2008 Popular Annual Financial Report
Transcription
2008 Popular Annual Financial Report
Butler County Ohio 2008 Popular Annual Financial Report For the Year Ended December 31, 2008 Butler County has Produced More Than Its Share of Professional and Top Flight Amateur Athletes Throughout the Years 2 T Awards/Contents he Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has given an Award of Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting to Butler County Ohio for its Popular Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007. The Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting is a prestigious national award recognizing conformance with the highest standards for preparation of state and local government popular reports. In order to receive an Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting, a governmental unit must publish a Popular Annual Financial Report, the contents of which conform to program standards of creativity, presentation, understandability and reader appeal. An Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting is valid for a period of one year. We believe our current report continues to conform to the Popular Annual Financial Reporting requirements, and we are submitting it to the GFOA for review. On the Cover Table of Contents Awards/Contents Presenting Our Report to You Butler County History/Gov. Economic Condition/Outlook Auditor’s Office Overview Auditor’s Office Overview Financial Activity Statement 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Investments/Earnings Sources of General Revenue Primary Gov. Spenders Outstanding Debt Trends Summary of Taxes Collected County Highlights/Trends County Org. Chart 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 K en Griffey, Jr. of West Chester, left, and Hamilton’s Joe Nuxhall are featured on our cover. Griffey made his mark with the Mariners before spending 9 seasons with the Reds. Through the 2008 season he was 5th on the career home run list with 611. (Photo courtesy of the Hamilton JournalNews) J oe Nuxhall pitched 16 seasons in the Majors and spent 38 more years in the radio booth for the Reds. He’s the youngest person to ever play Major League baseball, appearing when he was 15. (Photo courtesy of the Hamilton JournalNews) W Presenting Our Report to You e are pleased to present to you the Butler County Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008. This report provides a brief analysis of where County revenues come from and where those dollars are spent. We also show an overview of trends in the local economy of Butler County. Above all else, this report is designed to present a more reader-friendly financial report to the county’s residents. The renowned athletes featured in this PAFR are just a sampling of the many sports stars who were either born or raised in Butler County. Information for this report has been drawn from the 2008 Butler County Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). The CAFR is comprised of detailed financial statements, notes, schedules and statistical information. The CAFR was prepared in conformance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and audited by the Auditor of the State of Ohio’s office, receiving an unqualified opinion. An unqualified opinion is given when an auditor can state that the financial statements are accurately and fairly presented. The PAFR, however, is unaudited and presented on a nonGAAP basis. This is a summarized report that presents selected statistical and primary government fund information. Readers desiring the more detailed financial statements and the full disclosure GAAP basis of accounting information reported in the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report can obtain copies at the Butler County Auditor’s Office, or may view them online at www.butlercountyauditor.org. 3 As you review our Popular Annual Financial Report for 2008, I invite you to share any comments, questions or recommendations you may have. I hold this office to represent the people of Butler County. As such, I believe that the more people know about their government the more they can ask of their government leaders and representatives. Sincerely, Roger Reynolds, CPA Butler County Auditor Kevin Grevey of Hamilton is shown scoring against the Philadelphia 76ers. Grevey’s Washington Bullets won the NBA title in 1978. (Photo courtesy of the Grevey family) 4 B Butler County History/Government utler County, Ohio was established in 1803 and was named after General Richard Butler. The county was a key focal point in early military strategy due to its proximity to the Great Miami River, which spawned Fort Hamilton (for which the County seat, the City of Hamilton, is so named.) Encompassing over 471 square miles, the county is located in the southwest corner of the state of Ohio. The County has only those powers conferred upon it by the State of Ohio Constitution and Statutes. A three member Board of County Commissioners is the primary legislative and executive body of the County. Each Commissioner is elected at large for a four-year term. The Board of County Commissioners is responsible for managing the funds used to support the various County programs and activities. Additionally, the citizens of Butler County elect eight other County administrative officials, each of whom is independent within the limits of state statutes affecting each individual office. These officials, each elected to a four-year term, are the Auditor, Clerk of Courts, Coroner, Engineer, Prosecuting Attorney, Recorder, Sheriff and Treasurer. Serving 6-year terms are seven Common Pleas General Division Judges, two Juvenile Court Judges, two Domestic Relations Court Judges, one Probate Court Judge and three Area Court Judges. A History of Sports Heroes The following is not an all-inclusive list but these 62 names highlight the depth of sports talent that has passed through Butler County over the years. For complete biographies of all, visit our Web site listed on the back cover. •Jerry Lucas – What kind of basketball player was Middletown’s Jerry Lucas? Consider this: In 1961, the Yankees’ Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s single-season home run mark– perhaps the most hallowed record in all of sports. Yet, in January 1962, Sports Illustrated named Jerry Lucas its Sportsman of the Year, lauding him as “not only a fine athlete but a symbol of his generation’s best at a time when its best is sorely needed by his country as well as his sport.” A champion at every level, his teams at Middletown High won two state titles; he led Ohio State to the 1960 NCAA title; the U.S. to gold in the 1960 Olympics and he won an NBA crown in 1973 with the New York Knicks. Elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980, he was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996. •Joe Nuxhall – Born and raised in Hamilton, Nuxhall broke into the Majors at the record young age of 15 in 1944. In a 16-year career as a player, had an ERA of 3.90 and a record of 135-117. Long known as “The Ol’ Lefthander,” Nuxhall went on to a long and celebrated career as a radio broadcaster for the Reds from 1967-2005. He passed away in 2007. •Ken Griffey, Jr. – Moved to West Chester when he was 13; played two years at Moeller High. The No. 1 pick in the amateur draft by the Mariners in 1987, Griffey was AL MVP in 1997. A 13-time All-Star with 10 Gold Gloves, through the 2008 season he was 5th on the career home run list with 611. Selected to MLB All-Century team. •Cris Carter – An 8-time NFL Pro Bowl WR and 3-time All-Pro from Middletown High, Carter was the first Ohio State wide receiver to be named an All-American. In 1999 he was honored by the NFL as the Walter Payton Man-of-the-Year Award winner. •WalterAlston – Born in currentday Ross, Alston graduated from Darrtown High in 1928. From 195476 he managed the Brooklyn/L.A. Dodgers to four world titles and was a 6-time Manager of the Year. He was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983. (Continued on back cover) B Economic Condition/Outlook utler County is the fastest growing of the 10 most populous counties in Ohio since 2000, according to census estimates. Eighth largest among the state’s 88 counties, Butler County’s population increased at a rate of 8.4 percent through 2008. Ranking 179th out of 3,142 counties in the nation, Butler is among the top six percent of counties in terms of total population. Hamilton County to the south is 58th and Montgomery to the north along the I-75 corridor ranks 113th. Served by rail lines, interstate highways, two nearby international airports and highspeed fiber-optic data communications, Butler County is an ideal location for businesses to locate and prosper. A total of 3,816 building/electric permits were issued in 2008 in the unincorporated areas of Butler County with a combined valuation of more than $285.4 million. Total permit fees were just over $2.4 million. These figures, which do not reflect activity within the incorporated cities of Butler County, decreased significantly from 2007 as the nation’s economic recession hit the local building industry. UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES 5 POPULATION FIGURES Employers have been able to count on steady population growth in Butler County for nearly 50 years and county unemployment figures have generally bettered state and national averages. (Source: U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Census Bureau.) The Board of County Commissioners administers the Butler County Revolving Loan Fund. RLF projects include eight current loans and consist of nearly $1.3 million in public and private investment. This investment commits Butler County employers to create or retain 28 full time jobs. In all, 400 jobs have been created or retained in Butler County over the last 20 years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average weekly wage in Butler County increased 3.9 percent from the first quarter of 2007 to the first quarter of 2008, the largest increase among Ohio’s 13 counties with employment of 75,000 or more. Butler County led the state in the second quarter as well, with an increase of 3.6 percent, 72nd best in the nation among the top 335 counties. 