Ironton Fighting Tigers Hall of Fame Inductions January 30, 2016 Welcome............................... Jason Philyaw Blazer Presentations Blazer Presentation....................... John Wolfe presented by Linda Gagai Blazer Presentation..................... Dennis Gagai presented by Bart Burcham Blazer Presentation................... Jermon Jackson presented by Rick McKnight Blazer Presentation..................... James Payne presented by Mike Burcham Blazer Presentation................ Kristen Kavanaugh presented by Rose Kavanaugh Closing Remarks........................ Jason Philyaw
John Wolfe John Wolfe earned his stripes at Ironton as the longest reigning booster member. A graduate of Ironton High School, John returned to Ironton to practice law in 1970 and promptly joined the Tiger Clan. He has been a member ever since serving as president, vice-president on numerous occasions, as well as secretary. Wolfe came to the Tiger Clan with less than $100 in the treasury. The group has grown over the years and now offers more than a half-dozen athletic/academic scholarships. The Jack Wolfe Award was established in 1975 by Wolfe s mother and some friends including a man living in Florida who donated $10,000 to the scholarship fund. The John Wolfe Award was founded in 2012 by Wolfe s wife, Jan, and sons Jay, and Doug. Mr. Wolfe has also served on the Ironton Board of Education and with the Chamber of Commerce. He once served on the board of directors for the Tri-River Council of Campfire Girls, even though he does not have a daughter. Dennis Gagai Dennis Gagai was an outstanding all-around athlete who lettered in golf, basketball and baseball. As a basketball player, Dennis broke into the starting lineup late in his freshman year and never stopped scoring. He broke the school record for scoring with 1,542 points as he led Ironton to a Division III state runner-up and set the school record with a 26-1 mark. Gagai was voted a two-time Southeast District Division III Basketball Player of the Year and first team All-Ohio as a junior and senior. He was a four-year standout in golf and qualified for the state tournament. He was also an outstanding shortstop and pitcher for the baseball team. Mr. Gagai attended West Virginia his freshman year as a member of the basketball team, but transferred to Northern Kentucky University the following years. His impact was felt immediately when the 6-foot-4 guard was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Freshman of the Year. Dennis was a three-year letterman for NKU.
Jermon Jackson James Payne Jermon Jackson has been considered the finest running back to play in the Tri-State area during the past 50 years. Jackson was the Associated Press Division III Back of the Year in 1993 and a USA Today honorable mention All-American. He was a two-time first team All-Ohio running back and a two-time letterman for Ohio State. Jermon ran for 1,849 yards and 29 touchdowns his senior year and racked up 4,452 rushing yards for his career and scored 70 touchdowns. Not only a gifted running back, Jermon was an exceptional allaround three sport athlete. He was a key component of the 1993-1994 Ironton Final Four basketball team as well as a state qualifier in the long jump as a four year letter winner in track and field. Mr. Jackson set an Ohio State freshman record by scoring three touchdowns in his first game. In 45 games for the Buckeyes, Jackson rushed 136 times for 698 yards and scored seven touchdowns. James Payne is a 1972 graduate of Ironton who went into a career in education. He has been a teacher, coach and superintendent at Ironton, Symmes Valley and Coal Grove school districts. He is currently the Superintendent of the Lawrence County Educational Service Center. At Ironton, Payne was a four-sport standout in football, basketball, baseball and track. He served as captain of the baseball team with Keith Parker. James was an All-Ohio wide receiver in football and signed with Mississippi State. Payne was the leadoff hitter and shortstop for the 1972 Class AA state championship team. He was co-captain of the football and track teams. Payne also ran the 100, 200 and relays in track. At Mississippi State, Payne was a starter as a sophomore and had a key 51-yard reception against Georgia and also threw a big downfield block to spring Walter Packer for the decisive touchdown in the Sun Bowl win over N.C. State. Payne s career was cut short by two knee surgeries and a finger surgery. Mr. Payne earned his Ph.D. from Ohio University in 1998.
Former Hall of Fame Class of 2013 Kristen Kavanaugh Kristen Kavanaugh was one of the finest all-around female athletes to wear the orange and black. In basketball, Kavanaugh was a four-year starter who scored 1,173 points and earned All-Ohio honors in both her junior and senior seasons. She was listed as one of the top basketball players in the country by USA Today. Mike Burcham Bob Lutz Ken Fritz A track standout, she holds the school records in 100-meter hurdles (14.8 seconds), 300-meter hurdles (47.5 seconds) and high jump (5-3). Kavanaugh qualified for the state track and field meet all four years of high school in five different events: 100-meter hurdles, 300-meter hurdles, high jump, long jump and 400-meter relay. She finished as state runner-up in the 100-meter hurdles in both her junior and senior years. Kristen graduated from Ironton in 1998 with a 4.041 grade point average and received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy where she continued to play basketball where she was a three-year letter-winner and captain of the team her senior year. Ms. Kavanaugh graduated from the Naval Academy in 2002 and received a commission in the U.S. Marine Corps. She played on the all-marine and all-armed forces basketball teams and was named the 2003 U.S. Marine Corps Female Athlete of the Year. Coy Bacon George McAfee
Former Hall of Fame Class of 2014 Former Hall of Fame Class of 2015 Mark Snyder Justin Collins Dan Pride John Leach Bobbi Ann Hunt Triplett Bill Washburn Anissa Campbell Ralph Snead Phil Rice Carl White
Acknowledgements Ironton "Fighting" Tigers Hall of Fame Inductions The 2015-2016 Hall of Fame Committee Members: Linda Gagai Kevin Hacker Mark LaFon - Chairman Rick McKnight- Secretary/Treasurer Dean Nance Jason Philyaw Tim Thomas Jay Zornes The Hall of Fame Committee would like to thank the following people who helped contribute to the success of our induction ceremony: Mr. Ron Ross, program Ms. Valerie Freeman and Mrs. Angela Malone, caterers Mr. Jason Philyaw, Master of Ceremonies Mr. Jim Walker, Inductee Research Mr. David Phillips, sponsor of HOF program We would also like to thank you for attending the reception and look forward to seeing everyone at next year's induction ceremony.