HAMILTON — The Butler County Sports Hall of Fame held its 42nd annual induction ceremony on Sunday at the Courtyard By Marriott in Hamilton.
There were 11 new members introduced into the longest running county sports hall of fame in the state of Ohio:
Dawnjene DeLong
Dawnjene DeLong earned 12 varsity letters while participating in volleyball, basketball and softball at Hamilton High School. She excelled on the softball diamond being named All-Greater Miami Conference, All-Cincinnati, All-Southwest District and All-Ohio her senior season in 2004. In basketball, she was selected to the first team All-GMC in 2002 and 2004, and in volleyball Dawnjene was the team’s Most Valuable Player and was All-GMC second team in 2002 and 2003. Dawnjene continued her softball career at Bowling Green State University where she was a four-year contributor for the Falcons. During her sophomore season, she was the only player to play in all 60 games starting each game at shortstop where she played every inning of every game. She was named All-Mid-American Conference second team her junior and senior seasons. She also was named to the All-MAC academic first team in 2008 as well as All-District academic third team. Dawnjene also was the Wright State University’s softball team head coach for two seasons. She was inducted to the Butler County Softball Hall of Fame in 2016 and to the Hamilton Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017.
Dennis Fleming
Dennis Fleming is a 1974 graduate of Edgewood High School where he earned seven varsity letters playing football and track. In football, he was a running back and defensive end for the Cougars. He rushed for 266 yards in a single game, 232 of them coming in the second half, and he rushed for more than 2,000 yards in his career becoming the first ever to reach 1,000 yards in Edgewood history. He also was the team’s Most Valuable Player. Dennis was an All-Paper Valley League player in both his junior and senior seasons and was the PVL Player of the Year as a senior. Also as a senior, Dennis was selected to the All-Southwest Ohio Class AA first team, the All-Dayton first team and the Golden Triangle first team. He also was an Associated Press All-State Class AA honorable mention player as a senior and he was a Prep All-American in 1973. In track, Dennis set the school record as a freshman in the 440-yard dash at 55.7 seconds and he was a member of the state-qualifying 880-yard relay team. Edgewood track won four Mid-Miami League track titles during his high school career. Dennis received a full scholarship to play football at the University of Colorado. He is a member of the Edgewood Athletic Hall of Fame.
Derrick Gates
Derrick Gates is a 1990 Middletown graduate who played soccer and basketball during his high school career for the Middies. On the pitch, Derrick was a three-time All-Greater Miami Conference selection his sophomore, junior and senior seasons. He holds the school record for most goals in a season with 11 during his sophomore season. He also has more than 25 goals and assists for his career. Derrick also was named to the amateur state of Ohio team every year from the eighth-grade through his senior year and also was named to the Region II USYSA team for four consecutive years. In basketball, Derrick was the point guard on two GMC champion teams in the 1987-88 and 1988-89 seasons. He was selected to the GMC second team as a senior and was named to the Greater Dayton All-Star team. He received numerous offers to play basketball in college, but chose to continue playing soccer on a full scholarship at the University of Akron. Derrick was a four-year starter for the Zips scoring 11 career goals and recording 20 career assists. He was named to the All-tournament team in the Cleveland Classic as a freshman and he was named a Mid-American Conference/Ford Soccer Player of the Week in 1993.
Nick Hagglund
Nick Hagglund, a Lakota West and Xavier University graduate, is a professional soccer player with FC Cincinnati. He won the MLS Supporter Shield in 2023 with FC Cincinnati and in 2017 with Toronto FC. He also won the MLS Cup in 2017 with Toronto FC and is a three-time Canadian Cup champion with Toronto FC. In 2022, Nick was named FC Cincinnati’s Defensive Player the Year leading the team in clearances with 136 and interceptions with 43. At Xavier University, Nick helped the Musketeers win the Atlantic 10 championship in 2010 and 2011 and earn three NCAA tournament berths. Nick was named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team his freshman season. As a sophomore, he made the NSCAA All-Mid-Atlantic first team and the A-10 All-Conference first team. As a junior, Nick was selected as the A-10 Defender of the Year and was named to the All-Conference first team and the A-10 All-Championship Team. As a senior, he was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year and to the Big East first team. At Lakota West, Nick played varsity soccer being named the teams’ Most Valuable Player his senior year. He also was named to the Greater Miami Conference first team in 2008 and 2009 and was an All-Ohio second team selection in 2009. Nick is a member of the Xavier University Hall of Fame.
