BEREA, OHIO -- Baldwin Wallace University will have two representatives inducted into the City of Parma and its Parma Amateur Athletic Federation (PAAF) Sports Hall of Fame. Head Women's Tennis Coach Jack Bethlenfalvy and former The Plain Dealer sportswriter Russell "Russ" Schneider will join the other six members of the induction Class of 2010 in a ceremony on October 28 at St. Michael's Woodside in Broadview Heights. The event is co-sponsored by PAAF and the Sun Newspapers.
Bethlenfalvy, who enters his 27th season of coaching women's tennis and teaching health and physical education classes this season, is the winningest women's tennis coach in school history, in the Ohio Athletic Conference and Ohio Collegiate Tennis with a 296-191 (.608) overall record. He also is the Dean of women's tennis coaches in the OAC and a four-time OAC Women's Tennis Coach of the Year. In 26 seasons at BW, Bethlenfalvy's teams have had 22 seasons with a .500 or better record and his teams have captured four OAC regular season titles, three OAC Tournament Championships and made three NCAA Division III National Tournament appearances in the last four years.
A 1968 graduate of Kent State University, Bethenfalvy was a men's tennis team captain, the team's Most Valuable Player, an All-Mid-American Conference player and a Mid-American Conference champion. Following his career at KSU, Bethlenfalvy was a ranked doubles player in Northeast Ohio.
Prior to coming to BW, Bethlenfalvy built a successful high school program at Parma Senior High School (1968-74). He resides in Parma, Ohio with his wife Sandy and two children. His son Brian was a member of the Yellow Jacket men's tennis team.
Schneider, a resident of Seven Hills and a 1955 graduate of the College, is a lifelong baseball fan and was a sportswriter and columnist for The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) as well as an author. Schneider started his career as a journalist while at BW as the Editor of the campus newspaper, The Exponent, for two years.
For 32 years after graduating from BW, Schneider enjoyed what he considered the second best job a sports fan would want -- covering the Cleveland Indians and the Cleveland Browns. Russell considered it the second best job because the only thing that could have topped it was to be playing professional baseball. In addition, he has written one book on the Cleveland Browns and 13 books about baseball and the Indians, including The Cleveland Indians Encyclopedia, Lou Boudreau: Covering All the Bases, and The Glorious Indian Summer of 1995.
Though he may have retired in 1993, Schneider has continued his passion and currently is working on his 14th book. He resides in Seven Hills, Ohio with his wife Catherine. The couple has three children, Eileen (also a BW graduate), Russell Jr. and Bryan.
In addition to Bethlenfalvy and Schneider, the other six inductees are Mickey Buchwald (softball), George Newman (baseball), Terry Pluto (sports columnist, sportswriter and author), Joseph Vadini (Coach), Dave Vehonsky (softball) and Gene Wodzisz (official). This year's class f inductees brings the total number of inductees to the Hal of Fame to 79.
To purchase tickets, please contact Mike Duda at Sports Focus Sporting Goods by calling 440-884-5660. Deadline to purchase tickets is October 15. Ticket prices are $40 and $320 for a table of eight. Please make all checks payable to the Parma Amatuer Athletic Federation. The doors open at 6:00 p.m. with the dinner beginning at 7:00 p.m.
