Three OVAC Grid Aides Inducted into OVFCA Hall
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STEUBENVILLE -- Be it at any level, football coaching can be a grind. For grid assistants it also can be a nomadic and an under-the-radar profession.
But any head coach worth his weight will tell you they are only as good as their staff.
The Ohio Valley Football Coaches Association is doing its part to help shine the spotlight on dedicated assistant coaches. The OVFCA held its 37th annual banquet Sunday afternoon at Steubenville High School and inducted three more deserving coaches into the group's Assistant Coaches Hall of Fame.
This year's inductees are Blair Closser of Buckeye Local, Tim Tisher of River and Bill Ewusiak of Brooke High. This marks the third class to join the hall.
Closser was introduced by former Buckeye Local head coach Phil Pest. Closser served as an assistant in the Buckeye Local School District for 29 seasons.
"I want to thank my wife and my sons for their support for those 29 years. There are a lot of people and coaches who helped me along the way, but there is one coach I want to recognize.
"Bill McHugh gave me my first opportunity to be a coach back in 1978," he added. "He mentored me early on and had a big influence on me."
Closser served as a defensive coordinator for 18 seasons. During that time, Buckeye compiled a brilliant 125-61-1 record.
Closser is a man who wears many hats. The retired educator and principal is also a volunteer firefighter and the current mayor of Yorkville.
Tisher was introduced by the two head coaches he has worked under -- Mike Flannery and Terry Snively. All told, the former Pilot athlete has been on the River sidelines for 32 seasons.
"I want to thank my wife for all her support," Tisher said. "Also, I thank Coach Snively and Coach Flannery for having me on their staffs. It's been fun working with them."
Ewusiak, meanwhile, was introduced by Brett McLean. The current St. Clairsville head coach was a standout player for Ewusiak during the Brooke glory days. Ewusiak was a star gridder at Follansbee High and Fairmont State before settling in for a four-decade Brooke coaching career which commenced in 1968.
During that time, the Bruins won three state championships and were runnerup on three more occasions. They also won 11 OVAC banners.
"I have to start by thanking my wife of 44 years. She was great every step of the way," Ewusiak said. "I worked for a lot of great coaches and coached a lot of great players like Brett.
"Coaching is a great ride," he continued. "I encourage you players here today to jump on that train. It is a lot of fun."
Closser, Tisher and Ewusiak join previous hall enshrinees Bill Bruney, Paul Filtz, Bob Radacovich and C.L. Strahl (Class of 2015) and Chuck Briggs and David Schuerman (Class of 2016).
In addition to the HOF enshrinements, all gridders earning first-team all-OVAC honors this fall received a plaque at the luncheon. Also, the OVAC title-winning coaches were awarded plaques.
Steubenville's Reno Saccoccia and Wheeling Central's Mike Young served as hosts for the event. They were assisted by Martins Ferry's Dave Bruney, Indian Creek's Andrew Connor and David "Ty" Fleming of Shadyside High fame.
Saccoccia was presented an impressive trophy for leading the Big Red to the state title game this past season.
BUBBA'S BITS
∫ It was announced at the banquet that the OVAC Spring Football Recruiting Night will be held Wednesday, April 26 from 6-9 p.m. at Generations in Wheeling.
∫ Congratulations go out to Wheeling Park's head football coach Chris Daugherty for being selected to coach in the West Virginia North-South Classic this June. Daugherty did a great job last summer, guiding the West Virginia squad to victory in the OVAC Rudy Mumley All-Star Game. That comes on the heels of leading his Patriots to the 2015 Class AAA state crown, the first in school annals.
∫ The Wheeling Oglebay Tennis Club is sponsoring and presenting the 2017 OVAC High School Tennis Kick-Off. It is being staged on Saturday, Feb. 18 at the Wheeling Park Tennis Dome. It is open to all prospective OVAC high school tennis players. Registration is at 12:30 p.m. with the program running from 1-3 p.m. George Frazier will discuss fitness training while West Liberty tennis coach Sam McCullough will demonstrate drill and match play.
∫ The Los Angeles Rams last week hired Washington Redskins' offensive coordinator Sean McVay as their new head coach. McVay (30) becomes the youngest head coach in NFL history. His grandfather, John McVay, is a Bellaire native and former head coach of the New York Giants. He was inducted into the 49ers Hall of Fame for his success in the team's front office, helping construct the 49ers' rosters that won five Super Bowls in the 1980s and 1990s.
∫ Former Wheeling Central hoop standout Boyd Bibey is enjoying a fine hoop season at Concordia University in Ann Arbor. The sweet-shooting guard netted a career-high 14 points last week in a three-point loss to Madonna College. Bibey tallied 12 points earlier this year in a win against University of Michigan-Dearborn. The talented sophomore has played in all of the Cardinals' 19 games this season.