BALLARD, JAMES                                                     
A three year letterman at Cuyahoga Falls High school,  upon graduation, Ballard attended Wilmington College for one year before transferring to Mt. Union College. It was here that the Cuyahoga Falls product made a major impact. Playing the key position of quarterback, Ballard led the Raiders from 1991-93, capping his collegiate career with the first  national championship for Mt. Union. During his three years at Mt. Union, he was named honorable mention All-American in his first year and made first team the following two years. He set 13 Division III passing records racking up over 12,000 yards through the air and throwing for 150 touchdowns in his career. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals and in addition to the NFL, Ballard has competed in the Canadian Football League, NFL Europe and Arena Football. He led the Scottish Claymoor team in NFLE to the 1996 World Bowl Championship and was the second all-time leading passer for the Scottish team. He was named to the Scots Hall of Fame in 2001.

CANTU, TINA DURBIN
She came out of Cuyahoga Falls High School where she excelled in volleyball, basketball and track to earn a scholarship in volleyball at the University of Cincinnati. Tina lettered in 1984, ’86, ’87 and ’88 for the Bearcats. She had banner seasons in 1987 when she recorded UC’s seventh highest hitting percentage and was accorded a spot on the All-Metro Conference Tournament team. She finished her career ranked ninth on UC’s career assist and in service aces and was voted first team All- Metro Conference honors. In 2002 Cantu was inducted into the Cuyahoga Falls High School Sports Hall of Fame.

COOK, JOHN                                                                   
Attended Ohio State University starring on the varsity golf team for three years. He was three-time Big Ten Champion; three time all-American and All-Big Ten, won the 1978 & ‘79 Ohio Amateur and captured the ’78 U.S. Amateur crown. He was a member of the Buckeye’s 1979 NCAA Championship team. Prior to going to OSU he won the 1975 California State Amateur title and was the ’76 California High School champion. He joined the professional golf tour in 1980 and has won eleven tournaments around the world . He was on the 1993 Ryder Cup team which won its match with Britain. Cook has career earnings of more than $11 million . He was born in Toledo, Ohio and spent his early years living in Akron, before moving out west.

COUSINEAU, TOM
Tom Cousineau is a Two-time All-American linebacker from Ohio State.  In 1977, he was named top defensive player in the Orange Bowl.  His 211 tackles in ’78 still stands as a single season school record.  Cousineau became the Buckeyes first No. 1 pick in the NFL draft when he was selected in 1979 by the Buffalo Bills.  He was traded to the Browns in 1982 where he played for three years and was then traded to the San Francisco 49érs where he retired in 1987.  He was All-Conference two years during his career.  He currently resides in the area. 

EDWARDS, “JERI” JERRYLIN                                         
A native of Matteson, IL, Edwards has dedicated more than 25 years to the sport of bowling, beginning with her prep years where she led her high school team to the 1980 Illinois state championship. She entered Penn State and was named to the Collegiate National All Tournament team in 1981, was a collegiate champion in several highly regarded national tournaments during her four year career for the Nittany Lions and led her team to second and third place finishes in the collegiate National Team Championships. Edwards spent five years on the Ladies Professional Bowlers Tour , winning the 1990 Greater Atlanta Open. She has captured WIBC Championships in Illinois and Ohio. Edwards has worked with Fred Borden teaching bowling since 1991 and was named Junior Team USA Head Coach in 2002-2003.She replaced Borden in 2003 as Team USA Head Coach when he retired from that position. The duo of Edwards/Borden is at the forefront in bowling instruction at Stonehedge Lanes in Akron.

FAUST, GERRY
His coaching career started in 1958 in his hometown at Dayton Chaminade and ended in 1994 at The University of Akron. In 1960 he was hired to start a football program at a new high school, Cincinnati Moeller, which made its debut in 1963 by winning nine of ten games. Faust made that sort of success commonplace over the 18 seasons he spent at Moeller. The Crusaders claimed the Cincinnati city championship in 10 of Faust’s last 12 seasons and the regional crown in eight of his last 10 years. Five of his last six teams captured the Ohio Class AAA state championship in playoff competition. Four of Moeller’s state championships were won in the Rubber Bowl, including Faust’s last team that went 13-0 in 1980. In half of those years, Faust’s teams finished the regular season undefeated and the Crusaders were awarded the mythical national championships following their unbeaten seasons in 1976, ’77, ’79 and ’80. His record at Moeller was a phenomenal 174-17-2 for a .907 winning percentage. In 1981, Faust made the unbelievable jump to one of the top college coaching jobs in the nation when he became the head football coach at Notre Dame. He coached the Irish to a 30-26-1 record over five seasons before moving to Akron and closing out his 32-year head coaching career.

JAMERSON, JOHN D.
After an outstanding four-year college basketball career, this Rossford, OH native was brought to Akron by Goodyear to play for the Wingfoots in 1969. However, after one season, in which the sharp shooting cager helped the Wingfoots capture the National Amateur Basketball League title, the team was disbanded. Jamerson, who  opted to stay in the Akron area, joined the faculty at Field High School where he remained until his retirement in 2000. He coached basketball at Field for four seasons, winning the Portage County League and its Coach of the Year honors in 1972 and assisted at Central-Hower from 1982-84. The ’82-’83 Wildcats battled their way to Columbus before losing in the Ohio championship. A graduate of Fairmont State (WV), Jamerson earned All- America honors as a junior, averaging a team-leading 21 points as the 26-5 Falcons finished national runner-up and he was accorded MVP of the 32-team NAIA Tournament. His senior year of 1968-69 he guided Fairmont to a 26-2 season, averaging 19 points. His effort earned him second team All-America honors from the NAIA and UPI. In 1999 Jamerson, a noted fast pitch softball player, was inducted into the Akron Softball Hall of Fame. John is the father of Dave, who was inducted into the SCSHOF this past October.

