[one_half]

Tim Flannery
Tim Flannery

[/one_half]

[one_half_last]

chuckkyle
Chuck Kyle

[/one_half_last]

Two Ohio-grown interscholastic stalwarts were named among 12 individuals selected

for the 2016 class of the National High School Hall of Fame administered by the National

Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).

Chuck Kyle, who has won 321 games and 11 state championships in 33 years as football

coach at Cleveland (Ohio) St. Ignatius High School, is one of four coaches selected for the 2016

class. Kyle has led his alma mater – St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio – to 11 Ohio

High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) state football championships – all in the state’s

largest division. After serving as an assistant coach for 10 years, Kyle assumed head coaching

duties in 1983 and has registered a 321-83-1 record (.794 winning percentage) in 33 years. He

ranks No. 1 in state football titles and set a state record by qualifying for the playoffs in 22

consecutive years (1988-2009). Kyle’s teams were undefeated on five occasions and received

recognition by media outlets as the nation’s top team three times (1989, 1993, 1995). On four

separate occasions, his teams registered winning streaks of 25 or more games, with a best of 39

straight victories. In addition to football, Kyle has coached track and field at St. Ignatius for 43

years and his team claimed the 2001 OHSAA large-division state championship.

Tim Flannery, who served on the NFHS staff for 16 years and was responsible for starting the

highly successful NFHS Coach Education Program. Flannery saved the best for last during his

remarkable 46-year career in education. After concluding his 30-year career in Ohio with 15

years as director of athletics of the North Olmsted City Schools, Flannery joined the NFHS staff

in 1998. During his first nine years on the staff, Flannery directed the NFHS Coaches

Association, was editor of the Soccer Rules Book and Swimming and Diving Rules Book, and was

in charge of the NFHS Officials Association for two years. In 2007, he started the NFHS Coach

Education Program and by the time he retired in 2014 had built one of the most successful

programs in the organization’s history. Today, the program features 41 online education

courses, and more than four million courses have been delivered to coaches, administrators,

parents and students. Flannery also was heavily involved in the National Interscholastic Athletic

Administrators Association (NIAAA) for 30 years, including a term as president in 1995 during

which time the Leadership Training Program was initiated.

Other coaches who will be honored this year are Peg Kopec, who retired last year after

winning 12 state championships in 42 years as girls volleyball coach at St. Francis High School in

Wheaton, Illinois; Pete Boudreaux, who has won an amazing 43 state championships in cross

country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field at Baton Rouge (Louisiana) Catholic

High School; and Jack Holloway, who led his wrestling teams at New Castle (Delaware) William

Penn High School to seven state championships and 13 undefeated seasons during his 25-year

Two administrators are part of the 2016 class –; and Ennis Proctor, who retired in 2011

after 20 years as executive director of the Mississippi High School Activities Association.

Rounding out the 2016 class is the late Eugene “Lefty” Wright, a cross country and track and

field contest official in Minnesota for almost 50 years.

Steve Spurrier, a three-sport standout at Science Hill High School in Johnson City,

Tennessee, before his highly successful collegiate career as a player and coach, and Marlin

Briscoe, an outstanding football and basketball player at Omaha (Nebraska) South High School

prior to becoming the first African-American starting quarterback in the National Football

Other athletes who were chosen for this year’s class are Joni Huntley, a three-sport

athlete at Sheridan (Oregon) High School in the early 1970s who later competed in the high

jump at two Olympics; Tom Southall, who overcame a physical disability to become one of the

best athletes in Colorado history at Steamboat Springs High School (1979-81), and the late Ken

Beardslee, one of the top pitchers in high school baseball history during his three years (1947-

49) at Vermontville (Michigan) High School.

These five athletes, four coaches, two administrators and one contest official will be

inducted into the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) National High

School Hall of Fame July 2 at the Peppermill Resort in Reno, Nevada. The 34th Hall of Fame

Induction Ceremony will be the closing event of the 97th annual NFHS Summer Meeting.

The National High School Hall of Fame was started in 1982 by the NFHS to honor high

school athletes, coaches, contest officials, administrators, performing arts coaches/directors

and others for their extraordinary achievements and accomplishments in high school sports and

performing arts programs. This year’s class increases the number of individuals in the Hall of

The 12 individuals were chosen after a two-level selection process involving a screening

committee composed of active high school state association administrators, coaches and

officials, and a final selection committee composed of coaches, former athletes, state

association officials, media representatives and educational leaders. Nominations were made

through NFHS member associations.

