FOOTBALL
BASEBALL
BASKETBALL
TRACK & FIELD
WRESTLING
COACHES

Click here for a photo gallery of North High's and North Hill sports team photos

In March of 1935 the North High basketball team won the state championship. This picture was taken after the team had defeated South 33 - 23 to advance to the state finals in Columbus. This was North's first trip to the state finals in the history of the school. Pictured in the back row, left to right, are Fred Emigh, Mike Fernella, Coach Lu Hosfield, Ed Sadowski, Leonard Gillen, and Richard "Jiggs" Miller. In the front row, left to right, Jerome Horning, Eugene Diesz, Joe Slovisky, Tom Welbaum, and Tim Slovisky. Any and all comments or tidbits of info regarding this team or the state championship game are welcome. I might even resort to begging for them. As I find out more I'll update this page.

In 1939, the North Vikings won the State Basketball Championship again. Left to right are: Assistant Coach Bob White, Manager Frank Kleinfelter, Russ Fouse, Jim Welbaum, Paul Vaughn; Charles Palazzo, Larry Ricilli, Norman "Curly" Brueggeman, Ted Hooper, Charley King, Ralph Vinciguerra, Stan Baughman,and Coach Lu Hosfield

This image is from the 1939 basketball season scorebook. This is the state championship game. Any info on the season or this particular game would be appreciated.

This is the 1943 North High Cross Country team that won the state championship. They were undefeated that season. In the front, left to right are: Dick Spry, Mike Totaro, and Ted Henterly and back row left to right, Rex Dewey, John Murphy, Art Murawski, and Winton Fleming. The team was coached by Bob White who is not in the picture. North's Cross Country team also won the State Title in 1941, 1946, 1947, and 1958 and came in Second in the State in 1939 and 1949. If anyone has a picture of any of these teams I would gladly include it.

? Schwartz - 1923 Ohio State Individual Champion in the Discus

  John Rabb - 1933 & 1934 Ohio State Division A Champ in the Discus and 1934 Ohio State Division A Champ in the Shot Put. A star football player he also  went on to star at Ohio State. Inducted into the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame in 1965.

John D. "Jack" Murphy - 1943 & 1944 Ohio State Individual Champion in the High Jump. In the 1944 State Track Meet he also placed third in the 100 yard dash and the 120 yard high hurdles.

Donald Leroy Rydgig - 1941 Ohio State Individual Cross Country Champion

John Dewey - 1945 Ohio State Individual Cross Country Champion

Jackson Wagner - 1949 Ohio State Individual Cross Country Champion

Bob Harlin - 1956 Ohio State Division A Champion in the 220 Yard Dash

Ray Fleming - 1958 Ohio State Individual Cross Country Champion

John Tillman - 1963 Ohio State Individual Cross Country Champion

James Davis - 1958 Ohio State Division AA Champion in the One Mile Run

John Scalera - 1976 Ohio State Individual Wrestling Champion in the 175 lb weight class

Jeff Walker - 1977 Ohio State Division AAA Champion in the 220 Yd Dash and the 100 Yard Dash

Joseph Plouse - 1991 Ohio State Individual WrestlingChampion in the 152 lb weight class

Paul Sezhue - 1996 Ohio State Division I Champion in the 300 Meter Hurdles and the 110 Meter Hurdles

This is the 1948 St. Anthony championship baseball team.
Front l to r: John Zampino, Joe Zampino, many of you probably knew little Joe as Mr. Zampino, a teacher at North for many years.
Second Row: John Zampino, Anthony Micale, Gino D'Andrea, Joe Amato, Robert Menesian, Al Rasicci, Pete Cistone
 Third Row: Father Angelo Trivisonno, Sam Yacovazzi, John Marzano, Albert Letta, Tony Lionetti, and Father McCafferty. In front of Father McCafferty is John Masturzo and the man to the right remains unidentified. Any good stories let me know.

Anthony "Tony" Arnone -

Charles "Todd" Boyes -

Joe Costello -

Charles DiLauro -

Jack DiLauro - A talented pitcher who starred at Akron North, Akron U and in Greater Akron AA baseball league before joining the professional ranks. He moved up through the International League to the Major Leagues where he pitched for the New York Mets and the Houston Astros. In 1969 he joined the Mets in the midst of a red hot pennant fight and became the Mets' top left-handed reliever - appearing in 23 games and finishing with an ERA of 2.39. Needless to say, DiLauro was in the right place at the right time as the Mets captured the National League pennant and the World Series. In 1970 he was with the Houston Astros and  finished out his career at Pensacola. Inducted into the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame in 1974.

