Plans advancing for Tuscarawas County Sports Hall of Fame inaugural ceremonies

DOVER (WJER) (Jan. 24, 2022) – Organizers who have been working to establish the Tuscarawas County Sports Hall of Fame say reactions have been overwhelmingly positive since revealing the inaugural class.

Hall of Fame Secretary Jim Gill says this first class has about 60 individuals and teams with names like Woody Hayes and Cy Young, as well as the 1940 New Philadelphia boys and 1981 Claymont girls basketball teams, as nominated by the public and selected by the hall’s trustees.

“We had representatives from every existing school district in Tuscarawas County on this selection committee. This is not a Dover – New Philadelphia thing. That’s the message we want to get out.” 

Hall President Tom Farbizo says it’s been in the planning stages now for years.

“We wanted to have our first induction class in 2020, but needless to say with the pandemic we couldn’t do that.”

Farbizo says future classes will have about 20 members each and induction ceremonies in even-numbered years.

“There’s no way, with over 100 years or 150 years of sports history in Tuscarawas County, that the first class is going to hit everybody or please everybody.”

Farbizo says there will be separate recognition events for the deceased and living members of this first class in June.

Gill, who is also the Dover Public Library director, says they’re pursuing grants to have a permanent enshrinement wall exhibit at the library, featuring a touchscreen monitor and profiles on the inductees. He hopes to have it up in time for June.

“…so that people can access it remotely from home through the organization’s webpage and also when they are physically at the library.”

Farbizo says the Tuscarawas County Sports Hall of Fame anticipates releasing ticket information for the ceremonies early in the spring.

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