The 25th annual Mid-Ohio Valley Sports Hall of Fame class was inducted Saturday evening at the Grand Pointe Conference & Reception Center. Standing, from left: Elizabeth Tokodi, Don Fosselman, Mike Sheppard, Traci Cox and Terry Smith. Sitting, from left: Kathy Schalitz, Katie Roberts, Elizabeth Liz Flowers Price, Kim Stephens (post humously for father Scott Stephens) and Tammy Spence. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

VIENNA — The 25th edition of the Mid-Ohio Valley Sports Hall of Fame held Saturday evening inside the Grand Pointe Conference & Reception Center witnessed 10 new inductees.

Marshall University head women’s basketball coach Kim Stephens accepted the award posthumously for father Scott Stephens, a 1973 Parkersburg High graduate who coached Parkersburg South to three state girls basketball championships and later joined Kim at Glenville State where he was an assistant on three Mountain East Conference title teams.

Scott Stephens spent two years at Pittsburgh before finishing his basketball career at Ohio University. As a senior, he led the Big Reds to a state runner-up finish. Aside from the state crowns in 2006, 2008 and 2013, Stephens also had state runner-up showings in 2014 and 2015. During his 13-year tenure at the helm of the Patriots, Stephens compiled a 255-87 overall record.

“He was an excellent coach and he taught me so much,” said the first-year Thundering Herd boss, who was a member of South’s first state title team in 2006.

When it came to coaching, Kim said her father had three lessons he tried to abide by.

Former Williamstown High School and West Liberty standout Liz Flowers, left, is joined by her former coach at WHS, Fred Sauro, during Saturday’s Mid-Ohio Valley Hall of Fame banquet. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

“Coaching is so much more than the Xs and Os and chasing the big ‘W’. It was always important to him to instill high character values in his players,” she said. “That value being something bigger than themselves. Lesson two was leave it better than you found it. Dad always wanted us to strive for improvement. I truly believe with his investments in all of his players he left us all better than he found us.

“Lesson three was #3G, to give God glory. Anytime he won a state championship game he would take the trophy to his mom’s house, my grandma, 96-year-old grandma Betty, and then he would take the trophy to the alter at church. It was always important for him and all of his players to make sure they gave God glory. It really honors my family that my dad’s legacy can live on and he will always be remembered. My dad is in great company, #3G.”

Don Fosselman, the patriarch of Parkersburg High School boys soccer, coached the Big Reds for 32 years and produced more than 500 victories — the most in Mountain State history. He guided the red and white to six state titles, four runner-up finishes, 11 regional crowns, 27 sectional championships and a baker’s dozen Mountain State Athletic Conference crowns, all while never having a losing season.

“Shoot, fire and apple butter. Wow! What a surprise and special honor it is to be a member of the hall of fame. It’s something I’ve dreamt of for a long time,” admitted Fosselman, who was named state coach of the year six times and was honored as the NFHS national coach of the year in 2016. “I’m up here because my oldest son Donnie needed a soccer coach when he was 6 years old.

“As a head coach I knew I had three things I needed to do. One was build a program. Two was to establish a culture and three was to surround myself with good people. It helps to have good players. It all started because Mike Hayden hired me as the first soccer coach at Parkersburg High School. I tell him to this day I’m the best hire he ever had.”

Fosselman had a plethora of family support from the Keystone State and joked the only reason they made the trip was “to breathe some fresh air. They were tired of that smoke up there.”

The coach also gave special thanks to his former assistants in son Donnie, Mike Lockney and Doug Swearingen.

“By far the most important person and the person whose judgment I trust most is my wife of 51 years, Sherry,” admitted the 2010 W.Va. Soccer Hall of Fame inductee. “She has talked me off the ledge when I didn’t think we’d win another game. I thought we were the worst team in America.

“Then when I thought we were the best team in America she’d put my feet back on the ground. All my family has been so supportive. I’ve been truly blessed and am very thankful. My wife is always telling me it’s not about me, but it’s about me tonight. I’ve been blessed. I’m truly blessed.”

Kathy Schalitz, a 1999 graduate of Fort Frye High School where she competed in track and basketball for the Cadets, made a name for herself in the racing circles as an international tractor pulling champion.

In 2018, she set the ECTA world land speed record for a farm tractor by going 108.5 miles per hour. She is one of three people to ever break 100 mph on a farm tractor and is the only female.

“It’s a very big honor to be here. It’s very humbling for me to be inducted into this class,” said Schalitz, who was the 2007 Ohio Puller of the Year in the 2-wheel drive competition and was first in the midseason championship.