Jim DiLauro -

Rudy Donatelli -

Jerome Horning -

Charley King - 

Paul Lang -

Joseph M. "Marty" Lappin -A versatile player from the youth leagues on up, Marty was an outstanding third baseman, excellent catcher, had many good outings as a starting pitcher, and even more success as a relief pitcher, especially in the AA League. He played for numerous North Hill youth title teams including Hot Stove G Yankees, 1955 State and Tri-State champs, St. Martha '58 champs, E champs '60. He won four letters at Hoban High '59-62, making All-City '60-61. In AA ball, Marty helped league runnerup Krispy Kreme get to the NABF World Series, Louisville, KY '63; was an All-Star for '64 Winding Bar; played Nino's '65; was All-Star for '66 Blatz Beer and finished career with Airmatic Valve. A "workhorse" and team leader of all his teams.

Jack Nicholas - 

Jim "Buzz" Peroli -

John Sipka - 

Art Smith -

Don Tyler - 

This is the 1994 State Champion North Akron Hot Stove H League Dodgers. Back Row from left to right are coaches: Mike Testa, Carl Ross, Brian Stalnaker, and Perry Rienzi. Middle Row: J.J. Uber, Gian Testa, son of coach Mike Testa, Michael Valle, John Cook, Patrick Hurley, and "Marky" Vince Locascio. Front Row: Bobby Kiakaila, Johnny Valle, Gino D'Andrea, Tommy Lancianese, Bobby Murray, Joey Rockich, and Brad Long.

The following Hot Stove teams also won the State Championship in their respective years and any information or photos of these teams will gladly be included:

Class G Yankees - 1955
Class G Dodgers - 1956
Class G White Sox - 1957
Class G Dodgers - 1959
Class G Dodgers - 1970
Class F Braves - 1985
Class H Dodgers - 1994
Class H Yankees - 1999

COACHES

"Lu" Hosfield - Head basketball coach at North High 1930 - 1943. His teams included the Ohio State Champions of 1935 and 1939.  

Henry Luther Hosfield, Jr., "the man with the pipe",  was born 21 July 1907, the eldest of five children of Henry and Caroline Hosfield. He grew up in the family home at 119 Frances Ave. on the corner of Frances and North Main Street where the First Merit Bank is now located. His father owned a shoe store in the Masonic Temple Building at Temple Square. Lu attended North Hill schools and graduated from North High in 1924 when Jennings was the High School and North was still known as the Eskimos . He attended Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH from 1924 to 1928 and later received his teaching Degree from the University of Akron. In September 1928, he married Bernadine Billow, also a North High graduate who grew up on Keeney St. They had two sons, David "Skip"  and William, and two daughters, Mary Lu and Hannah, and lived at 866 Columbia. 

Lu started as a student at North in the Fall of 1921 at the age of 14. Clarence "Buddy" Vincent was the Football, Basketball, and Track coach. Many years later, Vincent recalled Lu as a little tike only 14 years of age who finally put on enough weight to make varsity in his junior year. "He was always such a willing chap. He was a fine quarter-miler in track . . . with a strong, powerful stride. But just mention that a sprinter or low hurdler was needed and Lu was ready to give it a try." He played all three sports for Coach Vincent. 

At the time that Lu entered Oberlin College, the school was considered athletically equivalent to Ohio State. He was on the Football and Track teams. During his senior year, he was the starting fullback and still excelled in the quarter mile event. He scored the winning touchdown on a 65 yard run that gave Oberlin the Ohio Conference championship and was elected to the All-Ohio team that year. In his Junior year, while still the second team fullback, the Oberlin Review gave this description of his abilities: 

"Lu was a plunging, line hitting wizard. Not very heavy at 157, he had enough of the old time spirit  of warfare to carry him through a line of men who far outweighed him. Somehow or other, just as soon as Lu stepped to the field, everybody smiled who was rooting for Oberlin because they knew that Lu would pep up the team and would not cave in no matter how hard the strain. He was a picture of action through and through, a picture of action which was very strongly tinged with fierceness when he was on the field. Hosfield was a ball toter far above par and a man who could plunge ahead as if the whole blamed world was behind him in the charge".

