• Tim Flossie
  Coach 1993

As the son of legendary Akron high school football coach, Dan "Babe" Flossie, Tim Flossie had some big shoes to fill when he decided to follow in his father's footsteps. They've fit just fine! Tim has become one of Ohio's premier high school football coaches, turning two losing City Series programs into winners and becoming the first City Series coach to win a state title. In fact, he did it twice, leading Buchtel High to the Division II Championship in 1987 and again in 1988. Tim coached at Central However from 1979 until 1982, winning the City Series title with a 10-1 record in '81, two seasons after his first team ended a 29-game losing streak on the way to the state title with a 12-1 mark in '87. The Griffins were the first inner-city team to win an Ohio football championship and then followed up with another 12-1 record and the state title in '88. Through the first two games of 1993, Tim had an overall coaching record of 100-49-3, had won or shared seven City playoff or percentage titles as well as the two state titles. Flossie has coached four high school All-Americans and 18 of his Buchtel players have received scholarships to NCAA Division I teams. In 1987, Flossie was honored twice, first as Summit County Coach of the Year and the Dapper Dan Man of the Year.

• Jack Lazor
  Football 1993

As of 1993, who is the all-time leading tackler in Kent State football history? Here are couple clues. He was a linebacker. His initials are J.L. His first name is Jack. Well, if you guessed the legendary All-Pro Jack Lambert, you were wrong. The answer is Jack Lazor. Lazor, a four-year letterman for the Golden flashes, accumulated 645 tackles in his career, including 318 solos. That's 52 more than Lambert had at Kent before he went on to fame with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Lazor's total tackles is also second best in 37 consecutive games at KSU, is one of two Kent players to make the first team All-MAC three times. He was honored in 1976, '77, and '78. The other is Hall of Famer Jim Corrigall (1967, '68 & '69). Lazor led the Flashes in tackles as a sophomore (162), junior (197) and as a senior (205). Besides the All-MAC honors, Lazor was selected honorable mention All-America as a junior and followed that up with a third team spot in 1978, both by the Associated Press. After college, Lazor had brief tryouts with the New England Patriots and the New York Giants of the National Football League. In 1987, Lazor was inducted into KSU's Sports Hall of Fame.

• Charles Parnell
  Football 1993

When Jim Dennison became head football coach at The University of Akron in 1973, one of the first athletes he recruited was Akron Garfield’s Charles Parnell. However, the greatness Dennison saw in Parnell, who went on to earn four letters from 1974 thru 1977, had to be delayed a season due to knee surgery. As a freshman, Parnell was a part-time starter in the Zip defensive backfield. One season later he had established himself as a top-notch defensive stalwart by leading the secondary with 100 tackles and three fumble recoveries as UA won seven of 11 games. It was in 1976 that Parnell helped the Zips compile their most productive season in 92 years of football on campus. The UA gridders captured 10 of 13 games and finished national runner-up to Montana State in the NCAA II Championship. Enroute, Parnell was in on 87 tackles, had three pass interceptions - one returned for a touchdown - and recovered two fumbles. He closed out his excellent career as tri-captain of the 1977 squad and again led the secondary with 86 tackles and three fumble recoveries. Parnell's five pass interception in '77, including another return for a TD, helped UA establish an all-time record of 26 interceptions - a mark that remains today as the standard to beat. In 1989, Parnell was inducted into UA's Sports Hall of Fame.

