CANFIELD ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME | Class of 2004
The Canfield High Athletic Hall of Fame will induct 14 members at Friday's football game. A banquet to honor the inductees will be Saturday at A La Carte. Tickets are available by calling (330) 533-5341. The inductees are:
James "Mike Duncan, 1979 (Baseball, football) -- He was a two-sport letter winner. He was an All-Conference safety in his junior and senior years. In baseball, he finished second on the all-time base stealing list at that time. He earned all-conference honors his junior and senior years. Duncan resides in Akron where he is a contract driver for FedEx Ground.
Michelle Tanksley Denner, 1983 (basketball, softball) -- She was varsity point guard from 198-83 and was team captain and most valuable player during her senior year. In 1981-82, she set the record for the most assists at 115. She was a member of Canfield's first girls softball team and was the winning pitcher in the first game played in 1981. She earned all-MVC honors in basketball from 1981-83 and was all-MVC in softball in 1981-82. She played basketball for at Grove City College, where she was starting point guard for four years and career leader in assists with 490. She is a mother of two and resides in Ottawa Hills.
Jim Jones, 1990 (wrestling) -- He won the 135-pound state wrestling championship in 1990. He led the team with pins at 16 and technical falls with three. He was named the most valuable wrestler at Canfield and EOWL Wrestler of the Year in 1990. He resides in Canton.
Steve Kirtley, 1990 (soccer, basketball, tennis) -- He was a four-year varsity letter winner in soccer and a captain of the 1989 state finalist team. The soccer team amassed a record of 59-14-10 during his four years. He also was a two-year letter winner on the varsity basketball team and played four years of varsity tennis. He was a district doubles qualifier for his first three years and a state quarter finalist his senior year. His tennis record for four years was 54-15. He is a sales manager for Wolcott Systems and has coached freshman basketball and varsity tennis for Canfield. His teams won the MAC championship both years and compiled a 37-3 record. He and his wife, Jamie, have a son, Carter.
Michael Pepe, 1990 (soccer) -- He was a two-time All-American High School soccer player and two-time All State Player as well as Ohio's player of the Year as a junior. He holds the school record for the most career goals (142) and single season goals (46). He also holds the record for career assists (65). He played at Ohio Wesleyan University and won a national championship. He resides in Bay Village and is the head financial planner for the River financial Group in Rocky River.
Will Klucinec, 1992 (basketball) -- He was a three-year letter winner in basketball and the first Canfield basketball player to earn first-team state honors. He also was Northeast Ohio Player of the Year as a senior, set six records and became the career leading scorer. He qualified for the AAU National Championship in Arkansas and led the Cardinals to a number four ranking in the state poll. He received a Youngstown State scholarship and teaches in Salem where he is a varsity assistant coach. He and his wife, Eleanor, are expecting their first child
Jenny Kulics, 1992 (basketball, softball) -- She holds basketball records in career scoring (2,114 points), assists and 3-point field goals. She was named to the all-state for four years and led the Lady Cards to two trips to the state final. She also held the record for the most 3-point field goals (7) in a state tournament game vs. Dayton Dunbar in 1991. As a softball pitcher, Jenny compiled 52 wins, 10 losses and posted an earned run average of .81. She pitched nine no hitters. Offensively, she hit .431. She was named All District first team four times and All State first team twice. At Bowling Green State University, she lettered three times in basketball and twice in softball. She participated in two NCAA post season tournaments with the basketball team. She resides in Cuyahoga Falls and is Assistant Athletic Director, Academic Services at Kent State University.
Jason Wertz, 1992 (track, cross country) -- He was a state champion in the 1600-meter run in 1992 and set a district record in the 1600. He won the 800-meter district championship. In the 1992 league championship meet, he won the 800, 1600 and 3200 races, breaking meet records in the 800 and 1600. In 1992, he won the 1600 (4:14.54) at the Midwest Meet of Champions. In cross country, he won the state championship in his senior year, leading the team to a fifth place finish. He ran track and cross country at the University of Connecticut from 1992-96. Jason works as a Client Services Director for Optas, a software company in the Boston area. He lives in Ipswich, Mass., with his wife, Michele, and infant son Paul.
Nicole Stevens, 1993 (track, cross country) -- She lettered in track and cross country and earned all-league honors for four years. She attended the U.S. Olympic Training Center for hurdles after her junior year. She earned first-team state in cross country her senior year. At the state track meet in 1993, she was a two-event state champion in the 800 and anchored the winning 4 X 800 meter relay. She was voted Ohio's Female Track Athlete of the Year as a senior after setting school records in the 800, 300 hurdles, 400 meter dash, 4x400 relay and the 4x800 relay. In all, she set 21 school records. She lives in Indianapolis and is the Marketing Coordinator for the Indianapolis Indians baseball team, an AAA farm club of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Jason Frazier, 1994 (track, cross country) -- He was the 800-meter state champion in his senior year and held school records in the 400, 800 and as a member of the 4x400 meter relay. He was a two-time state qualifier in the 1600 and 800. In his senior year, he was selected as the Mahoning County Top Track and Field Performer and was a three-time state cross country qualifier. He ran at Ashland University where he was an indoor and outdoor NCAA Division II 800 qualifier. He is in his second year of a medical residency at Fairview General Hospital in Cleveland.
Tony Pannunzio, 1994 (football, track) -- His speed, deception and toughness enabled him to set many football records, including most rushing yards in a game (334), most carries (36), most yards rushing in a season (1,809), most all purpose yards (2,521) and most offensive yards (2,165). He was a first team all-state back and Mahoning Valley Player of the Year in 1993. In track, he broke the record in the 100 and a state qualifier in the 4x100 squad. At Youngstown State University, he was a four-year starter at defensive back and played on the National Championship teams of 1994 and 1997. He was a first team all league defensive back in 1998. Tony won the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete Award in 1998. He resides in Canfield and is a civil engineer for Parella-Pannunzio, Inc.
Sam Davis (coach) -- He was head football coach from 1974-85 and compiled a 57-50-3 record with two league championships. He also started the volleyball program and won two league, two district and a regional championship. He retired in 2002 after 35 years of teaching and coaching and resides in Boardman.
Stacey Madison (coach) -- He was the wrestling coach from 1985-99 (105 wins, 60 losses and 3 ties). He coached five state champions and 12 state placers. He is a member of the Canfield Wrestling Hall of Fame and Eastern Ohio Wrestling Hall of Fame, and is director of the Canfield Youth Wrestling Division. He lives in Canfield and he and his wife, Adele, have four sons.
Richard "Babe" Weiss (athletic director, coach) -- He was part of education and athletics for 40 years at Canfield. He coached football and basketball and spent 31 years as athletic director. During his tenure, the program grew from seven boys sports to 22 varsity sports. He was very active in athletic administration at the local, district, state and national levels. He was one of the founders of the Tri-County Athletic Directors Association serving as the moderator for 22 years. He conducted sectional and district tournaments for the NEO District Board in volleyball, girls and boys tennis, girls basketball, wrestling, baseball and softball. He serves as editor of the State Athletic Directors' Newsletter and is a the state co-coordinator of the National Leadership Training Program. His awards include: 1993 Athletic Administrator of the Year; 1996 Hall of Fame Award; 1999 Distinguished Service Award, 2001 NIAAA State Award of Merit and, 2004 Distinguished Service Award. He and his wife, Gail, reside in Canfield and Sanibel, Fla. They have four adult children and four grandchildren.