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COMMEMORATING THE BEST ATHLETES OF CINCINNATI
Hall of Fame Main Page By Year By School Alphabetically Eligibility Requirements

The Buddy LaRosa high school Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1975 to recognize outstanding athletes from area high schools. Each year, nominees are considered based solely upon high school accomplishments. Collegiate, professional, or other amateur achievements have no bearing on the selection process. The nominee must have graduated high school 10 years before eligibility may begin.

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ANNOUNCING THE 2013 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
Seven outstanding area sports legends are the latest inductees into the Buddy LaRosa's High School Sports Hall of Fame.
Charlie Fredrick

Charlie Fredrick
Newport Catholic High School Class of 1955

Outstanding Player, Coach and Administrator

Charlie Fredrick, Class of 1955, was the first truly great athlete to come out of Newport Catholic High School, earning five varsity letters -- two in basketball and three in football -- and then was a successful coach for nearly four decades.

In football, Fredrick was the leading rusher in Northern Kentucky as a senior and was an honorable mention all-state selection. His most memorable game was the last one he played - when he scored three touchdowns and kicked two PATs in a 20-20 tie vs. McNicholas in the final game of the 1954 season.

After high school, Fredrick received a full scholarship to play football at the University of Notre Dame, where he played under the legendary coach Terry Brennan. Fredrick was part of the 1958 team that ended Oklahoma's 47-game winning streak.

Following college, Fredrick spent the next 38 years involved in coaching or administering secondary education. He became head football coach at NewCath in 1961 and five years later the Thoroughbreds were ranked No. 1 in Kentucky. He also started the track and field team at NewCath in 1963 and won the 9th Region titles in 1964 and 1965.

After a year of coaching at Highlands, Fredrick became head football coach at Greenhills High School, and the Athletic Director in 1971. He served as the district's athletic coordinator for 28 years.

With his induction, Fredrick becomes the third father-son inductee into the LaRosa's High School Hall of Fame, but the first to have his son (Joe, Greenhills High School, Class of 1986, LaRosa's HOF class of 2008)) inducted before himself!

Fredrick has been inducted into the Ohio Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Hall of Fame (1994), the first inductee into the Winton Woods Hall of Fame (2002) and the Newport Central Catholic Hall of Fame (2007).

Now retired, Charlie and his wife, Mary Jo, live in Northern Kentucky. They have four children (Chuck 52, Mike 51, Maureen 49, Joe 45) and 11 grandchildren.

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Vincent Harrison

Vincent Harrison
Princeton High School Class of 1998

Multi-Sport All-Star Played Professional Baseball

An outstanding three-sport star at Princeton High School, Vincent Harrison was named LaRosa's Male Athlete of the Year in 1998 and is generally regarded as the finest all-around athlete to come out of Princeton in the last 25 years.

His senior year, Harrison was named 1st team All-City by The Cincinnati Enquirer in three major sports. In football, the quarterback rushed for 961 yards, passed for 1,164 yards and scored 11 touchdowns in being named 1st team all-Southwest Ohio and honorable mention all-state. In basketball, his 17-point average at guard landed him honorable mention all-state honors as he led the Vikings to the GMC title and regional tournament.

As a baseball shortstop, Harrison was among the city's leading hitters (.571). He still holds Princeton school records in home runs (11) and single-season RBI (43). His .571 batting average ranks No. 2 all-time. He was named The Cincinnati Enquirer and Cincinnati Post Player of the Year in baseball.

Harrison played both football and baseball at the University of Kentucky. In his final two seasons in baseball at UK, Harrison batted .315 (137-for-435) with 20 stolen bases and 17 home runs. He was a three-time Academic All-Southeastern Conference winner. Harrison was drafted in the 13th round of the professional baseball draft by Tampa Bay in 2001. Though he never reached the major leagues, he enjoyed an 11-year professional baseball career that included two Atlantic League championships.

Currently, Vincent Harrison is the hitting coach in the Arizona League for the Arizona Diamondbacks' organization. He and his wife, Ericka, live in Greenhills.

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Adam Hyzdu

Adam Hyzdu
Moeller High School Class of 1990

2-Sport Star and Major League Baseball Player

Adam Hyzdu was an all-star player at Moeller High School in both football and baseball, and he was a finalist for LaRosa's Male Athlete of the Year for 1989-90.

