The Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame welcomed five new members during its December induction meeting at the Gardens of Park Hills on Wednesday, Dec. 21.
A full house was on hand to usher in the new class, which included: Mick Abner, Highlands;
Victor Brown, Dayton; Glenn Meyers, Newport Central Catholic; Mark Wehry, Holy Cross; and Dennis Wright, Covington Catholic.
One-by-one, each was introduced and followed with a speech. Closing out the ceremony was guest speaker Paul Sparling, who was the Cincinnati Bengals head athletic trainer for 30 years and is also a member of the Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame (NKSHOF).
Sparling entertained the crowd with stories from his time with the Bengals. The biggest laugh came when he relayed a moment in the training room involving ex-Bengals head coach Forrest Gregg and then-Cincinnati punter Pat McInally.
Sparling noted that Gregg had a knack for motivating players dealing with injuries to miss
minimal practice time. One particular instance Sparling recalled was when a bruised heel had sidelined McInally. According to Sparling, Gregg entered the training room and asked McInally how many days of practice he’d missed. McInally informed Gregg that it had been two. Gregg responded, “Christ rose from the dead in three days.” McInally returned to practice that day, Sparling said.
Another humorous anecdote came courtesy of Victor Brown earlier in the program. Brown was a two-way starter at Dayton High School in the 1960’s, earning Class A All-State honors as a senior. After a playing career at Anderson University, where he was a four-year starter on the offensive line, Brown became a coach.
Among Brown’s coaching stints was 10 seasons at Highlands as offensive line and linebackers coach. One of his former pupils in the crowd for the induction ceremony, Dr. Les Murray, was the starting center on the Bluebirds 1982 state championship team.
Brown told the audience about the time Murray came to him with news that he would be
attending medical school. Murray was proud to inform his coach that in the not-too-distant
future, Brown would no longer need to pay for trips to the doctor. Murray pledged to provide service free of charge.
“Then about five years later,” Brown said, “(Murray) became an OB/GYN,” which got a hearty chuckle from the crowd.
Brown also coached fellow inductee Mick Abner, whose involvement coaching in the Fort
Thomas Junior League Football Program totals 18 years. He’s currently an assistant football coach for Highlands’ freshmen team.
In 2011, Abner partnered with former NFL player Merrill Hoge to coach USA Football’s under-15 national team. Abner shared a phrase with the audience that he said has guided him throughout his coaching years.
“An athlete wants to know you care before they care how much you know,” Abner said, giving credit to NKSHOF vice president and former Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball coach Ken Shields with that bit of advice that he’s never forgotten.
When Abner learned he had been chosen to the NKSHOF, he didn’t know he’d be part of the same class as Glenn Meyers. The two spent 10 years together traveling around the country playing in a flag football league.
“(Meyers) was one of the quarterbacks. I was one of the receivers,” Abner said.
However, Meyers is better known for his baseball career. During his junior and senior seasons at Newport Central Catholic, he compiled a 13-3 record and led the team in batting average. Meyers had 123 strikeouts and 1.32 ERA in his senior campaign.
In 1989 as the only player from Kentucky on the roster, Meyers won a Connie Mack World
Series title with Cincinnati’s Midland Redskins. Meyers went on to make his mark at Louisville. He was an All-Conference selection in 1991, ’92 and ’93. By the time his Cardinals career was done, he had become the school’s all-time leader in strikeouts, as well as second in career wins.
Rounding out the class are a pair of broadcasters, Mark Wehry and Dennis Wright.
Wehry is the founder of (859) Sports Radio, which streams area high school games over the internet. He mans the camera and updates the on-screen score, all while doing the play-by-play.
He got his start delivering high school athletics to the masses with the Covington Catholic
Internet Radio Broadcasting Network in 2004. Prior to that, he had been the PA announcer for Thomas More basketball from 1994 to 2004.
Wehry was returning from a trip to South Bend, Indiana, when he learned that he’d been
selected to the NKSHOF.
“My daughter got engaged up at the University of Notre Dame, which was an amazing
weekend. I didn’t think it could be topped,” Wehry said.
“As we’re driving back, the phone rings – a number I’d never seen before.”
It was NKSHOF secretary Jack Menninger calling to give Wehry the good news.
“I about wrecked. I couldn’t believe it,” said Wehry. “A call I never thought I’d ever get.”
Covington Catholic class of 1964 graduate Dennis Wright didn’t expect to be included among this distinguished group, either.
“It’s incredible,” Wright said. “Just the fact that somebody thought enough of the work I’ve done over 50-some years deserves some kind of recognition … I’m just honored and humbled, and for the first time in my life, I’m at a loss for words.”
Wright and his broadcast partner Mike Tussey began calling NKU men’s and women’s
basketball games in 2000. After years on the mic for the Norse, they then teamed up in the booth to call Thomas More football. Wright got his start in broadcasting in the mid-to-late 1960’s, working in television and radio.
In 1972, he became track announcer at Latonia Race Course. Wright also served as Elder High School PA announcer for 40 years.
Established in 1982, the Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame recognizes and honors
individuals for outstanding athletic achievements and overall contributions to sports in the
area. The categories include team sports, managers, coaches, umpires, sponsors, league or tournament managers, park owners, sports media and sporting goods business owners.