The newly formed Hall of Fame Committee for Fort Recovery High School has elected the first class of inductees to its Athletic Hall of Fame. Seven members will comprise the first group of inductees.They were elected from the 44 nominees who were placed on the first ballot. Induction ceremonies will be held between the JV and Varsity boys’ basketball game against Ansonia scheduled for January 20, 2007. The inductees for the first year are:
Lynn (Bihn) Hughes - Lynn starred at Fort Recovery High School as a basketball player as she earned 4 varsity letters during her career from 1986 – 1991. She received numerous awards while playing for the Lady Indians including MAC Player of the Year, UPI and AP Player of the Year, as well as State Tournament Most Valuable Player. She scored 43 points in the ’91 State Championship game leading FRHS to its 2nd straight state title. Lynn holds numerous career records including career scoring (1529) and career rebounding (895). Lynn lettered for 4 years of college ball at Xavier University where she was a first team all star both her junior and senior years. She was inducted into the Xavier Hall of Fame in 2000. Lynn returned to her Alma Mater and coached the Lady Indians from 96-03 and had a career record of 77 and 72 with 2 Sectional and 1 District Championship.
Dale Bruns – Dale Bruns is a 1955 graduate of FRHS. He earned 3 varsity letters in basketball and 4 in baseball where he was very successful in high school and beyond. “Whitey” holds HS records for most career wins (30) and most strikeouts in a game (24). Dale helped lead the Indians to the State Championship game in 1953 and to District Championships in 54 and 55. Dale continued his baseball career in the Detroit Tigers Minor league system as he played for Alabama of the Florida League in 56 where he was a member of the all-star team. Dale also played for Florida in the State League in 1957.
William “Tom” Bryan – Tom is a 1967 graduate of FRHS. He played basketball for 4 years and earned 2 varsity letters. Tom was a prolific scorer on the 67 Indian Team that went 22 and 2 before losing in the District Finals. Tom averaged 29 points and 17 rebounds per game. He had single game highs of 55, 50, 42, and 37 points during that season. His performance earned him UPI Class A Player of the Year in 67. He holds the FRHS single season scoring record of 697 points and is fourth in career scoring with 1166 points. Tom continued his basketball career at Nebraska where he was a 3-year letterman and the leading rebounder in 1972. He ended his playing days by playing professionally in Europe for seven years before returning to the States as a teacher, coach, and athletic director.
Ken Heiby – Ken was a basketball and baseball standout for the Indians from 1966 – 1969. He also participated in Cross Country. Ken was an outstanding guard on the 1969 team that lost in the state semifinals by a single point. He is the number 1 career scorer at the Fort with 1418 points. He ranks second in season scoring with 682 points in 1968 – 1969. His single game highs were 41, 39, and 38 points. He averaged 24.4 points during the 69 season. His awards include All-league as a sophomore and junior and League MVP in 69. He was Second Team All State as a senior. Ken continued his basketball career at Ohio University after graduation from FRHS in 69.
Harold “Doc” Knapke – Doc has been involved in many facets of FR Athletics. He has been a player, a coach, and a principal at FRHS. Harold lettered 3 years in both baseball and basketball at FRHS before graduating in 1940. He was All-District in basketball and attended the University of Dayton on a basketball scholarship. He also played baseball at UD. Doc returned to FRHS after his stint in the service and taught math and science as well as coaching basketball and baseball from 46-53. His basketball teams won Mercer County Championships for 6 of those 7 years with the 50-51 team finishing with a 23 and 1 record and a regional runner-up. His overall basketball coaching record was 122 wins and 28 losses for a winning percentage of 81%. His baseball coaching winning percentage was 80.
Al Souder - Al Souder spent 15 years as Head Boys’ Basketball Coach at FRHS. His resume during his stay from 63-78 is quite impressive. He had a career record of 191 and 146 for a winning percentage of 57%. He was able to achieve this impressive record despite a start of 3 wins and 36 losses in his first 2 seasons. He coached the Indians to record high 26 win seasons in 1968-1969 and 1970-71. Both of these teams made a trip to the State Tournament with the 71 team bringing home the first state championship ever for FRHS. Al also coached his 72-73 team to an undefeated regular season before they bowed out of the tourney in the District Finals to finish 23-1. His 66-67 team recorded a record of 22-2 – quite an improvement from the previous season record of 6 and 14. After leaving the Fort in 78, Al continued coaching and teaching at Paulding High School.
Dick Walls – Dick is a 1949 graduate of Fort Recovery High School. He was a star athlete while at FRHS. He was a member of the 46-49 basketball teams which went 17-5, 15-6, and 17-3 respectively. He ended his career with 857 points at FRHS. Dick continued his basketball career at Miami University where he played from 1951-53. Among his accomplishments at Miami were:1,124 Career Points Scored (25th), 16.1 Points Per Game for his Career (8th), and 978 Career Rebounds (4th).He scored 44 points in a game in 1953 and had 23 rebounds in a game in 1951 as a sophomore.Dick’s jersey is retired at Miami in Millett Hall.Dick was drafted in the 1953 NBA Draft by the Rochester Royals.Dick passed away in December of 2005.