- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 430,349
- Reaction score
- 44
Doug Hladek may have never compared life to a box of chocolates, but in many respects he’s about as close to Forest Gump as Ashtabula County can offer.
That’s not a comment on his intelligence or running ability, but rather to the events he’s witnessed and people he’s dealt with in his many years in Ashtabula County sports.
Yes, the canvas Hladek painted on was smaller than Gump’s. He never witnessed Watergate or the Vietnam War and never met Richard Nixon or John Lennon
But throughout his career, Hladek, who will be inducted into the Ashtabula County Basketball Foundation’s Hall of Fame as a contributor Sunday, influenced and was influenced by the county events and people of his time.
Hladek began playing basketball in a familiar fashion.
“I got introduced to the game when I was about eight or nine years old when my two older brothers hung a homemade backboard on the garage and we started to shoot in the driveway, dribbling around puddles and shoveling snow it off in the winter, turning on one dim light to play at night,” he said
“You have to understand, I have eight brothers and three sisters, so we could always find a game among all those brothers or neighbors in Plymouth.”
Hladek started playing basketball at Plymouth Elementary School in the fifth and sixth grades in the Rotary Elementary Basketball League.
“A guy brings his State Road team over, a guy by the name of Ange Candela,” Hladek said. “He was the principal at State Road at the time. Those kids were pretty well-conditioned and they ran roughshod over us.
“Another team that I remember coming was West Elementary and they had a future ACBF Hall of Famer named Jim Hood. I got to be on the undefeated West Jr. High team with him in the seventh grade. I was about 23rd string and he was one of the giants.”
When Hladek reached Ashtabula High School, where he graduated in 1971, he met two more Hall of Fame legends — coach Gene Gephart and Bob Walters, in addition to players who would become Hall of Famers like Dan Craft, Eugene Miller and Hood.
“I didn’t even try out until I was a senior,” Hladek said. “By that time, it’s kind of late to make the team.”
Hladek played college ball at Kent State Ashtabula, coached at that time by Hall of Famer Ed Armstrong.
He played there two years with players like the Landphair brothers (Al and Charlie) from Geneva, Bill Kaydo and Randy Pawlowski from Ashtabula; John Colson and Dave Simpson from Conneaut; Ned Roach from Pymatuning Valley and Billy Johnston and John Wheelock from Saint John.
At that time, Kent State’s branch campuses had teams that competed against each other in basketball, baseball, tennis and cross country, with Don Gill acting as athletic director.
There he met, courted and later married Pat Thorpe, ‘the cutest cheerleader at Kent State-Ashtabula.’
After Hladek finished his two years at the Ashtabula branch, he transferred to Kent State’s main campus. During that time, Hladek also got his basketball official’s certificate. He recently received his 50-year pin as an official.
Later, when he began teaching, Hladek returned to KSU Ashtabula as a coach and coached outstanding players, including Hall of Famers Willie Osborne, Eugene Miller, Tim Bowler, and John Lipani. Other players included John Bowler, Phil Sholtis, Dave McCoy, Dale Keep and Tom Juhola. Bob Dulak was athletic director at that time.
After earning his teaching degree at Kent, Hladek returned to Ashtabula to teach and coach.
He was Harbor freshman and eighth grade basketball coach under Hall of Famer Andy Isco and junior high girls volleyball assistant for Hall of Famer Frank Rosksovics while Dik Pavolino served as AD.
In 1987, he became assistant principal at Columbus Junior High School, then principal at State Road and McKinsey Elementary schools and served as assistant superintendent to Dr. William Licate from 2002-2006.
In 2006, Hladek took a the job as superintendent at Jefferson Area Local Schools and served there for seven years before retiring.
For many years, he moved through the ranks of basketball officiating, making it as far as the varsity district state tournament games.
During his time as an official, Hladek worked with such notables as Tony Tulino, Tom Carr, Joe Rich, Mike Hassett, Don Condon, Jerry Raffenaud, Ed Bento, Dave Sheldon, Al Runyan, Becky Olmstead, John Powers, Mike Czup, Ray Heidecker, Tom Cooney, Rawley Huskey, Gene Mileusnich, and Wilson Santiago.
“It was exciting to be out there in some of those bigger games and to officiate district games at Lakeland,” Hladek said.
As a referee, Hladek has worked with the most well-known athletic directors in county history, including Hall of Famers Andy Garcia, Ed Batanian, Adam Holman, Bob Hitchcock, Jon Hall, Sr., and Al Goodwin. Other ADs included Larry Carlson, Sue *****, Pavolino, Steve Locy, and Bill Fails.
He continued to play recreational basketball with a group which included Hall of Famers like Jim Chiacchiero, Andy Juhola, Dave Golen, Dana Schulte, Augie Pugliese and Tim Tallbacka.
Hladek’s time as a recreational basketball player came to a sad and abrupt end in June, 2021, when he suffered a stroke.
He initially thought he was too healthy to suffer complications from it for very long.
“I thought I’d be back in no time,” Hladek said.
