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Holly Koester

Holly Koester

Induction Year : 2024

Sport: Track & Field

A 2006 graduate of Cleveland State University, Holly Koester served in the U.S. Army from 1981 to 1991 until she was injured. She is the first person to complete a marathon in all 50 states from a wheelchair. Koester is currently working on her second tour of marathons in all 50 states. She won six Gold Medals in the 2016 National Veterans Wheelchair Games. 

Koester has special ties to Cleveland and the state of Ohio. She has served as a peer counselor for newly injured spinal cord veterans at the Cleveland VA. A motivational speaker, Koester has addressed veterans organizations, school groups and attendees at Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies. 

Koester has also served as sports director and secretary of the Buckeye Chapter Paralyzed Veterans of America. Her achievements and dedication led to her induction into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame in 2017.

Koester is a retired U.S. Army Captain, and a patriotic theme has a special place in her life. Since 1996, she has competed in numerous Air Force and Marine Corps marathons. Others include the Columbus Marathon, the Mount Rushmore Marathon and the Maui Marathon. 

Koester grew up in Buffalo, played high school sports and participated in volleyball at Fredonia State in New York, where she also joined ROTC. She was injured in an accident in the Persian Gulf War in 1990.  

Holly’s twin sister, Joy, is a retired Army Colonel, and several other family members have also served in the military. 

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Kain, Bob

Bob Kain

Induction Year : 2023

Sport: Meritorious Service

Kain is the former President and CEO of International Management Group (IMG). His achievements in his 31 years are a testament to the impact of IMG in the sports world.

Kain, who lives in Gates Mills, graduated in 1971 from the University of Virginia where he was a four-year letterman in tennis. He sought to be involved in tennis in some way for his life’s work, and in 1976 he was hired by Cleveland-based IMG to represent professional players and to build IMG’s tennis business. His clients over the years included Rod Laver, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal on the men’s side, and Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, and Venus and Serena Williams on the women’s.

In 1984, Kain created and built IMG’s figure skating business. Clients included Dorothy Hamill, Peggy Fleming, and Scott Hamilton. Kain was in charge of the building of IMG Fashion and became CEO of IMG in 2003 after the death of founder Mark McCormack. He retired in 2006.

Kain worked for the Cleveland Browns in 2007 and 2008 and has been a senior advisor to the Creative Artists Agency (CAA). As chairman, he helped build the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission into one of the most respected in the country. He also is an accomplished amateur golfer; he played in four U.S. Senior Amateur Championships and three British Senior Amateurs.

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Kosar, Bernie

Bernie Kosar

Induction Year : 2022

Sport: Football

Bernie Kosar remains one of the most beloved sports figures in Cleveland history. Raised in Boardman, Ohio, where he was a standout high school player, Kosar considered himself a “Cleveland guy” and worked with then-owner Art Modell to make his dream come true to play in a Cleveland Browns uniform. Graduating a year early from the University of Miami, Kosar and Modell used the NFL’s Supplemental Draft to bring him home and lead the Browns on the field at old Municipal Stadium. Kosar guided the Browns to three AFC Championship Games in nine seasons as quarterback. He ranks second in Browns history with 21,904 passing yards, completing 58.8 percent of his passes with 116 touchdowns and 81 interceptions.

Three times during his tenure with the Browns Kosar set records for most consecutive passes without an interception (286, 308 and 308). He took the franchise to the playoffs five times and threw for 489 yards in an overtime win over the NY Jets in 1987. He won a NCAA National Championship in his first season as the Miami Hurricanes’ starting QB, a thrilling Orange Bowl win over unbeaten and top-ranked Nebraska. Kosar won a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Dalles Cowboys in 1993.

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Levine, Les

Les Levine

Induction Year : 2021

Sport: Media

Levine was the self-proclaimed “Voice of Truth & Reason;” a trailblazing multimedia talent who spent five decades with his pulse on the Cleveland sports scene.

He would broadcast more than 2,500 sporting events as lead play-by-play voice for the Cleveland Crusaders, Kent State University basketball and football, Cleveland State University basketball, Cleveland Thunderbolts, and various high school and collegiate games. Levine’s signature sports talk show “More Sports and Les Levine” was a fixture on radio and television virtually every weekday beginning in 1991 until his passing. He wrote a weekly sports column for The News Herald and was an Award-Winning columnist for the Cleveland Jewish News. Levine hosted the playoff postgame show on Sports Radio 92.3 The Fan during the Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 NBA Championship run, and he covered the victory parade celebrating Cleveland’s first professional sports title in 52 years.

Levine left behind an unparalleled media legacy in Ohio sports.

Deceased 2021

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Ilgauskas, Zydrunas

Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Induction Year : 2021

Sport: Basketball

Zydrunas llgauskas was drafted by the Cavaliers as the 20th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft and went on to play 12 seasons for the Wine and Gold, averaging 13.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks over a then-team record 771 games played.

