Hoover will be inducted Sunday
By Dave Potchak, For the MirrorArticle Photos
Rod Hoover of Martinsburg will be part of the fourth faction inducted into the Bedford County Sports Hall of Fame. The annual banquet to honor the inductees is scheduled to take place at at 4 p.m. on Sunday at Heartland Hall.
Hoover served as the head wrestling coach at Northern Bedford for 29 years, amassing a 262-160 record. The other inductees include Bedford's Dan England and Gus Frear, Chestnut Ridge's Jim Clark and Mike Whitcomb, and Everett's Charlie Cragan and Earl Howard. John Miller of Hyndman and Don Donaldson of Tussey Mountain complete the list of individual members of the class. The undefeated Tussey Mountain Football Team of 1961 is this year's team inductee, and Donaldson was also a member of that team.
Ironically Hoover, a 1958 graduate of Morrison's Cove High School, played both basketball and baseball for four years, but did not wrestle. The district did not offer wrestling until the fall of 1957, Hoover's senior year in high school.
Following graduation from high school, Hoover enrolled at Lock Haven University. Recalling his first wrestling experience at the college level, Hoover says, "I will always be indebted to head coach Hubert Jack for allowing neophytes like me to work out with the team. Without his permission and guidance, it would have been impossible to become involved in the sport in the first place. I owe him plenty of special gratitude."
Chuck Sponsky, long time athletic director and head football coach at Forest Hills and Bishop Carroll, was a fraternity brother of Hoover's during their years at Lock Haven.
"Rod was a colleague of mine during our college days - the type of guy that made going to college fun. He was always very pleasant and possessed a million- dollar smile.
"He was a very gifted athlete [soccer, track and wrestling], and he contributed to the great teams at Lock Haven. I know that he was a great coach at Northern Bedford and that all the wrestlers he coached are very proud of him and his accomplishments.
"I want to offer my congratulations to him and I know that he deserves all the accolades that are coming his way.
Hoover's first teaching opportunity came as a physical education instructor at Middle River Junior High School in Maryland, where he also served as an assistant on the wrestling staff for two years.
His wife Joyce reflects back on those early days. "From the time I first met Rod, I knew wrestling would be a large part of our livesfrom Lock Haven to Maryland to Northern Bedford," she said. "Rod's passion became my passion and that created a solid foundation for our entire family. The sport has given us the opportunity to meet many people and form wonderful relationships, and to experience many new and exciting places. Navigating the entire path has always been a family effort".
Joe Nastasi, former head football coach at Northern Bedford and long time colleague, found out about Hoover's love of sports.
"I would like to congratulate Rod on his induction to the Bedford County Hall of Fame," Nastasi said. "I discovered early that he was a total sports fan, not just a wrestling coach. He cooperated totally with our other sports and the other coaches at our school. He attended most of our games and supported the wrestlers and non-wrestlers equally. During the summer he was totally supportive of our summer workouts, weight room sessions and our running program. He never tried to discourage any wrestler from playing other sports - in fact the opposite was true. He encouraged his wrestlers to participate in everything they could. Rod was one of the best associates anyone could ever ask for. I'm proud to have been able to serve on the same faculty as he."
During his tenure at Northern, Hoover also coached varsity track, junior high baseball and football and served two years as an assistant wrestling coach before taking the helm as head coach. In addition to coaching, Hoover also managed to serve as a PIAA wrestling official for 30 years and a PIAA softball official for 10.
Like most inductees, Hoover has a rough time limiting the size of his thank-you file.
"First on that list is a huge appreciation to Dr. Ben Van Horn [superintendent of schools at that time] for giving me the opportunity to be part of the faculty and coaching staff at Northern. I'm indebted too, to my wife Joyce and our entire family for their support and sacrifices.
"It was also a pleasure to coach in a community with an outstanding and supportive fan base, and for competent, long-time assistant coaches in Harry Guyer and junior high coach Joe Over."
"I'd like to give another special thanks to Harry Guyer, long-time friend and assistant coach. Harry was a former wrestler in high school and we share many fond memories of all of our years together."
Four-time PIAA state finalist and three-time state champion Jan Clark commends his former coach.
"Coach Hoover was a man of few words, but instead chose to coach by example," said Clark, who is the current Northern Bedford wrestling coach.
"He could provide motivation through his actions as much as through his words. Because he ran in the morning before school, he managed to get quite a few wrestlers into doing the extra workouts with him. Whether it was early morning running, working out in the weight room, actually wrestling the team members or running extra sprints with the team following practice, his message was subtle but very effective. As a coach today, I try to emulate him when I can."
Today, Rod and Joyce are the proud parents of three grown children, Todd, Dori and Beth. They can also boast of three grandchildren. Still quite vigorous in his retirement, Rod keeps active with hunting, fishing, boating, running and an occasional motorcycle ride. He continues to serve as a church deacon at the Curryville Church of the Brethren.
"Through Dad's work ethic, leadership, passion and pride, he laid a solid foundation for not only our family but our friends as well," Dori said. "I have always been and continue to be so very proud of my dad."
Always humble and with an ever-present smile, Hoover admonishes the Hall of Fame committee.
"Someone has to have a talk with that board, he said. "There are a lot of others that deserve to be admitted into that Hall of Fame before I do."
Tickets for the banquet can be obtained by calling Lew Ewart at 793-3004, Bill Creps at 623-9691 or any Hall of Fame board member.
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JohnDoe35
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07-05-09 8:50 PM
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Congrats Rod Hoover for your achievement in the Bedford County Hall of Fame, as a former student and athlete at NBC under Coach Hoovers realm I can stress without certainty that Mr. Hoover is a first class gentlemen in the classroom and on the “mat”. BF
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