After the Fall term of his senior year at Oberlin, Lu left the school and returned home to get married and work in his father's shoe store. It didn't take long for him to decide that he wanted to be a football coach and so he enrolled at Akron U, finished his studies, and got his teaching certificate in 1930. While pursuing his studies he worked as the assistant football coach under Coach Vincent's replacement Ted Turney. That team won the City Championship. He became the youngest head football and basketball coach in the city of Akron the following year when Coach Turney moved on to Heidleberg College. While never a big player of basketball, he became an avid student of the game and was always willing to try new and innovative techniques. He introduced the shifting 5 man zone defense and the fast break to city competition. Despite widespread criticism from fellow coaches his approach paid off when he brought the State title to North with a resounding 45-15 win in Columbus. In his thirteen years as head basketball coach Lu compiled a career record of 208 - 67. The powerhouse teams of 1935 and 1939 were the high points of his career. His 1935 team was regarded as one of the finest ever produced in Northeast Ohio finishing the season with the state championship and a 23 - 2 record. The team included Ed "Stretch" Sadowski who went on to play professionally, Jerome Horning who made the All-City team that year, and Mike Fernella . The 1939 team completed the season with another State Championship, a  23 - 3 record, and were Co-City Champs. His other outstanding teams include: the 1938 City Champs with a record of 19 - 2, the 1940 Co-City Champs with a record of 13 - 7, the 1942 team  won 18 games in a row, finished with a 22 - 2 record but lost the chance for a third State Title losing to Toledo Central in the State semi-final game at Kent State. North High still holds the dubious honor of being the only high school in Akron to have won two State Titles.

Lu also coached teams to City Championships in track, golf, and football. The 1935 football team, regarded as one of the best in Ohio, included the powerhouse backfield known as the "Four Norsemen"  and went undefeated for the season. The "Four Norseman" was comprised of two players that were also on the State Champion basketball team: Tommy Welbaum, and "Jiggs" Miller; and Leroy Graham and Johnny Flight.

 Like so many others, Lu's life was interrupted by the start of WWII. He had initially received a deferment because teachers were in short supply. As the war progressed, boys that he had coached and taught were being killed and this affected him greatly.  In 1943, after writing several letters, he was finally able to get into the Navy's officer training program at Princeton University. The objections of his wife, parents, and Hugh Smith the principal at North could not dissuade him. He ended up as an officer of a gun crew on a fuel tanker on the North Atlantic convoy routes. He reached the rank of Lieutenant and served until the war was over. 

After the war, he came back to North High to teach English and coach football. Bob White, who was Lu's assistant basketball coach, had taken over that sport  while Lu was in the Navy and he coached the team that first year. After that, Lu continued to coach both sports until the end of the 1948 football season. By then, Lu felt that he had " lost a good deal of the old ginger that is necessary for a coach" and he had ". . . not been able to get enough help with the teams". He finished out the year teaching and was chosen as one of the first six teachers in the city to begin teaching drivers education.

In the Fall of 1949, after several weeks of severe headaches, he died at Crile Veterans Hospital in Cleveland from a ruptured brain aneurysm.

Two awards with his name were instituted after his death. The Wright-Hosfield Award was also named for Garfield High Coach Earl Wright. The two deaths occurred only days apart. This award was given to the Coach of the Year in either Summit County or the City of Akron. It is unclear at this point when this Award started, what the criteria was for receiving it, and who the recipients were. The Lu Hosfield Award has been given to the North High Senior athlete who excelled in football or basketball. The Award was a dual award given for each sport. The known recipients are listed below.

Lu was inducted into the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame in 1957

Lu Hosfield Award Recipients

Paul Lamar Patton - longtime North Akron Hot Stove coach and official

From 1966 thru 1999 he devoted his time, skill, and energy to North Akron Youth Baseball Leagues on all age levels. He is remembered by many as a coach who rarely raised his voice, who stressed values as much as winning and instilled confidence in his players.

Paul had many "H-G-F-E" championship League and Tournament teams. In 1967, 1971, 1973, and 1998 his teams were Ohio Hot Stove Tournament runnerups. He was inducted into the Ohio Hot Stove Hall of Fame in 1990, received the "Cy Butler Ohio Hot Stove Founders Award in 1999 in recognition of his faithful and sincere interest in youngsters and baseball, and was inducted into the Greater Akron Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.