TGFC - Hall of Fame Members - Class of 1989
Class of 1989 - Biographies
Terri Byland, 1989
Earned eight Varsity “K’s” in indoor and outdoor track…Team MVP three times…Won 12 MAC titles and was an NCAA qualifier in the shotput (indoor/outdoor) and discus…Placed 10th in the discus at the NCAA’s…Earned her bachelor’s degree in Physical Education in 1982…Won world titles in women’s power lifting in 1985 and 1987…Set eight world and seven American power lifting records…Set weight class records at 165 and 181 pounds for combined lifts (bench press, squat, and dead lift) lifting 1,355 and 1,370 respectively…Inducted into the Portage County Hall Sports Hall of Fame in 1987.
Elmer Dunlavy, 1989
KENT STATE CAREER: Earned eight varsity “K’s” in football and wrestling, 1930-33…Captured two state grappling titles (1932-33) and one 4-1 title (1933) at 155 pounds…Also won the AAU titles at 155…Captained the 133 wrestling squad under coach Joe Begala…All-Ohio center in 1931…Won numerous intramural titles while at Kent…Earned his degree in Health and Physical Education in 1936…POST KSU CAREER: Placed second in the 1934 Olympic Wrestling tryouts…Coached Deerfield High School and Bainbridge High School to basketball championships in the Portage and Geauga County Leagues…Coached and taught at six high schools including Aurora, Bainbridge, Crestwood, Deerfield, Fairless and Ravenna…Organized bowling and horseshoe teams for Ferry Machine Company…Coached Little League baseball for several years…PERSONAL: Born July 8, 1908 near Uhrichsville, Ohio. He and his wife, Beatrice, have three children…Active in the Men’s Garden Club of Kent.
Joe Fortunato, 1989
HIGH SCHOOL CAREER: Prepped at Youngstown Rayen High School where he earned eight varsity letters, three each in football and basketball and two in track…Led his 1935 grid squad to the city championship…Captained basketball and football teams as a senior…Graduated in 1938…KENT STATE CAREER: Lettered five times for the Flashes, twice in football and baseball and once in wrestling…Honorable mention All-Ohio pick at running back in 1941…Kent wrestling coach Joe Begala called him “the roughest wrestler I ever coached.”…Earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education and biology in 1943…His MA in administration and physical education in 1951…Member of the Varsity “K” Club and Blue Key…POST KSU CAREER: Led the Kent State High School basketball team to the state tourney in 1942-43 winning sectional, district, and regional titles along the way…Coached at Upper Iowa, Dubuque and Adrian…his 1954-55 Adrian College squad won the MIAA Championships with a 21-4 mark and he was chosen UNICO National coach of the year…Earned all-district honors in the Youngstown Semi/Pro Baseball Tournament…Most recently he returned to coaching at Britton-Macon High School and had complied a 33-27 record in the last three seasons…PERSONAL: Born on July 4, 1918 in Niles, Ohio…Married to the former Betty Jane Cooper…They have one daughter…Served in the U.S. Navy, 1943-46 and earned citations for the American and Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns as well as the Victory Medal…Active in community activities, YMCA, American Cancer Society, American Family Counseling Services and other…Retired from Tecumseh Product Co….Elected to the Upper Iowa Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987.
Doug Grayson, 1989
HIGH SCHOOL CAREER: A 1965 graduate of Lorain Admiral King High School…Lettered three times in basketball and twice in track…First team all conference selection as a senior and was school’s all time scoring leader…Selected to the All-Sectional and All-District teams as a senior and captained each squad…Won district high jump titles in junior and senior years…KENT STATE CAREER: Best known for his incredible performance against North Carolina (ranked number 2 in the nation at the time)…He hit 16 consecutive field goals and finished 18-19 and 5-5 FT for 41 points…Earned all-MAC second team honors in each of his three varsity seasons…Captain of team his senior year…Member of the 1,000 point club with 1,113 in just three seasons…Team MVP in 1968…Played 71 consecutive games as a Golden Flash, did not miss a game during his career…Played for Frank Truitt…Earned his bachelor’s degree in Education in 1970 and received his MA in communications from Bowling Green in 1973…POST KSU CAREER: Played in several amateur basketball leagues and has taught and coached in the Lorain and Elyria school systems…Coached his junior high girls team to three city league titles…PERSONAL: Thurman Douglass Grayson…”The Dipper”…Born June 24, 1946 in Lorain…Married with two children…Member of the Elyria Education Association, National Association of Black Educators.
