CANTON — Some of Ohio’s greatest high school football players and coaches were among the class of 30 to be inducted into the National High School Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Paul Warfield, of Warren Harding High School, headlined the list of 14 Ohioans.
Warfield was considered the nation’s No. 1 high school recruit at Warren Harding in 1959.
He debated between Iowa and Ohio State and eventually signed with the Buckeyes. He played running back, receiver and defensive back for Woody Hayes before being drafted by the Cleveland Browns.
Warfield’s pro career bounced between the Browns, a stint with the Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins, and back again in Cleveland.
When his pro career ended, Warfield had the highest yards per catch average of any player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (better than 20 yards per catch), a statistic that still stands as the best in Canton.
This is the second class to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, which is based at Canton McKinley High School.
13 other Ohioans in the class
The other 13 Ohioans to be inducted include:
WR Paul Warfield, Warren Harding (Warren, OH)
CB Charles Woodson, Ross (Fremont, OH)
RB Robert Smith, Euclid (Euclid, OH)
DT Orlando Pace, (Sandusky Ohio)
G Calvin Jones-G Steubenville H.S. (Steubenville, OH)
WR Ted Ginn, Jr., Glenville (Cleveland, OH)
QB Chuck Ealey Notre Dame (Portsmouth, OH)
DT Bob Golic, St. Joseph HS (Cleveland, OH)
T Jack Trice, East Tech H.S. (Cleveland, OH)
Coach Chuck Kyle (St. Ignatius, OH)
Coach Gerry Faust- (Cincinnati Moeller, OH)
Coach Reno Saccocia (Steubenville, OH)
Contributor Bobby DiGeronimo, (Independence, OH)
In total, the class will include 25 players, 4 standout coaches, and 1 contributor in the 2024 Class.
That group was selected from a ballot of 60 that was selected from the National Football High School Football Hall of Fame Foundation Selection Committee.
Remaining inductees
The remainder of the class includes the following inductees:
LB Dick Butkus, Vocational H.S. (Chicago, IL)
RB Erine Davis RB, Elmira Free Academy H.S. (Elmira, NY)
RB Billy Sims, Hooks, (Hooks, TX)
QB Doug Williams, Chaneyville, (Zachary, LA)
QB Terrelle Pryor, Jeannette (Jeannette, PA)
RB Eric Dickerson, (Sealy (Texas)
WR Josh Cribbs, Dunbar H.S. (Washington, DC)
WR Nate Burleson O’Dea High School (Seattle, WA)
RB Dick Hoak, Jeannette, H.S. (Jeannette, PA)
DE Dexter Manley, Yates H.S. (Houston, TX)
G Kurt Kampe, Cooley H.S. (Detroit, MI)
RB Stump Mitchell, Camden County H.S. (Camden County, GA)
DT Harvey Armstrong, Kashmere H.S. (Houston, TX)
DT Harvey Armstong, Kashmere (Houston, TX)
RB Geoff Mitchell, Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School (London, Ontario)
Mike Young (Wheeling, WV)
Coach Joe Mucci (Jeannette, PA)
“We are extremely proud to announce the 2024 National High School Football Hall of Fame Class,” said LaMont “ShowBoat” Robinson, NHSFHOF Founder.
“Each of these men has established himself among the absolute best to have ever played or coached the game of high school football, and we look forward to immortalizing their incredible accomplishments.”
The 2024 Class will officially be inducted at the second annual National High School Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Canton on June 8, 2024 at Umstattd Hall on the grounds of the Hall of Fame Village and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Tickets are on sale now by going to www.nhsfootballhof.com.