Matt Hess
Matt Hess earned 11 varsity letters playing four sports at Ross High School. He played varsity football for four years, varsity basketball and track for three years and baseball for one year. On the football field, Matt was a first team selection as a senior on the All-Butler County team, the All-Fort Ancient Valley Conference team, the All-Cincinnati team and the All-Southwest District team. He also was All-Ohio honorable mention. As a junior, Matt was first team All-Butler County and in the FAVC, and second team All-Southwest District and All-Cincinnati. He has the most career receiving yards at Ross and the most receptions in a single game with 11. In basketball, Matt was a first team selection as a senior on the All-Butler County team, the All-FAVC team, the All-Cincinnati team and the All-Southwest District team. He also was All-Ohio honorable mention. As a junior, Matt was Player of the Year in the league and made All-Butler County first team and second team All-Cincinnati and All-Southwest District. He graduated as the third leading scorer in Ross history. Matt played basketball at Brescia University where he is the all-time scoring leader as a freshman with 552 points. He then went to Ohio University and played rugby where he was the team captain for two years and was selected to the All-Midwest Rugby team as a senior.
Doug Hicks
Doug Hicks played basketball and baseball at Fairfield High School. On the basketball court, Hicks was the Indians’ Most Valuable Player in 1975 when he averaged 16.5 points and 16.1 rebounds per game. His scoring average in Greater Miami Conference games was 18.6 per game that same season. Also in 1975, his senior season, Doug was named to the GMC first team, the Golden Triangle second team and he was named an All-Southwest District 15 player. On the baseball diamond, he was the teams’ MVP as a pitcher in 1974 and 1975. He also was an All-GMC pitcher in both seasons. Doug finished his high school career with a 0.82 ERA in 120 innings and established the school record in strikeouts. He led Fairfield to the GMC title and a sectional title in 1975. Doug continued playing baseball at Columbia State University where he was an All-Conference, All-State and All-District pitcher in 1977. He then received a full scholarship to Middle Tennessee State University and was an Ohio Valley Conference first team player in 1978. He set school records in home runs, RBI and slugging percentage with Middle Tennessee State. Following his playing days, Doug was very active as an umpire for baseball, softball, volleyball and basketball. He is a member of the Fairfield Athletic Hall of Fame and the Butler County Softball Hall of Fame.
Craig Mills
Craig Mills is a 1982 graduate of Hamilton High School where he played baseball for three years under coach Bert Pringle. He was named Big Blue’s Most Valuable Player in 1981 and also was named All-Greater Miami Conference that year as a junior. Hamilton went 16-9 and finished third in the GMC. In his senior season, Craig was again named All-GMC and also was named All-Ohio. The 1982 Big Blue team boasted a 25-1 record including 10-0 in the GMC and Craig was the leading hitter that season with a .449 batting average. Craig also played shortstop for the Midland summer baseball team in 1981 and 1982 with his second base teammate being Barry Larkin. Craig was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1982 and was named Most Valuable Player for the Bristol Tigers in 1984. He was named to the Appalachian League All-Star team in 1984 and the Florida State League All-Star team in 1986. Craig also played softball and his team won six Hamilton City Championships. He played five years on Cincinnati’s Powerhouse and nationally-ranked Jays softball teams. He was named to the All-Cincinnati METRO All-Star team five straight years as a left fielder. Craig was elected to the Hamilton Athletic Hall of Fame and the Butler County Softball Hall of Fame in 2010.
Adam Myers-White
Adam Myers-White, a 2005 graduate of Hamilton High School, participated in football, basketball and track and field for Big Blue. On the football field, Adam was a key member of Hamilton’s defense. He was selected first team All-Greater Miami Conference, All-Cincinnati, All-Southwest District and All-Ohio. He also was elected to play in the United States Army All-American Game. He was ranked as a Preseason All-American and was labeled as the No. 2 free safety in the country by ESPN. In basketball, under the direction of fellow Hall of Famer Larry Allen, Adam helped lead Big Blue to the 2004 Division I state championship. He earned first team honors All-GMC, All-Cincinnati and All-Butler County that season. He also was named the Butler County Player of the Year in 2004, in addition to being selected to second team All-Southwest District and honorable mention All-Ohio. In track and field, Adam was a member of the 4×400-meter relay team that qualified for the state tournament in 2004. Adam graduated in the top 20 of his class and went onto play football at the University of Tennessee. In 2017, Adam was elected to the Hamilton Athletic Hall of Fame.
