Four championship coaches will be enshrined into the Licking County League Coaches Hall of Fame on June 20.
Heath’s Shela Croom, Watkins Memorial’s Marty Dahlman and Utica’s Joe Myers and Tom Russell will be honored at halftime of the Licking-Muskingum All-Star football game. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. at Licking Heights.
Croom is a Heath graduate, who returned to her alma mater to coach volleyball for nearly three decades. The Bulldogs won nearly 400 matches with her at the helm.
Croom’s stint as coach was highlighted by winning the Division III state championship in 1995. Her teams won five league and five district championships.
Dahlman was the head cross country and track coach at Watkins for more than three decades. His boys and girls teams won 41 league championships and four district championships.
Dahlman coached 145 athletes at the state track and cross country championships. Thirty-six of those athletes earned All-Ohio honors.
Myers was the Utica baseball coach for more than three decades, winning nearly 400 games during his tenure. He also coached wrestling and golf while at the school.
Under Myers, the baseball team reached the Division III state final in 1992, finishing as runner-up. His teams won several league championships and five sectional championships.
Russell led Utica girls basketball for 23 seasons, winning more than 300 games during his tenure. He was twice named the Division III Coach of the Year by the statewide media, and he coached in the North/South Ohio All-Star Game.
Russell’s teams reached the Division III state final in 1988 and made another trip to state in 1997. His teams also won seven league championships and six district championships.
Heath’s Dave Klontz, Granville’s Bob Hollen, Newark Catholic’s John Cannizzaro and Licking Valley’s Randy Baughman were inducted in 2023. Seventeen coaches from 1979-91 were inducted during the previous iteration of the LCL.
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Licking County League adding four legendary coaches to Hall of Fame
Reporting by Kurt Snyder, Newark Advocate / Newark Advocate
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
