Eighty Former Hiram College Football Players Return to Campus for Football Alumni Day

HIRAM, OHIO  –  Eighty former Hiram College football players, along with 50 family and friends, attended festivities held at the College for Football Alumni Day that was held on Saturday, Oct. 25.

Among the 80 former players were 25 All-Conference players, 14 members of the Hollinger Hall of Fame, and 4 Small College All-Americans. The two oldest players in attendance were Frank Fisher, Class of 1943, and Bill Gemma, who would have graduated in 1944, but whose college career was interrupted by service to his country in World War II. Bill returned to Hiram after the war and graduated in 1947.  The player traveling the farthest for the reunion was Ron Fredericks, Class of 1984, who came to Hiram for the event from his home in Fort Meyers, Florida.
 
There were 2 players from the 1940’s, 11 from the 1950’s, 12 from the 1960’s, 8 from the 1970’s, 22 from the 1980’s, 11 from the 1990’s, and 14 from the current decade.
 
Yearbooks from 1940 through 2007 were on display, along with over 200 football pictures from the College Archives.  Excerpts from old game films dating from 1947 to 1988 were converted to DVD format and were shown during the luncheon.
 
The day began with a pre-game lunch that was held in the Dix Dining Room in the Kennedy Center.  The players were then recognized during a halftime ceremony of the Hiram vs. Case Western Reserve football game, stretching almost the length of the field and taking a bow as their names were announced.