McNicholas Athletics inducts 2023 Hall of Fame Class

The Athletic Department is pleased to announce its newest members of the Hall of Fame: Rod Bachman ’86, Sophie Gorman ’17, Zach Schmidt ’99, and the 1998 State Championship Baseball Team. These inductees, who brought notoriety to our football, basketball, soccer, and baseball programs, were recognized at the Hall of Fame Induction Celebrations on March 29 and April 5, along with Good Fellowship Award winners Larry Bogenschutz and Jean Ann Sheeran. This year’s class brings the total number of inductees to 150.

The women’s induction celebration was emceed by WLWT Sports Reporter Olivia Ray and featured speaker Heather Mitts Feeley, Professional Soccer Player and Olympic Gold Medalist. The men’s induction celebration was emceed by Joe Danneman, Fox19 Sportscaster, and featured speaker Wes Miller, Head Basketball Coach for the University of Cincinnati.

Rod Bachman ’08, Football

Rod is one of the most decorated football players to come through McNicholas. He was named a 2x All-City and an All-State performer and was a catalyst to two of the most successful McNicholas football teams in program history, 1984 and 1985. Rod’s 398 career tackles rank him second in the history of the program. His intensity, leadership, and knack for finding the ball were key factors to his illustrious career. Rod played linebacker, was a senior captain, and helped to lead the 1984 team to the State finals - the furthest in the State playoffs in program history and tied for the most wins in school history (11). In his junior and senior seasons, he helped lead the Rockets to 18 wins while the defense held opponents to 8.1 points per game and six shutouts. Rod also had nine fumble recoveries in those two seasons which is the most in a two-year span.

Sophie Gorman ’17, Soccer  

Sophie is one of the most decorated soccer players and athletes in school history. She was a 4x GCL Coed 1st Team All Star, 2x GCL Coed Player of the Year, the Cincinnati Enquirer DII Player of the Year, All-City, All-District, and All-State. In addition, Sophie was twice selected as a NSCAA All-American and won the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Women’s Sports Association High School Player of the Year.  In her four years as a varsity soccer player, she scored the most goals on-record in McNicholas women’s soccer history (61) while helping lead the Rockets to 61 total wins, a 2016 Regional Runner-Up (Elite 8), and the 2014 OHSAA State Championship! After her brilliant career as a Rocket, Sophie enjoyed success as a soccer player at the University of Cincinnati.

Zach Schmidt ’99, Baseball & Basketball  

Zach enjoyed one of the most successful runs as a baseball player in McNicholas history. A four-year varsity starter at shortstop, Zach was named All-League, All-City, and All-State on multiple occasions. He helped to lead Rocket baseball to two District Championships, played in the 1997 OHSAA State Final 4 as a sophomore, and helped the team win the 1998 OHSAA DII State Championship as a junior! During his senior year, Zach represented McNicholas in the Cincinnati East-West All Star game and was named MVP of the three-game series. Beyond baseball, Zach was a three-year varsity basketball player, helping the team to two district championships and a regional runner-up (Elite 8) his senior year. After his McNicholas career, Zach went onto play baseball at Miami (OH) University, played professionally, and spent seven years as an assistant baseball coach at Xavier University.

Larry Bogenschutz, Good Fellowship Award 

Larry was a mainstay of McNicholas High School for nearly 35 years in a variety of important positions. Not only was he a friendly face for all the students, but Larry Bogenschutz tirelessly drove the vision that built our community in its early years. He was Mr. Do It All: math teacher and head of the department, teacher coordinator, and the school’s first treasurer, among many other responsibilities. But maybe Larry’s most lasting impact on Rocket High was his work as our first Athletic Director, a position he held for 16 years. As Athletic Director, he understood the important role sports plays in a school’s advancement; thus, in growing the McNicholas athletics program, he helped build the school. He courageously promoted programs that competed at the highest levels in the city and the state, without compromising the principles of good sportsmanship. In the early 1960s, Larry led McNicholas athletics into the GCL in an era of severe budget limitations. As Mr. Bill Fanning said in the dedication of the Larry Bogenschutz Gymnasium in 1986, “Our memorial to Larry is a living, breathing, vibrant, dynamic part of the daily world—the world of McNicholas’ gym. This is a temple of vitality to youth…It is a room filled with jubilant sounds of victory, the sweet melody of Mardi Gras waltzes, the wholesome laughter of pep rally buffoonery, the explosive applause that accompanies the finale to the musical, and the sweet and gentle hymns that we sing at liturgies. And in all those sounds and in all those spectacles, the spirit of Larry Bogenschutz will live on and on and on.”

Jean Ann Sheeran, Good Fellowship Award 

Jean Ann, a former tennis coach of 18 years, was an inspiration and staple for almost two decades at McNicholas. She collected over 130 wins as the head coach for women’s tennis, but her impact reaches far beyond any victory. Above and beyond being the longest-tenured female head coach on-record, her personality, commitment, and selflessness to the tennis program allowed her to individually impact over 175 tennis athletes from 1989-2007. Not only did she help to organize and run an off-campus sport with charisma, grace, and energy, Jean Ann helped to lead tennis into the GCL and figure out ways to consistently get to matches in Dayton. As a forward-thinker, she was the first local high school tennis coach that sought to secure the Lindner Tennis Complex at Lunken Playfields, which our teams still utilize today. In addition to her contributions to girls’ tennis, Jean Ann was a parent to two Rockets, a dedicated member of the Athletic Boosters (now known as Rocket Nation) for almost 20 years, and a leader in establishing what we now know as the Rocket Shop.

1998 Baseball Team

OHSAA DII State Champions, 24-7 Record
After a successful regular season, the Rockets swept through the Sectionals, District, and Regional tournaments, outscoring their opponents 40-8 in its first five postseason games to reach the second consecutive state Final 4. Under first year head coach Willy Corbett, the Rockets captured the program’s first ever State title. In the championship game, the Rockets trailed Rocky River by a score of 5-1 headed into the bottom half of the 6th inning. After scoring two runs in the 6th, the Rockets began arguably the most incredible comeback in McNicholas Athletics’ history. With two outs, junior Steve Jasper, senior Eddie Dreyer, and sophomore Chuck Moore hit back-to-back-back doubles that led to three runs, a 6-5 Rockets win, and one of the most miraculous State Championship wins in OHSAA history!

Players: Steve Brinck, Brendan Brophy, Tim Comte, Mike Cremons, Brian Crow, Eddie Dreyer, Vince Egbers, Matt Eiben, Andy Ey, Darak Gardner, Matt Hayden, Jason Helmes, Kurt Hornschemeier, Steve Jasper, Steve Jostworth, Dave Kaiser, Chuck Moore, Pat O’Brien, Zach Schmidt, Kyle Shadley-White.  Coaches: Willy Corbett (Head), Brian Gatio, Tom Hageman, Barry Schmidt, Rob Wermeling.

To see the entire listing of Hall of Fame members, visit www.mcnhs.org/halloffame.