PFAFF, ANDY
This Akron native has been officiating for 40 years, starting with high school basketball in 1963. He branched out to football in 1967 and to baseball in 1978. However, it is in football that Pfaff has gone the farthest and gained the most acknowledgements. On the high school level he has officiated in eight Akron City Series championships, six Ohio High School regional and semi-final games and one state championship (1977). He was elevated to the Ohio Athletic Conference in 1978 and after five years became a Mid-American Conference official, serving 18 years until 2000. He officiated in four NCAA Division III playoff games, two NAIA playoff games and a NAIA National Championship (1989). His resume also includes the 1984 Cherry Bowl, the ’94 Las Vegas Bowl and the 2000 Liberty Bowl. Pfaff has worked 18 high school baseball regional games, two semi-final games and six state championship contests. He has been Supervisor of Football Officials for the North Coast Conference since ‘97.

POWERS, “RICKY” RICHARD                                
One of the best running backs to come out of Summit County, Ricky Powers made the All-City team four years and All-State for three years while competing for Buchtel High School. He also was named to the USA TODAY All-American team, was a two-time Beacon Journal Player of the Year and the number one recruit in the country. He went on to attend the University of Michigan in 1990 and set a freshman rushing record for the Wolverines. He was an All-Big Ten selection in ’92 and ’93 and was named Team Captain for his senior year. Powers was drafted by the Detroit Lions and played for the Browns, Ravens and NFL Europe before retiring. Powers lives in Akron, and is currently an assistant football coach at Buchtel.

SAPRONETTI, RICHARD

It was apparent when Dick Sapronetti was in high school at East High, he would take an interest in track and field. He was a standout pole vaulter, even in grade school where he captured the eighth grade crown—then went on and won the freshman pole vault championship. He didn’t stop there because for the next three years he was the top vaulter in the city and undefeated in all dual meets . In his senior year he was ranked in the top ten nationally. Then he went on to The University of Akron where he was a four-year letterman, winning the 1983 Ohio Conference pole vault crown. And all of these accomplishments before the fiberglass pole came into existence. After completing his collegiate career, he returned to his high school alma mater in 1959 and became the head track and cross country coach. During his 10 year career, Sapronetti had eight undefeated track teams, compiling a 95-3 dual meet record. His Oriental thinclads captured the City Series and were Akron Relay champions seven times each and won the district championship six times. He also had one Akron and one district championship in cross country competition.

DENHAM, PAUL PHIL DIETRICH SENIOR AWARD

A native Akronite, after graduating from Central High School in 1955 Denham moved out west to attend Hancock Junior College in Santa Marie, Calif. There he continued to play basketball, averaging 26 points per game . In his final year at Hancock, 1957, the team won the state and national basketball championships and Denham enrolled at Arizona State University. He was a baseball and basketball letterman at ASU. In basketball, he averaged 17 points per game, leading the team and conference in foul shooting as Arizona State won the league championship. After graduation, Denham began his teaching career and eleven years later went into coaching. When he was eligible for senior events he began to compete in basketball where he excelled. He continued his basketball prowess as a senior participant at numerous events on the West Coast and other venues in the U.S. His crowning achievement was in the Nike World Masters Games in Portland, Oregon in 1998. His five-man team captured the Gold Medal in basketball and one of the teams they beat was from Russia, Denham has won 50 gold medals in senior basketball competition and has a total of 150 golds from all of his senior events he has won. Denham passed away in 2004 at the age of 66.

COOK, JAMES ANDY PALICH AWARD

Father of professional John Cook, who is being inducted tonight into the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame, Jim has been involved with sports for nearly 50 years. He is currently designing and building golf courses and his latest, the North Star Golf Resort just north of Columbus, Ohio is nearing completion. He arrived in the Rubber City in 1961 as an assistant football coach under Gordon Larson at The University of Akron. He was also named head baseball coach and for two years handled the dual duties. He left the university in 1963, joining Firestone Tire and eventually handled its racing program. He struck out on his own and in 1980 became the man in charge of the professional golf tournaments at Firestone Country Club. For the next 20 plus years, Cook was synonymous with the World Series of Golf and the NEC Invitational tournaments. During this period, Cook’s expertise in promotion and marketing saw the tourneys grow and provide Akron area charities with ever-increasing revenues. When it came to PGA events at Firestone, he was the man at the forefront for over two decades.

PLUSQUELLIC, DON ANDY PALICH AWARD

A former outstanding athlete at Kenmore High School and Bowling Green University, Mayor Plusquellic has always been a strong supporter of athletics in the City of Akron. For that matter he has placed it high on his priority list. During the nearly 20 years he has served as mayor, his administration has upgraded the athletic landscape throughout the city----from playing fields for the community’s youth, to providing quality venues for amateur athletes of all kinds. These have included softball, baseball, basketball, soccer and golf, just to name a few. His determination to bring professional sports to Akron was demonstrated by his backing the Canal Park project, which eventually became the home of the Akron Aeros. Then he threw his support to the fledgling new women’s pro softball league by not only guaranteeing the sponsorship of the team, but, upgrading and renovating Firestone Stadium. When the PGA initiated its First Tee Program for kids, Plusquellic pushed to build a beautiful nine-hole layout in southwest Akron. Mud Run Golf Course came into being, the home of the First Tee program and a venue for all golfers to use. Total capital expenditures for recreational activities since 1987-2005 is a whopping $117 million .