July 28, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE!
On behalf of both the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) and the Ohio Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (OIAAA), it is a pleasure to notify you of the recent selection of Hudson High School athletic administrator, RAY EBERSOLE, as the recipient of the NIAAA’s “Distinguished Service Award”. The prestigious honor for Ray and the Hudson City School District will be presented at the National Athletic Directors Conference in Orlando, Florida on Tuesday, December 15, 2015 during the Annual NIAAA Awards Banquet.
Ray Ebersole, CMAA, athletic administrator at Hudson High School in Hudson, OH, is one of nine individuals singled out nationally by the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) to receive the 2015 Distinguished Service Award December 15 in Orlando, Florida, during the banquet at the 46th annual National Athletic Directors Conference conducted jointly by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the NIAAA.
The Distinguished Service Award is presented annually to individuals from within the NIAAA membership in recognition of their length of service, special accomplishments and contributions to interscholastic athletics at the local, state and national levels. Nominations are submitted by state athletic directors associations, screened by the NIAAA Awards Committee and selected by the NIAAA Board of Directors.
Ebersole is a graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College with a Master’s Degree in Sports Administration from The Ohio State University. Upon graduation, he spent five years at the professional sports level, serving as Director of Community relations for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Following his tenure with the Cavs, he moved to public administration with the City of Cleveland Parks and Recreation Department. While with Cleveland Parks and Recreation, he served as Program Liaison to the Cleveland Public Schools Athletic Department and was also appointed Commissioner of the Erie Shore Conference.
In August of 1991, he became Athletic Coordinator for the Lakewood City Schools. Since that time, Ebersole has served as an athletic administrator in Lakewood, Fairview Park, Lorain, and Hudson City Schools. He has remained at Hudson since 2004.
Throughout his interscholastic career, he has been very active at the local, state, and national levels. He has managed numerous Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Sectional, District, and Regional Tournaments in Boys Basketball, Field Hockey, Football, Boys and Girls Soccer, Volleyball, and Baseball. Additionally, he has presented a wide variety of workshops and Leadership Training Institute (LTI) Courses at the local and state level. He most recently served on the OHSAA Division I Evaluation Committee.
In 2003, Ebersole served on the Ohio Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (OIAAA) Professional Development Committee and has served as State Chair for LTI 620, “Coaching for Character”. He has been a member of the Northeast Ohio Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NEOIAAA) Executive Committee and is a past president of the Lorain County Athletic Administrators Association.
On the national level, Ebersole served as the National Chair of the NIAAA Sports Turf Education Committee from 2000-2007. He assisted in the content development for LTI 615 and 619 and is a member of the National Faculty for both courses. He was also the National Course Chair for LTI 619. In 2004, he was named to serve on the prestigious NIAAA Strategic Planning Committee, which established the objectives and direction of the national organization for the period 2005-2010.
Locally, he has been instrumental in fund-raising campaigns to enhance the physical facilities for his school districts and student-athletes. During his interscholastic athletic administration career at Hudson, he has assisted in raising funds and completing athletic-related projects totaling more than $9.1 million in value.
Ebersole was the recipient of the NIAAA and OIAAA Distinguished Service Award in 2003 and he received a special commendation in 2005 for his work with the NIAAA Strategic Planning Committee. He received the State Award of Merit from the NEOIAAA IN 2007, the NEOIAAA Citation in 2012, and the NEOIAAA Meritorious Service Award in 2014. He is also the NEOIAAA and OIAAA “Athletic Director of the Year” for 2015.
Ray has been married for 35 years to his wife, Pam. They are the parents of Drew, 24.
This is the third consecutive year an OIAAA member has received the DSA recognition at the National Conference. At the 2013 Conference held in Anaheim, CA, Paul Moses, CMAA, athletic director at Strongsville High School, received the DSA Award. In December of 2014, Glen Gillespie, CAA, retired athletic administrator from Sylvania Southview High School was honored.
Past OIAAA recipients of the DSA:
Recipient: From: Year of recognition:
Dave Larimer Hillsboro 1983
Jerry Schoonover Lima 1987
Ralph Young Delaware 1990
Roger Young Pickerington 1991
Ann Dustin Cincinnati 1992
Jim Rolfes Springfield 1993
Dave Bell Zanesville 1996
Michael Rotonda Columbus 2002
William Schumacher Chagrin Falls 2009
Paul Moses Strongsville 2013
Glen Gillespie Sylvania Southview 2014
Ray Ebersole Hudson 2015
About the Ohio Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association
The Ohio Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association supports and helps in the professional development of over 1,500 Ohio middle school and high school athletic administrators. Formed as an association for over 50 years, the OIAAA provides multiple training and networking opportunities for member schools. The annual State Conference draws athletic directors across Ohio along with nearly 75 vendors connected to interscholastic athletics. Additionally, six districts comprise the various geographical regions of the state which hold their own workshops throughout the school year. The OIAAA is affiliated with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) and collaborates with the NIAAA to provide a series of nationally board-certified (through the North Central Assessment Council) courses for leadership training of athletic administrators.
