Article found in the Daily News-Digest Monday Oct. 13, 1952

Grid Injuries Prove Fatal To Chesapeake Boy

Injuries suffered in a football game Friday night at Chesapeake proved fatal to James Russel Carter, 18 of Proctorville.

Young Carter, whose birthday was Saturday, died at five minutes after midnight Sunday as the result of a brain injury sustained in a scrimmage in the third quarter of a game between his team from Fairland High School of Proctorville and Portsmouth East High School's squad.

They injury affected his respiratory system and an iron lung was rushed from the Morris Memorial Hospital at Milton in an effort to save his life.

He will be buried in Spring Hill Cemetery Tuesday following funeral services at 2 p.m. at the Twentieth Street Baptist Church. His friends may call the Schneider Funeral Home in Chesapeake.

The youth is survived by his parents Mr. and Mrs. William Carter of Proctorville; two sisters. Mrs. Doris Lee Cole of Pittsburg, and Mary Lou Carter, Proctorville; his brother Arnold Garry Carter, Proctorville, and his maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Wood Cook of Jesse, WV.

Edmund Wilgus, principal of the Fairland High School where Carter was a senior announced that classes will be dismissed at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday in order that classmates of the young man may attend the funeral. Members of the football team will be pallbearers, and majorettes and members of the band will be flower bearers.

James Carter wore #60 while playing for Fairland High School and as of the 2010 season the #60 will never be worn again at Fairland High School 

Article found in the Herald Dispatch in 1958

Patrons will 'Buy' Lights For Fairland

    Through the efforts of the Dragon Boosters Club of Fairland High School, the football field of the new school will have lights when school opens in the fall.
    Robert E. White, chairman of the committee in charge of raising the necessary funds, said 20 members of the club have agreed to sign a note to borrow $12,000 from the Chesapeake Bank. the papers will be signed tomorrow at 7:30 PM at the school.
    THE NOTE will be paid off with money raised by the club through various fund-raising activities.
    The club has already raised $4,500 since last October through carnivals and other events.
    Mr. White said the poles and electrical equipment will be purchased and installed this summer.
    In the past the Fairland football team has used the Chesapeake field for its games.  

Fairland Play's in the Ironton Lions Club Preview (1959)

While going through some of my old programs, I noticed one about the Ironton Lions Club's Annual Football Preview held at Tanks Memorial Stadium, then known as Beechwood Stadium. The Preview included 8 teams
and 7 marching bands. The teams involved were; Fairland, Coal Grove, South Point, Oak Hill, Chesapeake, St Joseph, Rock Hill and Ironton. All schools had a band with the exception of St Joseph. 

Harris resigns as FHS football coach

Staff

Tuesday, November 09, 1999

When Jack Harris took over as the head football coach of the Fairland Dragons in 1993, he implemented a wide-open offense that was heavy on the passing game.

Monday night at the Fairland Board of Education meeting, Harris submitted his resignation as the coach to devote fulltime attention to coaching the girls basketball program.

"I had fun. We gave some coaches some sleepless nights," said Harris. "One thing I can describe my football career would be with an old Blue Eyes (Frank Sinatra) song, 'I did it my way.' I have no regrets about what we did. We might have opened things up in the league and taught people to play pass defense."

Harris coached the Dragons for just six seasons, but compiled a 40-20 record during that short span. His teams won two Ohio Valley Conference championships and earned the school's only Ohio High School Athletic Association postseason football playoff berth in his first year when he introduced the league to his high-powered passing attack.

"In 1992 this was still primarily a running league. Now you look and see what teams are doing like Chesapeake who's throwing the ball all over the field," said Harris. "It was exciting for the kids, the coaches, and the fans. I feel we were very successful."

The Dragons were 2-7 this past season, the only losing season during Harris' tenure. However, Harris indicated prior to the season that this would be his final year.

"I never got in it to coach football the rest of my life. I wasn't seeking the job, I was asked to coach," said Harris. "The board made it easy for me, coach (Roger) Snyder gave me a tremendous amount of help, and I got a lot of help from the coaches and people around me."

Harris will now turn all his attention toward his first love: basketball.

Harris coached boys basketball for 18 seasons and posted a 225-165 record with five OVC championships and two regional appearances. He coached the girls team for two seasons and won two league titles. He will again coach the girls team this season.

His two daughters, Ashley, a junior, and Holley, a freshman, will be on the girls' varsity and junior varsity rosters.