6 An Overview of the Auditor’s Office FISCAL SERVICES (FINANCE AND PAYROLL) valuation on this tax list. This is your proportional share of the The Butler County Auditor is the Chief Fiscal Officer of the cost of operating your local government including cities, villages, County. It is the Auditor’s responsibility to perform the following townships, schools and the County. Ohio law limits the amount of taxation without a vote of the people by what is known as the “10 functions: mill limitation” ($10.00 per $1,000 of assessed valuation). Any • Account for revenues received each year by the County. additional real estate taxes must be voted in by county residents. • Issue warrants (checks) in payment of all County obligations, Your “tax rate” is an accumulation of all levies and bond issues. including the distribution of tax dollars to the townships, villages, cities, school districts and library systems, as well as REAL ESTATE APPRAISAL AND ASSESSMENT other County agencies. Butler County has more than 155,000 separate parcels of real • Serve as the paymaster for all County employees. estate property. It is the duty of the Auditor to see that every • Administer and distribute motor vehicle license fees, gasoline parcel of land and the buildings thereon are fairly and uniformly taxes, estate taxes, fines and local government funds, in appraised and assessed for tax purposes. Ohio law mandates a addition to real estate, personal property and manufactured general reappraisal every six years with an update at the three-year home taxes. midpoint. The Auditor’s Office maintains a detailed record of the • As required by law, prepare and produce the County’s Annual appraisal on each parcel in the county. These records are open for Financial Report. Butler County prepares a Comprehensive public inspection. For taxation purposes, owners are assessed at 35 Annual Financial Report (CAFR) and a Popular Annual percent of fair market value. Financial Report (PAFR). REAL ESTATE CONVEYANCE AND CAUV REAL ESTATE TAXES/RATES This department is in charge of transferring all real estate that changes ownership in the county and collecting fees on this activity. Conveyance maintains all ownership records, acreage changes, real estate splits and provides information for maintaining tax plat maps. The Auditor is also in charge of administering the Current Agricultural Use Value (CAUV) program that allows farm land to be taxed at its value for that use. Agricultural districts and forest certification are other responsibilities of this department. Under Ohio law, the County Auditor cannot raise or lower property taxes. Tax rates are determined by the budgetary requests of each governmental unit, as authorized by the vote of the people, and are computed in strict accordance with procedures required by the Division of Tax Equalization, Ohio Department of Taxation. Annually, the Auditor prepares the general tax list. Your tax bill is based on the tax rate multiplied by your MANUFACTURED HOUSING Hamilton High product Paul Sarringhaus played for the Detroit Lions in 1948. (Submitted photo) There are 37 manufactured home communities operating in Butler County, which has the fourth largest population of manufactured homes in the state (5,356). Under Ohio law, it is the responsibility of manufactured home owners to register their homes with the An Overview of the Auditor’s Office Auditor for tax purposes. Annually, the Auditor’s Office assesses each manufactured home and prepares a tax list. Tax bills are sent to each owner semiannually. The manufactured home tax is distributed back to the local taxing districts in the same manner as real estate taxes. PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX The County Auditor, as an agent for the Ohio Department of Taxation, is responsible for administering the tangible personal property tax laws. In 2009, the rate drops to zero for all businesses except certain telephone companies – which are being phased out according to a different schedule – and certain classes of public utilities that will continue to pay the tax. The primary business tax in Ohio is now the Commercial Activity Tax (CAT). LICENSING The Auditor’s Office is the focal point in the County for issuance of licenses for dogs, vendors and cigarette sales. In 2008, Butler County issued 36,417 dog licenses. Vendor licenses authorize businesses to sell tangible property to the public and collect sales tax, a part of which is returned for use at the local level. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 7 construed to include meters for the measurement of electricity, gas or water when the same are operated as a public utility system. The County Auditor is required by Ohio law to inspect all commercial devices used in retail trade for weighing or measuring. This includes checking price verification systems (scanners) and packages. Each inspector is required to complete 18 hours of continuing education every year. GIS MAPPING The Auditor oversees and coordinates the County’s Geographic Information System mapping program. Maps produced with orthophotos and oblique aerial imagry clearly depict buildings, land characteristics and uses, property lines, soil types, hydrography, and hundreds of additional bits of information about the County. GIS is also actively involved in the Location Based Response System for the creation of spatially accurate street and centerlines which aids the 911 system and first responders. The Department of Weights and Measures plays a vital role in our everyday lives. Our economy is essentially based on the monetary value placed on goods and services bought, sold and traded daily. ADDITIONAL DUTIES That monetary value is ultimately determined by an accurate OF THE AUDITOR system of weights and measures. In 2008, the Auditor’s Office inspected and certified 5,562 devices in 991 locations throughout • Budget Commission Secretary • Tax Incentive Review Council the county. member Weights and Measures, as defined by Ohio law, means all weights and measures of every kind, instruments and devices for weighing • Records Commission member and measuring, and any appliances and accessories associated with • Deputy Registrar for Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles. any such instruments and devices, except that the term shall not be Former NFL Great Cris Carter of Middletown. (Photo courtesy of the Hamilton JournalNews) 8 Financial Activity Statement Uses & Expenses General Government Public Safety Public Works Health Human Services Business/Utility Service Interest/Fiscal Charges Other Total Uses Governmental Activities 2008 2007 Business-type Activities 2008 2007 $ (54,238,754) $ (51,852,572) (48,709,320) (51,218,782) (25,416,281) (24,981,832) (62,270,201) (54,781,525) (93,725,373) (89,695,591) (53,459,225) (5,822,661) (5,459,844) (6,159,351) (686,496) (56,819,753) $(296,341,941) $(278,676,642) $(53,459,225) $(56,819,753) Sources of Revenue 2008 2007 2008 2007 Program $ 45,710,686 $ 48,509,442 $ 44,911,905 $ 47,205,726 Charges for Services 99,370,504 115,479,918 Operating Grants 13,936,431 6,785,122 6,595,488 14,010,237 Capital Grants General 105,317,691 118,999,235 Taxes 4,438,718 3,620,542 Payments in Lieu of Taxes 7,664,080 7,659,749 Intergovernmental 10,362,722 14,879,642 125,300 462,058 Interest 3,707,444 5,519,992 769,887 1,123,014 Other $290,508,276 $ 321,453,642 $52,402,580 $62,801,035 Total Sources of Revenue SOURCES LESS USES $(5,833,665) $42,777,000 $(1,056,645) $5,981,282 Readers of the Financial Activity Statement and Financial Position Statement should keep in mind that these statements are presented on a non-GAAP basis, and those desiring to review GAAP-basis reports should refer to the County’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for 2008. T he Activity Statement, at left, reports the financial activities of Butler County government as a whole. Governmental activities constitute the majority of the County’s operations and are financed primarily by operating grants, taxes, charges for services, capital grants and other governmental revenues. Business-type activities rely on user fees and other charges to fund their operations. The Financial Position Statement, below, is designed to provide a picture of the County’s financial position at the end of the year. Financial Position Statement Assets In Millions of $ 2008 2007 Cash Investments Receivables Property and Equipment Deferred Charges $ Total Assets 50 137 192 709 32 $1,120 72 131 157 702 34 $1,096 Liabilities 2008 Total Liabilities $ 28 60 53 250 $391 2007 NET ASSETS $729 $725 Owed To Employees & Vendors Deferred Revenue Short Term Debt Long Term Debt $ $ 22 64 55 230 $371 Investments/Earnings Investment Earnings INVESTMENTS INVESTMENT MARKET VALUE Federal Home Loan Bank Bonds $ 40,548,128 Federal National Mortgage Association Bonds 48,913,474 First American Treasury Money Market Mutual Fund Federal Farm Credit Banks Bonds TOTAL $12.34 22,044,375 Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. Bonds 345,001 25,057,950 $8.79 $3.18 $4.78 $2.95 Investment Earnings represent the amount of interest income earned by the County, including interest earned on funds of the Water & Sewer Department. Reduced property and sales tax revenues provided a smaller investment pool generating approximately $2.5 million less in investment earnings in 2008 over 2007. (Obtained from CAFR budgetary statements) W A JournalNews) $9.83 $136,908,928 This summary provides an analysis of the different types of investments carried by the County. “Market Value” refers to the amount the County could receive if it sold the investment. aron Cook led the Hamilton Big Blue to a state title in 1997 and made the NL All-Star team in 2008. Drafted by the Rockies, he had a 52-44 career record through 2008. (Photo courtesy of the Hamilton 9 eeb Ewbank, left, led the Baltimore Colts to two NFL championships – including the 1958 title game known as “The Greatest Game Ever Played” – and also coached the upstart AFL New York Jets to a Super Bowl III win over the Colts. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978. His local ties included playing and coaching for Miami University, and coaching at McGuffey High in Oxford. (Photo courtesy of the Hamilton JournalNews) Sources of General Revenue 10 Sales Tax Receipts Sources of General Revenue Funds Interest, $10,362,722 Intergovernmental, $7,664,080 40.41 Other, $3,707,444 41.32 34.24 Property/Local Tax, $71,909,198 Payments in lieu of taxes, $4,438,718 Sales Tax, $33,408,493 Property Tax Sales Tax 16.64 Payments in lieu of taxes Intergovernmental Interest 18.05 19.50 Other General Governmental Revenues of $131.5 million in 2008 declined $19.2 million over 2007. Together, taxes (property/local and sales) and payments in lieu of taxes decreased by $12.9 million in part due to the January 1, 2008 expiration of the one-year property tax levy to fund the Animal Shelter. Interest also declined by $4.5 million in 2008. J 17.18 udge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, left, was born in Millville in 1866 and grew up in Indiana. He was elected baseball’s first Commissioner in 1921 and remained Commissioner until his death on Nov. 24, 1944. The following month he was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Landis received his name from Kennesaw Mountain, Ga., where his father was seriously wounded during the Civil War. In 1905, Landis was appointed a U.S. District Judge. The owners first approached Landis shortly after the 1919 World Series, when the “Black Sox” scandal ripped through their sport. Landis later accepted the post on the condition that he keep his job as a judge and that his baseball salary ($50,000) be decreased by the $7,500 salary he received as a judge. (Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress) Butler County’s permissive sales tax rate decreased from 1.0 to .75 percent in 2008 with the completion of funding for the County’s Emergency Communication System and collections decreased by more than $7.9 million over 2007, corresponding to the nationwide economic slump. Go to www.butlercountyauditor.org to Find Out More About Butler County’s Sports Heroes or Download a Copy of Our Financial Reports Primary