As a senior quarterback for the Crusaders, he passed for 2,239 yards (#7 all-time in Moeller history), threw 17 touchdowns passes (#4), four TD passes in a single game (twice), He holds the school record for the longest TD pass (90 yards vs. Princeton). He holds the Ohio Division I state tournament record for single-game passing (347 vs. Cleveland St. Ignatius) and he ranks #7 all-time in career points scored with 91 (mostly FGs and PATs). Adam stands No. 6 all-time in Moeller history with 22 career TD passes.

In baseball, Hyzdu led the Crusaders in triples and home runs three straight years. He still holds the single season records for Most HRs (13) and Walks (29). His career records include: Home Runs (22), Triples (14), Walks (63), No. 2 in Batting Average (.432), No. 3 in RBI (81) and No. 4 in Runs Scored (77). He was the Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year in baseball. He was part of the run of great Cincinnati baseball players who became first round draft picks in the Major League Baseball June Free Agent Draft that included Ken Griffey Jr. (1987) and Hamilton's Mark Lewis (1988).

Though Adam committed to Mississippi State for baseball, he instead signed a major league baseball contract with the San Francisco Giants. He was SF's 1st round pick and the No. 15 pick over all in the nation. He went on to play professional ball for 18 seasons, including major league stints with Pittsburgh, Boston, San Diego and Texas. He was part of the Red Sox 2004 World Series Championship team. He played in 221 major league games with 18 doubles, 19 home runs, 61 RBI and a career .229 batting average.

Now retired from baseball, Adam Hyzdu owns Auto Corral RV in Mesa, AZ. He married his high school sweetheart, Julie, and they have three children, Zak 19, Alexa 17 and Luke 13.

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Erin Phenix

Erin Phenix
Ursuline Academy Class of 1999

Olympic Gold Medal Winner and All-American Swimmer

Ursuline's Erin Phenix is one of the greatest female swimmers to come out of Greater Cincinnati in the last 40 years, and is only the third female native Cincinnatian to win an Olympic Gold medal in swimming (Deena Deardurff and Jenny Kemp in 1972 were the others). Erin captured her Olympic Gold in 2000 at the Sydney Games as a member of the USA 400-meter relay team.

At Ursuline Academy, Phenix won 10 Ohio state championships during her four-year career. She never finished lower than third place in any Ohio state tournament event, and won four state titles (two individually) in her junior and senior seasons. She led Ursuline to the state championship as a junior, and set two state records on the 200 medley relay team (1:45.76) and the 400 free relay team. She helped rewrite the freestyle relay record as a senior (3:27.38) en route to a team runner-up finish. She was a four-time high school All-America swimmer each of her four years at Ursuline.

Twice named Girls Swimmer of the Year by The Cincinnati Enquirer, Phenix posted the fastest time in the nation in 1997 for the 50 freestyle in winning the USA Junior National title. Two of her relay times still rank in the top 4 in Ohio history, while her 50-Yard freestyle time (50.96) ranks 10th all time.

Phenix attended the University of Texas on a swimming scholarship. As a Longhorn, she was a 10-time Big 12 champion, was a 17-time collegiate All-American and was named the Big 12 Swimmer of the Year in 2001-02. She is a two-time NCAA national champion and an NCAA record holder.

Currently, Erin Phenix, who lives in Superior, WI, works for Language of Hair as a beautician, and is executive skin care consultant for Rodan and Fields Dermatologists.

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Derek Smith

Derek Smith
Highlands High School Class of 1999

2-Sport Superstar Played Professional Football

There's little doubt that Derek Smith was the best athlete in the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1998-99. Not many athletes can claim being runner-up in both Mr. Football and Mr. Basketball in the same season!

Smith was just that kind of stellar athlete - earning nine varsity letters during his prep career in football and basketball, including two in baseball. He was named the LaRosa's Male Athlete of the Year in 1999.

In football, Smith and future NFL QB Jared Lorenzen teamed for a potent combination. Smith, as tight end, had 34 catches for 883 and 16 TDs during his senior regular season. Both his 304 yards receiving in a single game and five touchdowns in a game rank No. 3 all-time in Kentucky history. His 2,304 career receiving yards ranks #37 all-time.

Smith was named KHSAA Player of the Year, the Gatorade Kentucky Player of the Year, and the Paul Hornung Player of the Year. He was a Prepstar, Super Prep and Sporting News All-American, as well as placing among the top five tight ends on Tom Lemming's All-America team.

In basketball, the four-year starter - twice named Kentucky Enquirer and Kentucky Post Player of the Year - collected almost as many honors, including being ranked No. 1 Player by the Associated Press, National Grid Hoop Player of the Year and the No. 1 Player in Kentucky by Hoop Scoops magazine. He scored 2,229 points and had 974 rebounds in his prep basketball career.

