Three Locals Inducted to Hall of Fame
By DOUG HUFF, For The News-Register
POSTED: May 25, 2008
Three multi-sport athletes from the 1940s and 1950s decades will be inducted into the fifth class of the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Hall of Fame.
Selected for the 1940s is Tom Keane, who graduated from Linsly Military Institute in 1945. Chosen for the 1950’s decade are Nick Mumley of Wheeling High (1955) and Tom Yakubowski of Adena (1958).
Tom Rataiczak, Executive Secretary of the OVAC, announced the three honorees will be recognized at the annual OVAC Hall of Fame banquet on August 16 at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling.
Keane will be recognized posthumously. Mumley, a resident of Columbus, Ind., and Yakubowksi, a resident of Akron, Ohio, plan to attend the fete.
The OVAC Hall of Fame, sponsored by Bob Robinson Chevrolet-Cadillac in Wheeling, and the OVAC Sports Museum are located inside WesBanco Arena.
Previously announced as 2008 Hall of Fame inductees are Bob Kettlewell and John Craig, coaches; Bill Thomas, official; Bob Hedmond, OVAC Family; and Jimmy Stewart, media. The Legends of the OVAC honorees are Ernie Bell, John Blatnik, George Burgwin, Kenny Griffith and Jim Keane, brother of inductee Tom Keane.
Previous inductees into the 1940’s Decade era have been Ken Alessi, Alex Groza, Bob Gain, and Joe Fortunato.
Previous inductees into the 1950’s Decade era were John Havlicek, Bill Mazeroski, Chuck Howley, Dick Miller, Phil Niekro, Lee Patrone, Don Fleming, and John Reger.
Capsule summaries of this year’s honorees, with school and class, follow:
TOM KEANE (Linsly, 1944)—The Bellaire native was a multi-sport standout for the Cadets and earned All-OVAC basketball and football on the first selections in 1943-44. He also was an All-City basketball selection. As a senior on a 7-4 record Cadets football team, the two-way back and punter returned a pass interception 106 yards to score in an 8-6 victory against Warwood.
He enrolled at Ohio State where he lettered as a freshman before serving 20 months in the U.S. Navy. Upon discharge, he enrolled at West Virginia. and lettered in 1946 and 1947 and became a rare letterman at both OSU and WVU.
Keane was a third-round pick, and 18th overall National Football League Draft selection by the Los Angeles Rams in 1948. He played eight NFL seasons, and 87 games, as a defensive back-offensive end including the first four with the Rams. In 1952, he played with the Dallas Texans before two years with the Baltimore Colts and ended his career in 1955 with the Chicago Cardinals. He was a two-time All-Pro and played in the 1953 Pro Bowl, ranked second in the NFL in pass interceptions twice, and played in three NFL championship games including the 1951 Rams’ title team. From 1948-52, both Keane brothers competed in the NFL.
He was a longtime assistant coach in the NFL including Chicago Cardinals from 1957-59, Pittsburgh 1965 and was an original member of the Miami Dolphins’ staff in 1966 where he remained through 1985 as defensive backs and special teams’ coach.
In 1962, he became the first head coach of the Wheeling Ironmen and served until joining the Steelers’ staff. The Ironmen went 9-4 in 1962 before winning the United Football League title with a 12-1 record in 1963. In 1964, the Ironmen were 7-7.
Keane died at age 74 in 2001.
NICK MUMLEY (Wheeling, 1955)—One of the most honored three-sport athletes in the long history of Wheeling High, he starred in football, basketball and track. He was first team all-state in football (end) and basketball (center) as a senior and won two state one-class shot put titles while setting an OVAC shot put record of 53-feet, 5 1/2 inches. He also won two OVAC shot put crowns and was an All-OVAC football selection and twice an honoree in basketball as well as a two-time All-City basketball choice.
As a Wildcats senior in 1955, he was the anchor of the final team coached by OVAC Legends’ honoree Everett Brinkman which won its first 18 games before bowing in the regular season finale at Bellaire. The OVAC title team won the sectional and regional titles before bowing in the first round of the state tournament to Mullens and finished with a 22-2 record.
He earned a football scholarship to Purdue, where he lettered three years as a regular two-way end. He was the 51st overall NFL Draft pick in 1959 by the Philadelphia Eagles but opted to play in the new American Football League where he competed three seasons from 1960-62 with the New York Titans, a forerunner of the Jets.
TOM YAKUBOWSKI (Adena, 1958)—A three-sport standout for the Golden Wave who starred in the first year the school joined the conference, which expanded to three classes in 1957-58.
At Adena, he was a three-sport team captain in football, basketball and baseball and earned 11 letters—four each in football and baseball and three in basketball. The 1957 Adena football team went 6-2-2 and won the OVAC Class A crown. He was a fullback-linebacker-quarterback in football and a two-time All-Valley Small School selection as well as All-OVAC as a senior. He was the MVP of the 1958 Ohio-W.Va. All-Star game won by Ohio, 25-0. He scored 13 points and starred as fullback-linebacker.
In basketball, he was an All-East Ohio honoree and averaged 19.2 points as a senior. In baseball, the pitcher-infielder was an All-Ohio selection as a senior when he pitched in the East-West All-Star game in Columbus. He led the Golden Wave to a 12-1 record, losing the regional finals to Northwestern High and future major league pitcher Dean Chance. He hurled 32 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings in tournament play, which ranks second in the Ohio High School record book.
He earned a football scholarship to Purdue University, where he lettered as a sophomore and senior fullback-linebacker and had a series of knee injuries. He was second on the team in rushing (310 yards) as a sophomore. He also played baseball one season. Yakubowski competed in the 1962 Blue-Gray All-Star Football Game and tried out as a free agent with the Buffalo Bills.
Yakubowski later had a 37-year education career as a teacher, coach and administrator.