Government Spenders Job & Family Services $50.67 $42.98 Board of Commissioners Sheriff Water and Sewer (1) MRDD (2) Mental Health Board Engineer Children Services Board Senior Services Juvenile Court Auditor Care Facility (1) Child Support Enforcement (1) Alcohol and Drug Prosecutor Board of Elections Common Pleas/Adult Prob. Juvenile Court/Facilities Clerk of Courts Adult Probation Juvenile Detention Area Courts Health Board Domestic Relations Veterans Treasurer Metro Parks Soil And Water Conservation Other Coroner Probate Court RTA (1) Recorder Airport (1) J $35.62 $33.53 $13.39 $24.33 $22.83 $29.75 $11.35 $8.51 $8.11 $7.42 $6.26 $5.77 $5.09 $4.41 $4.25 $4.02 $3.39 $3.10 $2.54 $2.46 $2.34 $1.85 $1.56 (1) Department is controlled by Commissioners but shown $1.53 separately in this graph. $1.41 $1.15 (2) MRDD is the Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental $1.05 Disabilities. $1.00 $0.95 $0.93 $0.91 $0.63 Cash Expenditures by Office, Board or Agency im Holstein, shown at right in 1953 in a Springfield Tigers uniform, was a tremendous all-around athlete. A 1948 Hamilton Catholic grad, he led the school to a state runnerup basketball finish that year and signed with UC, becoming that school’s career leading scorer with 1,146 points. Following college, he spent four seasons in the NBA where he won two titles with the Minneapolis Lakers. While playing pro basketball, Holstein also played professional and semi-pro baseball. An outfielder, he hit .349 for Springfield in the Western Minnesota League in 1953 and .355 in 1954. He returned to Springfield in 1956, where his .410 average was second in the league. Hit .402 with 12 home runs in 1957 to lead Breckenridge/Wahpeton to Class A West Central League title. After his playing career, he spent 35 years in coaching, mostly at the college level. Holstein died in 2007 at the age of 77. (Photo courtesy of Herb Schaper Historical Baseball Collection,/NewUlm Daily Journal) How a “Typical” $100 is Spent by County Government Interest / Other Fiscal .2% 2% Public Business / Safety Utility 15.3% 17% Public Works 7.3% General Health Gov’t 16.4% 15% Human Services 26.8 % 11 Outstanding Debt Trends 12 Balance 12/31/2003 debt Instrument T he County employs the use of several different types of long term debt financing. They are defined as follows: Balance 12/31/2004 Balance 12/31/2005 Balance 12/31/2006 Balance 12/31/2007 Balance 12/31/2008 Debt Outstanding Trend Analysis 2007-2008 DEBT INSTRUMENT Special Assessments Balance 12/31/2007 New Money (Adds) Paid Off (Deletes) Balance 12/31/2008 Special Assessment Bonds are issued to pay for improvements benefiting property owners, and the owners pay the County over a period of 20 years for the debt. Revenue Bonds Revenue Bonds are long term debt instruments issued to pay for the projects of the Water and Sewer Department, and are fully repaid from the revenues of charges for services. Other Loans Other Loans are comprised of OPWC (Ohio Public Works Commission) funding, which provides low interest loans for infrastructure. Additionally, loans from other sources are included. General Obligation General Obligation Bonds are long term debt instruments which are repaid from the County’s general revenue sources. Sales Tax Bonds Sales Tax Bonds are long term debt instruments issued for construction by the general government, and are repayable from sales tax receipts. Bond Anticipation Notes Bond Anticipation Notes are instruments due in one year or less and are issued to raise money for projects of the County. These notes are usually rolled into bonds after a short period of time. Water Judgement Bonds Water Judgement Bonds are General Obligation Bonds that will be paid from Butler County’s Water and Sewer Department for the purchase of water rights. Summary of Taxes Collected/Distributed 13 SCHOOLS Entity LAKOTA LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT FAIRFIELD CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT MIDDLETOWN CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT HAMILTON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT TALAWANDA SCHOOL DISTRICT EDGEWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT MONROE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT ROSS LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT MADISON LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT PRINCETON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT NEW MIAMI SCHOOL DISTRICT OTHER SCHOOLS $89,184,304 $42,595,621 $30,364,187 $26,574,993 $13,457,929 $13,208,352 $10,232,138 $7,864,626 $5,029,349 $2,917,892 $1,061,131 $684,327 JVS BUTLER CO JOINT VOCATIONAL OTHER JVS $11,140,885 $258,064 CITIES, VILLAGES & TOWNSHIPS WEST CHESTER TOWNSHIP LIBERTY TOWNSHIP HAMILTON CITY MIDDLETOWN CITY FAIRFIELD CITY FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP MONROE CITY ROSS TOWNSHIP OXFORD CITY OTHER $11,605,290 $6,737,878 $5,808,373 $5,460,903 $5,382,749 $3,181,204 $1,017,489 $912,203 $4,951,938 BUTLER COUNTY MENTAL RETARDATION GENERAL CHILDREN SERVICES SENIOR CITIZENS LEVY COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH REAL ESTATE ASSESSMENT MIAMI CONSERVANCY TRUST UNIVERSITY POINTE TIF BOND RETIREMENT STORMWATER MANAGEMENT OTHER $19,555,054 $16,727,544 $14,002,169 $13,633,048 $8,836,133 $3,503,331 $2,690,922 $1,956,354 $1,314,053 $5,756,471 J $37,426,609 T he County Treasurer collects all real estate and personal property taxes. The County Auditor then distributes these funds to the entities to whom they belong. The table to the left shows the County, cities, villages, townships and school districts and the amounts they received in 2008. The taxes collected and distributed were based on 2007 assessed values, levied in 2007 and collected in 2008. Entities receiving less than $1 million (except Oxford City) are grouped together for presentation purposes. The state’s personal property tax is fading into history. Returns covering the 2008 tax year are the last for the tangible personal property tax for most businesses in Ohio. erry Lucas, at right in Middletown for the unveiling of his retired prep jersey in 2009, was hailed in 1962 as the “greatest amateur basketball player in the world” by Sports Illustrated. (Photo courtesy of the Hamilton JournalNews) 14 County Highlights/Trends Financial Highlights quarter of 2008. Since 2005, Amylin has brought approximately ● Total net assets for Butler County decreased by $6.9 million 500 jobs to the county. (-9%) in 2008, $5.8 million of which came from governmental ● GE Aviation in 2008 announced the move of its engineering activities. Net assets are the amount of capital in which the county division to West Chester Township as part of a plan to bring has invested resources. 1,000 workers and a $55 million facility to Butler County. The ● General revenues accounted for 45% of total revenues for two-building, 400,000-square-foot facility is expected to house governmental activities, totaling $131.5 million. Tax revenues 1,400 employees with average annual salaries of $100,000. were 78% ($102.9 million) of these general revenues, a 12% ● Conshohocken, Pa.-based Quaker Chemical announced plans in decrease over 2007. 2008 to triple production capacity in its Middletown facility and ● The unreserved, undesignated portion of the fund balance in the General centralize Quaker’s North American production of steel, cleaner, Fund at year-end decreased from and hydraulic fluids at that facility. Upon completion in late 2009, $13.3 million in 2007 to $11.7 million the Middletown facility would become Quaker’s second largest in 2008. The General Fund is the main facility globally. Quaker will transfer all production except for operating fund of the County. The its metalworking fluids from its plant in Detroit to Middletown. unreserved, undesignated fund balance The project will require an investment of approximately $19.8 carries over to the next calendar year million, of which approximately $10 million will be financed through the issuance of Industrial Development Revenue Bonds with no obligation or restriction. ● The County’s permissive sales tax by the Butler County Port Authority. Pitcher Charlie Root of the Cubs was from Middletown. rate decreased from 1.0 percent to .75 ● Tennessee-based SunCoke signed an agreement in March 2008 (Photo courtesy of the Hamilton percent effective Jan. 1, 2008. Butler with West Chester Township-based AK Steel Corp. to build a $340 JournalNews) County is among four counties with million facility along Yankee Road that will use a cleaner, more the lowest effective sales tax rate in the state of Ohio at 6.25 efficient heat recovery method to produce coke. AK has agreed percent. Collections decreased as well in 2008, down $7.9 million to purchase all of the coke and electricity the plant produces for from 2007. at least 20 years. The plant is expected to bring 75 permanent facility jobs once completed. Manufacturing Gains Made in County Despite Ohio’s sluggish economy, Butler County made gains in ● BAE Systems, which manufactures commercial and military manufacturing and healthcare in 2008. armored vehicles, armor kits and ballistics glass, expanded its ● In 2008, Amylin Pharmaceuticals substantially completed Butler County facility in March 2008, adding 700 employees. It construction on a new facility in West Chester Township. The has almost 1 million square feet of office and manufacturing company reports it is now manufacturing exenatide at commercial space in West Chester Township, where the company employs scale in this facility and began supplying clinical trials in the third about 1,900 workers. Butler County Organizational Chart 15 (Continued from page 4) •Kent Tekulve – Noted for his sidearm delivery, Tekulve grew up in Fairfield and played high school ball for Hamilton Catholic. He held the Major League record for most relief appearances w i t h 1,050 until it was broken in 1999. He saved three of four wins for the Pittsburgh Pirates in their victorious 1979 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles. •Kevin Grevey – Ohio Mr. Basketball 1971 from Hamilton Taft, Grevey was a two-time Kentucky Kent Tekulve All-American, leading his UK Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament title game in 1975. A first round NBA draft pick, Grevey won one championship with the 1978 Washington Bullets in 10 NBA seasons, averaging 11 points per game over his career. •Darrell Pace – The Hamilton resident won gold medals in men’s archery in the 1976 and 1984 Olympics and a team silver during the 1988 Games.Pace won four straight national archery titles from 1973-1976 and six in all. He also won world titles in 1975 and 1979. •Charlie Root – Discovered while pitching for the Armco Rolling Mill Company in Middletown, Charlie Root played professionally for 16 seasons with the Chicago Cubs from 19261941 and holds the club record for career wins with 201. •Todd Bell – After graduating from Middletown High, Bell started four years at Ohio State as a defensive back. Drafted by the Bears in 1981, Bell made the Pro Bowl in 1984. A contract dispute and injuries slowed his career. He passed away in 2005 at age 47. •Other Notables – Kenesaw Mountain Landis, Jim Holstein, Butch Carter, Weeb