Jack Marsh couldn’t have known it growing up on South Maple Street, a stone’s throw from Ely Stadium. Probably didn’t even think about it.
All Marsh and his friends wanted to do was join a pickup game of basketball or football or knock the baseball around at the stadium — a typical day for a youngster growing up in Elyria in the 1950s and ’60s.
“Tim Johnson and I and his brother (Gary) would play ‘strikeout’ at the stadium starting in the morning,” Marsh said. “We did it with a hardball against the ticket window. Finally the guy who handled the stuff at the stadium put some kind of bars across it so we couldn’t break through it.
“We’d spend the whole day out there — running on the track, playing baseball, whatever.”
Who would’ve thought that many of the kids in that neighborhood would become Elyria Sports Hall of Famers? Certainly not Marsh, but he will join his buddies Saturday when he’s inducted as part of the 37th class.
“I grew up with the Staceys that went to Midview,” said Marsh. “The Nelsons on Middle Avenue — Ray and Mike. There was Jack Beidleman, Al Robinson, Tim Johnson, Eric Wilcox and Jerry Gilbert, who was a snot-nosed little kid back then.
“His grandfather was a great influence on all of us, too — Mr. (Isaac) Chapman. Tianna Madison’s father lived across the street and the Browns lived on the corner. Jim Brown was a Golden Gloves champion. We had people we looked up to. It was something just growing up on the south end. There was some great lineage.”
Sounds like a who’s who in Elyria sports. Gilbert, who graduated from EHS seven years after Marsh, will join him Saturday for his exploits on the basketball floor and baseball diamond. Peggy Fortune Yetman, Suzanne Camp, Brad House and the 1977 and ’78 Elyria Catholic cross country teams will complete the induction class at the Spitzer Center on the campus of Lorain County Community College.
Marsh, an All-Buckeye Conference and All-Ohio defensive end and offensive tackle with the Pioneers, earned a scholarship to Ohio State as part of what is still considered one of the best all-time recruiting classes. As sophomores in 1968, Ohio State went undefeated and won the national championship.
“The first night we all got together, I remember Woody (Hayes) telling us your best friends the rest of your life will be these guys with you right here,” said Marsh. “He was right. I still talk to a lot of them all the time.”
Marsh didn’t get to play much for the Buckeyes. A serious knee injury before his sophomore season limited his playing time, although he lettered and graduated with his class.
In 1966 at Elyria, playing for defensive-minded Bill Barton, Marsh was outstanding. The Pioneers were 8-1-1, losing only at undefeated Sandusky, 20-12. The 6-6 tie came in the opener at Barberton when the Magics scored with 57 seconds left after the Pioneers had dominated throughout. Elyria easily whipped everyone else on the schedule, outscoring its opponents 251-69 and doubling them in yardage.
“Jack was one of those kids you loved to coach,” said John Sheldon, longtime line coach at Elyria and a Hall of Famer. “Worked his tail off.
“I remember a scrimmage we had before the season with one of the Youngstown schools. I would always tell our defensive linemen to unload on the guy across from you on the first play from scrimmage. Jack knocked that kid on his can.”
“Jack’s the reason they outlawed the head slap,” said the quick-footed Beidleman, one of Elyria’s all-time best backs. “He was the silent assassin. He’d hit the guy first and set the tone for the whole game.”
“He was the ultimate team player. We didn’t have the same captain for every game but for the Lorain game (the season finale) we elected him to be the captain. That’s how much everyone respected him.”
Assistant coach Terry Doan said two of Marsh’s strengths were his intelligence and discipline.
“He was the ideal football player,” Doan said.
Tough, smart and a great teammate.
“I remember the Sandusky game,” said Greg Horace, who played behind Marsh in the 4-3 defensive scheme. “They had this huge back (Eddie Williams). Sandusky ran these wide splits, so I was kind of left out on my own.
“It was fourth down and I made a tackle on (Williams) but I got hit so hard on the play I didn’t know where I was. I actually started off toward the wrong side of the field. All of a sudden I feel this big paw grabbing my jersey and pulling me the other way. It was Jack. He always had my back.”
“No one got to Greg,” said Doan. “No one got past Jack.”
The coaches would treat the defensive players to a milkshake if they were able to keep the opponent under 100 yards rushing. Sheldon handed out the prizes.
“We got graded with the movies on Monday night,” Marsh said. “If we held the team under 100 yards, he’d give us money for “the All-American” as he would call it. If we didn’t do it, we used to run down to Isaly’s on Broad Street and buy hot cashews for the coaches.
“It was a neat thing. All the guys would get together.”
Marsh credits the four-lineman pro-style defense for the Pioneers ability to stuff the run, even in the ground-oriented Buckeye Conference.
“The key to Elyria football was the feeder system,” Marsh said. “You came into high school really knowing what was expected of you. Our freshman year, (Bob) Hersman was my coach. I played offensive tackle. He talked about heart, desire, team — all that was so critical to our development as a team and as individuals.
“He would tell us the real champion in a game was the guy who could perform in the fourth quarter when you felt the worst. I’ll tell you what, that came to fruition. It was conditioning but a lot of it was heart. You’d be tired as a dog — especially my senior year when I went both ways, kicked off and played on the return teams. I didn’t come off the field. I didn’t think anything of it. I was in such good shape.”
It’s been 42 years since Marsh made a tackle or opened a hole for the Pioneers but Saturday he’ll enter the spotlight once again. He will be joined by his wife, Paulette, two sons and a daughter, along with his many friends and teammates.
It’ll seem like a South Maple Street reunion.
Contact Tim Gebhardt at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. 

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