On Saturday, Sept. 11, one team and four athletes were inducted to the Hamilton Heights Athletic Hall of Fame for the Class of 2021. This year’s honorees included one team and four athletes: Ron Ackles (’62), Alicia Bundy (’96), Dennis Lockhart (’95), Rick McCoskey (’71), and the Hamilton Heights 2012 football team. Greg Knapp served as the Master of Ceremonies.
The inductees were recognized and celebrated for their athletic and personal successes at Hamilton Heights and beyond.
“It was great to honor our inductees for the 2021 Class,” said Mitch Street, HHHS Hall of Fame Committee Chairman and Dean of Students. “I think what really makes this group special is that they were all great athletes and incredibly smart as well. Collectively, this group exemplifies what you want in an athlete, combining a humbleness and ‘team first’ mindset with an unbelievable competitive spirit. I’m so proud to welcome our second class into our Hall of Fame.”
“He was a super athlete, strong, and there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do,” said John Knapp of Ron Ackles, his former teammate and friend. “I looked up to him at school and beyond school. He proudly served our country after graduation and I thank him for his service to our country.”
“He was my idol and the athlete I wanted to become,” said Mike Thomas, who was five years behind his mentor. “He was the best in any sport he played.”
“As a young kid, everybody wanted to be Ronnie Ackles,” added Smoke Starrett, of Ackles’ inspiration and impact on his life.
Rick McCoskey was described by friends as being involved in everything during high school, who cared, and possessed a natural ability to serve as a leader on the court and throughout life.
“Ricky first captured my attention by the way he bounced the basketball practicing in the gym as a skinny seventh grader,” said Steve Redenbaugh, who was hired 56 years ago as a teacher and assistant basketball coach. “He was bouncing it with purpose. In time, I would see that Ricky was driven to win in athletics and in class. His report card never saw a B. He had a work ethic and brain but also that something else – not afraid to make a mistake and take a chance to move up.”
Dan Watson, Dennis Lockhart’s wrestling coach, described him as disciplined and humble, “a good a person as he was a wrestler.” “When he got to us,” recalled Watson, “he knew how to work on the mat. Lockhart was also strong in the classroom, graduating among the top 10 percent of his class with an appointment to West Point after graduation. He has made a good leader and an individual to be admired.”
“An extremely hard worker who doesn’t like attention, I knew Alicia Bundy was different when I first saw her run the 100, 200, and 400 as a freshman,” recalled former track coach Susan McCoskey, who fondly calls Alicia, “B.” “Shy and reserved, she was a fantastic teammate and a coach’s joy who became one of the, if not the most prolific and accomplished athletes, to come through Hamilton Heights.”
Bundy was a state qualifier in 10 events over her four-year career. She still holds records in the 200m and 400m dash.
“Alicia, humble beyond belief and disciplined,” added Dennis Lockhart, who said he has always looked up to her and proud to call her a friend to this day.” Susan McCoskey accepted the award on Dr. Bundy’s, a veterinarian, behalf.
“They were so coachable I am not sure who believed in their success first the team or the coaches,” said Dan Robinson, former assistant football coach of the members of the 2012 football team. “The members of this team were good football players and good students but more importantly they were good people. They became good people and have become good citizens and that’s a lot of what it’s about and in a community, especially in a small community, that takes great pride in the accomplishments of their team.”
“I want to thank the team for accepting coaching, making practice and games fun and it helps when it’s fun for the coaches too and the kids made that happen,” recalled former assistant coach Smoke Starrett.
“The way they [football team] practiced and the way they prepared set the tone for the year and it was extraordinary,” said HHHS Principal Jarrod Mason. “They had a mission and would not let their peers fall. That senior class stood for that very thing. Coaches held those players accountable and pushed them and that’s what made that group special. This team broke the mold for teams at Heights.”
Mitch Street, the head football coach in 2012, said this team may not have been the most talented individually but together was the best team he ever coached. Street accepted the award on behalf of the 2012 football team.
The Athletic Hall of Fame is designed to recognize and honor Hamilton Heights High School athletes, coaches, teams, and athletic program contributors for their achievements and/or contributions to the Hamilton Heights High School athletic program.
“The Athletic Hall of Fame program captures and shares the history and unique experiences of our former athletes, coaches, teams, and athletic contributors to create a legacy for all who have been and will be touched by the Hamilton Heights athletics program,” Street added.
The Hamilton Heights Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2021 induction ceremony can be viewed at this link. Nominations for the Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2022 are being accepted through March 31, 2022. Click here to download the nomination form.
The 2012 HHHS Football Team earned the State Runner Up. Players and coaches in attendance at the ceremony included (front row, from left) Chuck Reeves (Coach), Christy Carey (Ketler) (cheerleader), and Cameron Mason (Coach); (back row, from left) Collin Blackford (Player), Mitch Street (coach), Dan Robinson (coach), Ross Eckart (coach), Smoke Starrett (coach), Max Moore (player), Cole Leininger (player), Corey Beck (player), Aaron Knott (player), and Andy Smith (coach). (Photo provided by Hamilton Heights School Corporation)