Nine are inducted into Euclid Sports Hall of Fame

Seven athletes and two coaches were honored at the 25th annual Euclid High Schools Sports Hall of Fame banquet and induction ceremony on Oct. 20 at the Manor Party Center in Euclid. The prestigious event was emceed by TV8 sportscaster John Telich, a 1971 EHS graduate.

The Sports Hall of Fame now includes more than 250 athletes, coaches, and honorary members, including 15 sets of brothers. The latest addition to that sub-group is Larry Nosse (Class of 1992), now a coach with the Panther track and football programs, who was one of this year’s honorees. His brother Lee (’97) was inducted in 2009.

The 2011 Hall of Fame class also includes two Shore grads who were honored posthumously: Dorothy Getler Sheridan (Shore ’29) and John J. Marino (Shore ’46). Also inducted were: Andy Altenweg (EHS ’68), Bob Ellenbest (EHS ’81), Suzanne Lucas Lianopolous (EHS ’99), Chris Harrell (EHS ’01), and coaches Dan Maxson (swimming and track) and Greg Sattler (soccer). Sattler is a 1966 Euclid High grad.

Here, listed by graduation year, are biographical sketches of this year’s honorees:

DOROTHY (GETLER) SHERIDAN (’29): A star basketball player at Shore High in the late 1920s, long before girls’ athletics achieved the prominence they enjoy today, Dorothy and her teammates sparked a revival of the local girls’ hoops program. Team captain as a junior, she played center in her senior season (1928-29), the year the Shore girls came within a whisker of winning a “mythical” state championship.    

Dorothy was the second-leading scorer on the team that rolled through the season unbeaten—until the final game. In that one, the Shore girls challenged the Wapokaneta squad that claimed to be Ohio’s best. Playing on its home court, Wapokaneta eked out a 17-15 win. Prior to that, Dorothy and her Shore teammates had won the Greater Cleveland League (public school) championship and twice defeated Holy Name, the Catholic School League champions.

Later in life, she became an accomplished golfer and bowler, once rolling a 275 game at Shore Bowl in Euclid. Dorothy, who passed away in 1994, would have celebrated her 100th birthday this year.

JOHN J. MARINO (’46): An outstanding high school and AAU wrestler, John Marino won a national AAU crown as a junior, but his schoolboy career was interrupted by World War II. He left Shore High in August 1944 to enlist in the U.S. Army Air Force, then returned to school after the war and earned his diploma in January 1946. At his peak, as a 5-7, 165-pounder, John had a well-chiseled body. At Shore, he was a three-year letterman in football and wrestling. Competing for mat coaches Clarence Swackhamer and Clarence Eckert, he was never pinned and lost just one match--when he moved up several weight classes to challenge the heavyweight from John Hay.

Marino received an invitation to try out for the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team, but suffered a broken leg in a YMCA tourney a week before the tryouts. Offered a wrestling scholarship to Northwestern, he had to decline since he was needed at home to care for his ailing mother. John passed away in 1990.

ANDY ALTENWEG (’68): A track man par excellence in high school, Altenweg lettered for three years in indoor and outdoor track, two years in cross country, and one year in football. A wide receiver in football, he was a sprinter in track for coaches Tommy Thompson and Ted Theodore.

Andy was named “most valuable performer” on both the indoor and outdoor track squads that went undefeated in regular season home meets. He qualified for the Knights of Columbus indoor meet and also the district and state outdoor meets. The 5-7, 130-pound athlete, who earned nine letters in four sports, enlisted in the U.S. Air Force after high school and spent 23 years as a non-commissioned officer.                 

Andy recalls that Panther track coach Dale (“Tommy”) Thompson taught him “to never give up and dig deep within me, because there is always something more.”

ROBERT ELLENBEST (’81): A baseball phenom who earned a sudden promotion to the varsity as a sophomore, Bob thrived on the pressure that came with being one of the premier high school baseball players in Northeast Ohio. As a pitcher, he was nearly unhittable and, over a three-year career, his earned run average was just 0.95, the fifth-best in school history.

After posting a 3-2 mound record as a junior, Bob blossomed in his senior year with a 10-1 record and a 1.17 ERA. For his career, he chalked up 235 strikeouts—the second most in Euclid history. As a senior, he struck out 124 batters, which still stands as the Panthers’ single-season record. He was team captain that year and earned All-GCC and All-Ohio honors. Bob won a baseball scholarship to Bowling Green State University, where he served as co-captain and was a four-year letter winner.

LAWRENCE M. NOSSE (’92): Larry, who joins his younger brother Lee in the Hall of Fame, won nine varsity letters at Euclid in four sports—two in football, three in indoor and outdoor track, and one in basketball in his senior year (after Coach Hal “Doc” Daugherty finally persuaded the 6-7, 250-pounder to take up the sport). In football, he played offensive tackle for Coach Tom Banc. As a senior, he and his Panther teammates won the Greater Cleveland Conference title with a perfect 10-0 record. That same year, the Panther cagers also won a GCC crown and finished with an 18-2 mark.