Ewbank, Paul Sarringhaus, Mark Lewis, Aaron Cook, Greg Stokes, Troy Evans, Carl Weilman, Jim Tracy, Merle Wendt, Dan Meyer, Jay Bachman, Teddy Bailey, Dick Smith, Bill Wilks, Don Barnette, Brooke Wyckoff, Greg Sullivan, Darrell Hunter, Tirrell Burton, Archie Aldridge, Dan Daub, This Popular Annual Financial Report is Issued by the Fiscal Services Division of the Butler County Auditor’s Office Gay Brewer, Jimmy Wynn, Thomas Howard, Alex “Boo” Ellis, Eddie Merchant, Frank Clair, Jim Lyttle, Pat Tabler, Shawn Abner, Kason Gabbard, Mary Bowermaster, Lynn St. John, Ricky Stone, Shelby Linville, Tyrice Walker, John Fraley, Howard Jones, Paul Walker, Terry Malone, Sam McConnell, Brian Barber, Tad Jones, Kathy Lindsey, Charlie DeArmond, Dave Swartzbaugh, Frank Lickliter II, Elmer Horton, and Jeff Hartsock. Visit the Auditor’s Web site much more on these athletes coaches. For further information, contact the Fiscal Services Division at (513) 887-3126 between the weekday hours of 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Visit our Web site at: www.butlercountyauditor.org. Layout and Design by Deputy Auditor David Brown. Printed by VIP Printing. for and Butler County, Ohio: A History of Sports Heroes and Legends A s part of our Popular Annual Financial Report for the year ended December 31, 2008, the Butler County Auditor’s Office featured many of the outstanding athletes who were either born or raised in Butler County. The list is truly remarkable and there wasn’t enough space in the PAFR to highlight the many accomplishments each made in their respective sport or sports. While any list is subjective, I believe we’ve highlighted a very select group of 62 athletes and coaches that few counties could top in terms of quality •Jerry Lucas – What kind of and depth. The following biographies have been compiled from many resources, including the various sports halls of fame in the county and across the country, newspaper articles (most notably three written by local historian Jim Blount for the JournalNews), Baseball Almanac, “Town Ball, the Glory Days of Minnesota Amateur Baseball” by Armand Peterson and Tom Tamashek, and personal interviews conducted by Deputy Auditor David Brown, whose past experience as a newspaper sports basketball player was Middletown’s Jerry Lucas? Consider this: In 1961the Yankees’ Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record – perhaps the most hallowed record in all of sports. Yet, in January 1962, Sports Illustrated named Jerry Lucas its Sportsman of the Year, lauding him as “not only a fine athlete but a symbol of his generation’s best at a time when its best is sorely needed by his country as well as his sport.” A champion at every level, his teams at Middletown High won two state titles; he led Ohio State to the 1960 Jerry Lucas, above right, NCAA championship; he led the U.S. and Oscar Robertson were to gold in the 1960 Olympics and he teammates with the NBA’s won an NBA title in 1973 with the New York Knicks. As a sophomore at Cincinnati Royals and both were Middletown High, he scored 53 and inducted into the Basketball Hall 44 points in consecutive games at of Fame in 1980. (Photo courtesy of the Ohio Historical Society) the state tournament as the Middies won the title. Lucas was named Ohio At Ohio State, Lucas was a 3-time AllPlayer of the Year in 1957 and 1958. American, leading the Buckeyes from editor and one-time sports writer for the JournalNews came in handy as he provided the research for this project. We’re glad to have compiled such a comprehensive list of county sports heroes with accompanying biographies and we appreciate those who assisted with information and photographs. Roger Reynolds Butler County Auditor his center position to a 78-6 record, three Big Ten titles and the NCAA championship. He was named College Player of the Year in both 1961 and 1962. At the Rome Olympics, he led the team to a gold medal, making an amazing 84 percent of his shots. As a pro, Lucas was All-NBA First Team (1965, ‘66, ‘68); All-NBA Second Team (1964, ‘67); All-Rookie team (1964); Seven-time All-Star (196469, 1971); and All-Star MVP (1965). In 1962 he played for the Cleveland Pipers of the ABL and then moved to the NBA’s Cincinnati Royals, where he played through the 1960s. He finished his last few NBA years playing for the New York Knicks, retiring in 1974. The fourth-leading rebounder in NBA history averaging 15.6 boards per game, he was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980 and was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996. Butler County Sports Heroes Page 1 Mariners in 1987. •Joe Nuxhall – Born Griffey played in in Hamilton and a Seattle from 1989longtime resident 1999, with the of Fairfield until his Cincinnati Reds death in 2007, Nuxhall from 2000-2008, became the youngest and the Chicago player to ever appear White Sox in 2008. in a Major League He re-signed with baseball game during the Mariners for the modern era when on the 2009 season. June 10, 1944, at age 15 He won Major years, 10 months, and 11 League MVP days, he pitched 2/3 of honors in 1997; has an inning for the Reds made 13 All-Star against the Cardinals. appearances, owns After going back to Joe Nuxhall shown school in Hamilton, he early in his career with the 10 Gold Gloves, regained his amateur Reds. (Photo courtesy of the 7 Silver Sluggers and is a 4-time AL status and played Hamilton JournalNews) home run champ. football, basketball and baseball as a senior in 1946, Through the 2008 season he was earning all-state honors in football 5th on the career HR list with 611 and basketball. Over the next five and 18th on the career RBI list with years, Nuxhall played in the minor 1,772. Griffey was named 2005 NL leagues with Syracuse, Lima, Muncie, Comeback Player of the Year with the Columbia, Charleston, and Tulsa Reds. He is a member of the Sporting before returning to the Reds in 1952. News 100 Greatest Baseball Players During his 16-year career as a player list (93) and was elected to MLB Allhe compiled a career ERA of 3.90 Century Team. and a record of 135-117. A two-time National League All-Star, Nuxhall Cris Carter – Younger brother of led the league in shutouts in 1955. Butch Carter and a Middletown High Long known as “The Ol’ Lefthander,” graduate, Cris was an 8-time NFL Pro he went on to a long and celebrated Bowl wide receiver and 3-time All-Pro career as a radio broadcaster for the between 1987-2002. He was selected Reds from 1967-2004. He was elected to the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade Team to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and was the 1999 Walter Payton Manin 1968, and officially retired from of-the-Year Award winner. At the the Reds on Oct. 3, 2004, 60 years collegiate level, Carter became the first after his pitching debut, though he Ohio State wide receiver to be named still made guest appearances on some an All-American. During high school, game broadcasts. he was named to the 1983 Parade All-American Team and was heavily •Ken Griffey, Jr. – Moved to West recruited. By the end of his junior year Chester Township when he was 13, at OSU, Carter had been selected All playing Knothole ball for coach Barry Big Ten twice, and was the Buckeyes’ Strasser. Griffey only played as a all-time leader in receptions (168) junior and senior at Moeller High. He and touchdown catches (27). In his was then selected with the No. 1 pick junior year he set OSU single-season in the amateur draft by the Seattle marks for touchdown receptions (11) and receiving yards (1,127). His Big Ten-leading 68 catches earned him first team All-American honors with one year of college left. But after it was learned he signed with an agent he was declared ineligible. Carter was drafted by the Eagles in the 4th round of the 1987 NFL supplemental draft. While in Philadelphia, head coach Buddy Ryan helped to coin one of ESPN announcer Chris Berman’s famous quotes about Carter: “All he does is catch touchdowns.” Carter signed with the Vikings in 1989 after being released by the Eagles and his career took off. Since retiring from the NFL, Carter has worked as an analyst on HBO’s Inside the NFL and ESPN’s NFL Countdown. •Kent Tekulve – The famous sidearm relief pitcher grew up in Fairfield and played high school ball for Hamilton Catholic. He held the Major League record for most relief appearances with 1,050 until it was broken in 1999. In the 1979 World Series, Tekulve saved three of Pittsburgh’s four victories as the Pirates beat the Orioles. Signed by the Pirates in 1969, he made his Major League debut in 1974. He went 10-1 as a set-up man in 1977 before taking over as the Pirates’ closer the next season. He established himself as one of baseball’s most successful relievers, ranking among the all-time leaders in games, saves, and relief wins. In 1978, he set a Pirates record with 31 saves, which he matched the following year. He led the NL in appearances in both 1978 and 1979, setting a club record with 94 in 1979. That fall, he recorded a World Seriesrecord three saves, striking out 10 Orioles in 9.1 innings. In 1986 he broke the NL record of 846 games pitched. Back in the set-up role, in 1987 he became the first NL pitcher to have three 90-appearance seasons and, at age 40, the oldest pitcher Butler County Sports Heroes Page 2 to lead the NL in appearances. He broke the Major League record for career games pitched without a start (finishing the season at 943), and helped closer Steve Bedrosian win the Cy Young Award. Let go after 1988, he signed with the Reds and broke Hoyt Wilhelm’s record for relief appearances before retiring midway through the season. Now a color analyst for Pirates telecasts in Pittsburgh, Tekulve was presented the 2008 William A. “Bill” Shea Distinguished Little League Graduate Award during the 62nd Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport, Pa. Playing for Lindenwald Little League in Hamilton, Tekulve participated in the Little League program for four years, pitching and Kevin Grevey of Hamilton playing third base, shortstop and during his days at the University center field. As a 12 year-old pitcher of Kentucky. (Photo courtesy of the and shortstop, he played in the Little Grevey family) League International Tournament and his team reached the quarterfinals of the San Antonio Spurs of the ABA. He signed with the Bullets and was the Ohio state tournament. a starting guard on their 1977-78 Kevin Grevey – Ohio Mr. NBA championship team. In 10 total Basketball 1971 from Hamilton NBA seasons, the 6-5 shooting guard Taft after averaging 32.5 points and averaged 11 points per game. He 17.1 rebounds as a senior, Grevey set personal season highs during the signed with Kentucky as part of 1980-81 campaign for scoring average Adolph Rupp’s last freshman class. (17.7) and assists (4.0). He closed his He was First-Team All-Southeastern career with two final seasons with the Conference all three seasons and All- Milwaukee Bucks. Recently inducted American as a junior and senior. In his into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame, senior year at Kentucky the Wildcats Grevey is now a scout for the LA lost to UCLA in the championship Lakers, radio broadcaster and owner/ game of the