"It's just time. I've got two girls in high school and I wasn't able to devote time for them. It was my time to get out," said Harris. "With the kids coming back next year, they'll be prepared to do better."

Harris isn't sure who the heir apparent will be, but he would like to see the board hire assistant coach Bryan Ward who served as the interim head coach last season during Harris' one-year hiatus from coaching.

"Bryan has done a heck of a job for me through the years and I love him like a brother. I'm hoping they give him the job," said Harris.

Harris was off the job last season when the Fairland Board of Education suspended him as the team's coach after reports of alleged improper activity.

The board suspended him from teaching, but shortly thereafter reinstated him as a teacher and told him he would be allowed to reapply for his coaching jobs when the investigation failed to unveil any conclusive evidence.

Capper will play at Air Force Academy

Staff

Thursday, February 03, 2000

The Fairland Dragons 6-foot-4, 240-pound senior lineman has been accepted to play at the Air Force in what he termed "an easy decision."

After a visit on Dec. 3, Capper said his choice became clear.

"Everything was first class. And I started thinking toward my future after football," said Capper who will have a military commitment after his five years of college football.

"There's a lot more structure and character development. You learn a lot more about yourself and it challenges you."

The five-year commitment after college doesn't bother Capper. In fact, he sees it as a major advantage.

"I'd like to go to law school and the benefits are great. I don't mind sacrificing a little for the big picture," said Capper.

Carrying a 3.6 grade point average, Capper had talked with other schools including Stanford which is known for its academics.

But the Air Force was his first choice because of its academics and football tradition.

"They've been in postseason bowls 10 out the last 15 years. It's big time," said Capper.

Capper, an All-Ohio selection this past season, played offensive and defensive tackle. He said the Air Force has talked to him about playing defensive line, but mentioned the possibility of played some tight end.

"I've never played tight end, but they came and saw me play basketball and thought I moved pretty well," said Capper. "Their weight program is very impressive. They don't get the 300 pound linemen, so they put weight on you."

Capper is the Dragons leading scorer and rebounder on a 9-4 team.

Fairland hires Ward as football coach

Staff

Tuesday, March 14, 2000

PROCTORVILLE - The revolving door for Bryan Ward has stopped again, and it's stopping right where he wants it.

The "in, out, and back in" coaching carousel stopped at "in" Monday when the Fairland Board of Education hired Ward 5-0 as the Dragons head football coach.

"I'm excited about getting it back again. This is the job most coaches want, their alma mater," Ward said. "I feel fortunate to get it."

After nine years as an assistant coach for the Dragons, Ward coached the team during the 1998 season when Jack Harris was off for that campaign. When Harris returned, Ward remained as an assistant.

But Harris announced his resignation following this past season to devote more time to coaching the girls basketball team.

Ward plans to keep his staff intact with Jeff Gorby and J. D. Dinwiddie. He'll add a third coach at a later date.

"We looking forward to it. The assistants are in place, we've remodeled the locker room. Coach Gorby and Coach Dinwiddie did that. Now we just have to get everyone eligible," said Ward.

"If we can get everyone eligible, we can be pretty solid. We'll be two-deep at every backfield position. We're not deep up front, but the kids we have are quality kids. We can be a team to be reckoned with, but a lot of that depends on if we can get everyone eligible."

Harris had an outstanding career during his six-year tenure, but his key contribution may have been his high-powered passing attack that changed the approach of teams in the Ohio Valley Conference. Ward said he learned a great deal for Harris and former coach Roger Snyder, and he plans to utilize some of his predecessors' philosophies.

"I definitely will take some from Jack and some from Roger. They were both great coaches in their own way. And I can still go back to them when I need to. Jack's offered to help on Friday night's in the booth and Roger said he will help whenever he can," said Ward.

"And you'll see a lot of the same sets, the same offense, and the 4-4 defense. We'll have to go on the ground more. We won't have the personnel to throw like in the past, but we're still going to throw."

Ward, who was 4-6 during his previous stint as the head coach, has only a handful of starters returning from last year's 2-7 squad.

"I know what to expect this time. The last time it was such an impromptu thing. It was thrown in my lap. Now we can get with the kids in the high school and junior high kids and get them to play and get them eligible. That's been our downfall in the past few years. We've had kids ineligible in the past," said Ward.

Holmes' death will be loss felt by all

Staff

Friday, February 22, 2002

Just before walking out of the Ironton Middle School Tuesday afternoon, Greg Arden couldn't resist shouting a barb at Glenn Holmes. As always, Holmes, in his characteristic deadpan expression, responded with his own jab.

