The Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame will be inducting seven new members on March 20 at the Gardens of Park Hills at 1 p.m. .
The seven members are as follows (information submitted by Buddy Dittus):
BOB BOSWELL SR. Newport, 1947/Coach, Public address announcer
Boswell was a champion for youth sports in Northern Kentucky. He coached knothole baseball and youth basketball for 15 years in the 1960’s and 70’s. He formed a youth baseball league in Newport to give underprivileged children a chance to play.
He pioneered PA announcing at Newport High School and at Northern Kentucky University, spanning 15 years. He believed that helping children learn life lessons through sports participation was a key for future success.
As with most sports advocates, his efforts were critical to the character development of many young people in the community. Everything he did was as a volunteer. He was asked why he focused on young people, his answer was “I just love kids”.
His hours of volunteering to youth sports and supporting high school and college level players deserves this recognition. He also served on the original NKU Boosters Board of Directors. Bob also coached two Knothole championship teams during his life.
GARY “GEE” VORIES Newport, 1964/Basketball and baseball, referee
Vories was part of the Shields Realty knothole baseball team that won a National Championship. In basketball, he set a championship record of 40 points in the eighth grade championship to keep his team undefeated.
During his freshman year at Newport, he averaged 18 points per game on the Wildcats undefeated freshman team. As a sophomore on JV, they also went undefeated while he was a reserve on the 1962 varsity state tournament team. In Vories’ senior year, he averaged 23 points and set the then program record of 38 points in one game. He made the 9th region All-Star team, helping Newport to a 20-4 record.
In baseball, he was a five-time letterman playing second base. His senior year he hit .380 with five home runs and 28 RBI’s and was named to the All-Region baseball team.
Gary then went to Georgetown College on a basketball scholarship from 1965-68. While there, he was a four-year letterman and played on the gold medal winning team at the Hopiel Games in Israel. These games were like a mini-Olympics with several countries sending teams.
Gary also played on a softball team that was ranked in the top in five the Tri-State for several years. Gary also refereed basketball for 15 years in the 9th region and the Big Red Machine charity basketball games. He has been named to the Newport High School Hall of Fame and also to the NKY Athletic Directors Hall of Fame.
JENNIFER “ARMSTRONG” VERTRESS Lloyd Memorial, 1983/Track, Cross Country
Jennifer ran track and cross country for six years. During this time, she was part of regional champions, sectional champions and a fifth place team finish at state.
In 1982, Jennifer placed first in the regional 300-meter hurdles and was the only member of the Lloyd Memorial team to compete at state, where she placed second. She received All-Region honors that year. In the winter of her senior year she competed in the University of Cincinnati High School Indoor meet where she placed second in the 200-meter dash and first in the 60-meter hurdles against the best in the Tri-State.
In 1983, her senior year Jennifer went undefeated in the 100-meter and the 300-meter hurdles and won many 200-meter races as well as anchoring the 4×200 relay team. At regionals, she was first in the 100-meter hurdles, the 300-meter hurdles, the 200-meter dash and the 4×200 relay, leading Lloyd to their first regional championship.
At sectionals, she repeated this performance while leading Lloyd to their first sectional championship. Jennifer again was named All-Region. At the state meet she placed third in the 300-meter hurdles in a race where she fell and got up to finish. She also anchored the 4×200 relay team to a second place finish.
Then as luck would have it, she was winning the 100-meter hurdles, but tripped and fell at hurdle number seven. Jennifer then attended St. Joseph College in Indiana, where as a freshman she set the school record in the 400m hurdles.
KENT VORIES Newport, 1970/Baseball, basketball, softball, coach
Kent played basketball and baseball at Newport. He lettered three years in basketball and was part of the 1968 NKAC Champs and 1969 NKAC runner-up.
In baseball, Kent lettered five years, started as an 8th grader and was named All-District in 1969 and ’70. After high school, Kent played softball with some of the best teams in the area. He was named to the first team Greater Cincinnati Softball News three times and second team two times. He played on back-to-back undefeated state championship teams, back-to-back 3rd place finishes in the City Tournament, a runner-up finish in the City Tournament, and a 6th place finish in the USSSA World Tournament.
He then started coaching high school basketball. Vories coached Reilly Junior High boys, Newport Junior high boys, St. Bernard JV and varsity boys, Clark Varsity boys, Bellevue Varsity boys and girls, assisted Newport Varsity girls, South Dearborn Varsity girls and Lawrenceburg JV boys.
Some of his accomplishments: 35th District runner-up for Bellevue boys, the last coach to take them to the Regional Tournament in 2008 where they lost to eventual state runner-up Holmes, Newport girls 35th District runner-up, where they lost in the regionals to eventual state champ Notre Dame. He coached Beechwood junior High to an undefeated season, going 33-0. He also managed to find time to referee for over 20 years in the 9th Region along with his older brother Gary.