NCAA Tournament in manager of Grevey’s restaurant in the what would be the final game in the Washington, D.C. area. career of UCLA’s legendary coach John Wooden. Grevey scored a gamehigh 34 points and was named to the All-Final Four team. Grevey’s 1,801 career points scored ranked him second in UK history behind only Dan Issel’s 2,138. His jersey number 35 is retired by the university. He was a first round draft pick by both the Washington Bullets of the NBA and •Todd Bell – After graduating from Middletown High School, Bell went on to play for Ohio State as a fouryear starter at defensive back. His best remembered moment at Ohio State was a game-winning touchdown in his junior year against rival Michigan in 1979. He returned a blocked punt 18 yards for the score in an 18-15 win, sending the Buckeyes to the Rose Bowl. Bell was selected in the fourth round of the 1981 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He played with the team through 1984, earning a Pro Bowl spot in his fourth year. However, Bell sat out the Bears’ entire Super Bowl-winning 1985 season due to a contract dispute. Bell returned in 1986, but a hamstring injury and the labor dispute still lingered. He signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles in the off-season in 1988, playing two years with the Eagles before a broken leg in a loss to the Bears in 1989 prematurely ended his career. In 2005, Bell suffered a fatal heart attack while driving his car. He was 47. His wife Daphne now speaks to people on learning how to detect if they are at risk of having a heart attack. •Kenesaw Mountain Landis – Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis was born in Millville in 1866 and grew up in Logansport, Ind. He was elected baseball’s first Commissioner on Jan. 12, 1921 and served as Commissioner until his death on Nov. 24, 1944. The following month he was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Landis received his colorful name from Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia, where his father had been seriously wounded during the Civil War. Ken, as he was called, was an avid baseball fan, and at age 17, he played on and managed the team in Logansport. He took pre-law courses at the University of Cincinnati and obtained a law degree at Union Law School, now Northwestern University. He graduated in 1891 and opened a law practice in Chicago. In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Landis a United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois, a position he held when offered the position of Baseball Commissioner. Landis was Butler County Sports Heroes Page 3 approached by the owners shortly after the 1919 World Series, when the “Black Sox” scandal ripped through baseball. Landis accepted the post on the condition that he keep his job as a judge and that his baseball salary ($50,000) be decreased by the amount he received as a judge ($7,500). In one of his first acts as Commissioner, he banned eight White Sox players involved in the scandal, including Shoeless Joe Jackson. Major League Baseball’s Most Valuable Player Award is officially known as the Kenesaw Mountain Landis Award in his honor. •Walter “Smokey”Alston – Born in current-day Ross, the legendary manager of the Brooklyn/L.A. Dodgers from 1954-76 grew up in Darrtown. He was a 4-time World Series champion manager and 6-time Manager of the Year selection. Before he was a coach he was a stellar athlete. A 1928 Darrtown School graduate, during one season he scored all the points for his basketball team. After Darrtown, Alston continued playing baseball and basketball at Miami University, where the nickname “Smokey” is said to have originated from how hard he threw a baseball. He graduated in 1932 and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1935. After leading the Mid-Atlantic League with 35 home runs in 1936 he was called up to the big league club and made his lone appearance for the Cards on Sept. 27, 1936. Alston was sent back to the minor leagues the next season and never returned to the majors. Alston was a player/manager in the St. Louis farm system for years before signing with the Dodgers organization in 1944 to play and manage in the minors. In 1954 he was selected to manage the Brooklyn Dodgers. During his 23 years with the Dodgers, “Smokey” led the Brooklyn franchise to its only World Championship in 1955, and to a pennant in 1956, before the team moved to the West Coast. In LA, his clubs captured world titles in 1959, 1963 and 1965, and pennants in 1966 and 1974. The Dodgers claimed 19 division titles in those 23 years, winning 2,040 games. His number 24 was retired by the Dodgers in 1977. He was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1983 and died the next year at the age of 72 in Oxford. Saint Francis College (Ind.) (197792), where he also served as athletic director. He finished with a career coaching record of 372-388 (.489). He is a member of the USF Athletic Hall of Fame (2000), the Hamilton Badin High School Hall of Fame (1994), the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame (1987), the Saint Joseph’s College Hall of Fame (1985) and the Athletic Hall of Fame at the University of Cincinnati (1980). Jim Holstein passed away at his home in Florida on •Jim Holstein – A 1948 Hamilton Dec. 16, 2007 at the age of 77. Catholic graduate, the 6-foot-3 Holstein led the school to a state •Butch Carter – Older brother of Cris Carter, runner-up finish that year. He signed was raised with the University of Cincinnati in Troy and was UC’s career leading scorer when he graduated with 1,146 points. and later moved to He averaged 15.7 points and 12.0 Middletown rebounds as a senior when he earned where he Honorable Mention All-American graduated recognition. While at UC, he earned four letters in basketball, four in f r o m baseball, one in track and one in Middletown football. Following college, he spent H i g h School. He four seasons in the NBA where he was named won two NBA championships with Butch Carter Ohio’s 1976 the Minneapolis Lakers (1952-53 of Middletown. High School and 1953-54). His final season came (Photo courtesy of The with the Fort Wayne Pistons. While Player of Middletown Journal) playing pro basketball, Holstein also the Year. played professional and semi-pro Additionally, he was a high school baseball. An outfielder, he hit .349 for All-American basketball selection as Springfield in the Western Minnesota a senior and a second-team All-State League in 1953 and .355 in 1954. high school football selection as a Holstein played professional minor junior. Recruited by Bobby Knight league ball in 1955 but returned to of Indiana, Carter signed with the Springfield in 1956, where his .410 Hoosiers but only became a starter average was second in the league. He during his senior year when he hit .402 with 12 home runs in 1957 to averaged 11.1 points per game. As a lead Breckenridge/Wahpeton to Class junior, Carter was named MVP of the A West Central League title. After his 1979 NIT tournament when he hit the playing career, he spent 35 years in winning shot with seconds remaining coaching. His head-coaching career against cross-state rival Purdue. Carter consisted of stops at Sycamore High was a second-round selection of the School in 1956-59, Saint Joseph’s Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980 NBA College (Ind.) from 1961-72, Ball draft. Fifteen games into the season he State University from 1972-77 and was a starter, averaging 9.6 points and Butler County Sports Heroes Page 4 49 percent shooting. He played a total of six years in the NBA for the Lakers (1980-1981), Indiana Pacers (19811984), New York Knicks (19841986), and Philadelphia 76ers (1986). He averaged 8.7 points per game over his career. He held the NBA record for most points in an overtime period (14) for 20 years. From 1986-1988, after leaving the NBA, Carter returned to coach his alma mater, Middletown High School. There, he improved the team from a previous losing record to an 18-3 mark. He was acknowledged for this two-year turnaround by being named Ohio Basketball High School Coach of the Year. Carter is the only person to be named both Player and Coach of the Year in the state of Ohio. He moved into college coaching and then served as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks from 1991– 1996. In the 1997–1998 season, Carter served as an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors. He was promoted to the head coach position midway through the 1997–1998 season, becoming just the seventh AfricanAmerican to lead a professional basketball franchise. His career with Toronto ended in 2000. He was 2327 in the shortened 1998-99 season and 45-37 in 1999-2000, leading the Raptors to the playoffs. in 1977 and 1983. Pace was also selected for the 1980 Olympic team, but the U.S. boycotted the Moscow Games that year. Pace still holds the world record of 2,571 points, set in 1976, and in 1979 he established a single round record of 1,341 out of a possible 1,440 points. Pace eventually won six U.S. championships – 197376, 1978, and 1980. A seven acre park in Hamilton was named Pace Park to honor his achievements. Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978. He made Oxford his home following retirement until his death at the age of 91 in 1998. •Charlie Root – A Middletown native, it’s said that Root was discovered while pitching for the Armco Rolling Mill company in Middletown. His Major League debut came on April 18, 1923 for the St. Louis Browns and he went 0-4 that season. Root made it back to the •Weeb Ewbank – Born in Richmond, Majors in 1926 and went on to play Ind., Wilbur Charles professional baseball for 16 seasons Ewbank played from 1926-1941 for the Chicago quarterback for Cubs, and holds the club record for Miami University career wins with 201. Root had at between 1924least 10 wins in 10 different seasons, 1928. He with a top mark of 26-15 in 1927. coached In 1969 he was named the all-time football at Cubs right-hander. Root holds Cubs McGuffey team records for most wins, games High in and innings pitched. He was dogged Oxford and during his later years by the tale that later was an Babe Ruth “called his shot” when he assistant homered off Root in the 1932 World coach for his Series at Wrigley Field. The leathery, alma mater. tobacco-squirting Root denied the He led the claim, stating he’d have decked Ruth Courtesy Ohio Historical Society McGuffey with a fastball had the Babe really gestured that he’d hit the next pitch Green Devils to numerous championships, including out of the park. “He was just saying a 3-year undefeated run from 1936- he had one strike left,” Root insisted. 