Don Perry
As a sixth-grader, Don Perry joined the Hamilton Tumbling and Trampoline Exhibition team at the request of Coach Jim Grimm and he performed with the team through his high school years. He went onto compete in gymnastics for The Ohio State University where he became the first four-year letter winner in any sport as a gymnast. Don also was the first Ohio State athlete to be a captain of an OSU team for three years in a row (1953, 1954 and 1955). He was undefeated as a tumbler in Big Ten dual meets in 1955 and placed second in the 1955 NCAA National Championships held at UCLA. Don was the first All-American gymnast and the first four-time All-American gymnast for Ohio State. He qualified all four years to compete in the NCAA National Championship meet. At the NCAA Championships he placed fourth in tumbling in 1953, fourth in trampoline and sixth in tumbling in 1954 and second in tumbling in 1955. He also finished fourth in tumbling at the Pan American Olympic Trials in Chicago. Don coached high school gymnastics for boys and girls for 28 years. In 1960, he helped restart boys gymnastics competition in Ohio by organizing the Ohio State Boys High School Gymnastics Coaches and Judges Association. Don was a USTA National Elite team coach beginning in 2012 coaching more than 800 state champions and more than 300 national champions in United States Trampoline and Tumbling Association (USTA) and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) national championships. In 2017, Don was voted the USTA Coach of the Year in Ohio.
Jimmy Ratliff
Jimmy Ratliff was a three-year varsity starter in basketball for Middletown from 1986-90 helping lead the Middles to two Greater Miami Conference titles and a district championship. As a senior, Jimmy averaged 24 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks per game. Also as a senior, he was named to the first team All-GMC, All-Southwest District and All-Ohio. Jimmy was the 1990 Gatorade Circle of Champions Ohio High School Player of the Year and was nominated to the McDonald’s All-American Game. He played in and was named the Most Valuable Player in the Ohio North-South All-Star Game, the Ohio-Michigan All-Star Game and the Ohio-Indiana All-Star Game. Jimmy is currently ranked 10th on Middletown’s all-time scoring list with 1,070 points. He went to The Ohio State University on a full scholarship and won two Big Ten championships with the Buckeyes. He also was selected to the Big Ten All-Star European Tour team in 1993. In his professional career, Jimmy tried out for the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks in 1994. He played in the CBA for the Chicago Rockers (1994-96), in the BBL for the Doncaster Panthers, the Derby Storm and the Hemel Lions from 1995-98 in England, for the Rockhampton Rockets in the QSBL in 1998 in Australia, the LBBL for the BBC Residence in 1998 and 1999 in Luxembourg, and in the LNB for Regatta’s in 1999 and 2000 in Argentina.
John M. Rossi
John M. Rossi has earned more than 300 wins in 25 years as a girls basketball coach in Southwest Ohio. The son of fellow Butler County Hall of Famer John “Butch” Rossi, he began his coaching career in 1999 with his alma mater Fenwick leading them to a Mid-Miami League South Division title in 2001. He also coached at Middletown (2002-04), Madison (2005-14) and Franklin (2018-22). At Madison, John amassed a 199-44 win-loss record leading the Mohawks to six Southwestern Buckeye League Buckeye Division championships in 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, four district championships in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, one regional championship in 2010 and a Division III state runner-up finish in 2010. In 2012, John was named the Associated Press Ohio Girls Basketball Coach of the Year. He also guided the Franklin Wildcats to a Southwestern Buckeye League Southwestern Division title in 2019, back-to-back district titles in 2018 and 2019 and a regional runner-up finish in 2019. His overall coaching record is 336-221. In high school, John played basketball and baseball at Fenwick. He was a four-year varsity player in baseball helping lead his team to a state runner-up finish as a sophomore in 1978. The Falcons also won a regional title in 1978 and three district titles (1977, 1978, 1980) during his career. In basketball, John averaged 14 points and 10.2 assists per game as a senior leading Fenwick to a district runner-up finish. He was named to the Mid-Miami League Player of the Year and was an All-Ohio honorable mention player. He is the all-time assists leader at Fenwick and is a member of the Fenwick and Madison Halls of Fame.
