Springfield to induct three athletes and one team into its Athletic Department Hall of Fame

Here’s a look at each of the inductees:

Burley was a three-year letterwinner at South in the offensive and defensive end positions, leading the team to a 9-1 record in 1963. He earned numerous awards, including first team All-Ohio. He went on to play collegiately at Bowling Green as a defensive back and linebacker, earning the Bowling Green Outstanding Defensive Back award in 1967.

Ellis, a three-year starter for the Panthers, scored more than 1,000 points and collected more than 400 rebounds in his career. He was a key contributor on the 1996-97 team that won a regional championship and advanced to the Division I state semifinals. As a senior, he was named Clark County Mr. Basketball after averaging 19 points and nine rebounds per game. He played collegiately at the University of Hartford before transferring to Central State where he scored more than 1,000 career points. Ellis currently serves as the athletic director at Columbus South High School.

Howard lettered in football, basketball and baseball at North and received an offer to play football at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami, Oklahoma. He earned All-American honors as a tight end in 1984 before transferring to the University of Tennessee. In 1988, he was drafted by the San Diego Chargers as an offensive lineman and spent two seasons with the organization.

The 1995 South High School softball team won the Western Ohio League title, finishing the regular season unbeaten and Division I state poll champions. The top-ranked LadyCats won D-I district and regional championships before falling to Akron Ellett 1-0 in nine innings in a state semifinal game.

They were led by four-time All-Ohio pitcher Mindy Dasher, as well as All-Ohio players Wendy Olinger and Rikki Jones. The team was coached by Greg Newland and assistants Pete Cook and Jan Brautigam. The team included: Dasher, Olinger, Jones, Stacie Via, Cassie Hogan, Sandy Snyder, Tiffany Rosales, Michelle McPherson, Mandy Gray, Makia Dover, Missy Porter, Stacey Doyle, Angie Donahue, Chrissy Hamilton and managers Brent and Bobby Predmore.