He joined the Cleveland Browns as a second round draft choice in 1973 after a sensational career at the University of Oklahoma where he was a two-time consensus All-American back and runner up in the 1972 Heisman Trophy balloting. It was apparent early-on in his Browns career what the cheering had been about. In his second year with Cleveland he topped the NFC in kickoff returns with a 27.5-yard average, and in his third year he began a string of three consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons, missing a fourth by only 40 yards when he was sidelined for four games with an injury. After suffering a severe knee injury in 1979, he was moved into a receiver role coming out of the backfield and in 1981 his 65 pass receptions lad all AFC backs. He was named to the 1973, 1974, 1976, and 1977 Pro Bowl teams during his nine-year career with the browns, which ended when he was traded to the Oakland Raiders for an 11th round draft pick in 1982. His final career rushing totals for Cleveland stood at 5,496 yards, still fourth best of all Browns backs. There was one more good season leading kickoff returner in the AFC and third in the NFL, helping the Raiders to the NFL Championship in Super Bowl XVIII. That earned him a final Pro Bowl appearance, which he celebrated with a record 75-yard punt return. After his career came to a close he came back to the Cleveland area where he has become a successful businessman, currently making his home in Shaker Heights.
She began to get serious about figure skating rather early in life—when she was an eight-year-old elementary school student in her home town of Westlake. Beginning as a singles skater, she shifted her attention to pairs skating as a teen-ager and at the age of 22 she shifted partners and into a high gear on the world stage. Teaming with Todd Sand, who towered a full 11 inches above her, they quickly adjusted to each other and in their first year together in 1993 they captured a silver medal in the U.S. National Championships and placed a surprising fifth at the World Championships. The following year they won the U.S. National Championship, qualified for the ’94 Winter Olympics were they finished fifth, found a moment to become engaged while there, and then went on to finish sixth in the World Championships. By the time she and her husband ended there amateur careers to join the Stars on Ice Tour for the 1998-99 season, the pair had amassed three U.S. National Championships (in 1994, 1995 and 1996) plus a second in 1997 and had established themselves as favorites for the ’98 title, only to have to withdraw when Jenni suffered a serious ankle injury. Later, able to train for only a week for the 1998 Winter Olympics, they gamely competed and finished a credible eighth, With Jenni fully recovered a month thereafter, they were able t close out their amateur careers by capturing the silver in the ’98 World Championships. Still skating professionally, the couple lives and trains in Southern California and Summerlin, Nevada.
A remarkably successful and generous businessman, this transplanted native of Brooklyn, NY brought to his adopted city of Cleveland, a stunning array of values—humanity, generosity, patriotism, leadership and genuine devotion—which assured his name in a permanent place of honor in the city’s annuals. But, while his unparalleled support of the healthcare and educational communities built a listing legacy, he will, in all likelihood, be remembered best by the city’s legion of football fans as the man who resurrected their beloved Cleveland Browns by purchasing the dormant franchise in September, 1988 for a then-record sum and working with unswerving determination to rebuild both an organizational infrastructure and a team worthy of the Browns’ proud tradition. The process was not without obstacles, but the team seemed headed toward a resumption of its once-familiar role as a perennial playoff team when Mr. Lerner passed away in October, 2002. Dedicating the season to his memory, the Browns provided their popular leader with the most appropriate farewell gift they could muster by powering their way into the playoffs for the first time since their return to the league. Mr. Lerner is survived by his wife, Norma, two sons and seven grandchildren. His oldest son, Randy, succeeded him as president, keeping the quiet Lerner touch in plane with the city’s favorite football team and assuring its continuing presence in the city of its birth.
