2009 Inductees
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2008 Inductees
Dan Marazon
Dr. Dan Marazon grew up in Toledo, OH and first got involved with Ohio Hockey in the early 80’s helping Dr. Dave Patriquin as team physician. He enjoyed the game and soon started going to the games regularly, especially after his two sons started to as mites in the Athens minor league. He said that his love of sports medicine led him into hockey, and he enjoyed helping even more when his son Marcus was on the team.
When asked what it meant to him to be inducted into the Hall of Fame he responded, “I’m very happy and proud of this honor. It means a great deal to me to be remembered as part of such a successful program. I look forward to the team’s continued success at the national level.”
Dan hopes to be remembered as a good family doctor that loved to be involved in sports as a volunteer coach, referee, and physician. His fondest memory of working with Ohio Hockey was winning the national championship game against North Dakota. When remembering that moment he said, “that was the first of three championships in a row – it was the best.
Dan credits his involvement in Ohio Hockey to the enjoyment that he got from working with Coach McCarthy. Dan wanted to be part of McCarthy’s dream to build a successful and nationally recognized program.
When reflecting on his relationship with Ohio Hockey, the one thing that has stayed with him over the years is that Ohio Hockey games are extremely fun to go to. He always looks forward to the beginning of each season, coming into the rink, the smell of the ice and watching the guys practice and improve over the course of the season.
Craig McCarthy
Craig grew up in London, Ontario, Canada where he began playing hockey, like most Canadien boys at the age of 5. He was 12 years old when he started to teach “the walkers” how to skate in hockey schools. By the time he was 16, he was running both on- ice and off-ice programs for hockey schools. After he finished playing junior hockey, he started coaching junior hockey in Canada at 20 years old.
Craig considers being ranked in the top 3 at the end of the season in seven out of the eight seasons that he coached. He also includes winning 5 coach-of-the-year awards in eight years including a national coach-of-the year award in 1998.
When asked his fondest memory of coaching at Ohio University he replied, “I have a lot of great memories coaching at Ohio University. However, the best memories would be winning the three National Championships. The first one since it was the first, the second because that was the most talented team I have ever been associated with, and the third one because we were the under-dog and not expected to win.”
When asked what being inducted into the Hall of Fame means to him, he replied, “It is special. You always wonder how people perceive what you have tried to accomplish during a period of time. Further, going in the same year as Dr. Dan Marazon adds another element…Dan was one of the first people I met when I came to Athens 16 years ago, and has always been very supportive of me and my philosophy.”
Craig hopes that he is remembered for two things. The first is that he always tried to be the hardest working person in the organization. The second is that he always tried to maximize the efforts of the players he coached, especially when it came to competing in the national championships.
Craig wanted to thank those who influenced him most while at Ohio University. In particular, from a hockey perspective, every captain and leader from all the teams he coached, from an academic and professional perspective, Dr. George Johanson, Dr. Richard Miller, and Dr. Gary North, and from a personal perspective, his wife Holly.
Craig graduated in 1993 with a M.S.P.E with emphasis in Foundations of Teaching and Coaching. He graduated with a P.H.D. in 2000 in Higher Education and Administration.
2007 Inductees
Rob Ivany - Player 1968-1972
Rob played at OU from 1968-1972 when hockey was a varsity sport. He was one of the leading scorers each year he was on the team. He was also team captain in 1972 & All League in 1972. Since leaving Ohio University, Rob has many hockey accomplishments throughout the world as a coach. He coached Elite professional teams in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy, winning 5 national championships. He has also coached National Teams at the Group A & B World Championships, the Davos Selects at the Spangler Cup in Switzerland, and coached Italy during two Olympics. Among his other coaching tenures are 5 years at Kent State, and a stay with the Storm of the OHL. Rob has also scouted for the Minnesota Wild of the NHL, and was a lecturer at the International Coaches Symposium in Montreal Quebec. Rob is married with two children.
When asked what it meant to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Rob responded by saying "I am deeply honored and at the same time very humbled, knowing there are so many other candidates that are as deserving if not more deserving of this great honor. I am truly grateful for this acknowledgement." Rob only hopes that he will be remembered as being "an honest, hard working and dedicated person, a serious professional, a teacher, goal oriented motivator and a person of integrity.
Fondest Memory of playing at Ohio University: "All the great people I met who had a tremendous influence over the direction my life took after leaving Ohio University."