The 7-3 center from Lithuania was twice an NBA All-Star (2003, 2005), a member of Cleveland’s back-to-back 60-win teams (66-16 in 2008-09; 61-21 in 2009-10), and six playoff teams, including the franchise’s first ever NBA Finals appearance in 2007.

llgauskas retired in 2011 and remains the Cavaliers’ all-time leader in offensive rebounds (2,336) and blocked shots (1,269) while ranking second in points scored (10,616), total rebounds (5,904), games played (771) and minutes (21,820), third in free throws made (2,495), and defensive rebounds (3,568) and fourth in field goals made (4,045). llgauskas is the only player in franchise history to accumulate 10,000 points, 5,000 rebounds and 1,000 blocks over his career.

Z’s number 11 jersey is now retired and hangs in the rafters at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

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Moss, Rob

Rob Moss

Induction Year : 2019

Sport: Golf

When it came to the leaderboard at high-profile amateur and professional golf tournaments in Northeast Ohio, you could count on seeing the name Rob Moss at the top.

In record-setting fashion, the left-handed Moss became the first player to win the Professional Golf Association’s Northern Ohio Section Championship for five straight years from 2010 to 2014, winning at different area courses along the way. The Kent State University product matched those victories to be named the Northern Ohio PGA Player of the Year five times (2005, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2013).

He was the organization’s Professional of Year in 2010 and was a two-time recipient of the Bill Strausbaugh Award. He won the Ohio Open in 1999 and 2001 to further solidify his status as an elite player. He won the Ohio Open three times (1999, 2001 and 2005).

With his section championships, he participated at national PGA Championships in 2005 (Baltrusol), 2010 (Whistling Straits) and 2011 (Atlanta).

His professional career began with seasons on the Asian Tour (1994-98), South American Tour (1998) and the former Nike Tour (1996, 2000). As a senior player, he qualified for the 2019 Senior PGA Championship at Ohio Hill C.C. in Rochester, N.Y.

While at Kent State, he won the Ohio Amateur title at Moraine C.C. in 1989. With the Golden Flashes, he was an Academic All-American in 1989 and 1990. He graduated with a degree in Business Administration.

He began his club professional career as an assistant at Lakewood C.C. (2001-2004) and head professional at Elyria C.C. (2005-2008). He then moved to The Pepper Pike Club (2009-present).

His accomplishments earned him induction into halls of fame at Kent State (1999), Parma Athletic (2000), Padua Franciscan High School (2004) and the Northern Ohio Golf Association (2015).

He lives in Broadview Heights with his wife, Darci, and three sons.

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Lucci, Tom

Tom Lucci

Induction Year : 2019

Sport: Tennis

A straight set humbling in a junior tournament and the subsequent lonely walk back home played major roles in shaping the tennis career of Tom Lucci.

Lucci was only 14 and the tournament was his first. He lost all 12 games he played. The zeroes on the scoreboard motivated him to much bigger and better results, so much so that Lucci’s commitment has led to a trove of championships and honors.

He is the 18th inductee into the tennis wing of the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame.

Lucci was prominent while competing in high school, college, on the Association of Tennis Professional Tour, and in United States Tennis Association play.

His championship run began at the scholastic level when Lucci led Youngstown Chaney High School to three City Series titles (‘74 thru ‘76) as the team’s captain and co-MVP.

At the University of Central Florida, Lucci was part of a nationally ranked team that won a trio of Sunshine State Conference championships. Again, he was a team captain and MVP.

Like a fine wine, Lucci has gotten better with age. He has won nine USTA national championships, three as a single player and six in doubles, stretching from the 40 age group to the 60s.

Lucci continues to captain the USA’s Gordon Trophy team for a competition that originated in 1949 and pits the United States against Canada for players 45 and older. Established after World War II, the Gordon Trophy has been played annually. It is a team competition between Canada and the United States and features the highest caliber of tennis for players 45 and older. The Gordon Trophy’s long history has been held at some of the finest Clubs as the competition has alternated between Canada and the United States.

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Meyer, Urban

Urban Meyer

Induction Year : 2019

Sport: Football

One of the most successful coaches in college football history, Urban Meyer won three national championships and compiled a career record of 187 victories and only 32 losses in 17 seasons, averaging exactly 11 wins per year. His teams were ranked in the top 25 at the conclusion of all but two seasons and won 12 of 15 bowl games.

His national championships came in 2006 and 2008 at the University of Florida, but he celebrated the apex of his career at Ohio State, where he won the inaugural college football playoff national championship in 2014 and won Big Ten titles in 2014, 2017 and 2018. Meyer’s Buckeyes dominated the Big Ten with a 54-4 record, including a 7-0 record versus Michigan. His teams enjoyed winning streaks of 24 and 23 games, longest in Ohio State history.

