STEUBENVILLE — Catholic Central High School will hold its 2023 Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony Thursday at the high school.

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and dinner will follow at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria. Tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased by going to the Central website or by calling Alisha Teramana at (740) 264-5538, extension 106.

The awards ceremony will follow at 7 p.m. and is free of charge. The 1993 state championship football team and 1994 state championship baseball team will be inducted to the CCHS Sports Hall of Fame in addition to the following individual inductees:

David “Smitty” Smith – Class of 1973

David “Smitty” Smith was an outstanding two sport star for the Crusaders earning two letters in football and three in track. He was an outstanding defensive tackle that was named to the UPI and AP 1973 All-State teams. As a junior he was an integral part of the 1971 state champion Crusaders playing in short yardage and goal-line situations. During his senior year he was a one-man wrecking crew in the middle for the Crusaders. Coach Tom Korab, Central’s head football coach at the time, said, “Smitty was unblockable during his senior season.” In addition to all-state honors, Smith was named to the Eastern District and OVAC All-Star teams. His greatest honor was being selected to play in the Ohio North-South All Star game. According to newspaper reports, he was the largest player selected to play in the game.

Smith was also an excellent track and field athlete holding the Central discuss record upon graduation. As a senior he was undefeated in dual meets in both the discus and shot put at the Mingo league. Smith attended Salem College, became a starting defensive tackle his freshman year until a severe knee injury ended his career.

Nicholas J. Tuttle – Class of 1999

Tuttle was an outstanding multi-sport athlete earning seven varsity letters, four in track, two in football and one in basketball. On the football team Tuttle was an outstanding tailback and linebacker on defense. During his career he scored 20 touchdowns and rushed for nearly 2,000 yards. Tuttle was named second-team all-state after rushing for more than 1,300 yards his senior year. He was selected to the OVAC and Eastern District All-Star teams and won the Father Dan Egan award for being the outstanding player in the Big Red-Central game. Tuttle was a bruising runner with breakaway speed that was often displayed during his junior and senior years.

As good as he was in football, track may have been his best sport. Tuttle excelled in the long jump, high jump and sprint events. As a junior Tuttle had the distinction of qualifying in four events for the regional track meet and moved on as a state qualifier in the long jump. Because of a knee injury suffered during basketball his senior year, Tuttle was unable to participate in track and continue his pursuit of a gold medal at the state meet.

In basketball, Tuttle was a quality scorer and rebounder until the unfortunate injury that ended his sports career.

Coach Craig Farrar (Central coaching staff 1980-1997

Coach Craig Farrar is one-of-a-kind in Central sports history, being the head coach of the 1994 Division IV state baseball champions, defensive coordinator of the 1993 Division V state football champions and coach of a state wrestling champion, Chin Achebe. It is a triple crown of high school coaching, a remarkable achievement.

Farrar’s career at Central began in 1980 when he was hired as a teacher and assistant football coach under Coach Rich Wilinski. Farrar quickly became known as one of the best offensive and defensive line coaches in the Ohio Valley. In 1991 he was named defensive coordinator under coach Greg Bahen and held that position until he became head football coach in 1995. During his time as defensive coordinator, the Crusaders were Division IV state semifinalists in 1991, state champions in 1993 and state qualifiers in 1994.

In 1995, Farrar was named head football coach and led the Crusaders to the Division V state playoffs, the OVAC championship and was named Eastern District Coach of the Year.

In 1981 Farrar added another sport to his resume, when he became the head wrestling coach. During the next 14 years, Farrar coached one state champion in Achebe, one state runner-up in Kevin Williams and 14 state qualifiers. His 1983 squad was the OVAC dual meet champions.

In 1993 CCHS made a bold decision to name Farrar head baseball coach. Big things were expected during the next few years from a young talented nucleus, and Farrar delivered in a big way. His 1993 team was a Division III state semifinalist; the 1995 and 1996 teams were Division IV regional finalists; and the 1997 team was Division IV district finalists. OVAC championships were won in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997. That run included a five-year overall record of 107 wins and 25 losses. Farrar was named Eastern District Coach of the Year in 1993, 1994 and 1996.

But most important was the 1994 Division IV state baseball championship. A talented team, led by Farrar and a group of hard-working assistant coaches, succeeded in bringing home the second CCHS state championship of the 1993-1994 school year and the only state baseball championship in school history.

Chinedu Achebe – Class of 1995

A 1995 graduate, Achebe was a state champion in three sports during his two years at Catholic Central. As a junior, he helped the Crusaders win the 1993 OHSAA Division V state title in football, as well as the 1994 Ohio Division IV crown in baseball. He lettered twice in both sports, as well as wrestling. In his senior year, he captured the 1995 Ohio Division III state wrestling championship at 215 pounds.

In two years on the wrestling mat, Achebe became the most dominant and accomplished grappler in school history. As a junior, he compiled a 24-4 record on his way to capturing the 189-pound title at the OVAC Championships. Only the second conference champion in school history, Achebe went on to earn a semifinal berth at the state tournament, finishing third in his weight class in Division III.

As a senior, Achebe captured his second OVAC title, this time as a heavyweight. Returning to Columbus in search of redemption, Achebe rolled through the Division III state tournament in the 215 -pound class by pinning two of his first three opponents and taking a 15-3 major decision against the other. He became the first state champion in school history, capping off an incredible 30-0 season with another pin at the 5:13 mark of the title match.

Achebe was also an outstanding football player. He went on to Iowa State University where he was a three year-year starter and four-year letterman as a defensive end in football. As a senior captain, Achebe had 92 tackles (244 for his career) to merit team MVP and the Cyclones outstanding defensive player awards. He also earned the Coaches Appreciation Award as the player who has made a great contribution to the team with little public recognition.

Achebe, later went on to play six years in the Arena Football League with the Iowa Barnstormers and the New York Dragons.

Ginny Petties Mills – Class of 2009

Mills is Catholic Central’s all-time leading scorer with 1,417 points and without doubt one of the greatest athletes in Catholic Central history. In addition to being a great scorer, Mills was her team’s leader in rebounding, assists, and steals for most of her career.

Mills broke onto the scene by scoring 262 points as freshman making the Eastern District Division III Team and All-Ohio Honorable Mention. She followed it up with 426 points, eight rebounds per game and four steals per game as a sophomore. She was named to the Eastern District Division III first team, first-team OVAC Class AA and All-Ohio AP Division III Special Honorable Mention.

Mills had probably her greatest season as a junior, scoring 472 points and becoming the third girl in Central history to score 1,000 points. She scored 30 or more points four times and scored in double digits 21 of 22 games. She led the Crusaders to a 15-7 record, city championship and to an OVAC regular-season championship. She was named to the All-Ohio Division III third team, first team and captain of the OVAC Class AA Team and to the Eastern District Division III first team.

Mills missed the first six games of her senior season rehabbing a significant knee injury but still managed a great season averaging 19 points, nine rebounds and five steals per game. She was named to the AP All-Ohio second team, Eastern District first team and Co-Player of the Year, and the OVAC Class AA First Team. She was also selected to play in the Mumley OVAC All Star Classic and led her team in scoring with 13 points.

Mills had a great college career at Glenville State University where she is the school’s seventh leading scorer with 1,520 points.

(Two biographies were omitted from the original version of this story.)