Blevins leads new class in Hancock Co. HOF

From the national pastime to a national championship with a wide array of athletic achievement and influence in between, the Hancock Sports Hall of Fame prepares to recognize its 38th class of honorees on Saturday when the organization holds its annual banquet and induction ceremonies at the Hancock Hotel in downtown Findlay. Jerry Blevins, a 2001 Arcadia graduate who spent 13 seasons in the Major Leagues, is one of six individuals being honored in the 2024 class of inductees. Also being inducted this year will be Jim Brockman, a four-time all-Ohio Valley Conference shortstop for Morehead State; open water marathon swimmer Brad McVetta; Riverdale girls basketball standout and later head coach Karen Kin Fox; Rick Phillips, who earned 14 varsity letters at Vanlue and then Little All-American honors at Findlay College; and Special Olympics mentor and coordinator Hellen Kay Stahl. Also being recognized will be the University of Findlay's 1992 football team, which won the second of the school's four NAIA national championships. JERRY BLEVINS: A three-sport athlete at Arcadia but lightly recruited out of high school, Blevins said in a 2021 interview after he announced his retirement from baseball that he picked the University of Dayton because of the school's academics. He decided to go out for baseball only when he and a friend saw a bulletin-board notice about open tryouts. The rest is a small-town-boy-does-good tribute to Blevins' grit, determination and the fact lefty relief pitchers with a knack for getting clutch outs in key situations are a precious commodity in the Major Leagues. After posting a 7-3 record with a 3.79 ERA his junior season at Dayton, Blevins was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 17th round of the 2004 major league draft, the 516th player chosen. Blevins never pitched for the Cubs, but worked his way up in the minor leagues and in June of 2007 was traded to Oakland. He made his Major League debut with the A's in September of that year. In seven seasons with Oakland, Blevins, used almost exclusively as a middle reliever, was 13-7 with two saves and a 3.30 ERA. Blevins also spent a year with Washington, four with the New York Mets, was re-signed by the A's, and last pitched in the big leagues with Atlanta, where he appeared vin 45 games during the 2019 season. Overall, Blevins appeared in 609 big league games, compiling a 30-13 record, a 3.54 earned run average and seven saves. He struck out 508 batters in his career. In a 2021 interview with Scott Cottos of the Review Times, Blevins said: "I've always understood the unlikely, I guess, career arc that I've had. From playing baseball at Arcadia or playing at Meadowlark (now Foundation) Park for Frankart Eggs or Roppe Rubber, those are pieces of my baseball career and life that I cherish."But it also gave me an appreciation for what I've been able to do. I've been pretty lucky and I've been able to take advantage of almost every opportunity that's been presented to me …" JIM BROCKMAN Brockman also made the most of his opportunities. A 1973 Findlay High graduate, Brockman went from being a backup infielder in a program that was Class AAA state champion in 1971 and runner-up a year later to the starting shortstop for Morehead State. That's where Brockman excelled, earning first-team all-Ohio Valley Conference honors at shortstop all four seasons at MSU. As a junior, Brockman set the MSU record for runs scored and as a senior he led the Eagles to the OVC championship and a berth in the NCAA tournament. It was Brockman's grand slam that gave MSU an 8-5 win over Middle Tennessee State in the tournament finals. Brockman finished his college career with a 153 hits, including 29 doubles, six triples and nine home runs, and a .314 batting average. He was inducted into the MSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996 and in 2023 was named to the Ohio Valley Conference 75th Anniversary Baseball Team. BRAD MCVETTA A 1991 Cory-Rawson graduate, McVetta earned varsity letters in football (3), basketball (1) and track (2). He has earned national recognition, however, for his accomplishments in open water swimming. In September of 2011 McVetta completed the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming: the Manhattan Island Marathon (28.5 miles); the Catalina Channel (20 miles); and the English Channel (21 miles). At that time, only four other swimmers had completed all three events in one calendar year. McVetta has also swum the Tsugaru Channel in Japan, the International Holiday of the North in 0-degree Celsius water in Russia, and the Winter Swimming Championships, also in 0-degree waters, in Finland. He's crossed Cook's Strait in New Zealand, the North Channel in Northern Ireland, and the 20 Bridges Manhattan Island Swim, among others. Last August 2023, he swam 21.3 miles across Lake Tahoe in 15 hours, 41 