Deceased 2002
There are legends in sports and there are LEGENDS. Buddy Langdon merits all-capitals treatment when listing those who stand tallest in Greater Cleveland’s well-respected men’s softball lore. Born John Langdon in Cleveland’s Collinwood area, he moved to bat-and-ball conscious Euclid at the age of six By the time he graduated from Euclid High, he had developed the interest in slo-pitch softball which was to become integral part of his life. From 1953 to 1975 he starred in the sport, being named the Greater Cleveland All-City left-fielder four times on the All-Time All-City teams of both the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Cleveland Press. Starring for memorable teams fielded by Sheffield Bronz. Swing Inn, Pyramid Café and Lach’s Bar, he played in seven World Tournaments between 1960 and 1969 in the men’s open division. Went on to coach in six others and was a member of Pyramid café’s 1975 World Championship team. He also managed and coached Cleveland’s first professional softball team “the Cleveland Jaybirds” to a division title in 1977. Off the field, his continuing devotion to the promotion of the game led to his founding in 1985 of the Greater Cleveland Slo-Pitch Softball Hall of Fame and Museum, which he still serves as its coordinator. He, himself, was voted into the hall in 1988. he continues to make his home in Euclid.
Deceased 2015
A solid, but hardly sensational wrestling career at Cleveland State University—a 56-11-2 record, a school record 14 pins as a senior bulwark of the nations ninth-ranked team when he qualified for NCAA Division I Nationals but he won just one match before bowing out—gave virtually no hint that the Vikings were nurturing an Olympic silver medalist in their midst. However, turning to Greco-Roman style wrestling after his graduation in 1984, proved the catalyst to the 1996 Olympics Silver Medal at 286 pounds and a notable national acclaim which followed, abetted no doubt by his imposing physical appearance. The medal was no fluke. Rather it was the special highlight of a post-collegiate career which saw him become the only wrestler in U.S. history to win a combined four World and Olympic medals. Add to that seven U.S. national championships, an American record nine Pan-American titles, and four World Cup championships, and 13 Grand Prix and four Canada Cup championships. Also earning a spot on the 1992 Olympic Team and as an alternate to the 2000 team, he was the U.S. Olympic Committee Greco-Roman Athlete of the Year for 1996 and 1998 and fifth in the voting for the U.S. Olympic Committee Sportsman of the Year in 1999. now the Director of National Facilitated Services at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, he makes his home in Avon Lake.
A three-sport at Cleveland West High, where he captained the baseball, basketball and football teams, he appeared on track to a professional baseball career after earning All-Ohio diamond honors at West in 1964 and subsequently playing for two years in the Cleveland Indians farm system. Instead, his future in sports took a sharp right turn which transformed him into one of—perhaps the—most successful college basketball referees ever to come out of the Greater Cleveland area. Donning, his first striped shirt at the age of 28 in 1974, he began a career as a Big 10 official in 1976 which has spanned 26 years and led to officiating assignments in 20 consecutive NCAA Men’s National Basketball Tournaments, including an appearance in the Final Four and numerous “Elite Eight” and “Sweet 16” match-ups. He has also called National Invitation Tournament games for two decades, including the 1993 championship at Madison Square Garden, and a tournament championship games for virtually every major collegiate conference. President of Big Ten Officials Association for eight terms and director of two nationally acclaimed camps, one for baseball, his “real job” is as coordinator of the Occupational Work Experience program at Buckeye High School in Medina County, where he has won honors as Educator of the Year and Employee of the Year. He currently makes his home in Westlake.
A native Clevelander who starred in football, basketball and track at Cleveland West High from 1945 to 1948, he stayed on to give his hometown reason to continue cheering his feats at Case Tech. and continue to cheer it did as he literally fashioned a Hall of Fame career for the Rough Riders from 1948 to 1952. Relatively slight, even in those days, for a halfback at 170 pounds, his speed and elusiveness enabled him to post some impressive numbers on the gridiron—none more so than on Thanksgiving Day in 1950 when he broke away on touchdown runs of 56 and 97 yards to give Case a 20-7 victory over archest of rivals Western Reserve. It was an effort that went a long way toward earning him the 1950 Les Bale Award as the team’s “Most Outstanding Player.” That was followed by the Cleveland Touchdown Club’s 1951 award as the Most Outstanding Local Collegiate Football Player, and a berth on the 1951 All-Big Four Offensive First Team. While honors piled up for his football skills, he quietly fashioned records in track as well, leading the team in points scored in 1950, 1951 and 1952 and setting a school record of 24.0 sec in the 220-yard low hurdles. Theiling, who now makes his home in Willoughby, was elected to the Case Western Reserve Athletic Hall of Fame in 1976.
