Submitted story
Van Evans, Roger Wallace and the late Jean Zerkle will be inducted into Urbana High School’s George Scott Ring of honor prior to Friday night’s home football game with Northeastern.
Biographies on each of the inductees are listed below.
Van Evans – Athlete
Graduated 1966
Basketball – 3 district titles, 2 regional runner-up, and 1 regional title. Named 2nd team All-Ohio in 1964 and 1965. The 1964-65 team posted a 23-1 record, and Evans is still the UHS boys basketball all-time leading scorer with 1,628 points; and he did it in 3 years. Evans is the kind of man who never meets a stranger and has been a long-time mentor for basketball youth in Champaign County.
Roger Wallace – Athlete
Graduated 1970
Played football, basketball, and track & field – Several football awards including team MVPs, 1st team All-Miami Valley and UHS athlete of the year in 1970. Wallace played wide receiver for 4 years at Bowling Green University before being drafted in the NFL by the St. Louis Cardinals. He later played in the World Football League for the Memphis Southmen and ended his career as a wide receiver/punt returner for the New York Giants in the NFL. Wallace has always been active in raising funds for local charities as well; most notably, the Legends Golf Tournaments held at Urbana Country Club and at now-defunct Mitchell Hills Club in Springfield.
Jean “Zerk” Zerkle – Coach
Coached girls basketball from 1973-1978 and as a physical education teacher from 1946-1981, taught and coached all sports before Title IV was adopted. Zerk led the 1st year for competitive girls basketball at UHS and in a very short amount of time, led the 1976 team to become conference and district champions and regional runner-up. Coach Zerk was an inspiration to all young people to reach their potential and was responsible for creating the very first Sparky Hillclimber mascot head out of paper mache. (note: Joanne Petty will be wearing the Sparky head Friday night).
“Typically, a maximum of two individuals are inducted each year, but by-laws allow a third if there is a unanimous vote by the committee. This year we are excited to bring in three deserving individuals!,” said UHS Athletic Director Greg Hower.
Submitted by Urbana High School Athletic Department