Following is biographical information on the other 10 individuals in the 2016 class of the

The late Ken Beardslee has been proclaimed as “prep baseball’s first ace” in the NFHS

National High School Sports Record Book for his incredible feats at Vermontville High School in

Michigan in the late 1940s. In his three years on the mound for Vermontville, Beardslee won 24

of his 25 starts (the team was 31-1 during that time), but it was the dominance he displayed

that was even more amazing. Beardslee’s 24 victories included eight no-hitters, including two

perfect games, and seven one-hitters and a 0.32 career earned-run average. He set seven

national records, and two of those marks still stand after 66 years. His per-game season

strikeout mark of 19.0 and his per-game career strikeout mark of 18.1 remain the national

records today. Beardslee was drafted by the New York Yankees immediately after graduating

from high school and pitched in the minors from 1949 to 1956. An injury ended his playing

career in 1956, and Beardslee then served as a scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates for 21 years.

Marlin Briscoe was an All-City running back in football as a junior and senior at Omaha

(Nebraska) South High School in 1962 and 1963. Briscoe also played quarterback at times and

led South High School to the Intercity Football Championship during his senior season, and then

directed the South team to a victory in the Football Shrine game. Two weeks later, he was

named MVP of Omaha’s All-City Basketball Classic. Briscoe was a standout quarterback at

Omaha University (now the University of Nebraska-Omaha), where he set 22 school records

and passed for 5,114 yards and 53 touchdowns, and earned NAIA first-team All-American

honors. Nicknamed “The Magician,” Briscoe became the first African-American starting

quarterback in modern NFL history in 1968 for the Denver Broncos. He was an all-pro wide

receiver with the Buffalo Bills and earned two Super Bowl rings with the Miami Dolphins,

including the undefeated 1972 team. After directing the Boys and Girls Club in southern

California for many years, he continues to serve the organization today as a volunteer.

Joni Huntley participated in three sports at Sheridan (Oregon) High School, but track

and field was her claim to fame. Huntley was a three-time state high jump champion and

became the first American woman to clear 6 feet in the event as a high school senior in 1974.

Huntley set national records in the high jump and 100-yard hurdles on the same day at a 1974

meet, and won state titles in the high jump, hurdles and 100-yard dash. She also competed in

basketball and helped the school’s volleyball team to a state title in 1973. Huntley was the first

female to receive an athletic scholarship to Oregon State University, where she participated in

track and field and volleyball. Huntley placed fifth in the high jump at the 1976 Olympics and

won the bronze medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. She was ranked No. 1 in the United

States in the high jump five times and was in the top 10 for 13 consecutive years. Huntley is a

retired kindergarten teacher and currently works in the Portland Public Schools.

Tom Southall excelled in football, basketball, track and music at Steamboat Springs

(Colorado) High School. Born without his right hand and wrist, Southall was two-time football

player of the year in Colorado and led his team to the 1979 Class 2A state championship. He set

the state’s single-game rushing record in 1979 with 412 yards. In track and field, he set the

state’s 2A long jump record in 1981 with a 23-4½ effort and helped Steamboat Springs to three

consecutive Class 2A state titles. On the performing arts side, Southall was a member of the jazz

band and concert band and was all-state in music on the trumpet. He received the Fred

Steinmark Award as Colorado Male Student-Athlete of the Year in 1981. Southall’s success

continued at Colorado College, where he led the nation in punt return yardage and set an NCAA

Division III career mark for kickoff return yards. He was track MVP all four years at Colorado

College and set school records in the long jump, 200-meter dash and 4×100-meter relay.

Southall currently is a teacher and coach at Cherokee Trail High School in Aurora, Colorado.

Steve Spurrier was one of the best multi-sport athletes in Tennessee history during his

playing days at Science Hill High School in Johnson City from 1960 to 1963. He passed for 16

touchdowns in football, averaged 22 points per game in basketball and was 7-0 as a pitcher in

helping Science Hill to the state baseball championship – and was named all-state in all three

sports and all-American in football. While football would be his sport of choice in college, his

high school baseball accomplishments topped the list. He recorded a perfect 25-0 record as a

pitcher and was a part of two state championship teams. Spurrier went on to win the Heisman

Trophy at the University of Florida. As a three-year starter at quarterback, he passed for 4,848

yards and 37 touchdowns. Spurrier played nine seasons with the San Francisco 49ers before

playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his final season in 1976. He then was one of the most

successful college football coaches, compiling a 228-89-2 record in 25 seasons at Duke, Florida

and South Carolina, which included a national championship at Florida. Spurrier also coached

the Washington Redskins for two years.

