Fairfield Athletic Hall of Fame to induct new members Dec. 3
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Fairfield Athletic Director Matt Carson and Tom Purtell, co-chairmen of the Fairfield Local Athletic Hall of Fame, have announced the Class of 2012 inductees to the Fairfield Local High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
The induction ceremony will be held Saturday, Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. at Fairfield Local Schools in Leesburg. The inductees will also be introduced and presented with their Hall of Fame Plaques prior to the varsity game versus Southeastern High School Saturday evening.
The Hall of Fame is organized as a way of maintaining the rich heritage and tradition of the successful athletic programs at Fairfield Local High School (including Leesburg High School, Highland High School, and Samantha High School). This class of 2012 is the second Hall of Fame class and has made outstanding contributions to the athletic programs at Fairfield.
The following are the class of 2012 inductees:
• J. Errol Vaughn graduated from Leesburg High School in 1925. He was born in 1906 in Samantha and died in 1989. Vaughn was a member of the first Leesburg High School basketball team to win a district championship in 1924 and was also a member of the 1925 team that won a five-county tournament. After graduation, he attended the Detroit School of Fine and Applied Arts, the California School of Arts, and the Metropolitan Art School in New York City. Vaughn became a successful commercial artist in New York. During the 1930s, Vaughn developed into a national and world-class runner in the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter events, representing the Detroit YMCA and the New York Athletic Club. According to the U.S. Track and Field Statistics website, Vaughn finished 4th in the 10,000 meters in the U.S. Track and Field Championships in 1933, finished 4th in the 5,000 meters and 4th in the 10,000 meters in the U.S. Track and Field Championships in 1937 and 3rd in the 10,000 meters in the U.S. Track and Field Championships in 1938. On July 2, 1938, he set a track record of 32:37.3 minutes in the 10,000-meter race at the American Athletic Union Junior Championships held in Buffalo, N.Y. This victory resulted in Vaughn being selected to the 40-member USA team that would compete in Europe later that summer.
On Aug. 13-14, 1938, the Athletic Competition between the USA team and Germany was held in Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany, the site of Jesse Owens’ Olympic triumphs two years earlier. Vaughn finished second with a personal best time of 32:17.0 minutes behind another American, Eino Pentii, in the 10,000-meter race.
• Olen Grandle graduated from Leesburg High School in 1930. He was born in 1911 in Leesburg and died in 2003. Grandle loved sports from an early age and served as the Leesburg High School basketball manager for the 1924-1925 district champs. He was an outstanding high school athlete. He became Leesburg’s all-time leading scorer during his high school career from 1927-1930. In his senior year, LHS won 11 and lost three games, and Grandle scored 136 points (42 percent of the team's total).
Grandle was also a star track athlete at Leesburg High School. In 1930, at the first Highland County Track Meet, Grandle was the high-point scorer in the meet as he finished first in three events: 100-yard dash, 220-yard dash and 200-yard low hurdles. In 1929, Grandle's father, Art Grandle, stepped up and built the Grandle Coliseum as a venue for the high school team. This building on West Main Street near downtown Leesburg served as the LHS team court for the next eight years until the merger with Highland High School to form Fairfield High School. Ironically, in 2002, Fairfield basketball teams would again play in Grandle Gymnasium at the new Fairfield Local School on Route 771 south of Leesburg.
Grandle went on to the University of Cincinnati, where he played freshman basketball in 1931 and then received varsity letters for the next three years. He was the leading scorer in 1931-32 with 96 points and in 1932-33 with 122 points for the Bearcats.
Grandle graduated from UC in 1934 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. He served as basketball coach at Lebanon High School for several years until a thyroid condition forced him to give up coaching in 1947. Grandle then became a parking-lot manager in Cincinnati, and this became his primary business as he started buying parking lots in several cities. Eventually, he owned more than 50 parking lots, including 15 in Cincinnati.