2006 Inductees
James R. Gilmore - Advisor: 18 years
James R. Gilmore served as an advisor for the Ohio University Hockey team for 18 years. Jim retired in December 2005 as the executive director of the Division of Campus Recreation. He was instrumental in the transitional process of the program from a varsity sport to a club sport. Jim helped Ohio become a founding member of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) and has been a part of four national championships. When asked what it means to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Jim replied, “it is a tremendous honor”. The hockey program is very important to me and I feel privileged to have been part of the program for almost 20 years.
Robert J. Bray - Player 1972-1975 (3 years)
Robert J. Bray played for Ohio University from 1972 to 1975. In 1975 he was the leading scorer for the Bobcats while serving as team captain. Robert grew up in Lion’s Head, Ontario, Canada, and began playing hockey at the age of 5. During Robert’s tenure at Ohio University, the program went from a varsity team to a club team, and he was one of the leaders who was dedicated to keeping the program alive. Robert’s response to the induction was, “I am very humbled by being inducted”. There have been so many great players that have contributed to Ohio Hockey’s success that my part seems insignificant.
Charles B. Wilson - Player 1976-1980 (3 years)
Charles B. Wilson was a goaltender for Ohio University from 1976 to 1980. Chuck was part of back-to-back Midwest College Hockey League championships, and during the 1978-79 season, he was named the tournament MVP. Chuck grew up in New Jersey and idolized former New York Rangers goaltender Eddie Giacomin. Hockey helped teach him the discipline and hard work it takes to be successful in not only hockey, but in life. Chuck said, “Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is my greatest honor, a dream come true, and gives me a sense of pride that can hardly be put into words. It’s something you could only dream about when you first started playing hockey.”
2005 Inductees
Mike L’Heureux - Player 1963-1966 (3 seasons), Coach 1981-1984 (3 Seasons) - Record: 55-17-2
Mike L’Heureux is recognized for his great skill on the ice as a player and off the ice as a coach. He played for three season at Ohio University from 1963 to 1966. During that time, hescored 53 goals and had 57 assists for a total of 110 points. For his career, L’Heureux had 78 penalties in minutes (PIM). He once tallied nine points in a game, a record for Ohio University. L’Heureux was instrumental in starting youth hockey in the Athens area. He was relentless in finding additional ice time at Bird Arena for youth players. To his credit, Athens youth hockey thrives today. He returned to Ohio University to coach the Bobcat team from 1981 to 1984 and compiled a 55-17-2 record. He is a two time graduate of Ohio University earning a bachelor’s in education in 1966 and a master’s in 1969.
Brody Danner - Player 1994-1998 (4 seasons)
Brody Danner played goalie for Ohio University for four seasons from 1994 to 1998. While at Ohio University, he was a member of three American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) national championship teams in 1995, 1996, and 1997. He was a First Team ACHA All-American and First Team ACHA Tournament player in 1996. In 1997, Danner was the ACHA Tournament MVP. He was also named to the Second Team ACHA Tournament Team in 1998. Danner is a 1998 graduate of Ohio University’s college of business.
Marvin Fletcher – Meritorious Service
- 37 Years working for the university
- 33 Years of service to the Ohio Hockey Program
Dr. Fletcher has worked at Ohio University since 1968 as a professor in the history department and has been a part of the Ohio Hockey Program since 1972. He has served in multiple roles for the program and has given his time and financial support. One such capacity is as an off-the-ice official. Known as an expert of the rules handbook, he is often consulted by referees. For a 20-game season, Fletcher recruits and schedules six volunteers per game who work as penalty box operators and goal judges. His dedication was instrumental to the successful operation of the 2003 American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Tournament that Ohio hosted. Dr. Fletcher is a respected part of the program and lends it a great deal of integrity.
2003 Inductees
John A. McComb
In 1958, John McComb began his career as hockey coach when Bird Arena opened. He had joined Ohio University the previous year as the varsity soccer coach. Coach McComb assisted in the development of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association league, and Ohio University became a charter member along with Ohio State, Bowling Green, and St. Louis. He was a member of the NCAA Hockey Rules Committee for seven years and chairman for five. Coach McComb’s teams played to sold out crowds in Bird Arena; he continued to coach hockey until 1974 when he stepped down. He was an Associate Professor in Health, Physical Education and Recreation until his retirement in 1998. Among alumni and friends, he is often credited with influencing, for the better, the lives of countless players and students. Without a doubt, Coach McComb will forever be remembered as the father of Ohio University Hockey.