1. Dayton Dragons
From the time they opened the gates at downtown’s Fifth Third Field in April 2000, the Dragons have sold out every one of their 7,230 permanent seats and, with lawn seating, have averaged more than 8,500 a game. They’ve also sent 38 players to the major leagues, including Adam Dunn, Joey Votto and Jay Bruce.
2. Air Force Marathon
More than 7,000 participate annually in this event — which includes half-marathon runners, walkers and wheelchairs — held at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The event debuted Sept. 20, 1997, on the 50th anniversary of the Air Force, and has grown into a major community event.
3. Women’s basketball pipeline
Dayton has become a key recruiting stop for top women’s basketball coaches. Among the talented players to make their mark nationally: Tamika Williams (Chaminade Julienne to Connecticut), Megan Duffy (CJ to Notre Dame) and Alison Bales (Beavercreek to Duke). All three also played in the WNBA.
4. Dayton Christian hoops scandal
Known for its fine boys and girls basketball teams, Dayton Christian High School had to forfeit games from 2000-01 for using ineligible foreign players. DC was banned from the 2002 postseason, put on probation and fined. Romain Sato was the state’s Mr. Basketball in 2000. The school has recovered and appeared in the Division III state semifinals in 2009.
5. Buckeyes win national title
It had a Dayton feel to it with A.J. Hawk and Mike Nugent, two Centerville standouts, and Alter grad Nick Mangold playing roles in Ohio State’s unexpected 2002 undefeated season. The Buckeyes capped the dream season with a 31-24 double-overtime victory against heavily favored Miami in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz.
6. UD Arena renovated
UD Arena, built in 1969 for $4.5 million, underwent a major renovation in 2002, adding modern amenities such as suites and lounges. New restrooms and upgraded concessions areas were built. The arena has hosted NCAA tournament events in 23 of the 40 years it has existed, including the men’s Opening Round game, which debuted in 2000.
7. Stewart buys Eldora Speedway
Rossburg’s Eldora Speedway has been in operation and a popular destination for area racing fans since 1954 when Earl Baltes opened the facility. He sold it to NASCAR star Tony Stewart in 2004 and the track continues to hold a variety of events, including the popular Prelude to the Dream, which draws some of stock-car racing’s biggest names.
8. Grand American leaves Vandalia
After 81 years on the edge of the Dayton International Airport, the Grand American Trapshoot left the Miami Valley following the 2005 event for Sparta, Ill. The trapshoot had been held continuously in Vandalia since 1924, drawing competitors in a wide range of ages, skill levels and nationalities for the worldwide competition. It was estimated the Miami Valley lost more than $10 million in annual economic impact,
9. Senior Open at NCR South
Allen Doyle won the first of his two straight U.S. Senior Open titles at NCR South in 2005. The event added another chapter to Dayton’s legacy of hosting pro golf tournaments, which supporters hope can continue following the final-day exciting finish that saw Craig Stadler collapse and Doyle roar from behind.
10. Cinderella starts in Dayton
George Mason’s magical run to the 2006 NCAA Final Four was one of the most unlikely stories in basketball history. The Patriots began their trek to the national semifinals at UD Arena, defeating bluebloods Michigan State and North Carolina in the first and second rounds. Locals embraced the underdogs, filling the arena with chants of “Let’s go, Mason!”
11. Paul Biancardi out at WSU
During his third season as Wright State’s head basketball coach in 2006, Biancardi became embroiled in a recruiting scandal at Ohio State, where he had been an assistant coach. The NCAA eventually limited his recruiting, and WSU fired him after he compiled a 42-44 record. Biancardi now works for ESPN.
12. Rise of the Raiders
Brad Brownell took over the Wright State men’s basketball program in 2006 and found success with three consecutive 20-win seasons. His 2007 team, led by Horizon League Player of the Year DaShaun Wood, won the regular-season and conference tournament championships to secure WSU’s first NCAA tournament appearance since 1993.
13. Daequan Cook and Dunbar
As a senior, Cook led Dunbar to a Division II state basketball championship in 2006 before he played a single season at Ohio State. He was a first-round NBA draft pick in 2007 and after a trade, landed with the Miami Heat. Without Cook but still with Aaron Pogue in the lead role, the Wolverines won a second consecutive title in 2007.
14. Mike Kelly steps down at UD
After compiling a 246-54-1 record as football coach over 27 seasons, UD’s Mike Kelly resigned in 2007 to take an associate athletic director’s position at the school. Kelly’s team won the NCAA Division III national championship in 1989 and was voted No. 1 in the Division I non-scholarship polls after the 2002 and ’07 seasons.
15. Javon Ringer carries Spartans
Chaminade Julienne graduate Javon Ringer was a 2008 Heisman Trophy candidate in his final season at Michigan State, where he carried the football 390 times for 1,637 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior. Ringer, star of CJ’s 2002 Division II state championship team, now plays in the NFL for the Tennessee Titans.
16. Alter’s double dose in football
In completing the most impressive prep football streak of the decade, Alter won 30 straight games on the field (the Knights forfeited the first two games of 2008 for using an ineligible player) and captured two consecutive Division IV state titles in 2008 and ’09. The 2010 Alter graduates will leave as the school’s all-time winningest varsity football class, with 41 victories.
17. Basebrawl at Fifth Third
On July 24, 2008, the Dragons made national news for an on-field brawl with the Peoria Chiefs following several beanball incidents. Peoria’s Julio Castillo escalated the argument between Dayton manager Donnie Scott and Peoria manager Carmelo Martinez by throwing a ball toward the Dayton dugout that instead hit a fan in the stands. Castillo was arrested.
18. Hyleas Fountain takes silver
Kettering resident Hyleas Fountain took the silver medal as a heptathlete in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, only the second American woman to do so, joining legendary Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Fountain originally finished with a bronze but was elevated to silver after another athlete failed a drug test.
19. Marc Greenberg arrested on sex charges
The Chaminade Julienne girls basketball coach was arrested in May 2009 on obscenity charges. Until his separation from the school, Greenberg was the leader of one of the most notable programs in the Miami Valley that had gained national acclaim and attention. His case is scheduled for trial in federal court in March.
20. Second round for Flyers
Certainly UD had been to NCAA tournaments before, even making it to the championship game in 1967, but 2009 marked the first time the Flyers moved past the first round since 1990 as they beat West Virginia 68-60 before losing to Kansas 60-43 in the second round. Seven times in the decade, the Flyers played in either the NCAA (four) or NIT (three) tournaments.
21. GWOC grows and grows
Beginning with the combination of the Western Ohio League and the Greater Miami Valley Conference, the Greater Western Ohio Conference grew to become the Miami Valley’s only big-school prep league. It will grow again in 2010 with the addition of West Carrollton and Greenville, increasing its membership to 18 schools.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2157 or mkatz@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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