Grandle owned two farms near Leesburg and raised prize cattle. In 1998, he donated 110 acres of land to the Fairfield Local School on State Route 771 just south of Leesburg. In 2002, he spoke in Grandle Gymnasium at the dedication of the new K-12 school. The Cincinnati Enquirer quoted Grandle as saying, “I did it for the children. I had no idea it was so amazing."
• James R. “Pickle” Priest graduated from Highland High School in 1936. He was born on May 9, 1918 near Highland, Ohio and graduated from Highland High School in 1936. He entered the Army in 1942 and served in the South Pacific with the Army Corps of Engineers, where he received three Bronze Stars. Priest was discharged Aug. 4, 1945 and married Bernease Courtney on Aug. 4, 1946.
In 1947, Priest became the scorekeeper for the Fairfield boys’ basketball team, a position he would keep until his retirement in 1985. During his time as scorekeeper, Priest scored over 600 games for the Fairfield boys, including four Highland County championship teams, one Highland County tournament championship, three Southern Hills League championship teams, one sectional, one district and one regional finalist team. He worked with five different coaches – Bill Trutner, John Burton, Jim D. Cook, Glenn Alexander and Paul Pettit.
In 1985, Priest was selected to the pinnacle of his scorekeeping career as the official scorekeeper for the Ohio High School Athletic Association Girls’ Basketball Finals in St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
During the years that Priest worked for the Ohio Auditor of State, he often had to travel great distances to attend the games and take his place on the bench. However, the coaches always knew Priest would be there to make sure the book was accurately kept for his team. The coach never had to worry about something being wrong with “The Book” because Priest always took care of everything for them.
Priest was a man who loved what he did and did it right. He had a genuine love for Fairfield athletics and the players who wore the Lion uniform. Priest never failed to be there for the team and always carried out his duties in a professional manner that was respected throughout southern Ohio athletic programs. He passed this love of the game and scorekeeping on to his daughter Shawn, who is currently the scorekeeper for the Fairfield boys’ team.
Priest passed away on March 18, 1992 during March Madness and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, before seeing his beloved Indiana Hoosiers and Bobby Knight lose to the eventual champion Duke Blue Devils. His contribution to Fairfield athletics is without question a standard to be respected and admired. • Debi Hattan Back graduated from Fairfield High School in 1991. Back is one of the best all-around female athletes to graduate from Fairfield Local High School. She had a stellar athletic career at Fairfield High School and went on to excel in basketball at Wilmington College.
Back played basketball for coaches Steve Barrett, Kay Cummings and Kevin Fouch. She developed into an outstanding ball handler and defensive player. She typically did not score a lot of points but focused on getting the ball to her teammates. During her senior year, she led the team in assists and steals. She also was second on the team in rebounds, which is unusual from the guard position. Back served as team captain her senior year and was named Honorable Mention All-Southeast District for the 1991 season.
Back played softball for coach Jim D. Cook and used her speed and quickness for her team’s advantage. Defensively, she played an outstanding shortstop with great range and a strong arm. She was extremely quick on the base paths, often taking an extra base on a hit and stealing bases. The softball teams she played on were very successful. During Back's softball career at Fairfield, her teams won two Southern Hills League titles and had two second-place finishes. The 1991 team was the undefeated Southern Hills League Champions (11-0). The teams won three sectional titles (1988-1989-1991) and were Southeast District Runner-Up three times (1988-1989-1991).
Back's ability to run made her a natural on the girls cross-country team. Cross-country coach Gary Barnett noted that Back and teammate Jill Burgess anchored an outstanding Fairfield girls cross-country team for three years. Back was a three-time All-Southern Hills League Cross-Country runner and qualified to run in the State Cross-Country meet in her sophomore year (1988). Fairfield won the Southern Hills League Cross-Country title in 1987, and Back finished in second place. That same season, she finished 10th in the district cross-country meet and 51st in the regional cross-country meet. Fairfield finished second in the Southern Hills League cross-country meet in 1988, and Back finished in second place. That same season, Back finished seventh in the district cross-country meet, 11th in the regional meet and 63rd in the state cross-country meet. Fairfield finished in second place again in the Southern Hills League cross-country meet in 1989, and Back finished in 5th place. That same season, Back finished 15th in the district cross-country meet and 61st in the regional cross-country meet.