They grinned at each other and headed home.

But later that day, the 42-year-old Holmes suffered a heart attack and died. It left an entire school feeling empty, dismayed, and sad.

The loss of Glenn Holmes was felt most by those whom he taught each day in the classroom. Those students chose to write heart felt messages on the blackboard in his room.

They filled the entire board and could have filled several more.

"You taught us more than Math. You taught us about life," was one message.

How true that was.

Holmes also handled a lot of discipline problems. Those students only knew him through that gray light. But little did they understand that Glenn Holmes was only trying to make them better students and better people. The students may not believe it, but Holmes was very concerned about all the students, even those who just passed him in the hallway.

And Holmes didn't just help students. He was always willing to help those around him. They merely had to ask.

Besides his job as a teacher, Glenn Holmes was an assistant high school track coach for Ironton and girls eighth grade basketball coach. Early in his career he was an assistant football coach at Fairland.

Holmes didn't put up any big numbers as a coach, but he did an excellent job. He was knowledgeable and was a disciplinarian. He wanted the students to represent the school in a classy manner. Nothing angered him more than an ill-mannered player.

Many times discipline is misread as someone being mean. But it is actually the best way for someone to prove how much they care. Making students or athletes do the right thing is a great lesson they need to learn to make it in the real world.

Holmes' death wasn't going to have the impact of someone like Dale Earnhardt, at least on the national scene.

But in terms of how he cared for his students and players and how much of an impact he had on those youths because of what he taught them, the impact of Holmes' death would be hard to measure.

My daughter played seventh grade basketball so I got to see Holmes at work on the court. I knew she would be in good hands for her eighth grade season. Now, all we can do is just clasp our hands and pray.

Jim Walker is sports editor of The Ironton Tribune.

Congratulations, good luck to playoff teams

Staff

Published Thursday, October 30, 2003

Tribune editorial staff

During the fall, many Lawrence County residents catch high school football fever. This weekend, more fans than ever are going to catch playoff fever.

Last week marked the end of the 2003 regular season and a record number of county high school teams qualified for the Ohio playoffs. While most counties of similar size are only sending one, or perhaps, two teams to the playoffs, five Lawrence County teams - Ironton, Rock Hill, Fairland, Symmes Valley and Chesapeake - will be playing postseason games either Friday or Saturday.

When the football season began, players and their coaches on every county team had dreams of making it to the playoffs. Five of our seven county schools realized this dream.

For Ironton fans, the playoff experience is nothing new as the Fighting Tigers have qualified for the playoffs 22 times, the second most in state history. They will play host to intra-county rival Rock Hill, making its second playoff appearance.

Chesapeake, making its sixth playoff appearance and third in a row, will host playoff regular Wheelersburg Friday night. The Symmes Valley Vikings, who qualified for their third playoff berth, will travel to Centerburg while Fairland, making its second playoff appearance, will play at Martins Ferry.

We salute all five of these teams for having outstanding seasons and wish all of them the best of luck. Unfortunately, the best we can hope for is four of the five teams advancing as either Ironton or Rock Hill will be eliminated.

Regardless of how this weekend's games turn out, we congratulate each and every player and coach on these teams for outstanding seasons.We are proud of each of these teams and are sure each will represent Lawrence County well.

We encourage residents in each of these school districts to get behind their team and cheer these young men on to victory.

Local teams dominate playoff selections

Staff

Published Monday, October 27, 2003

Lawrence County could stake claim as the Playoff Capital of 2003.

Of the eight schools playing football, five qualified for the Ohio High School postseason playoffs officially announced Sunday.

The Ironton Fighting Tigers, Rock Hill Redmen and Fairland Dragons all qualified in Region 15 of Division IV. The Chesapeake Panthers are a Region 19 Division V qualifier and the Symmes Valley Vikings got a postseason berth in Region 23 of Division VI.

The total is the most teams Lawrence County has ever qualified for the playoffs in one season.

Ironton is the most experienced at the postseason. This will mark Ironton's 23rd appearance.

Chesapeake is making its sixth playoff appearance, Symmes Valley is in its third, and Rock Hill and Fairland have now qualified twice.

One school is guaranteed to be eliminated because Ironton (9-1) will host Rock Hill (7-3) at 7 p.m. Saturday. Fairland (7-3) travels to Martins Ferry (8-2) at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Chesapeake (8-2) gets a home game against nearby Wheelersburg (8-2) at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Symmes Valley (9-1) is on the road, too. The Vikings play at Centerburg (7-3) at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The top four teams in each region host a first round playoff game. The top seed plays No. 8, No. 2 plays No. 7, then it's 3-6 and 4-5. The winner of 1-8 goes against the 4-5 winner while 2-7 faces 3-6. Survivors meet for the regional championship on Friday, Nov. 14, and Saturday, Nov. 15.

