of 1970, Elliott called together a group of city residents involved in sports to organize a Hall of Fame for Elyria.

He asked A.N. Chick Smith, then commissioner of the Ohio Athletic Conference, to chair the first banquet. Elliott served as the secretary, a post he held for nine years. The first banquet was held at the old Weathervane in 1972 and has been a signature event in the City of Elyria ever since.

Elliott passed away in 2010.