• Dave Wood
  Basketball 1993

In 1954, Dave Wood, a two-time All-City cager from Akron Buchtel High, decided that California was the place to be. He and several Akron-area basketball talents followed Hall of Fame coach Bill Bertka (1989) to Santa Marie, CA, to play at Allan Hancock Junior College. Under Bertka's guidance, Wood and company brought Hancock national attention. Despite getting sidelined with a broken ankle his freshman season, Wood helped the Bulldogs capture the Central California Conference (CCC) title with a 22-9 record. In 1955-56, the high-scoring and fast-breaking Bulldogs won 31 of 35 games while averaging 91.6 points per game that included a 152-48 thrashing of San Luis Obispo. The 6-5 Wood led Hancock to another CCC title by pacing the team in scoring with 631 points (18.6) and rebounding with 537 (15.8) to earn the MVP of the CCC. Russ Beichly was all smiles when Wood decided to come back home to finish his career at The University of Akron. The first season as a Zip cager was an adjustment for Wood, who as a starter helped UA win 18 of 25 contests. Joining Hall of Famers Climon Lee (1977), Fred Golding (1987), Ray Pryear (1987) and Bob Whaley (1989) in 1957-58, Wood paced the 20-6 Zips in scoring with a 14.2 average as UA captured the Ohio Conference (OC) title and earn the school's first post-season NCAA Tournament bid. Wood's effort, which included a UA career high 28 points versus Lawrence Tech and 22 rebounds against Heidelberg, earned him first team All-OC honors.

• Jim Tressel
  Coach 1993

From the beginning he was destined to be a football coach. After all, his father was Dr. Lee Tressel, who compiled an outstanding record of 155-52-6, including winning the college division national championship in 1978, at Baldwin Wallace (BW). Jim Tressel was quarterback for four of his father's teams before graduating with honors from BW in 1975. Lee then sent his son to Jim Dennison at Akron to learn more about the coaching profession. "Jim represents one of the brightest young coaches I have met," said Dennison upon hiring the 23-year old Tressel as his offensive backfield coach. Later, Dennison said, "I never doubted for a minute that he was destined for greatness." After three seasons, Tressel left Akron to further his coaching apprenticeship, first with Tom Reed at Miami (OH), then with Dick McPherson at Syracuse and with Earl Bruce at Ohio State. With this solid coaching resume behind him, Tressel took the next step up the ladder in December, 1985, as head coach at Youngstown State. After a rude awakening his first season (2-9), Tressel bounced back to capture the Ohio Valley Conference Championship in 1987. From 1989 to '91, Tressel was voted Ohio Coach of the Year as he directed the Penguins to the NCAA I AA playoffs with seasons of 9-4, 11-1 and 12-3, respectively. In 1991, YSU went all the way, capturing the I AA National Championship and Tressel was voted I AA Coach of the Year. Now in his eighth year, Tressel's record stands at 59-32-1.

• Andy Graham
  Football 1993

Ever wonder what happens to those talented kids who perform in the finals of the Ford sponsored National Football League's Pass, Punt and Kick Contests. In Andy Graham's case he went on to become a highly successful kicker at The University of Akron. In 1970, when Graham was 12, he earned a trip to San Diego and wound up third nationally in the specialty contest. A year later, he went to Houston and placed in the top 10 in the old American Football Conference's competition. As a freshman at UA in 1977, Graham became the Zips' punter, accumulating 3003 yards for one of his six records that are still intact today. Before his four-year career ended he would add eight more marks and tie two others in the kicking department. Graham's best season in field goal kicking came in 1979 when he converted 16 of 21 tries. In the season's finale against Eastern Illinois, he booted an NCAA record-breaking five of five field goals. Eventually, Graham kicked 12 consecutive field goals for another NCAA mark and in 1980 booted a UA record-breaking 53 yard effort versus Middle Tennessee. For his career he punted 274 times for 10,673 yards for an average of 39.0 yards per kick. In kick scoring he converted 54 of 62 points after touchdown and 31 of 50 field goal attempts. As a Zip tri-captain in 1980, Graham was voted first team Academic All-American, became the first UA gridder to participate in a major bowl game (East-West Shrine Game) and was voted UA's Athlete of the Year.