State semifinals are the weekend of Nov. 21-22 and the state championship games are Nov. 28-29.

Divisions I, III and V games are played on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. while Divisions II, IV and VI play on Saturdays at 7 p.m.

The state championship schedule will be as follows:

Friday, Nov. 28, 11 a.m. Division V (Massillon); 3:30 p.m. Division III (Canton); 8 p.m. Division II (Massillon);

Saturday, Nov. 29, 11 a.m. Division VI (Canton): 3:30 p.m. Division IV (Massillon); 8 p.m. Division I (Canton).

Ticket prices have increased to $6 for all regional games, and $7 for state semifinal and championship games.

Wilcoxon hired as new Fairland football coach

Staff

Published Thursday, June 17, 2004

PROCTORVILLE - Forget the eye doctor. Brent Wilcoxon is certain his vision is 20-20 when it comes to coaching football.

After viewing various job openings, Wilcoxon spotted the one he wanted and saw his wish come true as he was hired Monday to be the head football coach of the Fairland Dragons.

"It's the job I've been eying for quite a while. It worked out. The football and science jobs were both available at the same time," Wilcoxon said.

Fairland won't be the first school in the Ohio Valley Conference for Wilcoxon. He spent several seasons as an assistant coach in the league and two years as a head coach.

"I like being back in the county. I enjoyed my first go 'round and there are some new faces and some renewed excitement in the conference. There are now three new coaches among the six teams. It's an exciting time to get back in the conference," Wilcoxon said.

Fairland was 7-4 last season and earned a Division IV playoff berth. Wilcoxon wants to use last year as a springboard to additional success.

"They had a taste of success. I hope they're not completely satisfied. I'm hoping our goals are higher. I want to win the conference and make it back to the playoffs," Wilcoxon said.

Wilcoxon, 41, brings a wide-range background with plenty of success of his own.

He spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Logan and then one season as a graduate assistant at Ohio University.

The next two seasons were at Richmond County in North Carolina where the program won back-to-back state championships. The second season had Richmond County ranked No. 4 in USA Today.

Wilcoxon also worked two seasons as an assistant at Warren Local, three years at Chesapeake, and last year he coached at SEOAL champion Gallipolis.

In between Chesapeake and Gallipolis was a two-year stint as the South Point head football coach. All Wilcoxon did in his first season was win the school's first Ohio Valley Conference championship since 1981 and first outright title since 1980.

As an All-Ohio player, Wilcoxon was the starting quarterback and defensive end for the 1979 Ironton Class AA state championship team.

Wilcoxon replaces Bryan Ward who did not seek to return to the job.

Hatfield wins Iron Man of the Week award

Staff

Published Saturday, November 3, 2007

PROCTORVILLE — Cole Hatfield was all he could be.

With a strong offensive performance and big defensive play, the Fairland Dragons junior quarterback and defensive back has earned the U.S. Army Iron Man of the Week award.

The weekly award, sponsored by Jostens, is given to someone playing and excelling on both offense and defense.

Last week, Hatfield

was 17-of-32 for 376 yards and five touchdowns on offense and returned a fumble 55 yards for a score as the Dragons outlasted rival Chesapeake 62-48.

“Cole played well and made some big plays. He won the award for the week and now he’s in the running for the Iron Man of the Year award. That’s a nice honor whether he wins the award or not,” said Fairland coach Brent Wilcoxon .

Weekly winners are eligible for the yearly honor as the Army Iron Man of the Year.

Fans can vote for the award until 5 p.m. Sunday by going on line at www.TheSportsFlash.com