1938. In 1936, they were not only •Darrell Pace – The Hamilton undefeated, they were un-scored upon. •Paul Sarringhaus – A 1940 resident won individual gold medals On the professional level, Ewbank led Hamilton High graduate, Sarringhaus captained Head in men’s archery in the 1976 and the then-Baltimore Colts to two NFL Coach Ray Tilton’s 1984 Olympic Games and was championships, including the famed undefeated part of the first team competition in 1958 title dubbed “The Greatest Game 1939 team archery during the 1988 Games in Ever Played.” He was selected by the to the state Seoul, earning a silver medal. He Associated Press as the 1958 NFL championship. coach of the Year. The Colts followed also won a silver medal at the 1979 Blessed with Pan-American Games. Pace won up that title with another the very next power and speed, four consecutive national archery year. In 1968, he led the upstart AFL Sarringhaus was championships from 1973 through New York Jets to a huge upset win a stellar running 1976. He won the world title in 1975 over the NFL Colts in Super Bowl back who also was a passer, kick and 1979 - becoming the first person III with a young quarterback named in the “modern” era of archery to win Joe Namath. Following a 20-year run returner, punter and kicked extra the title twice – and finished second in the pros, he was inducted into the points. Sarringhaus also played on Butler County Sports Heroes Page 5 the Big Blue basketball team that was runner-up in the 1938 state tournament. Sarringhaus was declared Ohio’s outstanding high school football player in 1939, and, according to a November 1939 report, “is now sought by every university east of the Mississippi.” Ohio State won the recruiting contest and Sarringhaus didn’t disappoint. He was a First Team All-American and All-Big Ten at halfback in 1942 as he helped guide the Buckeyes to a national championship that year, the first national title in program history. He was second in the Big Ten in scoring in 1942 with 72 points and rushed for 672 yards that season, a mark that ranked among the conference leaders. Sarringhaus left school to serve his country in World War II but returned for his senior season in 1945. He played two seasons in the NFL – with the Chicago Cardinals (1946) and Detroit Lions (1948) after being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the ninth round of the 1944 draft. He later served as a deputy auditor in the Butler County Auditor’s Office. He was inducted into the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame in 1983 and was selected to the inaugural class of the Hamilton City Schools Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997. Sarringhaus died April 7, 1998 and was inducted posthumously into OSU’s men’s varsity “O” Hall of Fame in 2004. •Aaron Cook – A Hamilton High grad and 1997 Ohio Baseball Player of the Year, Cook was a second round pick by the Rockies after leading Big Blue to a state title in ‘97. He made his Major League debut with Colorado in 2002. After suffering health problems in 2004 he came back to post a 7-2 record in 2005 with an ERA of 3.67. Following the 2007 season he signed a 4-year, $34 million contract extension with the Rockies. He has a 52-44 career record and was an All-Star in draft by the 76ers. Stokes played only 2008, finishing that season with a two full NBA seasons but several 16-9 record and an ERA of 3.96. more professional seasons overseas. •Mark Lewis – Born and raised in •Troy Evans – A linebacker in the Hamilton, the Big Blue product was selected as the 198788 Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year. He was the 2nd overall pick in the 1988 draft by the Cleveland Indians. Mark Lewis of The former Hamilton (Photo i n f i e l d e r courtesy of Hamilton played for JournalNews) six Major League Baseball teams from 1991 to 2001. He played with the Indians (1991-1994, 2001), Cincinnati Reds (1995, 1999-2000), Detroit Tigers (1996), San Francisco Giants (1997), Philadelphia Phillies (1998), and Baltimore Orioles (2000). He had a career .263 batting average with 48 home runs and 306 RBI over 902 games of Major League play. His career highlight may have occurred in Game 3 of the 1995 National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, when he hit the first pinch-hit grand slam in postseason history. •Greg Stokes – He was awarded basketball player of the year honors for Hamilton High in 1981 and then the 6-10 center signed with the University of Iowa. Stokes ended his career as Iowa’s all-time leader in points scored and is still ranked 3rd all-time with 1,768 points in his career. He was drafted in the 2nd round, 33rd overall in the 1985 NBA NFL for the New Orleans Saints, Evans attended Lakota High School and earned All-State honors in both football and basketball. He was a fouryear letterman and two-year starter at outside linebacker for the University of Cincinnati. As a senior, he was a second-team All-Conference USA selection, posting 4.5 sacks and 107 tackles. Evans played his first season in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams, who lost Super Bowl XXXVI that year to the New England Patriots. The following year Evans was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Houston Texans. He remained with the team until the 2007 season, when he signed a two-year deal with the Saints. •Carl Woolworth Weilman – Born in Hamilton in 1889. Zeke, as he was known, broke into the Major Leagues as a pitcher for the St. Louis Browns in 1912 at the age of 22. Standing n e a r l y 6-foot-6, We i l m a n held two distinctions: Carl Weilman In a 1913 game he struck out six times, setting a major league record; On the positive side, he compiled a 13-4 record between 1914-1916 against the Ty Cobb-led Detroit Tigers, one of the best hitting teams of the decade. His career spanned through 1920 and he compiled an 85-95 career record. He Butler County Sports Heroes Page 6 had a career ERA of 2.67 with 536 also a member of the Marietta College strikeouts and 418 walks in 8 seasons Sports Hall of Fame, along with fellow – all with the Browns. Weilman died Butler Countian Kent Tekulve. young in 1924 at the age of 35 and is buried in Hamilton’s Greenwood •Merle Wendt – A 1933 graduate cemetery. of Middletown High, Wendt went on to a stellar football career with the •Jim Tracy – Tracy, a 1974 Badin Ohio State Buckeyes. A three-time High School graduate, was an All-Big Ten pick, he is one of only outfielder for the Chicago Cubs before seven OSU players to be named to moving into coaching. He became just the All-America squad three times. the 24th manager in Dodgers franchise He was a first-team selection at end history when he was named to the post in 1934, 1935 and 1936. He captained on Nov. 1, 2000. In five seasons he the Buckeyes his senior year and was led the Dodgers to one division title selected to play in the annual East(2004) and posted a 427-383 record. West Shrine Game and for the College He managed the Pittsburgh Pirates in All-Stars in a 7-0 victory over Green 2006 and 2007, compiling a record of Bay. One highlight Wendt specifically 135-189. Originally selected by the mentioned during a college interview: Cubs in the fourth round of the 1977 He caught the winning touchdown January First-Year Player Draft, Tracy pass against Michigan in 1934. During made his professional playing debut high school, Wendt lettered four years with Pompano Beach in 1977. After in football and basketball. winning the Texas League batting title with a .355 average for Midland in •Dan Meyer – Born in Hamilton, 1979, he made his major league debut Meyer played for the University of with the Cubs in 1980 and batted .249 Arizona in 1971. He made his Major with three home runs and 14 RBI in League debut in 1974 with the Detroit parts of two big-league seasons with Tigers. Played 12 MLB seasons for Chicago (1980-81). Tracy also played three teams as first baseman, third two years in Japan (1983-84) before baseman and outfielder. He was with retiring as a player following a brief the Tigers (1974-76), Seattle Mariners stint with Tucson in 1984. Prior to (1977-81) and Oakland Athletics joining the Dodgers, Jim served as (1982-85). A career .253 hitter. Bench Coach for four seasons in Montreal. He also posted a 501-486 •Jay Bachman – A 1963 Ross (.508) record in seven seasons as High School graduate, the 6-3, a minor league manager with four 250-pounder played the offensive line teams. Tracy won the Eastern League at UC and then played center for the title and was named Manager-of-the- Denver Broncos in the AFL and NFL Year after guiding Harrisburg (Expos for a total of four seasons from 1968AA) to a 94-44 record in 1993. He also 1971. He won the 1966 Claude Rost worked for the Reds as their Minor Award (Most Valuable Player) for the League Field Coordinator in 1992. At Bearcats He was drafted by the Green Badin, Jim played football, basketball Bay Packers in the 5th round (132nd and baseball and is a member of that overall) of the 1967 draft. school’s sports Hall of Fame. He attended Marietta College and was •Teddy Bailey – A Hamilton an NCAA Division III All-American product, Bailey was a big, fast running selection as a sophomore in 1976. Is back (6-1, 225) at the University of Cincinnati where he was named 1965 Most Outstanding Back of the Year (offense) and selected All-Missouri Conference at halfback. He went undrafted but played with the AFL’s Buffalo Bills in 1967 and one game in 1969 for the then-Boston Patriots. •Dick Smith – Born in 1944, Richard Henry Smith attended Hamilton Garfield High School and Northwestern University. He was drafted by the AFL Kansas City Chiefs in the 9th Round and played two seasons for the NFL’s Washington Redskins as a kick returner, defensive back and halfback in 1967 and 1968. He was fourth on the team with three interceptions in 1967 and added one more pick in 1968. •Bill Wilks – Hamilton High School’s first Mr. Basketball award winner in 1949, he went on to become a threeyear starter on the Ohio State basketball team in 1951, 52, 53. A twosport athlete, Wilks was the Bill Wilks first quarterback recruited by legendary Coach Woody Hayes. Wilks was the last OSU athlete to start in both basketball and football for the Buckeyes. •Don Barnette – As a senior at Middletown High School in 1952, Barnette co-captained the 1952 State Basketball Championship team. A first-team member of the Greater League All-Stars and of the All-Ohio State Tournament, he was selected to play for the Ohio All-Stars in the Ohio-Kentucky basketball game. Barnette was the first AfricanAmerican basketball player at Miami Butler County Sports Heroes Page 7 University and later played for the Harlem Globetrotters from 195862. He is a member of the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame, Miami’s Athletic Hall of Fame and the Black Legends of Professional Basketball Hall of Fame. A reflection of the racial prejudice of the time against blacks in the South (who weren’t permitted to play against whites), Miami changed Barnette’s name to Jose Clemente so he could pass as a Hispanic and play basketball with the team in Florida. •Brooke Wyckoff – A professional basketball player since being drafted into the WNBA in 2001, Brooke was the Larosa’s Cincinnati Female Athlete of the Year in 1997 when she competed in volleyball, basketball and track at Lakota High School. She was the GMC 400-meter champion in 1996 and the 800-meter champ in 1997. She qualified for the state meet three times and in multiple events, winning an 800-meter bronze medal in 1997. In basketball, she was a 3- time All-GMC 1st team selection, three times Butler County Player of the Year, twice named First Team All-State, and as a senior was named to both the Street and Smith, and USA Today All-American teams. She also helped lead the Columbus Lions to the AAU 17-under National Championship. Wyckoff attended Florida State University on a full athletic scholarship and had a fine career. The 6-foot-1 wing earned First Team All-ACC honors in 2001 as a senior, averaging 14.