Recruiting is said to be the lifeblood of college football. This series will countdown the top 100 high schools in Ohio that have provided the Buckeyes with football players. The rankings are based on how many times a player from each high school has been listed on Ohio State's roster between 1970 and 2018.
No. 10, Canton McKinley
Qualification
16 players from Canton McKinley have been listed on 51 Ohio State rosters.
DB Ray Ellis (1977-80) was captain and an All-Big Ten player in 1980 and started the last 24 games of his career. He led the team with 5 interceptions as a senior and The Buckeyes won the Big Ten title in 1977 and 1979 with Ellis on the team. The Eagles selected him in the 12th round of the 1981 NFL Draft.
At McKinley, Ellis was an All-Ohioan and was the captain of the football and basketball teams. Later inducted into McKinley's Hall of Fame.
FB Jamar Martin (1998-01) started 30 games and played in 47 during his Ohio State career. The mountain of a man rolled over opponents and cleared the way for Ohio State's running backs. When given the ball, Martin was almost impossible to bring down by one defender.
Martin was a captain of the 2001 team that turned the tide in The Game for the program. The Buckeyes won 32 games and the 1998 Big Ten title during Martin's time with team. The Cowboys selected him in the 4th round of the 2002 NFL Draft.
As a Bulldog, he helped lead the team to the state championship and a perfect 14–0 record. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry and McKinley was also awarded the national championship by USA Today. Later inducted into McKinley's Hall of Fame.
S Mike Doss (1999-02) came back to school and delivered on his promise to win the national championship. The 2002 captain was a starter for three years and was also a three-time All-American and All-Big Ten player in 2000, 2001 and 2002. He was the seventh Buckeye to earn All-American honors three times.
During the perfect season of 2002, Doss recorded a personal high of 107 tackles. He also returned an interception 35 yards to set up Ohio State's first touchdown against Miami. The Colts selected Doss in the 2nd round of the 2003 NFL Draft.
Doss was a key reason why the Bulldogs won back-to-back state championships. As a senior, he scored four touchdowns and rushed for 143 yards in the title game. He also had 111 tackles, 3 interceptions and rushed for 1,454 yards and 22 touchdowns as an All-Ohioan that season. Later inducted into McKinley's Hall of Fame.
| No. | POS | PLAYER | YEARS | OHIO STATE CAREER | HS CAREER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | DT/LB | ROCCO RICH | 1971-73 | Injuries and a change of the defensive alignment took away his playing time. Played in 3 games and made 11 tackles as a senior. | All-Ohioan from a family of six. Later inducted into McKinley's Hall of Fame. |
| 27 | DB | RAY ELLIS | 1977-80 | See above. | See above. |
| 86 | LB | BEN LEE | 1978-81 | Started 8 games in 1981 and recorded 41 tackles and a TFL as a senior. Played in 41 games during his career. | Earned 10 varsity letters and was a captain of the football, wresting and track teams. Later inducted into McKinley's Hall of Fame. |
| 23 | CB | DOYLE LEWIS | 1979-82 | Earned a letter as a freshman, but only played in 1 game as sophomore. Finished his career with 5 starts and played in 24 games. | Was a safety and RB football and also played basketball and track. Later inducted into McKinley's Hall of Fame. |
| 8 | K/P | MARK SMITH | 1987-88 | Came to Ohio State as a FG kicker after he was a Bally All-American in HS. Tried to be the No. 1 punter in 1988. Never played. | Graduated with the school record for PATs (79) and made a personal best 47-yard FG in Ohio Stadium during the playoffs. Won the Don Scott Memorial Award. Later inducted into McKinley's Hall of Fame. |
| 18 | DB | CHE' BRYANT | 1994-97 | Missed most of 1994 because of a knee injury, played in 23 games in 1995 and 1996 as a reserve DB. | Parade Magazine All-American, All-Ohioan as a junior (RB) and senior (DB). Later inducted into McKinley's Hall of Fame. |
| 39 | FB | JAMAR MARTIN | 1998-01 | See above. | See above. |
| 97 | DE | KENNY PETERSON | 1998-02 | Peterson played his first 3 years at DE and moved to DT for the 2002 season, 2 starts and 31 games, recorded 41 tackles, 13 TFL and 6 sacks. | All Ohioan and was ranked as the No. 1 defensive linemen in Ohio. Later inducted into McKinley's Hall of Fame. |
| 2 | S | MIKE DOSS | 1999-02 | See above. | See above. |
| 81 | WR | ANDRE HOOKS | 2001-02 | Nothing listed. |
Inducted into McKinley's Hall of Fame. Saved a man who was in a car accident in 2018. Earned AEP's Chairman's Life Saving Award. |
| 37, 6 | DB | TYLER EVERETT | 2002-05 | Played in 48 of 51 games and had14 career starts. INT return for TD against Penn State in 2004. | All-Ohioan who played RB and DB, rushed for over 1,300 yards as a junior and had 5 INTs as a senior. Inducted into McKinley's Hall of Fame in 2018. |
| 69 | OL | ZACH SLAGLE | 2007-08 | Walk-on in 2006, made the roster for 2 seasons. | All-Ohio Honorable Mention in 2005. Committed suicide on August 8 last week. |
