Former Coach, "Papa" Sheehan Passes Away.

Former JV Baseball Assistant Coach, Dale "Papa" Sheehan, father of former JV Baseball Coach, Andrew Sheehan, passed away on Saturday, March 7th, after a three year battle with cancer.

Dale Sheehan was the loving husband to Roz (nee Bedinghaus). Devoted father to Andrew (Sara) Sheehan, Tyler (Julie) Sheehan and Adam Sheehan. Proud grandfather to Mariella Sheehan. Dale is survived by his parents; Lee and Edna Sheehan, brothers; Mark (Rachel) Sheehan and David (Buffie) Sheehan, mother and father-in-law; Ron and Ruth Bedinghaus, close friends; Tammy and Tony Koehling as well as many extended family members. Dale was a very passionate coach for LaSalle's football and wrestling teams for 30 years and also coached many other youth organizations. Dale passed away on Saturday, March 7, 2015 at the age of 58.

Services will be held at the Paul R. Young Funeral Home, 7345 Hamilton Avenue, Mt. Healthy, OH 45231, on Wednesday, March 11 from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. A memorial mass will take place the following day, March 12, at St. Margaret Mary Church, 1830 West Galbraith Road, North College Hill, OH 45239, at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Paul Young Funeral Home to assist the family with funeral and medical expenses. Condolences may be expressed to the family at http://www.paulyoungfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1539233

Photo provided by Coach Fiehrer

The Loss of a Local Sports Luminary

Sunday, July 28th, Wyoming resident, Pat Harmon died at the age of 97.  He had been the sports editor at The Cincinnati Post, the historian for the National Football Foundation, and, from what I've read, so much more. 

Below is part of an article by Kimball Perry from July 29th, found at Cincinnati.com

After his mother died and he was abandoned by his stepfather, Pat Harmon became an orphan who rummaged through garbage to survive.

The kindness of an adoptive family and his love for for the written word helped land Harmon a wife, a college scholarship, a journalism career and iconic status as a well-known, well-respected sports editor and columnist for The Cincinnati Post.

“My mother used to get wonderful love letters from him,” son Mike Harmon said. His father and mother, Anna Worland Harmon, were married 73 years. Pat Harmon, 97, died Sunday at a Springdale nursing home.

While Harmon likely was best known as sports editor and columnist for the Cincinnati Post from 1951-1985, his family knew him as a kind man who taught them skin color doesn’t define people.

“The words that define him are justice and compassion,” Mike Harmon said.

Much of that attitude, his son believes, stems from Pat Harmon’s rough childhood. After he was left homeless, he was adopted by a family after he was found eating out of garbage cans. He developed a love for words and worked while in high school for the school newspaper and the local weekly newspaper writing sports stories.

That helped him earn a scholarship to the University of Illinois and, ultimately, jobs as sports editor of newspapers in Champaign, Ill., and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, before coming to Cincinnati in 1951. In Iowa, he created a controversy by selecting state high school all-star teams. “He picked two blacks,” his son said.

That attitude continued when Harmon moved his family home to the Cincinnati suburb of Wyoming where they welcomed African-Americans, Jews and others not normally seen in white homes in the 1950s.

“When we were growing up, everybody came to our house,” Mike Harmon said of the home that held his 10 siblings. “Our house was a hotbed of civil rights before the civil rights movement.”

At work, Harmon was known for his easy way and fanatical devotion.

On Dec. 31, 1972, when Pirates star outfielder Roberto Clemente died in a plane crash, Harmon was desperate to get to work, but a daughter had the family’s only car and was late. A fuming Harmon called a cab but as he waited, his daughter drove home in the family car. Harmon jumped in the back seat, slammed the car door and ordered to be driven to the newspaper as he furiously scribbled notes for a column he planned.

“It wasn’t until they got Downtown that he realized he was in his own car with his daughter driving,” his son said with a laugh.

In his later years, Harmon’s eyes failed him and, lately, his hearing was almost gone, his son said.

“He seemed to be less interested in sports but every now and then he’d ask how the Reds were doing,” his son said.

 

HERE is a link to the Kimball Perry article, and 

HERE is a link to a Bill Koch article



Former Wyoming Coach Bob Lewis passes away

Wyoming Athletic Director Jim Barre relayed the news today that former Wyoming Coach Bob Lewis died this morning at the age of 83.  Wyoming's stadium, as you can see on the scoreboard above, is named after Coach Lewis.

Coach Lewis began a 23 year run as Wyoming's head football coach in 1956.  He led the team that first year to an 8-1 record, an amazing turn around from 1-6-2 the year before. 

The 1962 team was a particular high point, not allowing a point to be scored against it all season.  It also started a three year streak of going 10-0.  Coach Lewis started running the option in the early 60's, one of the first Cincinnati coaches to do so.

The mid-seventies were another time of great success for the Coach Lewis-led Cowboys.  Wyoming was Class AA state runner-up in 1975 and state champion in 1977.

His Wyoming career coaching stats astound.  His overall record was 198-21-7, meaning that he averaged less than one loss per season for those 23 years.  He never had a losing season and had 11 seasons where his team went undefeated.  Lewis is one of just three coaches at Wyoming over the last 53 years.  One other, current head coach Bernie Barre, played for Lewis.

He left a bigger legacy than just wins, however.  Jim Barre, who along with his brother played for Coach Lewis, stated, "Personally, he was my history teacher, football coach and athletic director.  Those are the three things I have done in my career.  He had quite an impact on my life.  I followed those career paths because of him."

Coach Lewis had a terrifically successful coaching career after Wyoming as well.  He led Conner to the 1980 Kentucky Class AAA state finals, losing to Franklin-Simpson.  As with the Cowboys, he returned soon thereafter and avenged the loss.  He led his team to the state championship three years later by this time beating Franklin-Simpson for the state championship.

Lewis' career coaching record is 270-55-8.  He is a member of the Wyoming High School Hall of Fame, the LaRosa's High School Hall of Fame, and the Ohio High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame.

The school will hold a memorial service at the high school on Sunday, October 4th at 2 PM.

The Roundup encourages those who knew Coach Lewis to leave comments below.  (Please be aware that comments are moderated, so that they won't immediately post.)