minutes. McVetta is also a founding member of the United States Winter Swimming Association and the co-organizer of the first Winter Swimming Championship in Lake Memphremogog, Vermont. KAREN KIN FOX A three-sport star in high school, Fox was a walk-on at Miami of Ohio, earned a starting spot as a freshman and lettered four years for the Redskins' women's basketball team. She led the team in field goal shooting as a junior and senior, with her 56.5 percent average in her final season still eighth best in school history. A highlight of Fox's college career was making the game-winning basket in a 58-56 win over Northern Illinois in the 1982 Mid-American Conference finals. That win earned Miami a spot in the AIAW National Tournament. At Riverdale, Fox earned 12 varsity letters in volleyball, basketball and track. She scored 972 career points and twice earned all-Ohio recognition in basketball, and was a two-time all-NCC pick for a volleyball program that was league champs in 1977. Fox returned to Riverdale as girls basketball coach and led the Falcons to a league championship in 1989. That season she was also selected the Northwest Ohio's Division III Coach of the Year. RICK PHILLIPS Phillips not only epitomized the all-around athletic contributions so necessary at small schools with limited enrollment, he excelled across the board. Phillips earned 14 varsity letters: four each in football and baseball, three each in basketball and track. He was first-team all-Blanchard Valley Conference as a quarterback in football, guard in basketball and hurdler in track and field. He is the school record holder in the 120- and 180-yard hurdles, and a state qualifier in both events. Phillips continued to succeed in college. He earned a starting spot on the University of Findlay football team as a freshman and led the Oilers in scoring as a junior when he earned Little All-American honorable mention recognition. His 28-yards-per-catch average was a record that stood for 19 years. HELEN KAY STAHL Stahl has spent her entire adult career using athletics to enrich the lives of those attending Blanchard Valley School. An administrative assistant at BVS, Stahl is in her 45th year at Blanchard Valley Residential Services. After graduating from Findlay High School, Stahl joined Blanchard Valley School in 1980 and became the Blanchard Valley Center track and field coach. She was later named coordinator for all Special Olympic sports, including track and field, basketball, softball, unified softball, swimming, bowling and tennis. In addition to her work with the Special Olympics, Stahl has also been involved with Gliding Stars and Miracle League athletes. 1992 UF FOOTBALL The 1992 NAIA Division II national championship game showcased the divergent football styles at the time: Linfield's wide open passing attack against the tried and true wishbone running game of UF. Chalk this one up to smash-mouth tradition. Balewa Walker, UF's 262-pound fullback, rushed for 103 yards and scored on a pair of 1-yard runs, Milan Smith broke off a 21-yard touchdown run, and game offensive MVP DeMya Walker added a fourth TD on the ground as the Oilers beat No. 2-ranked Linfield 26-13 to cap a 12-1 season and win the second of their four NAIA national championship under Hall of Fame coach Dick Strahm. The regular season was not without its pitfalls. After a season-opening 23-13 win over Kentucky State, UF's defense, which would give up just 154 points all season, stepped up big in a 3-0 win over Lindenwood, Mo. Three weeks later, the Oilers were beaten 30-17 by defending NAIA champion Westminster, Pa. UF finished the regular season strong, outscoring Tiffin (21-0), Urbana (47-12), Northwood, Mich. (21-6) and Lees-McRae N.C. (64-0) by a 153-18 margin. But the playoffs, as always, posed a dangerous gauntlet and UF would end up facing three top-ten ranked teams to win the crown. UF opened the playoffs with a solid 32-14 win over Georgetown, Ky. A week later, the day after Western Pennsylvania got dumped with nearly half a foot of snow, Findlay sloshed its way to a 13-7 win over the No. 1-ranked Westminster. Most championship seasons have a make-or-break moment sometime along the way and UF faced one in the semifinals against No. 10-ranked Benedictine, Kan. On a Dec. 12 afternoon at Donnell Stadium, UF held an 11-point lead with just over five minutes left in the game. Benedictine scored, though, made the two-point conversion, and got a defensive stop to regain possession. UF made some key defensive plays as well, forcing Benedictine to go for a 47-yard that would have tied the game. Benedictine kicker Mark Gormley, who had nailed a 44-yarder earlier in the game, had plenty of leg. But the ball drifted slightly left and doinked off the left upright with 39 seconds remaining. UF ran one offensive play to run out the clock and punch its ticket to the national championship showdown with Linfield.