During her senior basketball season, Back caught the eye of Coach Jerry Scheve of Wilmington College. In Back's first year at Wilmington College, they were undefeated conference champions. Back was a tri-captain her senior year (1995) and was awarded the “Coach’s Award” both in 1994 and 1995. The “Coach’s Award” was renamed the “Hattan Award” after the 1995 season in honor of Back for everything she did for the basketball team while she was at Wilmington College.
• The year 2012 marks the 30th anniversary of the most successful female athletic team in the history of Leesburg-Fairfield athletics. The 1982 Fairfield High School softball team had a truly outstanding softball season and appeared in the State Final Four Class “A” tournament. The 1982 team had an overall record of 18-5 and were the undefeated Southern Hill League Champions (10-0). The Fairfield Lady Lions softball team faced the Portsmouth Clay Lady Panthers in the regional tournament finals. In the first four years of high school girls fast pitch softball (1978-1981), Portsmouth Clay was 86-2 with four state tournament appearances and two state championships. Portsmouth Clay entered the regional final game sporting a 26-0 record, but the Fairfield Lady Lions pulled off one of the biggest upsets in girls fast pitch softball with a 10-7 victory. The Fairfield Lady Lions would drop a hard-fought game to Archbold in the state semi-finals by a score of 7-2. Archbold would go on to defeat Lockland 20-5 to win the state championship.
The Hall of Fame Selection Committee will honor the 1982 Fairfield Lady Lions Softball team with induction into the Hall of Fame. Team members include: Kay Cummings, Pam Bartley, Gloria Sowders, Stacey Bobbitt, Tracy Bobb, Susan Campbell, Corinne Bartley (deceased), Kim Campbell, Annie Barrett, Angie Shaffer, Shawnda Burnett, Hope Lawwell, Coach Jim D. Cook and Assistant Coach Tim Cook.
The induction ceremony is open to the public. The junior varsity game vs. Southeastern High School will start at about 6:15 p.m.
Questions may be directed to Tom Purtell at (937) 402-0218 or email tpurtell@cinci.rr.com.
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The induction ceremony will be held Saturday, Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. at Fairfield Local Schools in Leesburg. The inductees will also be introduced and presented with their Hall of Fame Plaques prior to the varsity game versus Southeastern High School Saturday evening.
The Hall of Fame is organized as a way of maintaining the rich heritage and tradition of the successful athletic programs at Fairfield Local High School (including Leesburg High School, Highland High School, and Samantha High School). This class of 2012 is the second Hall of Fame class and has made outstanding contributions to the athletic programs at Fairfield.
The following are the class of 2012 inductees:
• J. Errol Vaughn graduated from Leesburg High School in 1925. He was born in 1906 in Samantha and died in 1989. Vaughn was a member of the first Leesburg High School basketball team to win a district championship in 1924 and was also a member of the 1925 team that won a five-county tournament. After graduation, he attended the Detroit School of Fine and Applied Arts, the California School of Arts, and the Metropolitan Art School in New York City. Vaughn became a successful commercial artist in New York. During the 1930s, Vaughn developed into a national and world-class runner in the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter events, representing the Detroit YMCA and the New York Athletic Club. According to the U.S. Track and Field Statistics website, Vaughn finished 4th in the 10,000 meters in the U.S. Track and Field Championships in 1933, finished 4th in the 5,000 meters and 4th in the 10,000 meters in the U.S. Track and Field Championships in 1937 and 3rd in the 10,000 meters in the U.S. Track and Field Championships in 1938. On July 2, 1938, he set a track record of 32:37.3 minutes in the 10,000-meter race at the American Athletic Union Junior Championships held in Buffalo, N.Y. This victory resulted in Vaughn being selected to the 40-member USA team that would compete in Europe later that summer.
On Aug. 13-14, 1938, the Athletic Competition between the USA team and Germany was held in Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany, the site of Jesse Owens’ Olympic triumphs two years earlier. Vaughn finished second with a personal best time of 32:17.0 minutes behind another American, Eino Pentii, in the 10,000-meter race.
