TGFC - Hall of Fame Members - Class of 1979
Class of 1979 - Biographies
Joseph W. Begala, 1979
Graduated from Ohio University (B.A., 1929)…Earned second degree from KSU (B.S. Ed., 1933), and a Master’s degree from Ohio State (1935)…Born March 4, 1906 in Struthers, Ohio…Came to KSU in 1929…Served 42 years at KSU before retiring from coaching in 1971…Known as the “Ironman” for having coached six different sports including football, tennis, golf, cross country, and track…Served as the head trainer from 1929 to 1952…Produced the best collegiate wrestling coaching mark in history as teams won 307, lost 69, and tied 5…Had seven undefeated seasons…Developed more that 200 champions at all levels…Named to Hall of Fame of Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches, Helms Foundation and Ohio University…Outstanding high school and collegiate wrestler…Won Buckeye state heavyweight title in 1927, 175-pound championship in 1928 and 165-pound title in 1929…Served four years in U.S. Navy and wrote a book on hand-to-hand combat.
William John Boliantz, 1979
Graduated from KSU (B.S. Ed., 1941, M.A., 1961)…Born November 4, 1917 in Credman, Sask., Canada…One of the most lettered KSU athletes…Received 10 varsity letters in football, basketball, baseball, and track…Served as captain of the 1941 track team…Played end on the 1940 KSU team which posted an 8-1 record and won the conference championship…Outstanding javelin thrower…Won the AAU javelin title in 1941 and held the school record in the event for many years…Member of Delta Phi Sigma Fraternity…Served in U.S. Army from 1941-1945…Retired from Northfield High School after serving as principal, superintendent, and coach…Teams won 32 championships in track, football, basketball, and baseball before his retiring from coaching in 1958…Produced five undefeated teams in football and baseball, and four in track at Northfield.
Harry Kenneth Carpenter, 1979
Attended KSU from 1914-1917…Graduated from Ravenna High School…Recognized as forming Kent State’s first football and basketball teams soon after the University was created in 1910…Better known as just H.K…Carpenter was active as an athlete and campus leader.
James Patrick Corrigall, 1979
Graduated from KSU (B.S., 1970)…Born April 7, 1946 in Berrie, Ont., Canada...A three-year letterman in 1967, 1968, and 1969 on Flash football team…First KSU player ever named All-MAC first team three consecutive years and first Flash named captain two years in a row (1968 and 1969)…Played defensive tackle for two years and linebacker as a senior…Set KSU record for most tackles with 334 on 183 solo and 150 assists, but eventually was broken by Jack Lambert (593) and Jack Lazor (645)…Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals but opted for professional career with Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL)…“Rookie of the Year”…Chosen All-Pro seven times…KSU jersey (No.79) retired in 1969.
Betty Jean (Maycock) Harrington, 1979
Graduated cum laude from KSU (B.A., 1964)…Born December 13, 1942 in Cleveland…Attended Kent State University High School…Junior National AAU All-Around champion in 1958…Member of 1960 U.S. Olympic team…Named All-American in 1959-60…Specialized in floor exercises…Won 1959 National AAU floor exercise title…Averaged 9.479 in three European meets in 1960…Member of “Goodwill Tour” to Russia in 1961 and tied Olympic side horse champion…Member of 1959 Pan-American team and finished second…Received F.I.G. pin in 1962 for posting scores on 9.0 or higher in international competition.
Charles Fredrick Kilbourne, 1979
Graduated from KSU (B.S.Ed., 1932)…Born September 10, 1908 in Cuyahoga Falls…Graduated from Kent Roosevelt High School where he earned an incredible 14 varsity letters…As a prep,, he lettered four times each in football and track, and three times each in basketball and tennis…Twice captain of football and basketball teams…Captured state pole vault championship…Earned 11 varsity letters at KSU in five sports; football (4), basketball (3), baseball (2), and one each track and tennis…Captain 1929 and 1930 football teams and 1929 basketball squad…Was an All-Ohio fullback at 6-2, 225 pounds during his playing days…His 99-yard punt against John Carroll in 1929 still remains a school record…Once intercepted five passes in game against an undefeated Capital squad in 1930.
Joseph Koyts, 1979
Graduated from KSU (B.S. Ed., 1956)…University of Akron (M.A., 1970)…Born October 31, 1925 in Olyphant, Pennsylvania…Lettered in gymnastics, swimming, and wrestling…Gymnastics accomplishments include national AAU title on the long horse and parallel bars…NCAA All-Around champion (1949, 1950) parallel bars (1949, 1950), horizontal bar (1950) and pommel horse (1951)…Member of the 1950 U.S. International Team which competed in Japan and was a member of 1948 and 1956 U.S. Olympic teams…Teacher of physical education at Cuyahoga Falls High School since 1957…Gymnastics coach since 1962 at CFHS…Coach of U.S. North American Champs at Montreal in 1966…Named to the Citizen Savings Hall Gymnastics Hall of Fame September 27, 1978.
