Generational Athletes - Dave's Midwestern Ohio Memories

Series of Guest Blogs by an out-of-state Fish Report reader originally from this area about fond memories of growing up in Midwestern Ohio during the 50’s & 60’s

Generational Athletes

While reading about, watching and listening to the area sports teams on Fish Report the past years, I’ve concluded that most of the players' surnames are very familiar and really haven’t changed much since I was playing several generations ago. For example, I competed in high school basketball against Russia athlete and senior Ross Fiessinger’s grandfather Dale. The above three generation family photo from a few years back shows Ross just behind his grandmother Kathy, a former Russia cheerleader back in my day, sitting next to Dale. And we have to point out Ross’s dad and Fish Report's own Craig Fiessinger, prominently stationed in the center back row next to his lovely wife Stacey.

For years, the children of those I knew growing up were competing in sports on local teams, like major League baseball player and Ft. Loramie native, Jared Hoying pictured above with his family, including his Dad Bill who is my first cousin. But the three generation connection is still appropriate, as Bill’s dad Lindy, pictured above on his wedding day to my aunt Mary, was an outstanding basketball and baseball player at Ft. Loramie in the 1940’s.

Checking out the boys and girls basketball rosters from Minster, Loramie and Russia generated many very familiar last names:

Minster Girls: Albers, Bergman, Barhorst, Larger, Wuebker, Hoyng & Heckman

Minster Boys: Schmiesing, Prenger, Watercutter, Poeppelman, Homan & Albers

Loramie Girls: Brandewie, Hoying, Turner, Rose, Mescher, Albers

Loramie Boys: Eilerman, Hoelscher, Raterman, Pleiman, Maurer

Russia Girls: Monnin, Shappie, Borchers, Sherman, Poling, Doseck

Russia Boys: Philpot, Shappie, Monnin, Quinter, Francis, Cordonnier

No doubt I knew many of their grandparents, so to confirm my suspicions, I referred to a favorite ancestry website administered by a cousin of mine, Ron Thieman, originally from Minster.

Ron’s family farm west of Minster shown above is prominently portrayed on the ancestry website cover page. As a kid, I vividly recall exploring all those buildings, with hide and seek a favorite game and of course the challenge of playing basketball against big Ron, an eventual star player for Minster who led them to the State Semifinals in 1965. Check out this YouTube video of that memorable game that I luckily attended.

After checking out the ancestors of the kids on the Minster, Ft. Loramie and Russia rosters, sure enough, several three generation connections were found. Most prominently was Russia’s Felix Francis as his connections actually go back 5 generations since Felix was named after his great-great grandfather, who also happens to be my wife’s great grandfather, who has the short tie in the first row on the above photo. I played basketball against young Felix's grandfather Bill, as I recall a real scrappy guard with a great shot.

Another example is Avery Brandewie from Ft. Loramie, who is the granddaughter of Dan Brandewie and Treva Ernst, whom were a couple years behind me in school. I knew Avery’s great-great grandfather as well, Herb, who’s farm was in our neighborhood. Whenever I see a Brandewie on a Ft. Loramie team, I know they’ll be very good. What a great family of athletes, several of whom have lead Loramie to state championships, in fact I think there has been a Brandewie on the roster of all six Loramie state champion basketball teams over the years, starting in 1977, with the banner posted above.

Minster girls player Jenavieve Hoying is another case in point, as her grandparents Bob & Janet Hoying are both relatives of mine on my mom’s side as shown in the above ancestry chart from the Thieman website. Summer Hoying on Ft. Loramie’s girls roster is also a relative. Here’s a past blogpost about Summer's heroic great-grandfather Vernon Hoying.

Here’s my all time favorite relationship between current and past players that connects all three schools in one family tree: The grandparents of Skyler Albers, who plays on the Ft. Loramie girls team, are Norm Albers from Minster basketball fame and the late Jane Monnier Albers, a former Russia cheerleader and brother to Tim Monnier, a star on Russia’s basketball team in the late 60’s. I went to college with Tim where we played a lot of basketball together. Her lineage sure explains why Skyler is such a great player.

Knowing well the grandparents of many of the local basketball players, no doubt they are all "chips off the old block”, holding onto midwestern Ohio values just like their grandparents. God, family and academics provide the foundation for their athletic endeavors just as it did back in my day. May they find great success on the court and their lives ahead in this ever-changing and challenging world.

PS: My sister Lucy provided the following list of additional Ft. Loramie players and their grandparents, for the most part whom I all knew and recall. No doubt the same would be true for Mister and Russia. Amazing how the apple indeed does not fall from from the tree!

~~~~~~~~

Receive a weekly email whenever there is a new blog post. Just click here to send me an email request and your name will be added to the distribution.