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. She finished her career as FSU’s all-time shot block leader with 209, which ranks 6th all-time in ACC history. She was also a 3-time ACC All Academic selection and 2-time member of the ACC All-Defensive team and was selected Second Team AllAmerican by Women’s Basketball News Service. She was drafted by the Orlando Miracle (who later moved to Connecticut) with the 26th overall draft pick in 2001. In 2008 with the Chicago Sky, Wyckoff notched her 200th career WNBA game and reached the 100 career blocked shot milestone. She missed all of the 2004 season with a knee injury. Through the 2008 WNBA season, she holds career averages of 3.1 points per game and 3.2 rebounds per game. During the 2008-09 season she averaged 7.0 points per game for Estudiantes in Spain during the WNBA off-season. A member of the Lakota Athletic Hall of Fame since 2003, Wyckoff was also named to the Cincinnati Post’s All Century Girl’s Basketball First Team. American Conference second team in 1975-76 and to the first team twice in 1976-77 and 1977-78. He was the 1978 MAC Player of the Year. He helped lead the Redskins to a MAC championship and a three-year record of 57-23. He was drafted in the sixth round by the Washington Bullets. He is also a member of the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame. •Frank Clair – Born in 1917 in Hamilton, Clair was a fine athlete at Hamilton High. He p l a y e d football at Ohio State, lettering in 1938, 1939, and 1940. As a receiver, he was QB Frank Clair Don Scott’s favorite target. He also played one year of NFL football with the Washington Redskins in 1941. Clair later coached in the Canadian Football League. His coaching record is unparalleled in Canadian football history. His teams made the playoffs in 17 of his 19 seasons, advanced to the conference final 12 times and appeared in 6 Grey Cup games, winning 5 times. •Archie Aldridge – The 1973 Ohio He began his career as coach of the Player of the Year from Middletown Toronto Argonauts from 1950 to 1954, was a two-time first team All-Ohio and led them to Grey Cup victories in selection. A 1978 Miami graduate, his first season and again in 1952. In Aldridge ranks third on Miami’s all- 1956, Clair joined the Ottawa Rough time scoring list with 1,486 points. He Riders and coached them for the next is the holder of two Miami records for 14 years, winning Grey Cups in 1960, field goals percentage with a season- 1968 and 1969. He became the Rough best .608 in 1977-78 and a career- Riders’ general manager in 1970 and best .571. Selected Miami’s Athlete held that position until 1978. Under of the Year for 1977-78, he was a his direction the team won two more member of the Redskins team that Grey Cups, in 1973 and 1976. His upset defending national champion total of 174 coaching wins is the most Marquette in the opening round of the of any CFL head coach, and Clair was NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis. twice honored as the CFL Coach of He was selected to the All-Mid- the Year. In 1981 he was inducted Butler County Sports Heroes Page 8 into the Canadian Football Hall of Eagles of the NFL in 1956, Burton Fame. He passed away in 2005 in played one season for the Ottawa Rough Riders of the CFL. In 1969 Sarasota, Fla. he returned to Miami as an assistant •Greg Sullivan – A Talawanda football coach, then went on to the High School product from Hanover University of Michigan with former Township, Sullivan was inducted Miami Coach Bo Schembechler from into the Miami University Athletic 1970 to 1997. Hall of Fame in 1997. He was an Honorable Mention All-American defensive end as a junior and senior (1977, 1978) and became just the sixth player in Miami history to earn first-team All-MAC honors three times. Miami posted a 10-1 record and won the MAC championship his junior year. As a senior, Sullivan was Miami’s defensive MVP. As a high schooler at Talawanda, Sullivan excelled in both football and baseball. He was selected to the All MidMiami League Team for baseball in 1973, 1974 and 1975. In football, he holds the THS record for season (8) and career (13) pass interceptions; was a two-time All-MML first team Middletown’s Darrell selection, two years first team AllHunter in action for the Miami Golden Triangle pick, twice named RedHawks against Buffalo. first team All-Southwestern Ohio (Photo courtesy of the Hamilton JournalNews) and was a member of Team All Ohio in 1974. Sullivan is also a member of the Butler County Sports Hall of •Darrell Hunter – A Middletown Fame and the Talawanda High School Christian School product who some say may be the fastest man to ever Athletic Hall of Fame. play for Miami University, Hunter •Tirrell Burton – A Stewart High was signed as a free agent by the School graduate in Oxford, Tirrell Arizona Cardinals following the earned letters in football, basketball, 2006 draft and played in three games baseball and track. He went to state as a rookie. The past two seasons he three times as a track athlete, and had has spent time on the practice squads the third fastest time in the country in of the Buccaneers, Colts and most the 220 yard dash in 1956. A rare two- recently the Saints in 2008. A twosport athlete at Miami, Tirrell excelled time All-MAC selection and a threein both football and track, earning year starter at cornerback for the All-MAC honors in football (1955) RedHawks, Hunter was an Ohio high and track (1952, ‘53 ’54). He won school track champion in the 100- and the MAC low hurdles championship 200-meter dashes. Hunter finished his three consecutive years, while placing career by earning first-team All-MAC in both high jump and the 100 yard honors and totaling 41 tackles as a dash. Drafted by the Philadelphia senior. •Dan Daub – Born in 1868 in Middletown, Daub broke into the Majors at the age of 24 on Aug. 31, 1892 with the Cincinnati Reds. He played at Denison University then went on to compile a 6-year career record of 45-52, playing his last five seasons for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. He died in 1951 and is buried in Hickory Flats Cemetery, Overpeck. •Gay Brewer – Born in Middletown (1932) and raised in Lexington, Ky., Brewer went to the University of Kentucky. As an amateur, he won the Kentucky State Boys Golf Championship three consecutive years from 1949-1951. In 1949, he also won the U.S. Junior Amateur Golf Championship, the most prestigious amateur event for golfers under the age of 18. He was on the PGA Tour from 1961-1972 and won the 1967 Masters Tournament and was part of the winning 1967 U.S. Ryder Cup team. At the 1966 Masters Tournament, he bogeyed the final hole to finish in a threeway tie for the lead after regulation play but ended up finishing third to Jack Nicklaus following an 18-hole playoff. Brewer’s 1966 performances earned him the Golf Digest’s Most Improved Golfer award and his 1967 performances earned him the Aug. 7 cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. He won the 1972 Canadian Open and was again part of the U.S. team that won the 1973 Ryder Cup. Overall, Brewer was victorious in 10 tour events during his career. He joined the Senior PGA Tour and won twice more. In 2006, Brewer was voted to the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame. Brewer died at his home in Lexington in 2007. •Jimmy Wynn – Born in Hamilton, a graduate of Taft High in Cincinnati, Butler County Sports Heroes Page 9 and in 2003 was inducted into the Pigskin-Roundball Spectacular Gold Medal Club. He died in 2008 at the age of 78. Jimmy Wynn was a 3-time all-star outfielder (1967, 1974, 1975) during a long career from 1963-77 with five teams. He was the 1974 National League Comeback Player of the Year and his No. 24 jersey has been retired by the Houston Astros. Dubbed the “Toy Cannon” for his big power in a small frame (5-9, 160), Wynn was drafted as a shortstop by his hometown Cincinnati Reds, but was swiped from their organization in the free agent draft by the Houston Colt .45s in 1962. •Thomas Howard – Born in Middletown and a graduate of Valley View High School in Germantown, Howard played 11 MLB seasons as an outfielder with six teams, including the Cincinnati Reds from 1993-96. Howard hit .264 with 44 home runs and 264 RBI. The 11th pick in the first round of the 1986 draft, Howard made his Major League debut with the San Diego Padres in 1990 at the age of 25. He also played for the Indians, Astros, Dodgers and Cardinals. On April 11, 2000 he hit the first grand slam at Minute Maid Park in Houston. •Alex “Boo” Ellis – Led the Hamilton Big Blue to a state championship during the 1953-54 season, scoring 56 points in two games in the state finals. He became the first HHS player to surpass 1,000 points in a career earlier in the playoffs and ended the season with school season marks for total points, scoring average and most points by a Big Blue player in a tournament game (29 twice). His 27 points in the championship game was also a state mark. He went on to have a stellar college career at Niagara University and played two years for the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBA. •Shelby Linville – Born in 1929 in Dayton, Ky., Linville moved to Shelby Linville in action for UK against Purdue. (Photo courtesy of bigbluehistory.net) Middletown at the age of 15. He quickly made his mark. At 6-foot5, Linville helped Middletown High win two state championships (1947, 1948) and was a key cog in the University of Kentucky’s 1951 national championship season. In his senior year of high school, Linville set a team record with 39 points against Dayton Fairview, a record that stood until Jerry Lucas broke it 10 years later. Linville was All-State as a junior and senior and Player of the Year in 1948. At UK, Linville averaged 10.4 points per game in his junior season and was named secondteam All-SEC and Honorable Mention AP All-American. But he is best remembered by Kentucky fans for his great performance in the NCAA Tournament that year. In the national semifinals against Illinois, Linville made the game-winning basket with 17 seconds remaining. The Wildcats went on to defeat Kansas State for the national championship, the school’s third. When his basketball career ended, Linville taught and coached basketball at several schools and started numerous churches, including one in Middletown. He is a member of Middletown High School and Butler County athletic halls of fame •Eddie Merchant – Earning varsity letters at Middletown High School in football, baseball and track, Eddie Merchant was a member of the 1950 Middies basketball team that won the district championship and played in the 1951 North-South All-Star Football Game. He played four years of football at Miami University where he was a fine running back. After two years for the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League, he coached football at Cleveland East Tech where he was twice selected Cleveland’s