The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Brookside AD Kerschbaum to enter hall of fame
Brookside Athletic Director Dick Kerschbaum will soon be enshrined among the greatest coaches Ohio has to offer.
On June 20, it was announced that Kerschbaum was one of six selected to be the 2018 Ohio High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame class. He will be inducted in just under a year at the Hilton Hotel in Easton in Columbus on June 15, 2018.
“I was surprised, honored and overwhelmed,” Kerschbaum said. “You coach the game because you love to do it, not for the recognition. I’m honored to be selected.”
The former North Ridgeville and Elyria coach said he first found out about his selection on June 16.
“I’m the secretary of the association, and we had our June meeting,” Kerschbaum said. “I was taking the minutes and they got to listing the names of the 2018 class and I was just surprised to hear my name called.”
Kerschbaum’s class includes Denny Zolciak (Warren JFK, Twinsburg), Ed Bolin (Waverly, Trimble), Ed Domsitz (Kettering
Alter, Claymont Northmont, Trotwood), Rex Lindgren (Liberty Center) and John “JJ” Johnson (Oregon Clay, Toledo Macomber).
“It’s an honor to go in with those names and to be among names like Paul Brown, Woody Hayes and Jim Tressel,” Keschbaum said. “I wouldn’t be here without my wife (Holly) and kids.
“I’ve always said coaching is selfish. It takes you away from home and your family. I can’t begin to explain how appreciative I am of the patience my family showed to allow me to coach. I couldn’t have done it and wouldn’t be here without them.”
For Kerschbaum, his impending induction is the culmination of a journey that began in high school.
“In high school, I just knew I wanted to get into teaching and coaching,” Kerschbaum said. “Going to Capital only reinforced that.”
In his early 20s, Kerschbaum was an assistant at Columbus Northland. He took over his first varsity program in 1978 when he coached North Ridgeville to a 10-0 record, a Lakeland Conference championship and earned Lorain County Coach of the Year honors.
After two years in charge of the Rangers, Kerschbaum moved on to coach Lakewood before a nine-year stint at Mentor, a four-year stint at Xenia and closed his career with a stint at Elyria.
At all of those stops, he found success.
“You can never take all the credit,” Kerschbaum said. “There’s so many people involved with a program — coaches, players, parents, administrators — you can’t claim the credit.
“But it was also a situation where, no matter where I was coaching, it just felt like I always had a great connection with everyone around me.”
With a coaching career that spans 27 years, Kerschbaum has plenty of memories to reflect on.
“I think my favorite memory was from 1983 when I was at Lakewood,” Kerschbaum said. “We played St. Edward and beat them. This was the first time Lakewood had ever beaten Ed’s. It was a late comeback and the fans flooded the field. It was a great experience.”
Now, there is one more memory to come.
“I’m excited,” Kerschbaum said. “Next June is going to be very memorable.”