Hughes completes first father-son HOF combo
May 10, 2023 at 2:07 p.m.
With a laurel … and hardy … handshake extended from his older brother Scott, 1992 Franklin County High School graduate Greg Hughes became the latest member of the school's athletic hall of fame in an hour-long ceremony Sunday afternoon.
Often stifling emotions as he remembered fondly his hometown community and recalled memories of late father Jim, Hughes was the lone choice this year of the 10-member hall of fame committee. The surname, of course, is synonymous with Wildcat baseball as the Cats have their own field of dreams called Jim Hughes Field. The legendary coach who passed away in 2018 was part of the first induction ceremony in 2015.
“Along with other towns and cities I've lived in, none can compare to the Franklin County community,” said Greg, one of four children of Jim and Mary Lou Hughes.
“When Dad passed away in November '18, this community did what it's built to do … it rallied for us,” he continued. “Franklin County opened the gym for a 7-hour visitation plus a funeral as generations of players and students honored the man who had coached or taught them.”
Hughes also mentioned a later christening ceremony of the baseball diamond.
“This community celebrates when you have success and rallies when you need help,” he added. “That's why when people ask where I'm from, I say I live in South Bend but I'm from Brookville.”
That was one of two distinct advantages Hughes said current graduates have to serve them well in upcoming years.
The first was a “framework” of assets they can learn from the non-physical side of sports. These included poise, confidence, teamwork, leadership, discipline, time management, preparedness, accountability, competitiveness, persistence, handling adversity, putting in the necessary work and working under pressure.
“Every day in work and life, you will be presented some type of challenge,” he said. “Nothing will fall from the sky onto your lap. You'll have to earn everything, just as you do on the field.”
As brother Scott recounted, Greg was a key member of three sectional championship teams for his pop, was chosen Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference MVP twice, tossed three no-hitters his senior year and pitched in Indiana's North/South All-Star Game.
He went on to letter four times for the Miami University Redhawks and made the all-Mid-American Conference academic team. Upon graduation, Hughes secured an internship with the Cincinnati Reds; the following year, another intern opportunity arose with the Cleveland Indians – a World Series year for the Tribe. He later earned his master's degree in sports administration from Ohio University and for the past 25 years has risen in the ranks with Notre Dame Athletics to his current position as vice-president with ND Global Partnerships.
Scott introduced Greg as a fierce competitor, loyal friend, dedicated, hard-working and very family oriented. The homage to “Blazing Saddles” – a film Greg can quote verbatim – came with Scott grabbing the laurel from his prop bag.
Hughes thanked the HOF committee and current AD Denny Dorrel, saying “it was nice to be back and to see a lot of familiar faces.”
He didn't recall too many individual moments from his prep years, instead calling to mind the teams and teammates he played alongside and “the hours we spent on the baseball field.”
Hughes said he's always been accommodating to local folks wanting to get a peek inside the hallowed grounds of ND, but politely asked that people abstain from requests this September when Ohio State visits the Fighting Irish for the first time in 30 years.
In closing, Hughes said it was nice to be home.
“This honor's not about me, it's about the people who helped set the stage for me. When you see this plaque, think of team and community.”
FCHSpys and senior awards
Wrapping up his fifth year at the helm of FC Athletics, Dorrel opened the proceedings saying this was his favorite day of the calendar year. He heaped praise on all those who help him do his job better, including school administrators, school board trustees, coaches, athletic training staff and game personnel (stats, concessions, facilities workers, announcers, scorekeepers, drivers).
He also thanked the committee, community businesses and parents. Dorrel called the Class of 2023 “hometown heroes” who befriended his own children and made them want to become FC athletes.
His advice to them: “Surround yourself with great people, treat those people well and you can go accomplish anything you want to in the world.”
Addressing Hughes, Dorrel said he admired the way Greg played and admires him even more now as a person.
The athletic director beat back some tears when he thanked his kids and wife along with assistant AD Brad Stacy.
On to senior athlete awards, those in attendance came to the stage to receive their accolades. The most prestigious gift was a blanket, won by Brant Ertel and the Schell twins – Kassidy and Kiersten. Bryce Hodapp was commended for making the South all-star team in football, a rare achievement for Wildcat gridders.
The FCHSpys are a spinoff of the longtime award show on ESPN called the ESPYs.
The breakout athlete for 2022-23 (both girls and boys nominated) was sophomore Cole Freese, a wrestling semistate qualifier and a blue-ribbon winner in pole vault. Mental attitude winners were Madison Merritt (soccer/track & field) and Lendon Sizemore (wrestling).
Individual performance for a female was a sort of combo choice as junior Nicole Mears was nominated twice; she shot a one-under par on Brook Hill's back nine versus Lawrenceburg and had a 29-point, 9-rebound, 2-steal, 1-block effort in basketball against North Decatur. Brady Morehead took home the male award after rushing 16 times for 116 yards and a touchdown, receiving four passes for 108 yards and a score and returning a fumble 98 yards to the house – all in a sectional game vs. Indian Creek.
Ertel (baseball, basketball) and Kassidy Schell (volleyball, basketball, softball) returned to the stage as male and female athletes of the year, respectively.
Team of the year went to the Dancz Catz. For the first time in school history, they were crowned SCAU (Showcase America Unlimited) National Senior Classic Champions.