Trent Grooms, 1989
HIGH SCHOOL CAREER: Earned two varsity letters in basketball and one in track for Cleveland Central Catholic…Averaged 21 points and 15 rebounds per game as a senior…All-Conference and All-District selection as a senior…MVP of Hubbard All Star Tourney…Played in Bicentennial Cage Classic…KENT STATE CAREER: One of the most dominant inside players in Kent history…Member of the 1,000-1,000 club with 1,268 points and 1,012 rebounds…Led Kent in rebounding in each of his four seasons…7th in the nation with 12.3 RPG as a senior…Had 55 double figure rebounding games and started 67 consecutive games…Earned his bachelor’s degree in business…POST KSU CAREER: Drafted in 6th round by Kansas City Kings…Played in several amateur leagues…PERSONAL: Born on February 14, 1958…Is married to the former Sandra Walker, they have one son, Freddie Wells…President of T. Grooms & Assoc. Human Resource Consulting Firm.
Rudy Libertini, 1989
HIGH SCHOOL CAREER: Graduated from Cleveland South High School in 1950…Earned varsity letters in baseball and football as a prep…KSU CAREER: Earned varsity letters three times each in football and baseball…Selected to the All-MAC second team as a sophomore and junior…All-Ohio pick three times…Associated Press All-America choice at center in 1956…Captained both baseball and football squads as a senior…Chosen outstanding sophomore in 1955 and won the Merle Wagoner Award in 1957…President of the Varsity “K” club…Member of the Sigma Nu fraternity…History Honorary and Health PE Honorary…Earned his BA in History and Education in 1958…Received his MA in Educational Administration from Western Reserve University in 1965…POST KSU CAREER: Served in the U.S. Army and participated in baseball and football while stationed in Germany…Selected to the All-European Military Forces Honor Team…Head football and baseball coach at East Cleveland Shaw High School…PERSONAL: Born on December 7, 1932 in Cleveland, Ohio…Married the former Beverly Rowles, together they have five sons…Enjoys softball, tennis, and reading…Member of the Hudson Booster Club and currently serves as the Executive Director of the Mental Health Association of Summit County.
G. Donald “Rosy” Starn, 1989
Coached baseball, basketball, and football at Kent State between 1935 and 1943…At press-time was the all-time victory leader among Kent basketball coaches with a career mark of 98-81 (.548) in eight seasons…Led the Flashes to a 34-28-2 mark on the gridiron in eight seasons and in three seasons as the coach of the baseball team posted a 19-9 record…He was born in 1902 in Orrville, Ohio and prepped at Wooster High School, lettering in football, basketball, and baseball…Played all three sports at the College of Wooster as well and was an all-conference fullback…Played minor league baseball in the Cleveland Indians system (1925-29)…Coached at Ashland High School before coming to Kent…Also served as athletic director at Kent State…Served in the U.S. Navy (1943-47)…Finished his career in the Veteran’s Administration…Passed away in 1978 in Sun City, California and is survived by his wife Margaret, daughter Peg, son George, three sisters and one brother…He also leaves eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Mike Zele, 1989
HIGH SCHOOL CAREER: A 1974 graduate of Cleveland St. Joseph’s High School…Lettered twice in football and twice in baseball…Selected All-League and All-District in football as a senior…KENT STATE CAREER: Earned four varsity letters in football for the Flashes…Three times selected All-MAC, second team as a sophomore and first team in his junior and senior seasons…Chosen MAC Defensive Player of the Week four times…Honorable mention All-America as a junior and senior…POST KSU CAREER: Drafted in the fifth round by the Atlanta Falcons…Played in the NFL from 1979-84…Biggest thrill in the NFL was setting up the winning field goal against the NY Giants in 1982 by sacking the quarterback…Knee injury in 1984 cut his career short.
