Jaiden Morales’ pictures from the Lorain Sports Hall of Fame banquet May 13, 2023.

The 53rd annual Lorain Hall of Fame enshrinement banquet for the Class of 2023 introduced collectively the Lorain neighborhood on the German Villa on May 13.

The occasion honored excellent people from numerous excessive faculties, together with Admiral King, Southview, Lorain High, Clearview, Lorain Catholic and St. Mary. The inductees comprised esteemed figures resembling Jeff Dudziak (Lorain High), Kermetta Folmar (Admiral King), Michael Wayne Jackson (Admiral King), Frank Owens (Lorain Catholic), Adrian Abrahamowicz (Lorain Catholic). Christina Jackson (Southview), Robert Taylor (Southview), Bruce Minnich (St. Mary) and the 1981-82 Admiral King boys basketball staff.

“When I look at these banners with all of the high schools names on them, what comes to mind is legacy. We are all part of a legacy,” 1981-82 Admiral King basketball participant Myron Wicks stated. “Forty years ago, (this team) couldn’t have told you what legacy was. I didn’t understand what legacy was. Forty years later, me and my teammates are a part of this legacy.”

Mothers’ Day was celebrated prematurely on the banquet. Numerous athletes credited the mothers of their lives for elevating them, some of the memorable being Owens.

“I thank God for my mama. She’s a hall of famer,” he stated. “She is the best hall of famer. A legend was had since you birthed me. There is nobody else like you. Thank God for everything that you’ve done, with everything that you’ve went through and everything that you’ve put up with.”

Almost the complete listing of people had been multi-sport athletes, however all of them contributed majorly to their program’s success.

From Lorain High within the Class of 1994, Dudziak thrived as a basketball and soccer participant, however made his largest affect on the gridiron.

He was recruited by Bemidji State, which is a Division II program in Michigan, and was a part of an important core that produced this system’s first successful program in 12 years. They went on to have 10 successful seasons.

Dudziak is a instructor for Lorain City Schools and is married with three youngsters.

“Getting inducted into the Lorain Sports Hall of Fame has been a crazy experience for me so far,” Dudziak stated. “When I found out that I’ve got inducted, all of my sports memories got back to me.”

Folmar was one in all two Admiral people, together with the 1981-82 basketball staff, to be inducted.

She went from metropolis champion sprinter in highschool to an OHSAA state champion within the 100-meter sprint as a junior. She was acknowledged by the Lorain Sports Hall of Fame on the time for her accomplishment.

She had potential to coach to turn into an Olympian, however selected to pursue an schooling at Bowling Green. Folmar was a member of the 800-meter medley staff that broke the college report.

“I realized for me that track and field became secondary to achieving my academic dreams and pursuing my Masters of Divinity,” she stated. “My greatest honor off the track and the greatest race now, is the fact that I sit on three national boards for cancer patients.”

Folmar has a Master of Divinity at Ashland Theological Seminary. She is on the Patient Advocacy Board on the Zangmeister Cancer Center in Columbus and in addition helps ladies at home violence shelters.

Jackson, one other Admiral, was a adorned wrestler and is regarded my many as one of many best Lorain natives on the mat.

He is the one Admiral King wrestler to put first within the district event.

Jackson ignited a legendary rivalry with Midview’s Tony Lucky at 167 kilos. He beat Lucky thrice. However, Lucky obtained the final snicker within the state championship bout within the last six seconds as Jackson completed because the state runner-up.

Jackson was additionally recognized for his 35-year teaching profession as the pinnacle coach of Admiral King and an assistant at Southview.

He helped a number of wresters obtain greatness on the mat. He was additionally part of the 1993 Southview wrestling staff, which was enshrined within the Lorain Sports Hall of Fame.

Jackson retired as a correctional officer at Lorain Correctional Institution after virtually three a long time of service and is a father of 4.

Owens was one of many two Spartans chosen as top-of-the-line all-around athletes out of Lorain Catholic.

He was a gifted runner on the observe, however elected to play baseball as a beginning pitcher.