Meyer, 55, is a native Buckeye. He was born in Toledo on July 10, 1955. His family moved to Ashtabula where he launched his football career at Ashtabula St. John, one of the smallest high schools in the state. From there he went to the University of Cincinnati where he played defensive back. He graduated in 1986 and set out to become a coach. His first job was at Illinois State as an assistant. From there he moved on to the University of Toledo as an assistant under Nick Saban.

His first head coaching job was down the road at Bowling Green in 2001 where he stayed two years and compiled a 17-6 record, which propelled him to the University of Utah where he continued to attract attention with a two-year mark of 22-2. Florida was next from 2005-2010 and Urban became a national coaching star with two national championships and a 65-15 record. Both Sports Illustrated Magazine and The Sporting News named him Coach of the Decade for the years 2000 to 2009.

Meyer took a one-year sabbatical from coaching in 2011 before returning to Ohio where he became the first college coach to win national championships in two different conferences. His teams won every division championship since the Big Ten adopted the division format. He produced 31 first-team All-Americans and 12 Academic All-Americans over his 17-year career.

Meyer stepped away from coaching after the 2018 season and moved into athletic administration as assistant athletics director in charge of fund-raising and community relations.

He and his wife Shelley have three grown children and continue to reside in Columbus.

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Miller, Tony

Tony Miller

Induction Year : 2019

Sport: Basketball Football

Tony Miller remains to this day one of the best all-around athletes produced by Cleveland’s athletic-rich Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School.

Born in Cleveland on April 16, 1973, Tony first made his mark in football, becoming the starting quarterback in his sophomore season, succeeding the heralded Elvis Grbac. As a junior, Tony led the VASJ Vikings to the 1989 Ohio state football championship in Division II, a time when the state football tournament was sub-divided into only three divisions. Today, the state football tournament consists of seven divisions. That remains VASJ’s only football title.

Tony excelled equally in basketball. He was a four-year starting point guard and led the Vikings to the Division I state championship in 1992. He was the captain of both football and basketball teams.

He was not heavily recruited for basketball because it was believed he intended to play football in college, which was not the case. Marquette basketball coach Kevin O’Neil, however, was persistent and landed Tony as his star recruit. Tony actually exceeded expectations. He was the starting point guard for all four years from the beginning of the season in 1991 to the end of the season in 1995. He was the catalyst for Marquette’s back-to-back NCAA tournament teams. In 1994, Tony was the primary reason Marquette could break Kentucky’s full-court press and advance to the sweet sixteen. The next year, with Tony again in the starring role, Marquette reached the championship game of the NIT tournament.

For his college career, Tony averaged 8.3 points and 7.8 assists. His total of 956 assists ranks eighth all-time in Division I college history.

Tony continued to play professionally for 13 years, mostly overseas in Belgium, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and England. He was an all-star in the Dutch League.

After returning to the United States, Tony coached at Southern Cal, St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, Cal., and Cal State Los Angeles. He is now retired.

He was inducted into the Marquette Hall of Fame in 2011.

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Malloy, John

John Malloy

Induction Year : 2019

Sport: Hockey

Hockey in Northeast Ohio had a good friend in John Malloy. Make that a great friend.

The veteran high school and prep team coach was also instrumental as an administrator and coordinator at numerous levels of the game. Whether it was winning a record number of games from the bench, establishing competitive balance for levels of play, or helping to increase skating programs, Malloy maintained a principled focus of respect.

A native of Cincinnati and graduate of Miami University, Malloy’s high school coaching career began in 1981 at Cleveland Heights High, where he went 292-88-5. The Tigers were state champions in 1987 and runner-up the previous season. During two seasons at Rocky River High, his teams went 36-24-2 and won a pair of Baron Cup II titles.

He joined Gilmour Academy as the school’s first prep team coach in 1998 and became the school’s high school coach in 2004, going 278-225-33 through the 2018-19 season. The Lancers were state runner-up in 2008 and a final four club in 2011. His winning totals place him near the top of the Ohio High School Athletic Association coaching ranks.

Malloy was instrumental in establishing parity for the growing Greater Cleveland High School League with the formation of divisions for competitive play. To that end, the Great Lakes Hockey League was formed in recent years for the top-tier area teams.

Just as important during his Gilmour Academy tenure, the school’s arena was expanded and opened to the community with skating classes and youth hockey. Malloy’s duties expanded beyond coaching as an administrator.

As a player at Miami University, Malloy still held the records for most assists in a season (52), assists in a game (6), assists in a period (5) and points in a period (5). In foretelling his future behind the bench, he coached the school’s club team in 1980-81 to a 30-0-1 mark.

Malloy is married to wife Erin, with children J.T. and Jayne.

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