Clark Kellogg was an outstanding basketball player at St. Joseph’s High School, leading the team to the state finals in 1978, when he scored 51 points and hauled in 24 rebounds in a losing effort. He went on to star at Ohio State, being twice chosen to All Big-Ten teams and in 1982 selected as the league’s Most Valuable Player. From there he went on to the Indianapolis Pacers of the NBA, where he played five seasons before chronic knee problems forced an early retirement. Clark has gone on to be a featured part of the CBS team covering the NCAA March Madness tournament.
Ranked as one of the nation’s top pitchers during the 1930s, Frank Brauer competed for some of Cleveland’s best teams, including Weaver Wall from 1935-38 and Nickel Plate Grill in 1939.
During a pitching career spanning 17 years of topflight competition, Warren “Fireball” Gerber recorded over 500 wins, including 50 no-hitters. He averaged 15 strikeouts per game during his career and pitched four perfect games, once striking out 20 of 21 batters. Fireball had a 40-0 record for Columbus Ferguson’s national runners-up in 1939. In 1945, pitching for Cleveland Allmen Transfer, he turned in three consecutive no-hitters as his team won the city championship.
William Hann was one of the all-time basketball greats to come out of the Cleveland school system, where he was an All-Ohio pick twice and an All-American as a high school senior. At the University of Tennessee, he led the Vols to three consecutive 20+ win seasons while garnering honors which included All-NIT, All-Southeast Conference and All-American.
George Newman compiled an sterling record of 126 wins against just 40 losses in 11 seasons as a pitcher in Cleveland Class A amateur competition between 1952 and 1964. He built a 20-2 record in 1956, becoming only the third pitcher in Class A history to win 20 games. George once pitched an incredible 59 consecutive complete games. He was twice named All-Mid-American Conference pitcher at Western Reserve University (1951-54).
An All-American collegiate basketball player, Frank Baumholtz’s exceptional talent allowed him to play both professional basketball and baseball at the same time. He starred for the Cleveland Rebels and the Youngstown Bears in the pro basketball league that was the forerunner of the NBA as well as playing baseball for ten years in the National League with the Reds, Cubs and Phillies. His lifetime batting average was .291.
Widely recognized as “Ya-Ya,” he set exceptional standards for softball play over a period exceeding two decades. Competed in 16 world championships, making the All-Star team in 7 of those, once being selected as the”Most Valuable.“
Spent 10 seasons in the baseball major leagues with the Twins, Pilots, Brewers and Indians. Was the American League’s All-Star third baseman in 1962 and was an important factor in the Twins pennant drive in 1965. Lifetime batting average .272.
An outstanding glove man, he played first base for the famed Fisher Foods team in the Muny Class A League in the 1930s and early 40s. He consistently batted over .350. At 6-4, one of the tallest men in amateur baseball in his day, he was considered one of the best fielding baseman in the game.
A stellar amateur baseball pitcher from 1926 through 1932, he capped a fine career while starring at the University of Michigan. During a university tour of Japan, he won 13 games in 14 starts. In 1932 he pitched in the amateur game at the Municipal Stadium which drew 60,000 spectators. A decision to begin work toward his life’s profession in law precluded accepting professional contracts for the Indians, Red Sox and Cardinals.