2009 Circle of Champions Members:
Robin Freeman
Dick Schafrath
Larry Siegfried
Mary Wineberg
LeBron James
Robin Freeman
graduated from Cincinnati Hughes High School. Hours and hours of
practice leading up to his senior season in 1952 helped him set the
state�s scoring record when he averaged
39.5 points a game. And don�t forget, that was 30 years before the
three-point line! He was known for pioneering the jump shot at a
time when the flat-footed set shot was the norm.
Robin then attended
Ohio State, where he became the Buckeyes� first two-time
All-American. He averaged 31.5 points per game as a junior and 32.9
as a senior, and his 28 points per game average for his career is
still an OSU record.
Drafted by the
NBA�s St. Louis Hawks in 1956, Robin never played pro ball, instead
entering law school. He went on to a successful career as a trial
lawyer in Springfield. Freeman passed away on September 23, 2014 at
the age of 80.
Dick Schafrath was a four-sport standout
at Wooster High School. He went on to earn a football scholarship
from Coach Woody Hayes at Ohio State, where he was a two-time
honorable mention All-American lineman; was on the 1957 team that
won the school�s third National Championship and defeated Oregon in
the Rose Bowl, and was team co-captain as a senior.
Dick
was a second-round pick in the NFL draft by Cleveland and spent 13
seasons with the Browns, where he was a fixture at left tackle. He
was all-pro between 1963 and 1966, played in six Pro Bowls and
helped Cleveland win the 1964 NFL Championship. He retired following
the 1971 season.
Dick served in the
U.S. Air Force Air National Guard between 1959 and 1963 and, among
his many vocations and interests following his NFL career, he was
elected and served as an Ohio State Senator between 1984 and 2000.
In addition, Dick returned to Ohio State nearly 50 years following
his playing days to complete his education, earning a bachelor�s
degree in education in August of 2007.
Dick currently
resides in Mansfield with his wife, Judy. They are the parents of
seven children and have 13 grandchildren.
Larry Siegfried is a Shelby native who
starred in basketball for the Whippets. He was an extremely
versatile player who scored over 1,700 points in high school and
averaged more than 38 points a game as a senior.
Larry went on to
play collegiately at Ohio State and was part of one of the most
memorable periods in Buckeye history. As a junior in 1960, he joined
senior Joe Roberts and sophomores Jerry Lucas, John Havlicek and Mel
Nowell to lead Ohio State to its only National Championship. A
Buckeye captain and All-Big Ten in 1961, Larry and his teammates
were undefeated before falling in the national title game his senior
year.
Larry was drafted
by the NBA�s Cincinnati Royals but instead played for the Cleveland
Pipers, who won the American Basketball League title in 1962. After
that league folded, Larry was picked up by Coach Red Auerbach and
the Boston Celtics.
Larry played seven
seasons with the Celtics, and the team won five World Championships
during that time. He led the NBA in free throw percentage twice, was
known for his tenacious defense and had double figure scoring
averages in five seasons. Larry spent his last two seasons with San
Diego, Houston and Atlanta.
Larry and his wife,
Tina, lived in Perrysville. He passed away October 14, 2010.
Mary Wineberg was born Mary Danner in
Brooklyn, New York, and moved to Cincinnati when she was five. While
at Walnut Hills High School, she qualified for the OHSAA�s state
track and field tournament four times in the 4x200-meter relay.
Mary
began to blossom in track at the University of Cincinnati and still
holds school records in the indoor and outdoor 400 meters. She not
only excelled in the sport and graduated from UC with a bachelor�s
degree in education in 2002, but she also met her future husband,
Chris, there. Chris was an NCAA All-American in the decathlon and
currently is an assistant coach for the Bearcats.
Following
graduation, Mary has run professionally and qualified for the 2004
Olympic Trials. While she did not make the U.S. Olympic team that
year, she went on to capture three World Championship medals and
reached the pinnacle of athletics when she qualified for the 2008
U.S. Olympic Track and Field team that competed in Beijing. While on
the U.S. team, Mary participated in the open 400 meters and was a
member of the 4x400-meter relay team that won the Gold Medal.
Mary continues to
train and hopes to again compete in the Olympics in 2012 in London.
When not training, she participates in the Home Depot Olympic Job
Opportunity Program, is a volunteer coach at the University of
Cincinnati, teaches at her church and serves as a mentor and role
model to young track and field athletes.
LeBron James was born in Akron and attended St. Vincent-St.
Mary High School, where he led the Fighting Irish to three state
basketball championships and a state runner-up finish in his four
prep seasons from 1999-2003.
LeBron accumulated
2,646 points, 892 rebounds and 523 assists during his decorated high
school career and scored 206 points in state tournament contests, an
OHSAA state tournament record. James was not only a stellar
basketball star, LeBron was an all-state performer as a sophomore
wide receiver on the football team and helped take St. Vincent-St.
Mary to the state semifinals his junior year.
Following high
school, LeBron was the top selection in the 2003 NBA draft by the
Cleveland Cavaliers, where he continued his basketball success. Off
the field, LeBron is involved in several works of charity including
his own James Family Foundation. James is also involved in
Akron-area charities and the Make-a-Wish Foundation. He was awarded
the NBA's Community Assist Award in 2006 for his efforts.
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