Stone sprints his way into W Association Hall of Fame

Emmanuel (Manny) Stone, a Wooster resident, will be inducted into The College of Wooster’s W Association Hall of Fame. He finished as a two-time top four placer in the 200 meters at the NCAA Division III Championships.

The big three in the region — Purdue University, Ohio State University and the University of Michigan — showed interest in Stone, who hailed from Maumee, near Toledo. He ultimately chose Wooster.

Sophomore year marked Stone’s big breakthrough in track as he made the final of the 200 meters at the NCAA Div. III Championships at the University of Chicago. In that race he placed fourth for All-America laurels with a time of 21.4. Stone was part of a five-person Wooster contingent at the 1977 NCAA Div. III Championships and competed in three events including the 200 meters, where he placed third at 21.72.

“Manny breezed through the prelims and semifinals,” said Jim Bean, Wooster’s head coach at the time. “He ran a super race in the finals. He was nosed out at the finish by two runners from Southern University.”

Stone competed in the 100 meters at nationals as a junior and missed qualifying for finals and a third individual All-America honor by five-hundredths of a second. Stone was part of Wooster’s 4x100 relay at nationals that year. Wooster’s quartet posted a school-record 41.99 in prelims to advance to the semifinals before not advancing. Stone joined Wooster legend Lou Wims as the program’s second multi-time All-American, and Reggie Ray is the only Scot to go on to earn more All-America honors than the standout duo.

The stage was set for Stone to have a major senior year, but an unfortunate knee injury sidelined the two-sport standout. Bean was quoted as believing Stone would have been the top 200 meters sprinter in the nation as a senior had it not been for the injury.

In his three healthy seasons in basketball, Stone was a key forward, appearing in 63 games. He scored 301 points, secured 204 rebounds and helped the team to the Ohio Athletic Conference North Division title as a junior.

Stone credits his coaches and teammates being there for him as one of the keys to his success. He said he is particularly fond of how Bean built his confidence and prepared his body to perform.

The three-time Ohio Athletic Conference champion graduated with a degree in physical education and settled in Wooster, working for Rubbermaid in the warehouse and distribution before joining Wooster City Schools as a teacher for over two decades. He has been actively involved in the NAACP at the local and state levels, holding officer positions with both for over a decade.

Stone and his wife Patricia reside in Wooster and have two grown children and three grandchildren.

A class of eight College of Wooster greats have been selected for induction into the W Association Hall of Fame. Additionally, Bruce Martin, who was a volunteer assistant basketball coach for 26 seasons, was selected for this year’s W Association Distinguished Award of Excellence.

The W Association Hall of Fame induction ceremony is set for Friday, Oct. 18 at 6:30 p.m. at Scheide Music Center’s Gault Recital Hall as part of the College’s Homecoming for Alumni and Families Weekend. A reception will follow the induction ceremony.