The Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame will induct six new members on Wednesday in the Gardens of Park Hills at 1 p.m.
The six-member class includes John Fortner (Holy Cross), Darrell Newton (Dixie Heights), Daryl Landrum (NKU), David Meier II (Covington Catholic), Robert Herst (Dayton) and Barry Long (Lloyd Memorial).
A brief bio on each below (submitted by Buddy Dittus):
John Fortner, Holy Cross, Class of 1975
Fortner was a three-year starter in basketball at Holy Cross, scoring over 1,000 points in his career. He averaged a double-double his senior year with 13 points and 13 rebounds a game, earning first team All-region honors. He then went on to Georgetown College before transferring to Thomas More. At Thomas More, he averaged 17 points and nine rebounds his senior year. He was voted the team MVP and received the Robert Breinech Award, which is based on talent and character. Fortner turned down an offer to play professionally in Europe to attend law school.
Darrell Newton, Dixie Heights, Class of 1964
Newton was a three-year letterman in football, basketball and track. He then got into coaching, where he was the Colonels freshman football coach from 1980-2009 and the Turkeyfoot Middle School sixth and seventh grade coach. Newton also coached baseball at Emmanuel Methodist church and started the baseball league. He coached the Spartan youth football team for 11 years, compiling a 105-5-1 record while winning nine pee-wee Super Bowls. He also coached at a Cincinnati Public school in basketball, leading the team to the sectional tournament for the first time in school history. He has coached boys and girls for over 60 years. Newton is also a member of the Northern Kentucky Youth Football Hall of Fame.
Daryl Landrum, Northern Kentucky University
Landrum coached the NKU golf teams for 27 years. He started the NKU women’s program in 1998. He has won eight league championships in his stead, four NCAA Regionals, his men’s teams qualified 14 years in a row for the NCAA Championships, his women’s teams qualified 10 out of 11 years for the NCAA Championships. He was named League Coach of the Year nine times and NCAA Regional Coach of the Year four times. Landrum is a lifetime member of the PGA and was a two-time PGA Junior Golf leader in Kentucky, PGA Kentucky Golf Professional of the year in 2006. In 1998, he and his wife Becky started the 7UP Junior Tour. The tour averages over 200 golfers a year for the last 20 years, playing courses all over Northern Kentucky.
David Meier II, Covington Catholic, Class of 1990
After graduating from CovCath, Meier went on to play baseball at Thomas More. He was a four-year starter for the Saints where he holds the program record for single-season ERA of 0.32. He also had a .380 batting average for his career. Meier was named the Conference POY, the ABCA second team, the D3 All-Mideast Region team, District 4 first team Academic All-American. After college he coached for 25 years in varsity baseball and softball at Villa Madonna and Notre Dame Academy. He had 255 career wins, was named the NKAC Coach of the Year twice, won two All “A” regionals, three District championships, four conference championships and had five Conference Player of the Year and two Midway Kentucky Players of the Year. He started the Villa boys baseball program and led the development of the Villa sports complex and the Notre Dame Bamboo Gardens. He has championed youth sports for over 33 years as a coach and volunteer. He is a member of the Reds Kid Glove Board.
Robert Herbst, Dayton, Class of 1985
Herbst led the Dayton cross country teams to two state titles and two runner-up finishes. He was the individual Conference Champion in Cross Country in 1985, and the Campbell County Championships individual champion in ’85. He played basketball under Stan Stiedel. He then went to Georgetown College and qualified for the National Championships. Herbst coached Heritage Academy from 2006-16. He was named All-State, All-Region, and All-Conference in 1983, ’84, and ’85.
Barry Long, Lloyd Memorial, Class of 1967
Long was a three-sport star at Lloyd and then went on to Ball State where he played volleyball. He was named to the first team All-Conference three years in a row. He earned several MVP awards during his career at Ball State and several All-Tourney teams. He was named to the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2022. Long played in the first two NCAA volleyball Final Fours.