“Army Authorities said his 21 man platoon, hopelessly outnumbered, stood off a 400 man North Vietnamese Battalion for more than four hours before calling for artillery fire, napalm and skyraider fighter plane attacks on their own position,” read a Nov. 21, 1966 Dayton Daily News article. “The platoon killed at least 102 Communists before they were overrun.”
Unger received a Bronze Star, the Air Medal and a Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster for heroism.
The following year, local businessman and Unger’s former employer, Neil Yowell, of Yowell Transportation, launched efforts to keep Unger’s memory alive and pay tribute to his heroism by giving out scholarships himself.
The Sonny Unger Foundation was officially incorporated and became a non-profit in the mid-1990s, according to Rick Pummill, who won the scholarship in 1970 and now serves as the treasurer of the foundation, which is affiliated with Centerville High School.
Since the first award during the 1966 football season until 1984, there was only one winner per year, except for 1982, when there was a tie. Starting in 1985 the non-profit awarded scholarships annually to two Centerville athletes who acted as a leader, made a valuable contribution to the team or exemplified some of Unger’s character traits, including humility, being honorable, exerting great effort and more.
So far, 96 student athletes have been awarded a scholarship. Pummill said the foundation has awarded approximately $200,000 over its more than five decade history.
“In the early days, Neil Yowell just wrote a check to the winner, but we formalized things in 1993,” he said. “Our banquets were legendary, bringing in speakers like Woody Hayes, Jim Tressel, Bobby Knight, Archie Griffin, Kirk Herbstreit, Mike Vrabel, AJ Hawk, Randy Ayers and more. Neil’s son, Victor, was the special force behind it all.”
The amount of the scholarship has changed over the years. The first amount doled out was $500 and increased to $750 the year Pummill won, he said.
“It was gradually raised until it hit a peak of $4,000 from 2008 through 2016, but was reduced because, over time, those that knew Sonny well and had wonderful connections with Ohio State for our fundraisers grew old or are deceased,” Pummill said.
In the early days, those who won the award knew Unger personally or at least knew his legacy very well, he said.
“I played Wee Elk football on the first two teams and Sonny coached in those days,” Pummill said. “I really didn’t know him, but always heard stories of his leadership qualities, athletic ability and being very humble.”
Nominations for the award come via the varsity coaches, who narrow down the choices to the top three to five nominees, said Brett Ullery, Centerville High School’s head football coach for the varsity football team and the school’s assistant athletic director. Nominations also can be made by a member of the committee.
“Then we typically share those nominees with the Sonny Unger committee and after discussion we typically narrow it down to our two winners,” Ullery said.
Pummill said he cuts a $2,000 check to the winners’ college or university when they make their final choice of where to attend and they have enrolled. If an athlete gets a full ride scholarship, a runner-up athlete gets the foundation’s scholarship money, Pummill said.
The most recent scholarships went to Jackson Mires and Matt Karpinsky. Those wishing to honor Unger’s memory with a donation, may send a check to the Sonny Unger Foundation, c/o Centerville High School, 500 E. Franklin St., Centerville, OH 45459.
Pummill counts himself fortunate to have been one of the scholarship winners.
“I have been a blessed person with a wonderful family life, great kids, grandkids and a beautiful wife of 46 years, but I have to say, one of the very best days of these 70 years was the day I won the award in honor of Sonny,” he said.
“As a past winner as well, I would echo the same,” Ullery said. “It’s a tremendous honor to win an award that associates a Centerville football player with the character traits of Sonny Unger.”
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