Snyder returns to the sidelines

Proctorville, Ohio – After 15 seasons Coach Roger Snyder has decided to return to the sidelines as the head football coach at Fairland High School where he is currently the Athletic Director and the head baseball coach.  Snyder had previously coached the Dragons from 1981 to 1992. During those 12 seasons he recorded a winning season every year except one and he beat Chesapeake 10 out of the 12 times they played . He was also an assistant coach under head coach Bryan Ward during the 1998 and 2002 seasons. When Snyder graduated from Marshall University in 1968, where he played under former Marshall Coach Charlie Snyder and was a Letterman his senior season, he decided to pursue a career in teaching and coaching. He decided to take an assistant football coaching job at Fairland under then head coach Jim Mayo. In the fall of 1971 he returned home to his alma mater Ravenswood to become an assistant coach under Fred Taylor where he was able to win a West Virginia State Championship. In the fall of 1973 Coach Snyder took his first head coaching position at Bradford High School in southwestern Ohio. Snyder would turn the program around leading the Railroaders to their first winning season in several years. Then in 1977 he and his wife Donna decided to return to the Tri-state area, where he would take over the Raceland football program for the next four seasons leading the Rams to the playoffs each year. In 1981 the Fairland job opened up and gave Snyder the opportunity to return to Proctorville to Coach the Mighty Dragons. This was his opportunity to continue the winning tradition that his former boss Coach Mayo had started. He would go on to coach several Fairland football players including his son Brent Snyder who graduated in 1993 subsequently leading to his retirement after the 1992 season. Snyder accumulated a 71-47 record during his time at Fairland.

Snyder said he is eager to get started this football season. His biggest adjustment is getting the kids to ‘buy the product that he has to sell’. Since Coach Snyder has won 115 football games as a head coach his product would be something that every player should buy. “The games early in the season will be key to how our season will play out. We have some great competition on the schedule and this will only help us get better before conference play”, Snyder said. Every football fan will have the last game of the season circled on the calendar this season as the Coal Grove Hornets visit Fairland for a match up between two of the most winning football coaches in the Ohio Valley Conference. Coach Dave Lucas of Coal Grove who has over 200 career wins could this be a match-up like the one they had in 1984 where the crowd overflowed onto Fairland’s track. This will be the chance for Lawrence County fans to witness two great coaches squaring off once again.

photo by Kent Sanborn

Coal Grove defensive back Oakie Haynes (34) breaks up a pass to Fairland wide receiver Aaron Ward. Fairland beat Coal Grove to create a three-way tie for the OVC championship between Coal Grove, Fairland and South Point.

Fairland creates 3-way tie for OVC title

Staff

Originally published 11:33 p.m., October 25, 2008
Updated 11:33 p.m., October 25, 2008

PROCTORVILLE — Roger Snyder came out of retirement for one more season, and he coached his final game Friday night.

If the Fairland Dragons are going to play like this all of the time, he might want to reconsider.

The Dragons were doing everything right as they rolled past the Coal Grove Hornets 41-6 and threw the Ohio Valley Conference into a three-way championship.

“The way we played tonight, we could have beaten anyone on our schedule,” said Snyder. “We played great defense. We moved the ball. We just did everything right.”

Fairland, Coal Grove and South Point — a 50-14 winner over Chesapeake — all finished with 3-1 league records. Fairland ends 4-5 overall and Coal Grove 6-4.

“It feels great,” Snyder said of winning a share of the OVC. “To start the year 0-4 and wondering if what you’re doing is right, and then come back to win four of your last five is great for the kids and great for the coaches.”

The key for the Dragons came from an unexpected area: defense. Fairland held the Hornets’ power game to 172 total yards — all on the ground. Coal Grove had only 65 yards in the second half.

Snyder praised the defense and gave some credit to assistant coaches John McClung and Bryan Ward for the defensive plan to jam the line of scrimmage.

“We started out in a four and they were hurting us, so we went to a combination of a four and five. Coach McClung and Coach Ward came up with it during the week,” said Snyder.

Blayne Cornwell continued his strong running down the stretch as he carried 18 times for 101 yards. Quarterback Cole Hatfield ran for 62 yards and also completed 7-of-12 passes for 120 yards.

Fairland had 340 total yards of offense.

Cornwell gave Fairland a 6-0 lead with a 23-yard run late in the first quarter.

A 42-yard punt return by Aaron Ward inside the 15-yard line set up a 12-yard scoring run by Cornwell with 9:04 left in the second quarter. Hatfield passed to Chad Fisher for the conversion.

Hatfield and Ward teamed up on a 34-yard scoring strike and Nathan Burcham kicked the conversion as the lead grew to 21-0.

Coal Grove blocked a punt and three plays later Oakie Haynes ran 21 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 21-6.

Fairland answered with a 2-yard touchdown run by Cornwell and it was 28-6.

Ward had a 32-yard punt return and two plays later Hatfield threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Lawhorn and it was 35-6 with 4:08 left in the third quarter.

Ward ran 23 yards for the Dragons’ final touchdown with 2:21 left to play.