• Tod Boyle
  Swimming 1993

During his seven years as coach, Kent State became THE swimming program in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The Golden Flashes, under Boyle's guidance, captured five MAC Swimming Championships between 1973 and '79. Over that seven-year stretch, the Kent mermen compiled a 70-16 record overall and they were 50-4 against MAC teams. Twelve Kent swimmers and five relay teams qualified for the NCAA finals. And as a result of that success, Boyle was rewarded by being voted the MAC Swimming Coach of the Year on five occasions. An Akron native who is a graduate of Akron South High and Ohio U, Boyle previously coached at Cuyahoga Falls High School and at OU. He turned the Tiger Swimmers into a state power, finishing in the top 10 in Ohio each of his four seasons there, including a third-place finish in 1968. In addition, Boyle organized the Water Works swim team in Cuyahoga Falls. One of his pupils, Terry Stoddard, became a top coach of the 1992 U.S Olympic swim team. After leaving Kent Sate in 1979, Boyle returned to high school coaching at Orange High. He has coached 16 All-American swimmers at Orange and has directed the girls cross conference and track teams to conference championships. Boyle recently retired from teaching, but still coaches swimming at Orange.

• Richard Herbruck
  Football 1993

In the fall of 1946, a scrawny 13-year old freshman, Richard Herbruck, came under the guidance of Garfield High's new line coach, Dan "Babe Flossie, and the two have remained friends ever since. Under "Babe's" tutelage Herbruck grew into a two-time All-City choice and an All-Ohio guard in 1949. Earlier that year, Herbruck remembers that fellow inductee, Tim Flossie, "Babe's" first son, was born. Herbruck also had another passion besides football. He was the state snare drum champion all four years at Garfield and, later he played and recorded with the Tiger-Town Five, a top college jazz band. Herbruck earned a four-year football scholarship to Princeton, where he was a three-year starter under the legendary Charlie Caldwell. Standing but 5-9 and weighing in at a whooping 167 pounds, Herbruck, an offensive guard, helped the 1952 Tigers win eight of nine games and capture the Big Three (Princeton, Harvard & Yale) Conference title. His junior and senior seasons, Herbruck went both ways at guard as Princeton compiled of 5-3-1 in '53 and 5-4 in '54. The latter campaign, Herbruck was voted first team All-Ivy League and was a third team All-East pick. In 1980, Herbruck was honored by his alma mater, receiving Princeton's Outstanding Alumni Award.

• Terry Deems
  Basketball 1993

Basketball fans who watched Terry Deems play for Wittenberg University from 1955-59 were amazed at his scoring and rebounding prowess. It's especially puzzling when you hear Deems admit to this day, "I couldn't shoot and I couldn't jump very well." Deem's coach, the legendary Ray Mears, said, "He did it on his competitive nature." Teammate Tony Verdova reasoned, "He positioned his body well." Deems credits Mears' offense, which put him in the low post and close to the basket. Perhaps all three are right because for certain, the 6-4 Deems used his abilities well to forge an outstanding basketball career. While starting in all 85 games in his career, Deems established school and Ohio Conference (OC) records in scoring 1700 points and grabbing 1515 rebounds. That averages out to 20 points and 17.8 rebounds per game. As a sophomore, he hauled down 435 missed shots, including a career high 29 versus Kenyon, in only 21 games - a 20.7 average. That same season Deems set a new Wittenberg single game scoring record with 46 points against Heidelberg. As a junior and again as a senior player in the OC. In 1958-59 Deems garnered honorable mention All-American honors as he led the 18-2 Tigers to the OC Championship and a berth in the NCAA College Division Tournament. Deems, a native of Tuscarawas, Ohio, came to Akron and played on the Goodyear Wingfoot teams of 1959-60 and 1961-62. In 1986 he became a charter inductee into Wittenberg's Athletic Hall of Fame.

• Ron DeGrand
  Baseball 1993

Batting .300 is a goal for most baseball players. For Ron DeGrand it was routine. In high school, college and amateur league, DeGrand was always a consistent .300 plus hitter. At Kent, DeGrand lettered three years for Hall of Fame coach Dick "Moose" Paskert. However, it wasn't until his senior season in 1972 that DeGrand finally earned the respect from the Mid-American Conference (MAC). That senior campaign, DeGrand, an outfielder, hit for a .324 average and slugged eight home runs. His play got him voted first team All-MAC. DeGrand played briefly in the Cleveland Indians farm system after college. He went on to become a top player in the Greater Akron AA League, almost always finishing among the batting and runs batted in. DeGrand was an all-star in Cleveland Class A League and in the Akron AA League where he helped Akron Insulating capture the League Championship in 1975. DeGrand thought he had retired from baseball in 1977, but in 1991 he got the call from a couple of his old teammates and low and behold he was back at it again. Playing for the Akron Blues in Akron Senior League, DeGrand has helped his team go 19-0 in both '91 and '92, to win the League titles, and 12-2 this past summer.​​

