Brooklyn Hall of Fame
The Brooklyn Hall of Fame Committee is made up of a group of former Brooklyn High School Alumni.
Nominations will be accepted from January 1, 2025 - March 1, 2025
View Hall of Fame Nomination Form
Nominations will only be accepted through this form.
Presenting the Brooklyn City Schools Hall of Fame Class of 2024
The BCSD is proud to announce the Brooklyn City Schools Hall of Fame Class of 2024. Congratulations to Robert “Bob” Kelber (Class of 1966), Ken Friedl (Class of 1983), Dominick Grassi (Class of 2004), Nicholas Latimer (Class of 2004), former faculty members John S. Phillips and James Verba, along with members of the 1983 Wrestling Team , and the 2002-2003 Girls Basketball Team on this prestigious honor! Each individual inductee was selected based on noteworthy academic, athletic, and co-curricular accomplishments during their high school careers, as well as significant career and other life achievements. The 1983 Wrestling and 2002-2003 Girls Basketball teams were recognized for their respective team and individual successes. Brooklyn City Schools is also proud to recognize former Board Member and long-time Brooklyn resident Earl Bloam with the Ron Szudy School Community Engagement Award for his contributions and service on behalf of the district and the City of Brooklyn. Please read below to learn more about the many impressive accomplishments of each new Hall of Fame member. On behalf of the district, congratulations once again to the Brooklyn City Schools Hall of Fame Class of 2024. Go Hurricanes!
Robert “Bob” Kelber
Class of 1966
MVP Honors for Basketball
Head Coach of the 1983 Softball Team that advanced to the State Final Four
Served the City of Brooklyn for over 40 years
Served as Assistant Manager of the Brooklyn Recreation Center
Researched various recreation centers to bring hockey, figure skating, racquetball, baseball, and basketball programs to the residents of Brooklyn
Created the Brooklyn Premier Softball League, the Women's Brooklyn Premier Softball League, and the Brooklyn Premier Co-Ed Softball League
Ken Friedl
Class of 1983
Placed 3rd in the State Tournament for Wrestling
4x Inland Conference Tournament Finalist and 3x Champion
2x Sectional Champion and District Runner-Up
National Qualifier at Cuyahoga Community College
Coach for St. Thomas More, St. Edward High School, and North Royalton Youth Wrestling Club
Former President and Head Coach for Williamson County Wrestling Club in Tennessee
Dominick Grassi
Class of 2004
2x Conference MVP for Basketball
4x Conference Champion for Basketball
All-Conference, All-District, and All-Ohio Special Mention for Basketball
Played in the State North-South Game in Columbus
2nd in career rebounds with 713
Career scoring total of 1,067 points
Nicholas Latimer
Class of 2004
Earned 1st Team Honors All-MAC 8, Sun News Player of the Week, Co-MVP for Golf
Holds the 9-hole school record with a score of 30
Earned 2nd Team All-MAC 8 and All-District Honors and won 3 conference championships for Basketball
Won the 2009 MAC Golf Championship for Kent State University
Trained at the Golf Academy of the Carolinas
Won 18 Minor League Golf Tournaments in Florida
Won the Northern Ohio Amateur (beating Arnold Palmer’s record) and the Greater Cleveland Amateur Championship (set a tournament record)
Competed in the Asian Tour and the PGA Tour China
Works as a Class A PGA Professional at Trump International in Florida
John S. Phillips
First band director for the Brooklyn City Schools
Established the school’s first marching band
Composed and lyricized the original Brooklyn High School Alma Mater and the Fight Song, “Hail to the Varsity”
Introduced Elvis Presley to the Brooklyn stage in 1955
Scholarship was established in his name for aspiring musicians
James Verba
Dedicated employee of the Brooklyn City Schools for 36 years as an educator, coach, and athletic director
All-time winningest Girls’ Basketball Coach in school history
2x Division 3 Associated Press Coach of the Year
Division 3 Ohio High School Basketball Association Coach of the Year
Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach at Baldwin-Wallace College for 5 years
1995 Track Team won the MAC 8 and District Championships
2003 Girls’ Basketball Team won Sectional and District Championships
2003 Girls’ Basketball Team - only basketball Regional qualifier in school history
1983 Wrestling Team
Coached by National Wrestling Hall of Fame Member, Joe Drago
Undefeated in Inland Conference Dual Meets
Team 4th place finish at the Ohio State Tournament
Won the Cardinal Invitational Championship
Each member won gold medals in their respective weight classes at the Cardinal Invitational Championship
Team member Kevin Friedl was Brooklyn’s first State Champion in Wrestling
2002-2003 Girls Basketball Team
Coached by Brooklyn Hall of Fame Inductee, James Verba
Led by Brooklyn Hall of Fame Members, Dana Dempsey and Jessica Latimer
22-3 overall record
Undefeated MAC 8 Champions (14-0 record)
Earned Sectional and District Championships
First basketball team in school history to advance to Regionals
Earl Bloam
Ron Szudy Community Engagement Award
58-year resident of Brooklyn and proud father of two Brooklyn graduates, Eric and Todd
8-year member of the Brooklyn Board of Education in the 1980's, serving two years as President
As Board Member, oversaw construction of Brooklyn Stadium and Track, start of partnership with Polaris Career Center to provide vocational education, and helped to design, procure, and install transportation radio communication system
Strong supporter of district's educational programs, levies and activities
Past member of various City of Brooklyn Committees and currently serves as a member and chairman of the City of Brooklyn Board of Zoning Appeals
1961 Graduate of Ohio University with a BSEE degree in Electrical Engineering
35-year career at NASA Glenn Research Center as electrical design engineer and manager.
Designed, installed and operated the first Digital Logic Programmable Controller installation for testing and operation of a jet engine test facility at Glenn
Member of Atlas/Centaur launch vehicle team responsible for launching scientific and communication satellites and planetary science missions.
Chief of Engineering Support Division at Glenn in charge of computer aided design, computer aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM), multimillion dollar engineering support contracts and software design engineering.
2009 inductee into Cuyahoga Heights School Alumni Hall of Fame