Year Inducted – 2018

Harry Richard Kalbaugh was born in Akron, Ohio on July 15, 1940 to Emma and Harry “Lefty” Kalbaugh who was a former pitcher for the Washington Senators ball club and started the Akron Hot Stove League for area youth baseball. Harry grew up in Cuyahoga Falls and graduated from Cuyahoga Falls High School in 1958. While there, he lettered in 4 sports, was awarded the Outstanding Senior Athlete Trophy and was later induced into the Cuyahoga Falls High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

Harry received an athletic scholarship to Heidelberg University, but transferred to Kent State University after one year, where he excelled on the varsity basketball and baseball teams and was named to the All Mid-American Conference League baseball team. Harry had the distinction of being the first college player to hit a home run out of Forbes Field.

Major league baseball scouts soon discovered his outstanding baseball talent and in 1961, Harry signed a contract with scout Denny Galehouse to be drafted by the Boston Red Sox organization. Even the great Ted Williams was quite impressed with Harry’s baseball skills. However, after several years with the Boston Red Sox, he was sidelined with various injuries, was put on the disabled list and retired from the majors to complete his college degree at Kent State University in 1965.

Harry began his basketball coaching career at Cuyahoga Falls High School in 1966 and later became the Head Basketball coach at Hudson High School, where his first team won the Suburban League Championship and Harry received the Suburban League Coach of the Year award in 1975. This award was given posthumously after a tragic automobile accident took his life on December 25th, 1974.

Many of the boys whose lives he touched remember Coach Kalbaugh as a fun-loving man who loved working with and helping young men become better. They recall playing “stump Coach Kalbaugh” with his great knowledge of sports trivia. Some of his baseball teammates, including Rico Petrocelli, Mike Ryan, George Scott, Pete Baltic, Marty Kane, and George Wenz also have shared fond memories of this outstanding man and baseball player. Harry would have been so humbled by this event and his family is very honored to accept this award in his memory.