Pete Boudreaux has been coaching cross country and track and field at Catholic High

School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for 48 years and is still going strong at the age of 74. He has

led his teams to 16 state cross country championships, 12 state indoor track titles and 15 state

outdoor track championships – an amazing grand total of 43. In addition, his teams have

finished second 21 times in the three combined sports. Boudreaux has coached 13 individual

state champions in cross country and his 1975 team compiled the only perfect score (15) ever

recorded in state history. In track, 23 Catholic High School athletes have set state records under

Boudreaux’s guidance. A graduate of Catholic High School, Boudreaux also served as the

school’s athletic director for 30 years and currently is a guidance counselor and physical

education teacher in addition to his coaching responsibilities.

Jack Holloway was one of the top high school wrestling coaches in the country during

his 25-year stint at William Penn High School in New Castle, Delaware (1978-2002). Holloway’s

coaching mark was 297-35 (.894 percentage), which included 13 undefeated seasons, and he

led his teams to seven state championships. He coached 39 individual state champions and was

named National High School Wrestling Coach of the Year in 2000. During his final 14 years at

William Penn, Holloway also served as the school’s athletic director. A former all-American as a

football player at Salesianum High School in Wilmington, Holloway was named executive

director of the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association in 2002 and served in that role for

three years. During this time, Holloway was instrumental in making Delaware one of the first

states to adopt new NFHS weight management protocols. Since 2005, Holloway has been

director of athletics at Tower Hill High School in Wilmington.

Peg Kopec concluded her outstanding career as volleyball coach at St. Francis High

School in Wheaton, Illinois, this past November with yet another Illinois High School Association

(IHSA) state championship. During her 42 years as St. Francis coach, Kopec led her teams to 12

IHSA state titles, including four in a row to conclude her career – the first in state history to

accomplish that feat. Kopec registered 30 or more victories in 30 seasons and eclipsed 40 wins

on three occasions and finished with an overall record of 1,248-260-2 (.827 winning

percentage) – good for fifth on the all-time list in the NFHS National High School Sports Record

Book. In addition to her 12 state titles, Kopec’s teams clamed 25 sectional titles and 31 regional

The late Eugene “Lefty” Wright had a profound impact on track and field and cross

country – as a coach and official and at the state and national levels – for more than 50 years

before his death last year at the age of 79. Wright was meet director of the Minnesota State

High School League (MSHSL) cross country championship for 46 years and was the lead official

at the MSHSL state track and field meet for 22 years. He was the MSHSL rules clinician for both

sports for 46 years and developed a procedure to minimize disqualifications by creating a form

that was adopted in official NFHS rules. Wright coached track and field and cross country at St.

Louis Park High School in suburban Minneapolis from 1958 to 1969 and won four state track

titles and one state cross country championship.

Ennis Proctor concluded his 20 years as executive director of the Mississippi High

School Activities Association (MHSAA) – and 47 years overall in education – in 2011 after

transforming the organization that was in dire financial straits when he started in 1991. During

his tenure, the MHSAA added 15 sports, including many new opportunities for female athletes,

and enacted reforms that judged individuals on their own without regard to race or gender.

Proctor left the MSHAA in 2011 with a $2 million reserve after inheriting an organization with

just $100,000. Prior to joining the MSHAA, Proctor was a football and baseball coach and then

spent 13 years as an assistant principal and principal before joining the MHSAA staff. Nationally,

Proctor served on the NFHS Board of Directors and was president in 2009-10. During his tenure,

Proctor guided the organization’s selection of a new executive director.

About the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)

The NFHS, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, is the national leadership organization for high school sports and

performing arts activities. Since 1920, the NFHS has led the development of education-based interscholastic sports

and performing arts activities that help students succeed in their lives. The NFHS sets direction for the future by

building awareness and support, improving the participation experience, establishing consistent standards and

rules for competition, and helping those who oversee high school sports and activities. The NFHS writes playing

rules for 16 sports for boys and girls at the high school level. Through its 50 member state associations and the

District of Columbia, the NFHS reaches more than 19,000 high schools and 11 million participants in high school

activity programs, including more than 7.7 million in high school sports. As the recognized national authority on

interscholastic activity programs, the NFHS conducts national meetings; sanctions interstate events; offers online

publications and services for high school coaches and officials; sponsors professional organizations for high school

coaches, officials, speech and debate coaches, and music adjudicators; serves as the national source for

interscholastic coach training; and serves as a national information resource of interscholastic athletics and

activities. For more information, visit the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org.

MEDIA CONTACTS: Bruce Howard, 317-972-6900

Director of Publications and Communications

National Federation of State High School Associations

bhoward@nfhs.org

Chris Boone, 317-972-6900

Assistant Director of Publications and Communications

National Federation of State High School Associations

cboone@nfhs.org

Recommended Posts