Jack Mancos, 1979
Graduated from KSU (B.S. Ed., 1953)…Born March 7, 1924 in Cleveland, Ohio…Graduated from John Adams High School in Cleveland…Nicknamed “Wahoo” by his teammates…Considered one of the greatest and most versatile backs ever to play football for KSU…Still ranks among statistical leaders in rushing, receiving, and kicking…Five touchdowns against Western Michigan in 1951, remains a school record, three of which were touchdown catches…His 76-yard punt against Morris Harvey in 1951 is the third longest in KSU history…Lettered three time in football…Also played baseball.
Michael Milkovich, Sr., 1979
Graduated from KSU (B.S. Ed., 1948; M.A., 1950)…Born December 26, 1921…Attended Cleveland Garfield Heights High School…Captain of the 1948 Kent State Wrestling team…Was the 1947 Northeastern Ohio AAU champion…Had three brothers who wrestled for KSU in the 1940’s…Son, Mike, Jr., was a two-time individual Mid-American Conference champion for KSU in 1969-70…Compiled a coaching record of 200 wins against 17 losses…Produced 14 undefeated wrestling teams and coached 312 individual champions…Honored with “Mike Milkovich Day” by the city of Maple Heights …Received several awards, among them nine Ohio, “Coach of the Year” awards and 16 Greater Cleveland Conference awards.
Trevor J. Rees, 1979
Graduated from Ohio State University (1936)…Born in Dover, Ohio…Came to KSU in 1946 as head football coach after serving as end coach at Ohio State in 1945…Rebuilt a KSU football program that did not participate from 1943-45 because of WWII…Compiled the best winning percentage of any KSU football coach (.591) with 92 wins, 63 losses, and 5 ties…Named Ohio Collegiate “Coach of the Year” in 1958 as Flashes finished 7-2 after going 3-6 in 1957…Served as Kent State’s athletic director from 1946-56…Led school to its first post-season bowl game, the 1954 Refrigerator Bowl…Teams compiled just four losing seasons in 18 years…Served as an instructor in HPER after resigning as head coach…Graduated from Dover High School where he was captain of football and basketball teams his senior year…Nominated to several All-America teams as an end at Ohio State in 1935… Served as head coach at Cleveland Shaw High School from 1936-40 compiling a 32-10-1 record…Freshman coach at Ohio State in 1941…Served as commander in U.S. Navy from 1942-44 before returning to Columbus in 1945.
Richard John Rollins, 1979
Graduated from KSU (B.S. HPER, 1960)…Born April 16, 1938 in Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania…Graduated from Parma Senior High School…Three-year letterman on Kent State Baseball Team…Finished career with a .389 batting average for second best in school’s history behind Thurman Munson’s .390 average…Selected to All Mid-American Conference first team three times (1958, 59, 60) at second base…Team captain of 1959 squad and co-captain of 1960 team…Had batting averages of .378 in 1958, .429 in 1959, and .358 in 1960…Signed major league contract with the Washington Senators…Moved with Senators to Minnesota and became a standout third baseman for the Twins…Named the American League’s “Rookie of the Year” in 1962…Played with the Minnesota Twins in the 1965 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers…Later played for then-expansion Seattle Pilots and finally the Cleveland Indians before retiring…Presently associated with the Indians in an administrative capacity...While at Kent, played for “Moose” Paskert and teamed with another future major leaguer, shortstop Gene Michael.
Merle Edwin Wagoner, 1979
Founder and Adviser of Varsity “K” Club, 1927…Attended KSU from 1930-32…Graduated from Ravenna High School…Only Kent State coach to have served as head coach of football, basketball, and baseball teams at the same time (1925-1933)… Coached football team to school’s first winning season on 4-2-2 in 1928…Also guided KSU basketball team to first winning season in double figures (11-7) in 1928-29…Coached baseball team to a record of 22-34…Credited with changing the standards of scheduling, officiating, and eligibility during his tenure at KSU…Coached at Cleveland West Tech and Millersburg Academy in Johnstown, PA…Served as an assistant professor of agriculture following his tenure as coach, also assistant professor of business, later.
Alexander Whyte, 1979
Kent State’s first head basketball and baseball coach…Still holds the highest basketball coaching percentage, .714 with his ten wins and four losses from 1913-15…One of the original, non-teaching, staff members of the school as a custodian while coaching…Helped organize the first fraternity on campus KMK…Father was a foreman on the first construction crew that built the first building on campus.