• Olen Grandle graduated from Leesburg High School in 1930. He was born in 1911 in Leesburg and died in 2003. Grandle loved sports from an early age and served as the Leesburg High School basketball manager for the 1924-1925 district champs. He was an outstanding high school athlete. He became Leesburg’s all-time leading scorer during his high school career from 1927-1930. In his senior year, LHS won 11 and lost three games, and Grandle scored 136 points (42 percent of the team's total).
Grandle was also a star track athlete at Leesburg High School. In 1930, at the first Highland County Track Meet, Grandle was the high-point scorer in the meet as he finished first in three events: 100-yard dash, 220-yard dash and 200-yard low hurdles. In 1929, Grandle's father, Art Grandle, stepped up and built the Grandle Coliseum as a venue for the high school team. This building on West Main Street near downtown Leesburg served as the LHS team court for the next eight years until the merger with Highland High School to form Fairfield High School. Ironically, in 2002, Fairfield basketball teams would again play in Grandle Gymnasium at the new Fairfield Local School on Route 771 south of Leesburg.
Grandle went on to the University of Cincinnati, where he played freshman basketball in 1931 and then received varsity letters for the next three years. He was the leading scorer in 1931-32 with 96 points and in 1932-33 with 122 points for the Bearcats.
Grandle graduated from UC in 1934 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. He served as basketball coach at Lebanon High School for several years until a thyroid condition forced him to give up coaching in 1947. Grandle then became a parking-lot manager in Cincinnati, and this became his primary business as he started buying parking lots in several cities. Eventually, he owned more than 50 parking lots, including 15 in Cincinnati.
Grandle owned two farms near Leesburg and raised prize cattle. In 1998, he donated 110 acres of land to the Fairfield Local School on State Route 771 just south of Leesburg. In 2002, he spoke in Grandle Gymnasium at the dedication of the new K-12 school. The Cincinnati Enquirer quoted Grandle as saying, “I did it for the children. I had no idea it was so amazing."
• James R. “Pickle” Priest graduated from Highland High School in 1936. He was born on May 9, 1918 near Highland, Ohio and graduated from Highland High School in 1936. He entered the Army in 1942 and served in the South Pacific with the Army Corps of Engineers, where he received three Bronze Stars. Priest was discharged Aug. 4, 1945 and married Bernease Courtney on Aug. 4, 1946.
In 1947, Priest became the scorekeeper for the Fairfield boys’ basketball team, a position he would keep until his retirement in 1985. During his time as scorekeeper, Priest scored over 600 games for the Fairfield boys, including four Highland County championship teams, one Highland County tournament championship, three Southern Hills League championship teams, one sectional, one district and one regional finalist team. He worked with five different coaches – Bill Trutner, John Burton, Jim D. Cook, Glenn Alexander and Paul Pettit.
In 1985, Priest was selected to the pinnacle of his scorekeeping career as the official scorekeeper for the Ohio High School Athletic Association Girls’ Basketball Finals in St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
During the years that Priest worked for the Ohio Auditor of State, he often had to travel great distances to attend the games and take his place on the bench. However, the coaches always knew Priest would be there to make sure the book was accurately kept for his team. The coach never had to worry about something being wrong with “The Book” because Priest always took care of everything for them.
Priest was a man who loved what he did and did it right. He had a genuine love for Fairfield athletics and the players who wore the Lion uniform. Priest never failed to be there for the team and always carried out his duties in a professional manner that was respected throughout southern Ohio athletic programs. He passed this love of the game and scorekeeping on to his daughter Shawn, who is currently the scorekeeper for the Fairfield boys’ team.
Priest passed away on March 18, 1992 during March Madness and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, before seeing his beloved Indiana Hoosiers and Bobby Knight lose to the eventual champion Duke Blue Devils. His contribution to Fairfield athletics is without question a standard to be respected and admired. • Debi Hattan Back graduated from Fairfield High School in 1991. Back is one of the best all-around female athletes to graduate from Fairfield Local High School. She had a stellar athletic career at Fairfield High School and went on to excel in basketball at Wilmington College.