Deceased 2020
The son of an amateur sports car racer turned the lessons he learned on the inner workings of a car while growing up in Medina, OH into a smashingly successful career as one of the nation’s leading race car drivers. Drove his way into super start status by winning three CART championships in 1985, 1987 and 1992, the 1986 Indianapolis 500 and two Driver-of-the Year awards, before retiring from competitive driving after 17 years in 1998. At that time he ranked first in CART standings in career starts, 2nd in career earnings, 3rd in laps led, 4th in career wins (24) and 5th in pole positions (18). In all he had earned 88 podium finishes, 119 top-five finishes and 177 top-ten finishes in 265 starts. A regular participant in the Cleveland Grand Prix at Burke Lakefront Airport, he won the 1983 race, finished second three time and third twice. While still racing, he founded Team Rahal, which he owns with arcing enthusiast partner and TV host David Letterman, and was the winningest team in CART racing in 2001 with six wins and seven poles. From December, 2000 to August 2001, he also spent nine months as CEO and Team Principle at Jaguar Formula One Racing. Now living in New Albany, OH, he has been very active in charitable activities, literally raising millions of dollars for children’s charities.
A legend before his time, he came to Cleveland to enroll at Cleveland State University with a storied reputation as a New York basketball wonder who had bypassed his high school team to make a name in AAU and playground circles. Nothing he did in a Viking uniform diminished his stature. As a freshman in 1985-86, h, and he quickly became an integral part of the best team in school history, one which built a 27-3 mark to win its first-ever berth in the NCAA Tournament, then captured they city’s hearts by upsetting Indiana and St. Joseph’s to advance to the Sweet 16 before suffering a heart-breaking 71-70 loss to David Robinson-led Navy. When his college career ended three seasons later, he was the holder of CSU’s career records for points scored (2,256), assists (463), and free throws attempted and made (761-597) and was second in six other career categories. He had also established single season marks in five categories, been named the Vikings’ Most Valuable Player in three seasons and earned all-conference honors for each of his four years and All-American designated three times. He was voted into the CSU Athletic Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility after a five-year stint in the professional ranks when he returned to CSU to complete work for his degree. He now serves as the “Mouse” McFadden to make his job easier. He makes his home in Euclid.
Founder, Chairmen and CEO of the Cleveland-based sports and entertainment conglomerate International Management Group (IMG), he is recognized worldwide as the pioneering force behind the development of the sports marketing industry, an industry which revolutionized sports by establishing athletic representation as a distinct business. A native of Chicago he was a standout golfer at the College of William and Mary, qualifying for the U.S. Open and several U.S. and British amateur championships. Following college and a stint in the service, he accepted a position with a prestigious Cleveland law firm where he decided to combine his legal and business skills with his love of golf to go into the athletic representation business in 1960. a handshake deal with a young golfer he had met in college named Arnold Palmer launched his enterprise. Soon after, he signed an unknown South African golfer named Gary Player and a newly turned professional named Jack Nicklaus, and IMG was off to a very healthy beginning. Today, operating with 83 offices in 32 countries, its multifaceted businesses cover magnitude of enterprises in broadcasting, the classical music world, recreational facilities development and corporate consulting. The world’s largest athletic representation firm, it still numbers Palmer amongst its clients along with the likes of Tiger Woods, Joe Montana, Wayne Gretzsky, Monica Seles, Wimbledon, the British Open and the Nobel Foundation.
Deceased 2003