Coach of the Year. He also coached in the annual East-West All-Star Game. •Jim Lyttle – Born in Hamilton, Jim Lyttle went on to attend Florida State. He was a first round pick by the Yankees in 1966. Lyttle’s Major League Baseball career spanned 1971-1976 with four teams as an outfielder. •Pat Tabler – Born in Hamilton but played at McNicholas High, Tabler played 12 MLB seasons from 198192 as first baseman/outfielder/DH. He was selected in first round of 1976 draft by the Yankees and was an AllStar in 1987 for Cleveland. •Shawn Abner – Born in Hamilton but played for Mechanicsburg High, Abner was the first overall pick in the 1984 amateur draft by the Mets. He played in 392 games in 6 seasons with the Padres, Angels and White Sox. •Kason Gabbard – Born in Oxford, he had a 9-7 record in his first three MLB seasons with the Red Sox and Rangers. Drafted in 2000, his MLB Butler County Sports Heroes Page 10 debut came in 2006. Gabbard played high school baseball at Royal Palm Beach High School in Royal Palm Beach, Fla. •Mary Bowermaster – In 1980, one year after cancer surgery and at the age of 63, she competed in her first National Senior track and field event. When she was 67, the Fairfield resident held the Masters world record for high jump at 3 feet, 8 inches, and kept it for three years. After losing her record, she came back at age 70 to top her own record at 3 feet, 8 and onehalf inches. That record still stood 14 years later. When she was 70, she also broke the National Masters outdoor championship world record in long jump: 11 feet, 5 and threefourths inches. In 1999 in Orlando at the Nike’s World track and field event, Bowermaster, at age 82, got four world records in shot put, long jump, high jump and 100 meters. Just a few days earlier, she won all her events in the National Seniors. She’s been inducted into the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame (1992), the Ohio Women’s Sports Hall of Fame (1995), the Masters Hall of Fame (1999) and the Ohio Senior Citizen Hall of Fame, 62 years and up (2000). in 1900. He coached at the College of Wooster (1902-09), Ohio We s l e y a n (1902-11) and OSU (191219). St. John served on LYNN St. JOHN the Olympic basketball committee and served as chairman of the NCAA rules committee from 1912 to 1937. James Naismith served with him on that committee. The basketball arena at Ohio State University, where he coached (1912-19) and became Athletic Director in 1915, was named in his honor. He was AD until 1947 and was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1962 as a contributor. guided USC to five Rose Bowls and two national championships. Jones was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951. •Tyrice Walker – After graduating from Hamilton in 1990 with Ohio Basketball Player of the Year honors for that season, Walker played college basketball as a three-year starter for the Xavier Musketeers from 1990-94, where he averaged 15 points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished out three assists per game. Walker also led Xavier to four NCAA Tournament appearances in each of his four years as a Musketeer. Following college, Walker went to Europe, playing professional basketball for Poland. Walker achieved numerous MVP awards and team championships during his seven years overseas. He later coached high school basketball •Ricky Stone – A Hamilton High at North College Hill and was named Miami Hamilton head men’s product, Stone was 26 when he broke basketball coach in 2003. into the big leagues on Sept. 21, 2001 with the Houston Astros. A fourth round selection by the Dodgers in the •John Fraley – A Parade All1994 draft, through the 2007 season American basketball player following he had compiled an 11-9 record and an a stellar career for Middletown High, ERA of 4.68 in 220 appearances with he was selected first team All-Ohio the Astros, Padres and Reds as a relief in both 1967 and 1968 and named Ohio Player of the Year as a senior. At pitcher. After signing in May 2008 6-foot-5, he was recruited by powers •Lynn St. John – Born in with Taiwan’s Uni-President Lions Indiana and Kentucky but signed with Pennsylvania in 1876, Lynn went to of the Chinese Professional Baseball the Cincinnati Bearcats. He averaged Monroe Schools from 1892-1896. League, Stone was diagnosed with a 29 points as a high school junior and He attended college at Ohio State malignant brain tumor. 30 points as a senior. Fraley twice University, College of Wooster and scored 50 or more points in a game Starling (Ohio) Medical College. St. •Howard Jones – A native of and holds the Middie record with 40 John played halfback for Ohio State Excello (now part of Middletown), straight successful free throws. After Jones played at Yale and finishing college at the University of then began a long and Georgia, he coached track and cross storied coaching career country during a long teaching career between 1908-1940 at at Miamisburg High School. Fraley is Syracuse, Yale, Ohio State, a member of the Butler County Sports Iowa, Duke and Southern Hall of Fame. California, where he established the Trojans as a •Paul Walker – The Middletown college football power. He basketball coaching legend holds the Butler County Sports Heroes Page 11 state record for state championships with five (1947, 1952, 1953, 1956, and 1957). His Middie teams made a total of eight trips to the state tournament. He compiled a 564-137 record in 30 years as Middletown coach, including 76 straight wins from 1955 to 1958. His 41-year overall coaching record was 693-163. Walker was named national Coach of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association in 1973 and was named to its Hall of Fame. Three times Walker was named AP Ohio Coach of the Year. Paul helped found the Ohio High School Basketball Association and served as its first president and long-time secretary. •Brian Barber – Born in 1973 in Hamilton, Barber was 22 when he broke into the Majors in 1995 with St. Louis. A first round pick (22nd) in the 1991 draft he played two years with the Cardinals (1995, 1996) and two years with the Royals (1998, 1999). He was 5-8 in 26 MLB games. •Sam McConnell – Born in 1975 1966-67), Malone compiled the most victories in Ohio high school football history and 10th most all-time. His record of 360-117-8 includes the 1990 Division III state championship and runner-up finishes in both 1978 and 1980. Malone was a 1952 graduate of Hamilton Catholic, and went on to star in football at Xavier University where he was All-Irish/All-Catholic All-American in 1956. He holds XU’s record for longest kickoff return of 98 yards vs. the University of Cincinnati in 1956. two seasons. He pitched two games for the Pirates in 1896 and one game for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms in 1898. His career ERA was 9.75. •Jeff Hartsock – Born in 1966 in Fairfield, Hartsock was taken in the 7th round of the draft in 1988 after playing at North Carolina State. He was 25 when he broke into the Major Leagues on Sept.12, 1992 with the Chicago Cubs. However, Hartsock had just two MLB at-bats with no hits for his career. •Frank Lickliter II – A touring golf •Tad Albert Jones – Another professional since 1991, Middletownborn Lickliter has earned more than $11.3 million on the PGA Tour since his rookie year in 1996. He grew up playing Shaker Run in Middletown with his dad while living in Franklin. He went on to play at Wright State. His breakthrough season on the Tour came in 1998 when he had five top10s and over $600,000 in earnings. He has two PGA Tour wins to his credit, the 2001 Kemper Open and the 2003 Chrysler Classic. Over his long career he has entered 400 PGA events with two firsts, four seconds, three thirds, 43 top-10s and 96 top-25 finishes. in Middletown, McConnell played at Ball State and was drafted in the 11th round in 1997. He was 28 when he debuted in the Majors in 2004 with the Atlanta Braves. He pitched in 10 •Dave Swartzbaugh – This future games during the 2004 season, going Major Leaguer was born in 1968 in Middletown. Swartzbaugh went to 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA in 9.1 innings. Miami and was drafted in the 9th •Charlie DeArmond – Born in 1877 round by the Cubs in 1989. He was in Okeana, DeArmond was 26 when 27 when he made his Big League he broke into the big leagues on Sept. debut in 1995 with the Cubs. In three 19, 1903 with the Cincinnati Reds. He seasons with Chicago he went 0-3 hit .282 with 7 RBI but played just 11 in 15 appearances. He started seven games in the big leagues, all in 1903. times and has a career ERA of 5.72. He died in 1933 and is buried in the Shandon Cemetery in Shandon. •Elmer Horton – Horton was born in 1869 in Hamilton. He was 27 when •Terry Malone – During 45 years he broke into the Majors on Sept. as a head coach (1957-2003) of 24, 1896 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hamilton Catholic and Badin High Herky Jerky, as he was called, went School (formed through a merger in 0-3 in three Major League starts over product of Excello (Middletown) along with brother Howard, Tad starred at Middletown High and quarterbacked Yale University. He was named an All-American in 1907 and coached between 1909-1927 at Syracuse and Yale. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1958. •Kathy (Gordon) Lindsey – Beginning her coaching career at Talawanda High, from 1978 through 1983 her tennis teams went 44-4 with four consecutive league titles. But it was basketball she loved. She won one MML title at THS and then went on to become the first full-time women’s assistant basketball coach in Purdue history (1984-85). She was on the staff at Ohio State for 5 years (where she once played from 1975-1978, cocaptain her sr. year) and in 1990 was named head women’s basketball coach at the University of Illinois. She was 50-87 over 5 years and then returned to the prep ranks where she has a 219155 career record. She was named the head coach for the new program at Hilliard Bradley High School for the 2009-2010 season. Lindsey was inducted into the Talawanda Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002. Butler County Sports Heroes Page 12 Middletown’s Jerry Lucas, left, led Ohio State to the national title in 1960. (Photo Courtesy of the Ohio Historical Society) At right, the 1928 Darrtown team featured Walter “Smokey” Alston (back row, second from left) and won the county baseball championship. Courtesy of Darrtown.com Lakota grad Troy Evans, right, tries to make a tackle while playing for the Houston Texans. (Photo courtesy of the Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis, the first baseball commissioner, was born in Millville. Hamilton JournalNews) (Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress) Former Middie great Cris Carter speaks at the funeral of Todd Bell in 2005. Bell was an NFL Pro-Bowler, also from Middletown. (Photo courtesy of The Middletown Journal) A postcard from around 1938 depicts a baseball game under the lights at the American Rolling Mill Company’s (Armco) ball park, located behind the company’s general office and research buildings in Middletown. (Courtesy of The Ohio Historical Society)
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