Haynes led the Hornets with 80 yards on 11 carries and Bubba Wood ran 14 times for 59 yards.

Coal Grove 0 0 6 0 = 6

Fairland 6 15 14 6 = 41

First Quarter

Fa – Blayne Cornwell 23 run (kick failed) 4:23

Second Quarter

Fa – Blayne Cornwell 12 run (Chad Fisher pass from Cole Hatfield) 9:04 42-yard punt return by Aaron Ward

Fa – Aaron Ward 34 pass from Cole Hatfield (Nathan Burcham kick) 0:32

Third Quarter

CG – Oakie Haynes 21 run (run failed) 10:11 after blocked punt three plays

Fa – Blayne Cornwell 2 run (Nathan Burcham kick) 7:35

Fa – Kyle Lawhorn 15 pass from Cole Hatfield (Nate Burcham kick) 4:08 32-yard Ward punt return set up a two-play drive

Fourth Quarter

Fa – Aaron Ward 23 run (kick failed) 2:21

—————

CG Fa

First downs 10 19

Rushes-yards 172 220

Passing yards 0 120

Total yards 172 340

Cmp-Att-Int 0-5-0 7-12-0

Fumbles-lost 5-1 3-1

Penalties-yards 7-67 4-40

Punts-average 5-33.0 3-25.0

—————

Individual Leaders

RUSHING–Coal Grove: Bubba Wood 14-59, Frank Delawder 11-41, Oakie Haynes 11-80, Chris Brammer 1-2, Jake Murphy 1-minus 2, Rob Barnette 1-2, Dion Cunningham 2-minus 5, Wayne Sparks 4-minus 5. Fairland: Cole Hatfield 8-62, Blayne Cornwell 18-101, Bloomfield 3-36, Chad Fisher 2-0, Aaron Ward 1-23, Alex Thackston 1-minus 2.

PASSING–Coal Grove: Wayne Sparks 0-4-0, Rye Goodwin 0-1-0. Fairland: 7-12-0 120.

RECEIVING–Coal Grove: None. Fairland: Aaron Ward 2-47, Matt Bloomfield 2-28, Chad Fisher 2-30, Kyle Lawhorn 1-15.

Stadium Remodel

Coach Mayo Story

Mayo’s death stirs plenty of memories

By Jim Walker | The Tribune

Published Sunday, March 21, 2010

PROCTORVILLE — Jim Mayo left his mark on and off the field.

Mayo, the man who literally built the football program at Fairland High School as well as the stadium, died Friday at the age of 75.

But Mayo not only had success as a coach — he won five Ohio Valley Conference titles including the school’s first in 1967 — but also with his influence of players and coaches.

Coal Grove head football coach Dave Lucas began his career as an assistant coach under Mayo at Fairland. Lucas has won more than 200 games and is a member of the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He credits Mayo for a lot of his success.

“He had a lot to do with what I’m able to do. He and coach (Carl) Ward got me started,” said Lucas. “You won’t find a better person than coach Mayo. He was a very religious man. He stayed in contact with his players.”

The concern for his players was something that former assistant Mike Whitley said left a lasting impact on those who played for Mayo.

“Above all things else, Christ was number one in his life. He was always there for anybody. Anybody. Any player or kid for that matter. He did so many things for people that most people don’t even know about,” said Whitley.

Whitley, Lucas, John Lemley and Gary Salyer were all assistants under Mayo and the four had a dinner gathering with Mayo last spring at a Bob Evans restaurant to talk about the memories of their friendships.

The discussions continued even though the restaurant had already closed.

“I think we sat there for two hours after they closed,” said Lucas. “Jim was a great man. He was a man of faith. One of the comments he made last spring at a reunion was that he wasn’t worried about dying. He just didn’t want to leave his loved ones.”

Whitley said going past the closing time was something that always happened when coaching with Mayo.

“We never had a time clock on our practices. You just did it and you worked hard. His success was taking an average kid and making him above average,” said Whitley.

Both Lucas and Whitley said Mayo had a great influence on their careers and lives.

“He was a great role model for a young coach starting out. He made me defensive coordinator. He gave me a chance to learn the game from a coaching standpoint,” said Lucas.

“Caring about his players was his philosophy. That rubbed off big time on me. When he let the kids know he cared about them, they certainly cared about playing for him.”

Whitley agreed.

“He was a tremendous guy. He was tremendous for me. I was 22 and everything I learned about coaching I learned from him. He had so much influence over so many coaches. He’ll be missed in a lot of ways,” said Whitley.