He starred on the mound and behind the plate to have been named its “Golden Arm” and “Golden Bat” winner in separate years.

Lorain Catholic received 67 out of his 77 video games in a three-year time span in basketball.

He missed one varsity recreation out of the 102 in his profession from damage. This was achieved by two different Ohioans, one in all which incorporates LeBron James.

The late Abrahamowicz, a particular class choice, was inducted for his service within the native baseball neighborhood. His spouse Teresa accepted his induction.

“Adrian (Abrahamowicz) didn’t do coaching as his job. It was his calling,” she stated. “He cared all about his players, as he cared about his family. His players were his extended family. Adrian believed in every single one of his coach that he coached, as if they were all capable of continuing their baseball career in college.”

A Lorain Catholic graduate in 1989, Abrahamowicz coached the Spartans, together with a slew of Lorain County groups and Oberlin College on the Division III scene.

The Yeomen made it to the Division III NCAA event thrice with him within the dugout.

His best affect was with the Warhawks baseball group that merged with T3 to turn into the T3 Warhawks in 2021.

The T3 Warhawks information highschool baseball gamers to earn baseball careers on the faculty stage. More than 200 gamers had been linked from Abrahamowicz to play collegiate baseball.

Abrahamowicz handed away in the summertime of 2022, however his legacy lives on together with his household and the Abrahamowicz Family Baseball non-profit group that serves the native baseball neighborhood an veterans.

From Southview, Christian Jackson and Robert Taylor grew to become legendary Saints.

Jackson was the Morning Journal ladies basketball participant of the yr, an All-Ohioan honorable point out and the winner the Lorain County Miss Basketball Award.

She led Southview to this system’s first look within the regional event underneath former Saints coach Mark Feldman.

Perhaps her best second was her 1,000th profession level she scored on Admiral King within the 2003 district championship recreation, which was a game-winning buzzer-beater.

She can also be enshrined in Gannon University’s sports activities corridor of fame and is called a high three participant in class historical past.

Taylor was destined to attain greatness by coaching together with his brother and eventual state champion wrestler G.T. Taylor.

He fell many occasions because the nail as a substitute of the hammer towards his high-caliber wrestling teammates. Taylor was decided to flip the script.

“We had a hammer after hammer (on Southview’s wrestling team), and I was the nail,” he stated. “I wanted to change my mind and my mentality, because I am good enough to be on that wrestling mat. I am good enough to be a good state champion. I am good enough to be good at life, and I am going to be the hammer.”

He ultimately grew to become one in all Southview’s 4 wrestlers to qualify for the state event thrice. He was a state runner-up in 1988 and a state champion in 1987.

He wrestled for Edinboro, however a promising profession was minimize brief attributable to damage.

He nonetheless resides in Lorain and is a father of 4.

Minnich, who’s often known as the “Big Ox” on the courtroom of St. Mary, epitomize the which means of a winner.

The Senior Category inductee operated principally within the paint and by no means hesitated to do the soiled work.

For a profession common, Minnich averaged 20.6 rebounds per recreation.

Following rebounds, Minnich’s outlet passes turned them right into a deadly offense on the quick break.

His efforts was crucial in St. Mary’s first win over Lorain High in 37 years. Minnich scored 25 factors and grabbed 25 rebounds. His staff was additionally a Class A District champion and appeared within the Sweet 16 for the primary time in class historical past.

The 1981-82 Admiral King boys basketball staff is the one Team Category inductee.

This addition of the Admirals kick-started the winningest Class AAA of the Eighties, successful a faculty report 24 video games.

Its solely common season loss was to Lorain High, 60-56. They received a faculty report 19 straight video games, which led to a regional finals look.

They had been ranked third within the Ohio Associated Press. The late Mitch Gillam was named Ohio’s Coach of the Year by UPI. Michael Walton was named the Buckeye Conference Player of the Year.

Lorain Sports Hall of Famer Roger Smith (16.3 factors per recreation) was Admiral King’s main scorer as a junior.