West Liberty University Athletics

    Earl Haberfield is one of the many Ohio Valley high school coaching legends who got their start as a student-athlete at West Liberty. Haberfield was a two-year letterman with the Hilltopper men's basketball team during the mid-1950s. After graduation, he started his impressive decades-long run as a teacher and coach at Wheeling Central Catholic High School.
    Haberfield led the Maroon Knights to 150 victories and five West Virginia Catholic state high school championships on the hardwood. His 1962-63 Knights posted a 23-0 record and ended the season as the number one ranked team in West Virginia. After leaving Wheeling Central, Haberfield went on to coach at Bishop Donahue, Warren Local, Crooksville, Wintersville, Meadowbrook, VanLue, and Amherst Steele high schools.
    Charged with reviving the floundering program at Amherst Steele, Haberfield won a pair of conference titles and was voted Coach of the Year by four separate organizations following the 1992 season. Haberfield retired with a career high school coaching record of 383-284. A member of the Lorain County and OVAC Halls of Fame, Haberfield was the first recipient of the OVAC Coaches Award, which is now named in his honor. He was also game director and originator of the annual OVAC All-Star Basketball Classic.