On June 14, Bucyrus basketball lost one of its legends with the passing of John Seele at his home in Florida at age 71.
Seele was one in a run of big men the Redmen program produced in the late 1960s, the likes of which Bucyrus basketball hasn’t seen in the 50 years since.
At 6-foot-7, Seele was a true low-post, back-to-the-basket big man. He could clog the middle on defense, but his forte was scoring. After five decades and the addition of the three-point line. Seele is still No. 8 on the Bucyrus scoring list with 808 points.
Quiet and unassuming, at least with people he didn’t know well, Big John was a beast on the court. Though not a natural athlete, Seele worked at his game to overcome any awkwardness that comes with his size.
In his younger days, John could be seen riding around Bucyrus on his bicycle with his basketball secured on the front spring-loaded carrier. He might have gone swimming or played baseball, but he made time for hoops, usually at Aumiller Park.
John was a teammate of mine on the 1962 Police Little League city championship team. With his size as an asset, John played first base when Tom Roberts was pitching. But basketball was his first love.
As scorers go, Seele had more career highlights than most. The big lefty led his team to a 1968 Northern Ohio League championship, the fifth and final NOL basketball title in school history. He did so by scoring 412 points, still second most in Bucyrus single-season history behind Kade Dillon’s 470.
But perhaps Seele’s shining moment came in the Redmen’s tournament game when he grabbed a rebound and stuck it back as the final buzzer sounded to give Bucyrus a 68-67 win over Ontario. It capped a monster 39-point game for Seele. The win broke a 14-year tournament drought for the Redmen.
For his efforts, Seele was awarded the Michael Trophy as MVP for the season. He was not surprisingly named first-team all-NOL and landed on honorable mention all-Ohio.
Amazingly, Seele piled up most of his points in just two years. He scored only 83 as a sophomore, playing in the shadow of Jim Kirkham, who was busy dropping in 406 points Seele’s sophomore year.
Seele was recruited by Miami of Ohio, where he played freshman ball. He later transferred to Defiance College, from which he graduated in 1975 and ended up making Defiance his home for much of his adult life. It was at Defiance College that John met his wife, Jane English. She survives, along with their daughter, Jennifer, and two grandchildren.
He eventually worked for the Ohio Auditor of State’s office, auditing city, village, and county governments. Later, he became Finance Director for the city of Bryan and then returned to Defiance in the same capacity.
The last time I saw John was in 2003, when Bucyrus High School honored both the 1965 and 1968 NOL championship teams. He seemed to genuinely enjoy the evening’s festivities, hobnobbing with fellow champions in the post-game celebration.
I am happy to have had the pleasure of watching John play the game he loved. He helped make Friday nights in winter tolerable because the student body at Bucyrus was going to see a competitive game most nights with him on the floor.
It seems strange and unfair that John Seele left us so early. But those of us who knew him, played with him, or watched him play will always have the memories.