| 88 | DL | STEVE MILLER | 2011-14 | Started 13 games his senior season and played in a total of 35 during his career. Most memorable play was his 36-yard INT return against Alabama in the 2015 Sugar Bowl. | 3x All-Ohioan, had 260 tackles, 28 TFL and 19 sacks during his HS career. |
| 11 | DL | SE'VON PITTMAN | 2012 | Enrolled early, but a knee injury kept him from playing in 2012. An off the field issue led to him transferring to Akron. | 2x All-Ohioan, had 102 tackles as a senior, was Urban Meyer's second Ohio State commit. |
| 19 | DB/WR | ERIC GLOVER-WILLIAMS | 2015-17 | Played in every game of the 2016 season and had 7 tackles. Left the team due to off-the-field issues in September of 2017. Played for Miss. Gulf Coast and Slippery Rock. | All-Ohioan who rushed for 1,149 and 14 TDs as a senior. Also had a punt return and a 100-yard interception for a TD. Finished his career with 56 TDs. |
| 23 | WR | De'SHAWN WHITE | 2018 | 2017 walk-on. Did not see the field in 2018 and is not on the 2019 roster. | Lettered in football, basketball and track. Set the school and district record with a 23 foot, 8.5 inch long jump. |
Back To School
Canton McKinley is located in Stark County and is currently in the Federal League. The team competes in Division I, Region 1. Bulldogs went 8–2 in the regular season last year. The team traveled to Solon and defeated Comets, 28-15, in the first round of the playoffs. However, Mentor ended the playoff run in round 2 by defeating McKinley, 36-6.
Before the playoff system began in 1972, Canton McKinley won three state titles (1956, 1955, 1934). Since the playoffs began, the Bulldogs have won three more state titles (1998, 1997, 1981).
Home football games are played in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium...you might know it as Fawcett Stadium. The NFL plays the Hall of Fame game there and it has also hosted state championship games.
The rivalry game against Massillon Washington is the only high school game in the country to have odds in Las Vegas. The teams have played 129 times and that marks the 13th most between rivals in the country.
Former head coaches, Don Nehlen (West Virginia) and Ben Schwarzwalder (Syracuse) were inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Notable
Canton McKinley has won 30 state championships. The boys' swimming team leads the way with 13 (1961, 1960, 1959, 1958, 1957, 1956, 1952, 1949, 1945, 1940, 1939, 1937), football has the six listed above, boys' basketball (2006, 2005, 1984) and girls' volleyball (1991, 1987, 1983) have three, boys' baseball has two (1939, 1937) and girls' basketball (2010), boys' track (1997) and boys' golf (1943) have one.
The basketball program has the most wins in Ohio history. The Bulldogs have won three state titles (listed above) and have been runner-up eight times. Their 11 championship game appearances are also most in state history.
Famous Alumni
Famous names you may know: NFL players Hal Broda, Ralph Fife, Wayne Gift, Percy Snow, Marion Motley, Garland Rivers, Robert Sedlock, Wayne Fontes (also coached the Lions, has most wins and losses for the team), John Grimsley, Reggie Corner and Josh McDaniels (offensive coordinator of the Patriots), Canton Bulldogs owner, Ralph Hay, NBA players Nick Weatherspoon, Phil Hubbard, Gary Grant, Eric Snow, Michael Dawkins, and Keith McLeod, Olympic gold medal boxer, Ronnie Harris, Olympic gold medal wrestler, Harry Steel, Star Trek writer and producer of several films, Brannon Braga, actor and composer, Frank DeVol, guitarist for Relient K, Matt Hoopes, bassist for Relient K, Brian Pittman, inventor of the Game of Life, Reuben Klamer, R&B group and Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, The O'Jays, 6-time Academy Award winner, Mary Orr, ABC beat reporter who helped resolve the Cuban Missile Crisis, John Scali, Ohio State and Olympic Track Coach, Larry Snyder, former Buckeye football players Jack Dugger, Nick Roman and Don Scott.
Explanation of the Rankings
School "A" had 14 players appear 16 times on Ohio State's roster. School "B" had 11 players appear 20 times on Ohio State's roster. School "B" will have the higher ranking. Why? Even though school "B" has less players, those players played for more years.
If two or more schools have the same number of appearances, the tie will be broken by the school with the highest average of roster appearances per player. If there is a tie in the average, the tie breaker will be the school with the most prominent Ohio State player.
2,826 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
100 days until The Game.
Are you a former player, graduate, live near or have something to add about today's featured high school? Please share your story with us in the comments. What makes the 11W community unique is the amount of great information everybody is willing to share.
If you like Ohio high school football, or want to read about the best teams of the '50s and '60s, you should check out Tim Raab's book: Powerhouses of Ohio High School Football.
