Year Inducted – 2019

Bernie Hovan was born in a small mining town, Brownsville Pennsylvania. He attended Brownsville High School and played football, basketball, and baseball. Bernie graduated in 1957 and then moved to Cleveland, Ohio where he worked at the Lederer Terminal Warehouse, a food distribution center. After a year, he decided to enter college at Kent State University where he majored in Health and Physical Education.  He saw an article in the school newspaper paper that indicated a meeting was going to held for anyone interested in trying out for the baseball team. 100 people showed up. Bernie made the team as a center fielder.

After graduating in 1963, Bernie accepted a job at Mapleton High School which was about 20 miles north of Ashland. He coached football, basketball, and baseball there for two years and taught physical education, speech, and drivers training.  After Mapleton, he taught and coached baseball for 23 years at Nordonia High School in Macedonia.

According to Bernie, he met the love of his life at Kent State and were married in 1964. They have four children, Mike, John, Debbie, and David.  Bernie and his wife have 8 grandchildren and love following them in all their activities.