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With a laurel … and hardy … handshake extended from his older brother Scott, 1992 Franklin County High School graduate Greg Hughes became the latest member of the school's athletic hall of fame in an hour-long ceremony Sunday afternoon.
Often stifling emotions as he remembered fondly his hometown community and recalled memories of late father Jim, Hughes was the lone choice this year of the 10-member hall of fame committee. The surname, of course, is synonymous with Wildcat baseball as the Cats have their own field of dreams called Jim Hughes Field. The legendary coach who passed away in 2018 was part of the first induction ceremony in 2015.
“Along with other towns and cities I've lived in, none can compare to the Franklin County community,” said Greg, one of four children of Jim and Mary Lou Hughes.
“When Dad passed away in November '18, this community did what it's built to do … it rallied for us,” he continued. “Franklin County opened the gym for a 7-hour visitation plus a funeral as generations of players and students honored the man who had coached or taught them.”
Hughes also mentioned a later christening ceremony of the baseball diamond.
“This community celebrates when you have success and rallies when you need help,” he added. “That's why when people ask where I'm from, I say I live in South Bend but I'm from Brookville.”
That was one of two distinct advantages Hughes said current graduates have to serve them well in upcoming years.
The first was a “framework” of assets they can learn from the non-physical side of sports. These included poise, confidence, teamwork, leadership, discipline, time management, preparedness, accountability, competitiveness, persistence, handling adversity, putting in the necessary work and working under pressure.
“Every day in work and life, you will be presented some type of challenge,” he said. “Nothing will fall from the sky onto your lap. You'll have to earn everything, just as you do on the field.”
As brother Scott recounted, Greg was a key member of three sectional championship teams for his pop, was chosen Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference MVP twice, tossed three no-hitters his senior year and pitched in Indiana's North/South All-Star Game.
He went on to letter four times for the Miami University Redhawks and made the all-Mid-American Conference academic team. Upon graduation, Hughes secured an internship with the Cincinnati Reds; the following year, another intern opportunity arose with the Cleveland Indians – a World Series year for the Tribe. He later earned his master's degree in sports administration from Ohio University and for the past 25 years has risen in the ranks with Notre Dame Athletics to his current position as vice-president with ND Global Partnerships.
Scott introduced Greg as a fierce competitor, loyal friend, dedicated, hard-working and very family oriented. The homage to “Blazing Saddles” – a film Greg can quote verbatim – came with Scott grabbing the laurel from his prop bag.
Hughes thanked the HOF committee and current AD Denny Dorrel, saying “it was nice to be back and to see a lot of familiar faces.”
He didn't recall too many individual moments from his prep years, instead calling to mind the teams and teammates he played alongside and “the hours we spent on the baseball field.”
Hughes said he's always been accommodating to local folks wanting to get a peek inside the hallowed grounds of ND, but politely asked that people abstain from requests this September when Ohio State visits the Fighting Irish for the first time in 30 years.
In closing, Hughes said it was nice to be home.
“This honor's not about me, it's about the people who helped set the stage for me. When you see this plaque, think of team and community.”
FCHSpys and senior awards
Wrapping up his fifth year at the helm of FC Athletics, Dorrel opened the proceedings saying this was his favorite day of the calendar year. He heaped praise on all those who help him do his job better, including school administrators, school board trustees, coaches, athletic training staff and game personnel (stats, concessions, facilities workers, announcers, scorekeepers, drivers).
He also thanked the committee, community businesses and parents. Dorrel called the Class of 2023 “hometown heroes” who befriended his own children and made them want to become FC athletes.
His advice to them: “Surround yourself with great people, treat those people well and you can go accomplish anything you want to in the world.”
Addressing Hughes, Dorrel said he admired the way Greg played and admires him even more now as a person.
The athletic director beat back some tears when he thanked his kids and wife along with assistant AD Brad Stacy.
On to senior athlete awards, those in attendance came to the stage to receive their accolades. The most prestigious gift was a blanket, won by Brant Ertel and the Schell twins – Kassidy and Kiersten. Bryce Hodapp was commended for making the South all-star team in football, a rare achievement for Wildcat gridders.
The FCHSpys are a spinoff of the longtime award show on ESPN called the ESPYs.
The breakout athlete for 2022-23 (both girls and boys nominated) was sophomore Cole Freese, a wrestling semistate qualifier and a blue-ribbon winner in pole vault. Mental attitude winners were Madison Merritt (soccer/track & field) and Lendon Sizemore (wrestling).
Individual performance for a female was a sort of combo choice as junior Nicole Mears was nominated twice; she shot a one-under par on Brook Hill's back nine versus Lawrenceburg and had a 29-point, 9-rebound, 2-steal, 1-block effort in basketball against North Decatur. Brady Morehead took home the male award after rushing 16 times for 116 yards and a touchdown, receiving four passes for 108 yards and a score and returning a fumble 98 yards to the house – all in a sectional game vs. Indian Creek.
Ertel (baseball, basketball) and Kassidy Schell (volleyball, basketball, softball) returned to the stage as male and female athletes of the year, respectively.
Team of the year went to the Dancz Catz. For the first time in school history, they were crowned SCAU (Showcase America Unlimited) National Senior Classic Champions.