Other Sports Greats:

                     

Thurman Munson

          
Born in Akron, Ohio, Munson grew up in Canton graduating from Lehman High School. A multi-sport standout athlete he was offered scholarships to many colleges but opted to play at Kent State University. In 1967 he joined the Cape Cod League where he hit .420 and led his team to the league title. A year later the Yankees drafted him, where he was the only player ever named Rookie of the year and Most Valuable Player. He won three straight Golden Glove awards, and over ten years with the Yankees had a .292 batting average. He was an All Star in seven different years, and was named the first Yankee Captain after Lou Gehrig. He led the Yankees in three World Series games with a .373 batting average and in 1977 led the team to the World Championship. His prodigious career was tragically shortened when he died in a plane crash in his hometown, Canton. The Yankees gave his locker to the Baseball Hall of Fame in New York. The Yankees retired his jersey, no. 15 and that jersey hangs in Thurman Munson Stadium, a minor league stadium in Canton.
           
                 
Mike Doss                    

Born in Canton on March 24, 1981, Mike has the distinction of winning championships on three levels. He played football for the McKinley Bulldogs which won back to back state titles in the 1990's; he was named most valuable defensive player on the 2002 Ohio State National Championship team. And he has a Super Bowl ring from the Super Bowl XLI Champion, Indianapolis Colts. Along the way, he was named an honorable mention High School All American by USA Today. He was named First Team Big Ten three years in a row. And he was named Consensus All-American three years also. He was named Fiesta Bowl MVP in 2003.He continues to serve the Canton community through his Make a Difference Foundation, his annual football camp at Canton's Fawcett Stadium which draws 200 students each year. And he continues to return as an inspiration to his former team in the annual Massillon-McKinley Rivalry game. He was honored by the Canton Jaycees in 2010 with the 71st annual Distinguished Service Award.

   
   
 
     
Renee Powell
 
Renee began golf at three years old at Clearview Golf Club, the only golf course designed, built, owned and operated by an African American, her father. She entered her first tournament at twelve and won the division. After serving as captain of the women's golf team at Ohio University, and at the Ohio State University, she debuted as the second of three African Americans to play on the Ladies Professional Golf Association Team. She was part of the USO tour of Vietnam and competed in 250 professional golf tournaments, winning the 1973 Kelly Springfield Open in Brisbane, Australia. She was the first woman named head golf professional in the United Kingdom and after a marvelous career taught golf in Africa and Europe. Returning to Canton she and her family established the Clearview Legacy Foundation for education, preservation and research. Jack Nicklaus and the National Golf Foundation named the Powells the Golf Family of the Year in 1992. Clearview Golf Club was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. Named the PGA First Lady of Golf in 2003, she was inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame and was the first Sportswoman to receive an Honorary Doctor of Laws from St. Andrews University. She was named the Top Female Teaching Professional in 2010 by Golf Digest.
 
 
           
 
Harley "Marty" Mull  
Born in Toledo, Ohio, Harvey's family moved to Canton when he was entering high school. After entering Canton McKinley High School, Marty excelled as a competitive swimmer. Under legendary coach C.T. Branin, Marty was a standout on McKinley swim teams all four years. The Bulldogs won state championships from 1957-1960, and Marty won individual championships four times. Graduating from McKinley he went on to star at Ohio State University, where the Buckeyes won a National Title in 1962. There he won the 200 Individual Medley race in 1962 and 1963 setting the NCAA record in 1963. He was a three time All American in the IM. In 1985 he was named to the Stark County Aquatic Association's class of 1985, and to the Varsity O's Hall of Fame at Ohio State in 2002. His greatest impact was as a coach at McKinley where he taught for over thirty years. Marty died on January 3, 2011.