“There was not a lot of people like me in this heavily male dominated sport. It was very challenging for me to find my way and find success. I had a lot of great role models and a lot of great support from my family and friends, especially my parents and my husband.”

The ex-Cadet also was the 2008 Rookie of the Year for the NTPA Grand National 2-wheel drive truck competition. she also represented the United States in Holland during the NTPA’s Grand National 5-engine unlimited modified European Super Pull.

“I hope I represented the Mid-Ohio Valley very well in my travels,” added the 2011 NTPA Grand National 5-engine unlimited modified points champion and Puller of the Year.

“We’ve been lucky enough to compete across the United States and Europe, and I was always proud to tell them I was from Marietta, Ohio.”

Another well traveled inductee was 1993 Wirt County High School graduate and current Dawghouse Gym owner Mike Sheppard, who was a three-sport standout for the Tigers in football, baseball and wrestling where he won a pair of state titles.

Emcee Jim Wharton properly introduced Sheppard, a four-time professional world kickboxing champion (two-time IKF champ, ISKA and PFK champ) who also was the former Mountain State cruiserweight and heavyweight champion along with being the former World Boxing Federation’s North American heavyweight champion, by saying “from the Dawghouse to our house.”

Sheppard admitted “I’m really honored to be here with all these great athletes. It’s really something and means a lot. To have success in combat sports, or fighting, you got to have a lot of support and I had it. Still do. My family, we made a lot of sacrifices so I could get places and do things. I had great coaches at Wirt County when I was a kid.

“You got to be groomed for this stuff. Coach (Mike) Lucas, (Rodney) Watson, (DA) Wilson, all those guys, and Matt Ashley, they’d get you ready. I’ll tell you that. They were hard on us. I want to thank my teammates and my training partners once I got into combative sports.”

The former two-time Parkersburg Toughman champ and the first-ever Rough N’ Rowdy heavyweight champ also gave a special thanks to former trainers Leon Ramsey and Sam Jones.

“I thank the whole Mid-Ohio Valley for supporting me, buying tickets,” Sheppard said when he puts on local fight shows while also giving thanks to “my students at the gym for always showing up, trying their best and giving it their all.”

Someone who gave it all whether it was on the gridiron or the baseball diamond was former Williamstown head coach Terry Smith.

Smith coached the WHS football team to 16 playoff appearances and two state titles. During his 16-year tenure on the sidelines, the Yellowjackets had just one losing campaign, but made the state playoffs every season. In all, Smith went 164-41 and that included a record of 34-14 in the postseason. The WHS football program won nine more more games 14 times and had four 13-win seasons.

“I’m sure it took some work, but I appreciate it,” Smith quipped after thanking Wharton for the nomination. “When you receive an award there’s a lot of people that helped to get you up here. I really appreciate the support from my wife Pam and son Shane and daughter Brooke and her husband Tyler.”

Smith, who won state football championships in 2008 and 2014 and finished runner-up five times concluded his baseball career with a 482-333 record, also gave props to former assistant football coach Scott Moore.

“The saying goes it takes a whole village and it really does,” he said. “I had a lot of support and Williamstown High School is a really great place to work. It really was. People in Williamstown were really good to me and I made a lot of great friends. We had some really good players at Williamstown. You can’t deny that. I’d like to thank them for what great effort those guys made. I really appreciate their effort.”

Another former Yellowjacket also was inducted — Elizabeth “Liz” Flowers Price.

The 2012 WHS graduate is the Yellowjackets’ all-time career leading scorer for boys or girls with 2,024 points. Named to all-state first team all four years, she continued her career at West Liberty. As a Hilltopper, all she did was play in a school record 127 games (126 starts) and become West Liberty’s third all-time leading scorer with 2,135 points.

“It’s truly an honor. It’s been a great night and I want to thank all my supporters throughout the years, friends, family, coaches and teammates,” said the three-time all-Mountain East Conference first team honoree who scored a single-season record 705 points during her senior year.

“I’ve been very blessed to have a lot of great coaches throughout my career. One is Fred Sauro who is here tonight so thank you for being here.”

Price also thanked sister Ali and her better half Brett.

“I’ve had amazing experiences throughout my athletic career I’ll always be able to look back on and tonight is somewhat the icing on the cake,” added the ex-Yellowjacket, who was a former state pole vault champ.