Named Euclid’s “offensive lineman of the year” in his senior season, Larry also earned All-District and All-Ohio honors. In track, he tossed the shot and discus; and, in basketball, he was a body-slamming center. He won a football scholarship to Ohio University where he played offensive tackle and guard and earned a B.S. degree in physical education.

Larry has come full circle and is now a teacher and outstanding girls’ track coach at his alma mater. Since joining the Panther coaching staff in 2000, he has guided 58 state track meet qualifiers, 44 All-Ohio athletes, and 14 state champions—including Jessica Beard, a four-time state 400-meter champion.

SUZANNE (LUCAS) LIANOPOULOS (’99): Known for a fierce work ethic and outstanding leadership qualities, Suzanne won 11 varsity letters in three sports during her EHS career. She twice played on conference championship teams in both soccer and basketball, sports in which she lettered for four years. She was a forward in basketball, a goalie in soccer, and also played shortstop for the softball team. An honor roll student, Suzanne was named the Panthers’ “Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year” for 1999, her senior year.

In soccer, she played on two GCC championship teams and was team captain her last two seasons. She earned All-GCC first-team honors both years and was chosen to play in the Greater Cleveland East-West All-Star game as a senior. In basketball, her team compiled a 16-1 regular-season record in her junior year.

After graduation, Suzanne played soccer and basketball at the College of Wooster, where she earned a B.S. degree in geology.

CHRISTOPHER HARRELL (’01): One of Euclid High’s greatest all-around athletes, Chris Harrell earned nine varsity letters in three sports and earned a football scholarship to Penn State University, prior to playing professionally for two NFL teams—the Arizona Cardinals and the Miami Dolphins.

A two-way football player for four years with the Panthers, Chris was a wide receiver, safety, kick returner, and punt returner. Standing 6-2, 180 pounds in high school, he is Euclid’s second all-time leading receiver with 108 catches (resulting in 34 touchdowns) and was an All-Ohio second team selection in 2000. He also made the All-Lake Erie League squad his last two seasons. On defense, he was credited with 17 sacks, 23 interceptions, and 157 tackles during his career. In addition, he was a hurdler on the track team and twice earned All-LEL honors in basketball.

Recruited by Joe Paterno to continue his football career at Penn State, Chris played safety and cornerback for the Nittany Lions. An All-Big Ten selection in 2003 and 2005, his NFL career was shortened by the lingering effects of a serious neck injury that had caused him to sit out the 2004 season in college.

DAN MAXSON (COACH): For the past 28 years, Dan Maxson has been the “Voice of the Panthers” public address game announcer at home football games. But it is his incredibly versatile—and successful—coaching career, both at Euclid High and Central Middle School that earned him a niche in the Hall of Fame. From 1979 until 1986, he taught German, English, history and physical education at Euclid High; then spent most of the rest of his career at Central Middle School, where he served as athletic director for 19 years.

At Euclid, Dan coached the first-ever girls softball team (1982-86) that made two regional appearances and the 1992 team that advanced to the state tournament. As boys and girls swim coach, he led his teams to four GCC titles—one for the boys and three for the girls, who went undefeated one year. He also coached volleyball, girls track (three GCC crowns), and girls cross country (undefeated in 1979 with two state qualifiers).

After moving to Central, his boys and girls cross country squads went undefeated in 2001 and captured the LEL middle school championship. Dan’s 1999 softball team also won an LEL title, posting a 12-1 record, and his boys basketball teams at Central compiled a 106-15 record. Later on, many of his former student-athletes returned to Central as coaches, including Charlie Smialek, who is now the Principal at Euclid High.

GREG SATTLER (COACH): A 1966 Euclid High grad, Greg Sattler devoted 15 years to the Panther soccer program, including 14 as head coach. His achievements included scheduling the first night soccer game at Euclid (against the defending state champs from University School) and starting the Euclid Youth Soccer program.    

Hired as a business education teacher in 1970, Greg spent 38 years at the high school and finished his career with two additional years at Central Middle School. As the Panthers’ head soccer coach from 1971 to 1985, he compiled a 97-80-5 record, winning a GCC championship in 1983 and two sectional titles. His 1975 team reached the Final Eight in the state playoffs. He coached five First-Team All-Ohio players and was named GCC “coach of the year” twice.

Greg coached the first soccer player ever inducted into the Euclid Sports Hall of Fame—Paul McFadden, who went on to success as a kicker in the National Football League. Another of his soccer protégés, Wes Mallard, later played soccer professionally with the Cleveland Stars. During the 1981 season, Sattler’s squad entered the OHSAA playoffs with a mediocre 5-6-1 record, yet beat the two top-seeded teams in the sectional and “came within two games of the state final.” The next year, his Panthers won the GCC crown.