ROME TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The late Ernie Hall’s love for Fairland High School basketball was well known to nearly anyone who knew him.
That’s why the former Dragons’ basketball player and longtime owner of Hall’s Funeral Home in Proctorville, Ohio, has his nickname attached to a basketball event at the school. The Big E Classic, one of the Tri-State’s better high school basketball showcases, will be played for the seventh year Saturday at Fairland’s Carl York Center.
“It gets better each year,” Fairland athletic director Jeff Gorby said. “Ernie Hall loved the game of basketball and loved supporting the local schools. We wanted to create something special here at Fairland to carry on his legacy.”
Games begin at 11:30 a.m. with Fairland’s girls junior varsity taking on St. Albans’ JV. At 1 p.m., Fairland’s boys will take on Chesapeake in a JV contest.
At 2:45 p.m., varsity action begins with Chesapeake playing Athens in a boys game. At 4:30 p.m., the boys teams from Tolsia and Huntington St. Joe will play. At 6:15 p.m., Fairland’s girls take on Warren. At 8 p.m., the Fairland boys play South Webster.
Gorby said he thinks Hall would be pleased with the field.
“Ernie always greeted people, me included, with a smile and a handshake,” Gorby said. “That has stuck with me over the years and I incorporate that in my daily routine as the athletic director at Fairland High School.”
Four years ago, Fairland tied its Hall of Fame inductions in with the Big E Classic. Four more Dragons will be inducted on Saturday.
“This year we have an outstanding class and we are excited to welcome them into the Hall of Fame,” Gorby said. “Anytime you can honor the alumni and former staff members its a great day.”
G oing in will be multisport star Anita Cook (1981-85), who played basketball at Shawnee State University and ran track at Marshall University; football, track and basketball standout Craig Burd (1981-85), who went on to become an NFL official after college at St. Francis (Pennsylvania) University; the school’s basketball all-time leading scorer Nathan Hughes (1989-92), who went on to Ohio University; and current baseball coach Michael Hill (2001-2005), who played four sports in high school before going on to star in baseball at East Carolina University and the University of Cincinnati.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