MARK KREBS Mark Newport Catholic, 1973/Basketball, baseball, coach
Mark was a three-year starter in basketball for Coach Ron Albrink. He scored 1,284 career points, averaged 19.7 points per game for his entire career, was District champion three years, All-District two years, 9th region champ in 1973, All-Tourney team two years, Player of the Year runner-up 1973, Co-MVP for NewCath in 1973 and a career 82% free throw shooter.
In baseball, he pitched and played shortstop as a three-year starter. He batted .310 for his junior and senior seasons. Krebs then went on to Thomas More on a full ride. He played for coach Jim Weyer, starting 75% of the games over a three-year period. He was named MVP in the Berea College Invitational in 1976, won the FT Award (80%) in 1976, and received the Breinick Award in 1977, based on athletics and academics achievements. In baseball, he played both fall and spring seasons, batting .295.
In a little over a two-week period, he was the winning pitcher in games versus Miami-Ohio, NKU and Xavier. After graduation, Mark was named the New Cath assistant basketball coach from 1977-85. He won two JV regionals during this time and was later named the head coach from 1985-89.
He was 9th region basketball Coach of the Year and NKAC Coach of the Year in the 1985-86 season. His team was the Famous Recipe winner in ’86, the 35th District Champs and the 9th Region runner-up in the 1986-87 season. He had a total of 74 wins during this time. He was named head coach at Newport from 1989-97, with 53 wins over that stretch and made the 9th region tourney six of eight years. He was named to the New Cath Hall of Fame in 1997.
STEVE MEIER Covington Catholic, 1972/Basketball, administrator
During his freshman year, Meier’s freshman basketball team at CovCath finished with an 18-2 record under coach Ralph Bogenschulz. As a sophomore, the Colonels finished with a 20-1 record under coach Hep Cronin. His junior year at Cov Cath under coach Mote Hils, CovCath went 30-4 with a 34th District title, a 9th Region championship and made the quarterfinals of the state tournament before losing overtime to Owensboro. His senior season under coach Dick Maile, the Colonels went 13-15 against an incredibly tough schedule playing many of the best teams in Kentucky. Meier led the team in rebounding (11 rpg), shooting percentage (51%) and also averaged 12 points per game his senior year. Steve was named to the All-District team.
Steve was then recruited by Mote Hils to on the second basketball team ever at NKSC. During his time at NKSC, the team set the foundation for the future of basketball at now NKU. Steve led the team in shooting percentage in both his freshman and sophomore seasons.
After graduation, Steve was hired as campus recreation coordinator, serving 5 years, before being promoted to Director serving in this capacity for 20 years.
When the “All A Classic” was initiated Steve collaborated with Stan Steidel on hosting the boy’s tournament at Regents Hall. Steve also managed the new Albright Health Center facility. In the 1990’s he was appointed to be the administrative representative on the Athletic Council a position he still holds to this day (30+ years). He was also Dean of Students and was elected to serve on the Board of Regents.
Steve has been a youth coach in baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball, and golf at two different grade schools starting in 1975 until present.
TERRY SACCONE Newport, 1971/Bowling, coaching, baseball, basketball
Saccone was an outstanding athlete at Newport, lettering three years in basketball and four years in baseball. He was also a standout bowler, winning over 50 tournaments at the local, state and national levels. He has been bowling for over 54 years with a composite average of 215. He has 50-plus, 300 games (30 in sanctioned play), he has 15, 800 series (10 in sanctioned play). He held the city record for high series, 856, from 1977-84. He received special recognition for the second highest series in the world in 1977.
His accomplishments are numerous.
National Tournament: ABC Open Tournament 47 years as a participant, team champion 1982, Doubles champion 1993, 8th place team event twice and 10th place All-Events.
State tournaments: Ohio State Team Match game champion 1979 and 1980, Ohio State Team champion 1988, Kentucky BPA U.S. Open Singles champion 1987, and the runner-up in 1985.
City Tournament: All Events champion 1978, Actual Singles champion 1979, Handicap champion 1979, Doubles champion 1988, Actual Team champion 1989, Handicap Team champion 1989, All Events champion 1990, and Team champion 2003 and 2005. Terry has the distinction of having bowled a 300 game and an 800 series in 6 different decades, the 1970’s through the 2020’.
Terry has won many high-level tournaments and represented himself well at all levels of the game. He also coached the Oak Hills High School bowling team from 2006-12 and has been elected to both the Cincinnati Bowling HOF and the Ohio State Bowling HOF.
