Former Walsh Jesuit football coach and current Dean of Students, Mr. Gerry Rardin, ‘72, was inducted into the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame on October 2, 2018.

Mr. Rardin spent 35 years as the head football coach at WJ, retiring in 2014 with a 252-119-2 record. Rardin’s 252 wins ranks 22^nd all time in Ohio. In 1999, he led the Warriors to the Division II state championship. In 2000, Mr. Rardin was named National High School Coach of the Year. He has coached hundreds of players who have gone on to play in college, with seven going on to the NFL.

Throughout his career, Mr. Rardin made a major impact on his players and assistant coaches. One of those people is Coach Scott Beigie, who both played and served as an assistant under him.

“To learn from [Mr. Rardin] both as a player and as an assistant coach provided me with the foundation of not just my own coaching principles, but the foundation of my everyday principles of how I live my life,” said Mr. Beigie. “Coach Rardin is who I consider the greatest example of a coach, mentor, and person,” he added.

Several other current staff members either played for or coached with Mr. Rardin during his decades-long career. Mr. Stoffl and Mr. Redmond played for Mr. Rardin, and Mr. Thomas and Mr. Grescovich served as assistant coaches.

When asked how being the head coach changed his life, Mr. Rardin responded, “It was such a great experience for 35 years being around people so committed, dedicated, hardworking, and willing to sacrifice for the good of the team and to see so many young men putting the team above themselves. Showing dedication to the team, not themselves, meant so much to me,” said Rardin. As for being named to the Hall of Fame, he noted it was “a nice honor, but it has never been a goal of mine as a coach.”

According to Mr. Rardin, total dedication is required for a successful coaching career. Asked if he would give any advice to a younger version of himself, or to any young football coach, he said, “Coaching can never be a part-time job because, in order to coach football, it has to be your passion… If you don’t feel passion, do something else.”