Back played basketball for coaches Steve Barrett, Kay Cummings and Kevin Fouch. She developed into an outstanding ball handler and defensive player. She typically did not score a lot of points but focused on getting the ball to her teammates. During her senior year, she led the team in assists and steals. She also was second on the team in rebounds, which is unusual from the guard position. Back served as team captain her senior year and was named Honorable Mention All-Southeast District for the 1991 season.
Back played softball for coach Jim D. Cook and used her speed and quickness for her team’s advantage. Defensively, she played an outstanding shortstop with great range and a strong arm. She was extremely quick on the base paths, often taking an extra base on a hit and stealing bases. The softball teams she played on were very successful. During Back's softball career at Fairfield, her teams won two Southern Hills League titles and had two second-place finishes. The 1991 team was the undefeated Southern Hills League Champions (11-0). The teams won three sectional titles (1988-1989-1991) and were Southeast District Runner-Up three times (1988-1989-1991).
Back's ability to run made her a natural on the girls cross-country team. Cross-country coach Gary Barnett noted that Back and teammate Jill Burgess anchored an outstanding Fairfield girls cross-country team for three years. Back was a three-time All-Southern Hills League Cross-Country runner and qualified to run in the State Cross-Country meet in her sophomore year (1988). Fairfield won the Southern Hills League Cross-Country title in 1987, and Back finished in second place. That same season, she finished 10th in the district cross-country meet and 51st in the regional cross-country meet. Fairfield finished second in the Southern Hills League cross-country meet in 1988, and Back finished in second place. That same season, Back finished seventh in the district cross-country meet, 11th in the regional meet and 63rd in the state cross-country meet. Fairfield finished in second place again in the Southern Hills League cross-country meet in 1989, and Back finished in 5th place. That same season, Back finished 15th in the district cross-country meet and 61st in the regional cross-country meet.
During her senior basketball season, Back caught the eye of Coach Jerry Scheve of Wilmington College. In Back's first year at Wilmington College, they were undefeated conference champions. Back was a tri-captain her senior year (1995) and was awarded the “Coach’s Award” both in 1994 and 1995. The “Coach’s Award” was renamed the “Hattan Award” after the 1995 season in honor of Back for everything she did for the basketball team while she was at Wilmington College.
• The year 2012 marks the 30th anniversary of the most successful female athletic team in the history of Leesburg-Fairfield athletics. The 1982 Fairfield High School softball team had a truly outstanding softball season and appeared in the State Final Four Class “A” tournament. The 1982 team had an overall record of 18-5 and were the undefeated Southern Hill League Champions (10-0). The Fairfield Lady Lions softball team faced the Portsmouth Clay Lady Panthers in the regional tournament finals. In the first four years of high school girls fast pitch softball (1978-1981), Portsmouth Clay was 86-2 with four state tournament appearances and two state championships. Portsmouth Clay entered the regional final game sporting a 26-0 record, but the Fairfield Lady Lions pulled off one of the biggest upsets in girls fast pitch softball with a 10-7 victory. The Fairfield Lady Lions would drop a hard-fought game to Archbold in the state semi-finals by a score of 7-2. Archbold would go on to defeat Lockland 20-5 to win the state championship.
The Hall of Fame Selection Committee will honor the 1982 Fairfield Lady Lions Softball team with induction into the Hall of Fame. Team members include: Kay Cummings, Pam Bartley, Gloria Sowders, Stacey Bobbitt, Tracy Bobb, Susan Campbell, Corinne Bartley (deceased), Kim Campbell, Annie Barrett, Angie Shaffer, Shawnda Burnett, Hope Lawwell, Coach Jim D. Cook and Assistant Coach Tim Cook.
The induction ceremony is open to the public. The junior varsity game vs. Southeastern High School will start at about 6:15 p.m.
Questions may be directed to Tom Purtell at (937) 402-0218 or email tpurtell@cinci.rr.com.
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