Home for the Hall: Wayne County sports history gets room to shine

In most of Ohio’s 88 counties, the local sports hall of fame exists on a piece of paper or maybe a pamphlet, with a year-by-year list of inductees. Some might have a wall somewhere with some plaques.

In Wayne County, it’s something very different. And very unique.

Thanks to the hard work of a few dedicated individuals and the cooperation of the Wayne County Historical Society, the Wayne County Sports Hall of Fame is open to the public.

As local sports halls of fame go, this is a true unicorn. It’s something to be emulated and envied. It’s what board member and enshrinee Erich Riebe compared to the Smithsonian – and he’s not wrong.

“I’ve been to the Smithsonian before and been back, and every time you go in you see something new,” Riebe said. “There are still many things we don’t have displayed in there. You could go down a rabbit hole. Every time I go down there, I do that.”

Occupying a single room in the Historical Society’s main office building, the sports hall is jam-packed with history, nostalgia and memorabilia. It is a miniature version of the far more famous halls in places like Cooperstown and Canton.

Like those places, and like Riebe alluded, a county sports enthusiast, or just a regular history buff, can get lost for a while. Nobody has to be from Wayne County, either, or even a sports fan necessarily, to find plenty of things of interest.

“There are things from the county, state, national, even world level,” Riebe said. “It’s just amazing the things you can see in there.”

Current WCSHOF board president and longtime member of the area sports media Mike Plant said finding a permanent physical location for the Hall was a goal of those who preceded him on the board more than two decades ago.

In the early 2000s the Historical Society gave the Hall some space above the general store on its campus. It was nice but not ideal. Stairs were an obstacle, for one thing. With few visitors to it, the original space became more of a storage closet.

Then, the leadership at the Historical Society offered up the space that is now the Sports Hall of Fame.

“Last summer,” Plant said, “everything was moved from the old general store location, down the stairs and across the parking lot to its current home. Then we got to work.

“Once we had all the display cases and memorabilia moved into the room, I realized we had about 25 percent of the stuff we needed to fill the room, so we got to work, both figuring out the layout and figuring out how to acquire more items.”

Thanks to the generosity of too many to list, the Hall has more than it can possibly display. This is where Riebe’s Smithsonian comparison gets its validity. Visit once, you’ll see a lot, but you won’t see everything. Next time, there will be new and different things to both see and read. Plant said the next wave of displays will likely come in late 2027.

Plant credited Rik Goodright and Penny Gasbarre of the Historical Society for giving access to their building, including a key, so it was accessible at all times, along with the help of Aaron Dorksen, who Plant said "has a deep appreciation for both area sports and area history" and contributed a lot to the project.

Riebe, though, said many of the kudos should be aimed in one particular direction.

“All the credit goes to Mike Plant, and he won’t take it,” Riebe said. “He wanted to make sure it was ready to go for the (April 27) open house. To see what it was early on, I wasn’t part of that process. Then to get that stuff moved down and then get the availability and to be what it was and is? Obviously, I’m very proud of it.”

Riebe, a 1988 graduate of Waynedale High School and a member of the HOF Class of 2000, has all sorts of reasons to be proud. While there are many who have been inaugurated, it’s still pretty rare air and puts those who have received the honor among some elite company.

“To be a part of it from this end, then to be an inductee, I’m just in awe of it,” Riebe said. “Many other athletes that are in, my career pales in comparison to them. It’s just truly a special thing for me. I brag about (the Hall). I really do. I tell people, ‘You’ve got to see this thing to believe it.’”

Again, he’s not wrong. The 15-person board, which has overseen the project, includes people from throughout the area. The final product is a result of their hard work and resolve. The close to 250 inductees, and all who follow, now have a first-class facility where all their achievements can be recognized for anyone who wants to share in them.

Among the displays are one on Wayne Countians who pitched in the majors, another featuring Hall of Famers who played or coached on state title teams, and much more, including vintage photos.

The space in the former Kister Building also houses a giant clockface from the Wayne County Courthouse tower. Plant said the HOF ordered a cover for a hot tub to cover the face, then board member Art Holden constructed a frame in front of it where 15 of the 11x17 acrylic posters of the Charter Class of 1976 now hang. Eventually, all 249 WCSHOF members will have a poster.

Around the upper walls of the room near the ceiling are signs listing each WCSHOF class and its members. “That way,” Plant said, “even if we have maybe 100 of our enshrinees featured now in displays, every Hall of Famer is mentioned.”

The history of Wayne County is rich in just about every way possible. Sports, to be sure, are a big part of that.

“Going through this process and being a part of it has opened my eyes to the Historical Society itself and the deep history and all the connections,” Riebe said. “Even a Wayne County history person would love to see this room now and how it’s come to life.

“From a sports end it shows an even deeper history of Wayne County. As I get older, I get more involved and intrigued by the history of Wayne County. It truly is an historical place.”

Wayne County Sports Hall of Fame classes are inducted every other year. The 25th class will be enshrined June 20 at the Greystone Event Center. Self-guided tours of the Hall can be set up through the Historical Society by calling 330-264-8856. For more information on open houses later this summer and in the fall, visit the website waynecountysportshof.com.