• Guy "Red" Zimmerman·

Football, Basketball 1993

This versatile athlete, who played football, basketball and baseball at Buchtel College (BC) from 1909 till 1913, is unique in the athletic history of The University of Akron. According to all available records, Zimmerman is the only UA athlete to earn four letters in each sport. No UA athlete before or since Buchtel College became The University of Akron in 1913, has anyone earned 12 letters. Zimmerman, who played tackle, guard, end and fullback in football, joined Hall of Famers Lee Jackson, Joe Wilhoyt and Ralph Waldsmith in 1910 to put BC in the limelight with a 7-2 record. Included in the fine season was a 3-0 victory over Ohio Conference Champion, Oberlin. In 1912, the Akron Times reported in its All-Ohio team story, "there is perhaps no tackle in the state that will show up any better than "Red" Zimmerman." He went on to play two seasons of professional ball with the Canton Bulldogs. In basketball, Guy, who played center and guard, served as captain of the 1913 cagers who compiled a 7-1 record that included victories over Ohio State and Michigan State. Years later, Frank Haggerty, another Hall of Famer, who coached Zimmerman in all three sports, wrote, "I've never seen a more conscientious worker that Guy." In 1976, Zimmerman, who passed away in May 1964, was inducted into UA's Sports Hall of Fame.

• Ron Vargo·

Coach 1993

If you have followed local sports, you have probably run into Ron Vargo sometime during the past 40 years. If it wasn't on the basketball court, it was on a football field, or a baseball diamond or a tennis court or a golf course or the running track. Or even at the volleyball net. And if he wasn't a player, he was a coach or a referee. Vargo has truly done it all. He may be best remembered as a coach. A football coach, basketball coach, a golf coach, a baseball coach - in fact, in 31 years of coaching at area high schools, Vargo coached every sport but swimming and soccer. Or he may best be remembered as a player, two in basketball, one season in football and he lettered two years in golf between 1958 and 1960 at Kent State. Among Vargo's coaching highlights is an 8-0 season at Akron St. Mary's High in 1961, when his team was selected the state's mythical Class A champion. His 1980 St. Vincent-St. Mary golf team had a 25-0 record and finished as the state runner-up. His 33 years of basketball officiating including, 11 years of working in the Ohio Conference and, in 1972, he officiated Adolph Rupp's last game with Kentucky at the Pizza Hut Classic in Las Vegas.

• Ned Endress·

Football, Coach, Basketball 1993

Success has followed this Akron native throughout his career as an athlete, teacher, coach, attorney and parent. It didn't come easy, it was the result of persistent drive and a lot of hard work. Endress entered The University of Akron in 1936 after excelling in athletics at Akron South High. He earned six letters for the Zippers while playing football (1939) and basketball (1939-40). He parlayed his outstanding skills and love for basketball into a four-year stint in the professional ranks. As a sophomore at UA, Endress became a starter under Coach Paul Bixler and went on to top the team in scoring with 158 points. The next two seasons he was used primarily as a defensive specialist, guarding the opposition's high scorer. He signed with the Cleveland Allman Transfers of the National Basketball League in 1943, scoring 367 points in 67 games over the next three seasons. When Cleveland joined the fledgling National Basketball Association in 1946, Endress remained on the roster, appearing in 16 games. Later, he turned his attention to teaching and coaching. Ned's 15-year coaching career began at Twinsburg High in 1950, moved to St. Mary High for five years and finished out the remaining nine years at St. Vincent's High. His 1951-52 St. Mary's cagers compiled an 18-4 record and reached the Regional Championship before bowing out. Endress somehow found time to earn a law degree in 1954 and help raise three sons and a daughter.