Baseball Coach Jeff Mielcarek Selected to Toledo City League Hall of Fame
Central Catholic baseball head coach Jeff Mielcarek has been named to the Toledo City League Hall of Fame. Coach Mielcarek will be 1 of 6 individuals, along with a state championship team, to be inducted into the HOF on Monday, Dec. 5 at the Premier Banquet Hall in Toledo.
Coach Mielcarek will enter the hall for his coaching contributions, as will Dick Crowell (Bowsher basketball).
"It’s a true honor to be a part of the Toledo City League Hall of Fame,” said Mielcarek, who has guided CCHS to 3 district titles (1989, ‘90, and 2021). “The league provided some unreal Hall of Fame coaches, Hall of Fame players and Hall of Fame teams through the years, which made it a challenge to be a part of. I will forever be grateful for the people who I was able to meet through the Toledo City League."
Honored as athletes will be Diane McClellan (track & field, DeVilbiss Class of 1965), Clinton Ransey (basketball, Macomber, 1983), Toledo Public Schools Superintendent Romules Durant (football, Waite, 1994), and Olympic high jump silver medalist Erik Kynard (track & field, Rogers, 2009).
And, the team being inducted is coach Bev Martin's 1977 Class AAA state championship track & field relay team from Rogers: Sheila Gibson, Sherri Perry, Cynthia Davis, and Jane Guilford. They won the 880-yard relay race state title, helping the Rams to the team title.
Coach Mielcarek was hired as the varsity baseball coach at CCHS in January of 1987 at the age of 22 after playing and coaching under Hall of Famer Don Kober. His teams at Central Catholic have compiled a record of 529-385 during the last 36 years. The Fighting Irish won the City League in 2008, ’10, and ‘13, as well as finished runner-up in 1993, ‘95, ‘96, ’97, and 2009. In addition, they won the regular-season title in 1991, ’96, and 2004.
The 2010 City League Championship was a special moment for Coach Mielcarek, as his son Travis pitched a complete game and added 2 hits offensively, which earned him the Walter Wood MVP Award.
In 2012, with the help of a passionate group of coaches and supporters, and the funding from close friend Cleves Delp (Class of ’82), the Fighting Irish moved to their state-of-the-art baseball stadium in South Toledo. Mercy Health Field has hosted many high school and college games since 2012 and has been named both Regional and State Field of the Year.
A 1991 inductee into the CCHS Athletic Hall of Fame, Coach Mielcarek has been the President of the Metro Toledo Baseball Coaches Association, served as the President of the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association, and currently is their Business Manager. In 2011, he was inducted into the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and received the OHSAA Sportsmanship Award.
The Toledo City Athletic League Hall of Fame was established 39 years ago to recognize individuals who have distinguished themselves in the field of athletics, as an athlete, as a coach, as an administrator, or as a distinguished citizen within the athletic community.
Social hour for the event begins at 5:30 pm, dinner is scheduled for 6:30 pm, and the induction ceremonies are set for 7:30 pm at Premier, which is located 4480 Heatherdowns Blvd.
