Hall of Fame
A four-year letterman on Coach Edgar Martin’s West Liberty tennis team from 1967-71, Mike Young also helped lay the foundation for WL’s highly-regarded athletic training program before embarking on a remarkable high school coaching career. During his time on the hilltop, the Wheeling Central Catholic High School graduate served as athletic trainer for all sports in the Student Trainer program initiated by Martin, Bob Roe and Dr. Al Blatnik.
After graduation, he had a long and successful career as a teacher, coach and trainer at St. Clairsville (Ohio) and his alma mater, Wheeling Central. Young won two OVAC tennis titles and was a two-time District Football Coach of the Year selection, compiling a 52-41 record with six ECOL crowns and two OVAC championships.
He moved to Wheeling Central as an assistant football coach in 1997, helping the Maroon Knights to three state titles before taking the head coaching reins in 2005. At the time of his induction, Young’s Central teams had gone 80-15 with five state titles and a state record-tying 36-game win streak. He was the 2007 Upper Ohio Valley Dapper Dan Man of the Year and the 2012 OVAC Coach of the Year.