A four-year letterman in football at the University of Kentucky, Smith was named 1st team All-Southeastern Conference (2001) and 2nd team All-SEC (2000). He was also a 2nd team All-American (2001) by the Football News. An undrafted rookie with the Indianapolis Colts in the NFL in 2002, Smith was a member of the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad in 2002 and 2003.

Currently, Smith works in the Transportation Department of Children's Hospital, and lives in Fort Thomas, KY.

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Brooke Wyckoff

Brooke Wyckoff
Lakota High School Class of 1997

Top Multi-Sport Athlete Played Pro Basketball

Easily the finest female athlete to graduate from the old Lakota High School in the last 25 years, Brooke Wyckoff is also the first female basketball player in Greater Cincinnati history to enjoy an extended professional career.

Wyckoff, who was named LaRosa's Female Athlete of the Year in 1997, earned nine varsity letters in basketball, volleyball and track at Lakota. Her high school records will remain unbroken as Lakota split into two schools shortly after she graduated. Brooke set 10 school career or single season records in basketball, and two school records in track. She was a state qualifier in three track events, held the school record in the 400-meter run (57.0) and finished second (3200 relay) and third (800) as a senior.

A two-year starter in volleyball, Wyckoff's best sport was basketball where she earned a long list of honors that includes two-time 1st team All-Ohio, two-time Street & Smith and USA Today honorable mention All-American, twice named Southwest District Player of the Year and twice selected 1st team all-city by The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Her career marks in basketball include 1,246 points, 920 rebounds, 379 steals, 325 assists and 350 blocked shots. Lakota was 84-10 during her 4-year career, 41-1 in the Greater Miami Conference and she played in a school-record 94 straight games.

Wyckoff starred as a collegian at Florida State, where she was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference freshman team, the AAC 3rd team twice and 1st team as a senior. She was 2nd team All-American in 2001. She scored 1,350 career points (11th all-time FSU), had 804 rebounds (6th), and was No. 2 in career blocks (209), including single-season record (80).

Selected by the Orlando Miracle in the 2nd round of the 2001 WNBA draft, Wyckoff enjoyed a 10-year professional career with Orlando, Connecticut and Chicago. She also played professionally for seven years in Spain.

Wyckoff was picked as a member of the All-ACC 50th Anniversary Team in 2002 and was named an ACC Legend in 2010. She has been inducted into the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame (2011), the Florida State Athletic Hall of Fame and the Greater Cincinnati Basketball Hall of Fame.

Currently, Brooke Wyckoff is in her third year as an assistant women's basketball coach at FSU. Brooke, and her newborn daughter, Avery, live in Tallahassee, FL.

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Coach Ron Masanek

Coach Ron Masanek
Fairfield High School 1965-Current

Legendary Wrestling Coach With 23 League Titles

Fairfield High School Coach Ron Masanek is regarded as the dean of Greater Cincinnati wrestling, and his 49-year run in coaching at Fairfield (with a one year hiatus at Miami University) is believed to be the longest tenure of any high school head coach in Greater Cincinnati history.

Masanek almost single-handedly (along with Oak Hills' coach Frank Shaut) lifted Southwestern Ohio wrestling to a state competitive level. He was the driving force behind Ohio's first big-school four-time state champion, Willie Wineberg (a LaRosa's Hall of Fame inductee).

During his 48-year prep career, Masanek has compiled a dual meet record of 403-83-3, which ranks in the top five in Ohio high school wrestling history. He has produced 11 undefeated seasons, 23 Greater Miami Conference championships, nine Ohio state runner-up teams, nine high school All-American wrestlers and three Ohio State Wrestling Tournament MVPs.

Individually, Masanek's wrestlers have produced 200 GMC champions, 127 sectional titalists, 42 district/regional champions, 150 state qualifiers and 43 state placers (Top Six finish). His teams have won eight district championships, 15 sectional titles and placed third in the state in both 1991 and 1992.

A 1959 graduate of Parma High School and 1964 grad of Miami University, Masanek was a three-year letterman in Oxford. He was a two-time Mid-American wrestling runner-up and a two-time collegiate national qualifier. He has garnered numerous Coach of the Year honors from the Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati Post and Hamilton Journal, as well as being named GMC Coach of the Year.

Coach Masanek has been inducted into the Ohio Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame, the Butler County Athletic Hall of Fame and the Fairfield High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Still coaching at Fairfield, Ron and his wife Stephie have two daughters, Mikie and Charlie, and two grandchildren (James and Sarah).

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