By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
The Crawford County Sports Hall of Fame welcomed five new individuals and two teams as the Class of 2013 Saturday evening at the Bucyrus VFW.
Joining in the pantheon which includes Gates Brown (2009), Jerry Harbaugh (2012), Rocky Alt (2011), and Jim E. Bauer (2010), the Crawford County Sports Hall of fame Class of 2013 is Charles Armstrong, Dick Edmond, Dustin Fox, Joe Gottfried, Cheri Harrer, and the 1999, and 2000 Galion High School state volleyball champions.
Armstrong and Edmond were indicted posthumously.
“I am very humbled and very proud to be one of the inductees,” said Gottfried, whose brother Mike is a past inductee. “You know when I was growing up there were 13 high schools in Crawford County and in those high schools there were a lot of good athletes, and a lot of good coaches. So to be recognized by that group I am humbled.”
Gottfried, a Crestline High School graduate from 1958, earned 12 varsity letters while attending class as a Bulldog. After college Gottfried coached high school for eight years before moving on to college where his career took him from successes at Ashland University where he is also member of that school’s hall of fame, to Southern Illinois, and as athletics director of the University of South Alabama, where his impact is still being felt across the campus.
Gottfried was introduced by his brother Mike Gottfried.
Charles Armstrong’s son Scott accepted the honor on behalf of his father.
“We are really proud of the fact that Crawford County All Sports Hall of Fame nominated him and will be inducting him into the Hall of Fame,” Scott Armstrong said. “We are just sorry that he can’t be here to experience the honor, but I know he would be proud. We are proud of him because he worked hard to accomplish what he did.”
Prior to accepting the award Scott Armstrong shared a clip from the Galion Inquirer that detailed a magnificent catch made by his father which many consider to be the greatest catch made in a baseball game in Galion history. According to the 1999 article, the catch occurred during a 1957 semi-pro game between the Galion Merchants and Columbus Beulah Park at East Park. With the bases loaded Frank Howard drove a towering line drive into centerfield. Armstrong chased down the ball that went beyond the light poles and caught the ball in the area where the tennis courts are located at Galion’s East Park, roughly 500 feet from home plate. Armstrong then hurled the ball into the infield leaving all three base runners on base.
Prior to induction, high school teammate and brother-in-law Mike Winch presented Armstrong.
Closing in on 500 wins as a collegiate women’s basketball coach at Baldwin-Wallace, Cheri Harrer was the first 1,000-point scorer in Wynford school history. While a Royal she earned 11 varsity letters in track, volleyball, and basketball. Harrer can add another feather to her cap of firsts as she became the first individual female to be enshrined into the Crawford County Sports Hall of Fame.
Harrer addressed the crowd of 200.
“This all started with John Short,” Harrer said of her junior high principal and coach at Lykens. “I was going to be a vet in junior high, but John not only asked to participate with the boys’ team, but he was the first person to talk to me about being a teacher and a coach.”
While Harrer recognized members of her current team which reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Division III basketball tournament, as well as former players which had come to the Hall of Fame ceremony.
According to former Galion wrestling coach Jim Wegesin Dustin Fox got his start on the mats of amateur wrestling in high school by challenging the Galion coach. Wegesin related that when Fox was in middle school he said going to kick his butt. One hundred and thirty-two wins and 14 losses later, Fox was a two-time state champion. Fox continued on to Northwestern where he compiled a 109-29 record and was the NCAA 2008 national champion in the heavyweight division as well as a hall of famer for the Wildcats.
During his speech, Fox thanked his coach.
“He coached the coaches who helped me train, really his commitment to the culture of Galion wrestling made it possible for a person like me to have success in wrestling,” Fox said.
With an overall record of 53-4 the 1999 and 2000, the Galion Lady Tigers repeated as Division II State Champions. When inducting the teams, former Galion volleyball coach Jill Witt told the audience, “We won the state Championship in 1999 as well as 2000. Not many people can say that they ended the century with a state championship, and began the next century with a state championship.”
Dick Edmond who was the sports editor for the Telegraph-Forum and then the Tiffin’s Advertiser -Tribune for 21 years until his death in 1998 got his start as a sportswriter. Edmund began the Walker Award at Bucyrus High School.
While inducting his father, Dick Edmond’s son Tim Edmond said, “His idea was he wanted to write about, and report about, and take pictures about what all of you have done. His joy came by covering and watching everyone else’s successes.”
Don Miller told the audience that the Hall of Fame building would not be constructed at the Lowe-Volk site as planned.
“We hold no ill will toward them as we had a wonderful time while planning over the last few years,” Miller said.
Miller did share good news that this year would be the first year that the Crawford County Sports Hall of Fame would select local students as recipients of scholarships supported by the organization.
Ralph Thauvette served as master of Ceremonies of the event.