Another person who knows a thing or two about championships is new hall of fame member Katie Roberts, a Parkersburg High School graduate who now works on sports medicine as a doctor at the University of Kentucky.

“Athletics really taught me a lot of things that I try to take into my career, including I guess I kind of made it my career being a sports medicine physician,” said Roberts, who helped the Big Reds reach the state soccer championship match three straight years (2005-07), which included a state crown in 2006 and being named the W.Va. Midfielder of the Year in 2007.

Also a track standout, Roberts competed in college at West Virginia Wesleyan and started every soccer match of her career. She was twice named captain for the Bobcats. Along with being tabbed first team all-West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Roberts also ended her career by being named the National NCAA Division II Woman of the Year.

“Coach Mike Lockney and Susan Gardner, who without their support and their belief in me, their difficult days of practice, I wouldn’t be here right now,” Roberts continued. “They really taught me it’s not always what we learn from the wins, but what we learn from the losses that we are really able to take and help us push forward.”

Roberts also gave thanks to her “grandparents, mom and my original soccer coach, my dad. I couldn’t do it without them.”

The last person she thanked was husband Peter Gray as she noted “thanks for the wonderful evening and this great honor.”

Winning honors is something Warren’s Tammy Spence knows all about. She was a key cog on the Warriors’ first-ever Division II girls Final Four team back in 1997 where they finished state runner-up.

She was named the South District Division II Player of the Year as a senior and helped the Warriors to a school record 23 wins and an Elite Eight berth.

After graduation, she played at Glenville State and was named first team all-WVIAC twice. She finished with 1,488 career points and is the only Pioneer to score more than 1,000 points and have at least 1,000 rebounds.

“I would not be here if it wasn’t for my parents and my grandparents. I want to thank them,” Spence said. “They drove me around everywhere, supported me and gave me everything I wanted. Every summer they would take me to the PHS basketball camps.

“It just went from there. I had great coaches (Warren’s Dennis Biddinger/Glenville’s Steve Harold) throughout my career. Without those two I probably wouldn’t be the woman I am today, along with my parents.”

Another player who could score the basketball at will was St. Marys’ Traci Cox, who scored 945 points and pulled down 700 rebounds as a Blue Devil. A first team Class AA all-state selection, Cox helped SMHS win state basketball titles in 1989 and 1990. The 1989 team finished 26-0.

“Give all honor and glory to God. Without him I wouldn’t be able to achieve any of this,” said Cox, who also was first team in volleyball and was twice the shot put and discus state champion.

“Thank the town of St. Marys and all their fans. It’s a small town, but they have big hearts and they get behind their school and all their programs. Their fans are always there whether they have kids playing for them or not.”

Following her time in Pleasants County, Cox played college basketball in Pennsylvania at California University. A four-year starter for the Vulcans, Cox amassed 1,523 points and 960 rebounds. She was inducted into the Vulcans’ Hall of Fame in 2003.

“I just want to thank the town of St. Marys,” Cox stressed. “They deserve honor to be recognized. I’m humbled for this honor.”

Also inducted on Saturday was former Parkersburg Catholic Crusaderette Elizabeth Tokodi, who played at Marshall University for two years after graduating.

Along with helping head coach Dick Wildt’s team to a pair of state championships, she scored 1,500 points and was honored on the all-state first team thrice.

“Today as I stand before you with the overwhelming sense of gratitude and profound humility as I accept this honor being inducted into the Mid-Ohio Valley Sports Hall of Fame,” she said.

“This moment is something I will treasure for the rest of my life and I’m deeply thankful to the committee for recognizing my contributions to the community and the sports I love so much.”

Tokodi also was a dominate force in volleyball where she earned all-state honors and helped the Crusaderettes to a pair of championships.

In giving thanks to her family the PCHS grad said “they provided me with an endless amount of inspiration and enthusiasm for chasing a dream of being the best and providing me with the discipline I sometimes couldn’t find within. I think back to the trips they took me on to chase that dream and to play at the highest level.

“Looking back I have no idea how they did it without cell phones and GPS. They have been my rock, my inspiration and my biggest fans standing beside e through the highs and the lows. I’m forever grateful to their unwavering belief in me.”

In closing, Tokodi also gave thanks to her daughters Mary and Annie.

“They maybe finally believe that old mom isn’t just talk and I really appreciate being recognized,” she added. “It has provided me with an endless amount of fun on text messaging.

“Every time now I sign my name your hall of fame mother and it is not getting old at all. May the spirit of the game continue to unite and inspire us all.”

Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com