Kayleen Fitzsimmons, Dave Wojcik, Penn Kurtz and Floyd Deaton are the newest group of Maroon Hall of Famers. They will join Eric Belancic, Terry Edwards and Jesse Smoulder who were announced as the initial trio of inductees for this year’s Hall of Fame Class.

All of the honorees will be feted during the Maroon Knights’ seventh Hall of Fame Brunch on Saturday, Sept. 16, sponsored by the Robinson Automotive Group at the CCHS Great Hall.

Only a limited number of tickets are available for this event and are $25 per person. They can be purchased by contacting the school at 304-233-1660 or stopping by between the hours of 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. during the month of August. They may also be purchased by calling Coach Mike Young at 304-312-9125.

The brunch begins at 10 a.m. Doors open at 9 a.m. It will be catered by Generations. The Wheeling Central Football Moms and cheerleaders will be assisting during the brunch.

Penn Kurtz

The Hall of Fame inductees will also be guests and recognized at halftime festivities at the Maroon Knights’ football game against Midland Trail on Friday, Sept. 15. The game will be played at Wheeling University’s Bishop Schmitt Field.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Previous Wheeling Central Hall of Fame inductees are invited to the game and brunch. If interested in attending, contact either the school number or Coach Young. Next week, another group of Hall of Fame honorees will be announced.

PENN KURTZ (Medina High Class of 1973) – Kurtz ranks near the top of all-time successful girls’ basketball coaches in OVAC history, serving 28 years as head coach at Wheeling Central after a seven-year stint as an assistant.

His coaching career is steeped in unequaled success.

Dave Wojcik

Kurtz retired from coaching following the 2019-20 season with an ultra impressive head coaching career record of 517-257 record.

Under Kurtz’ tutelage, the Maroon Knights qualified for an OVAC-record 25 West Virginia State Tournaments on the strength of winning sectional and regional titles.

Wheeling Central participated in 10 state championship games under Kurtz, winning three Class A crowns (2004, 2008 and 2018) while finishing as the runner-up seven times (1994, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2005, 2012 and 2015).

Kurtz-coached teams pocketed eight OVAC championships (1994, 1998, 2005, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2020). That impressive totals ranks second most in OVAC history.

His 517 wins at the Central helm are the second most in conference history to OVAC Hall of Famer Stan Blankenship of John Marshall.

Floyd Deaton

Kurtz, a graduate of Ohio University, was a finalist for the Bill Van Horne Wheeling News-Register OVAC Coach of the Year Award in 2008 and 2018.

The Wheeling Central Hall of Fame induction for Kurtz comes on the heels of him being enshrined into the OVAC Hall of Fame in August.

DAVE WOJCIK (CLASS OF 1987) – Be it a player or a coach, Wojcik scripted a sparkling hardwood career at Central.

The savvy guard was a three-year standout hoopster for the Maroon Knights. He was selected to the All-Valley Sophomore Team before gaining first-team All-Valley and All-OVAC honors as a junior. He was also named to the first-team All-Tournament Team in Charleston.

Things got even better for Wojcik in his final season performing for Central. He helped to guide the Maroon Knights to the WVSSAC Class AA state championship.

Wojcik bagged a truckload of honors that winter, gaining first-team plaudits to the OVAC, All-State, All-Valley and All-Tournament teams. Moreover, he was named a McDonald’s Baseball All-American selection.

Wojcik went on to play collegiately at Loyola University of Maryland. He owns the distinction of being the only player in Loyola history to record a triple double (14 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. He graduated Loyola with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Wojcik returned to Central as head basketball coach. He again enjoyed much success, guiding his Maroon charges to back-to-back state championships in the 2002 and 2003 campaigns.

His prep coaching success proved a springboard to collegiate coaching. He was an assistant at Wake Forest before becoming associate head coach at Boise State.

Wojcik then landed the head coaching gig at San Jose State. He guided the Spartans four years before becoming head coach at Linsly School.

Wojcik has again displayed his coaching magic at the Leatherwood-based campus. He has directed the Cadets to OVAC championships the past two seasons.

KAYLEEN FITZSIMMONS (Class of 2005) – Wheeling Central girls’ basketball’s rich and illustrious history is filled with many star-studded hoopsters. Fitzsimmons unquestionably rates with the best ever to perform on the hardwood for Central – male or female.

Fitzsimmons authored an amazing four-year career, becoming the school’s all-time leading girls’ scorer with 1,831 points. Just as important, her individual greatness yielded unparalleled team success.

The high-octane guard helped to carry the Lady Knights to their first-ever state basketball championship (2004). Central was state runner-up her sophomore and junior campaigns.

Individually, the hoop dynamo collected as many individual honors as possible. She was first team All-OVAC all four seasons, first-team All-Valley in 2003, 2004 and 2005 after being a second-team selection as a frosh.

Moreover, Fitzsimmons was first-team All-State honoree as a junior and senior while making the state All-Tournament team her final three campaigns.

Her single-game highs were 43 points and eight three-point field goals.

Such tremendous success didn’t go unnoticed by college recruiters. She selected Cornell, the paths her brothers had previously chosen, turning down a bevy of other big-school offers.

Fitzsimmons made her presence felt on the D-I collegiate level as well, despite battling through some injury issues. She worked into the Big Red starting lineup as a freshman, earning two Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors that campaign, leading her to be named to the Ivy League’s All-Rookie Team.

As a junior, Fitzsimmons led Cornell to its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth, falling to powerhouse UConn.

Fitzsimmons earned All-Ivy League honors twice and is Cornell’s all-time leader in three-point field goals and three-point shooting percentage.

Fitzsimmons has subsequently distinguished herself as a successful businesswoman. She is the Board of Trade property manager and general manager of the WKKX/WVLY radio stations (The Watchdog).

FLOYD DEATON – He built a prep volleyball powerhouse at Wheeling Central before doing the same at Xavier University. Deaton, however, was more than a volleyball guru. He was a former standout athlete, an energizing motivator and cherished friend.

Deaton died unexpectedly in 2020. He was 65.

The Wheeling native left behind a legacy of volleyball coaching greatness. But Deaton was much more. He enjoyed a standout football playing career, was a multi-sport coach, superb teacher and a friend to many.

The 1973 Wheeling High grad began coaching football, track and volleyball while teaching at Wheeling Central in the 1980s. He guided the Maroon Knight girls’ track team to the 1982 state championship, the first in school annals.

He also developed a passion for volleyball, a winter-time sport in those days in West Virginia as girls’ hoops was played in the fall. Deaton built Central into a net power. His Knights won three straight OVAC Class 2A titles: 1988, 1989 and 1990.

Deaton was the OVAC Volleyball Coach-of-the Year on three occasions: 1978, 1988, 1990.

That success enabled Deaton to land the Xavier University head job in Cincinnati, a position he held for 20 years, developing a winning program.

Deaton scripted a remarkable stint as Xavier’s head coach. He is the winningest coach in school history with 411 victories. He was a four-time selection as Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year and led Xavier to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2001. The Musketeers also reached the tournament in 2007.

His Xavier teams captured two Atlantic 10 regular season titles (1998, 2004) and a conference tournament championship (2001). Deaton was selected Atlantic 10 Coach-of-the-Year on four occasions.During his two-decade volleyball tenure in the Queen City, Deaton coached 48 all-conference selections, three A-10 Players of the Year, four A-10 Student-Athletes of the Year and nine Academic All-America All-District selections.