The stroke has had its physical effects, but he remains sharp mentally. Andy Holloman, another official, had a stroke not long after Hladek, and Hladek feels a kinship with him.
Since the stroke, Hladek has been unable to drive. His kids think Pat has become, among so many other things, his chauffeur, though other friends, like Andy Juhola and John Higgins also gladly help him get around.
“Pat deserves all the credit,” Hladek said. “We’ve been together since college and got married in 1977. She was an Edgewood girl who was cheerleading at Kent State and has stayed with me through all this.”
Doug and Pat have two children.
Kelly graduated from Ashtabula in 1999 and played basketball for Roby Potts, and Ryan graduated from Lakeside in 2003 and played basketball for Jim Hood.
Kelly and her husband, Mike, have two sons who play basketball and soccer, Logan, 11 and Colin, 9. Ryan and his wife, Melissa, have three daughters, Reggie, 6, Gordie Kate 4, and Nellie, 3.
Continue reading...
That’s not a comment on his intelligence or running ability, but rather to the events he’s witnessed and people he’s dealt with in his many years in Ashtabula County sports.
Yes, the canvas Hladek painted on was smaller than Gump’s. He never witnessed Watergate or the Vietnam War and never met Richard Nixon or John Lennon
But throughout his career, Hladek, who will be inducted into the Ashtabula County Basketball Foundation’s Hall of Fame as a contributor Sunday, influenced and was influenced by the county events and people of his time.
Hladek began playing basketball in a familiar fashion.
“I got introduced to the game when I was about eight or nine years old when my two older brothers hung a homemade backboard on the garage and we started to shoot in the driveway, dribbling around puddles and shoveling snow it off in the winter, turning on one dim light to play at night,” he said
“You have to understand, I have eight brothers and three sisters, so we could always find a game among all those brothers or neighbors in Plymouth.”
Hladek started playing basketball at Plymouth Elementary School in the fifth and sixth grades in the Rotary Elementary Basketball League.
“A guy brings his State Road team over, a guy by the name of Ange Candela,” Hladek said. “He was the principal at State Road at the time. Those kids were pretty well-conditioned and they ran roughshod over us.
“Another team that I remember coming was West Elementary and they had a future ACBF Hall of Famer named Jim Hood. I got to be on the undefeated West Jr. High team with him in the seventh grade. I was about 23rd string and he was one of the giants.”
When Hladek reached Ashtabula High School, where he graduated in 1971, he met two more Hall of Fame legends — coach Gene Gephart and Bob Walters, in addition to players who would become Hall of Famers like Dan Craft, Eugene Miller and Hood.
“I didn’t even try out until I was a senior,” Hladek said. “By that time, it’s kind of late to make the team.”
Hladek played college ball at Kent State Ashtabula, coached at that time by Hall of Famer Ed Armstrong.
He played there two years with players like the Landphair brothers (Al and Charlie) from Geneva, Bill Kaydo and Randy Pawlowski from Ashtabula; John Colson and Dave Simpson from Conneaut; Ned Roach from Pymatuning Valley and Billy Johnston and John Wheelock from Saint John.
At that time, Kent State’s branch campuses had teams that competed against each other in basketball, baseball, tennis and cross country, with Don Gill acting as athletic director.
There he met, courted and later married Pat Thorpe, ‘the cutest cheerleader at Kent State-Ashtabula.’
After Hladek finished his two years at the Ashtabula branch, he transferred to Kent State’s main campus. During that time, Hladek also got his basketball official’s certificate. He recently received his 50-year pin as an official.
Later, when he began teaching, Hladek returned to KSU Ashtabula as a coach and coached outstanding players, including Hall of Famers Willie Osborne, Eugene Miller, Tim Bowler, and John Lipani. Other players included John Bowler, Phil Sholtis, Dave McCoy, Dale Keep and Tom Juhola. Bob Dulak was athletic director at that time.
After earning his teaching degree at Kent, Hladek returned to Ashtabula to teach and coach.
He was Harbor freshman and eighth grade basketball coach under Hall of Famer Andy Isco and junior high girls volleyball assistant for Hall of Famer Frank Rosksovics while Dik Pavolino served as AD.
In 1987, he became assistant principal at Columbus Junior High School, then principal at State Road and McKinsey Elementary schools and served as assistant superintendent to Dr. William Licate from 2002-2006.
In 2006, Hladek took a the job as superintendent at Jefferson Area Local Schools and served there for seven years before retiring.
For many years, he moved through the ranks of basketball officiating, making it as far as the varsity district state tournament games.
During his time as an official, Hladek worked with such notables as Tony Tulino, Tom Carr, Joe Rich, Mike Hassett, Don Condon, Jerry Raffenaud, Ed Bento, Dave Sheldon, Al Runyan, Becky Olmstead, John Powers, Mike Czup, Ray Heidecker, Tom Cooney, Rawley Huskey, Gene Mileusnich, and Wilson Santiago.
“It was exciting to be out there in some of those bigger games and to officiate district games at Lakeland,” Hladek said.
As a referee, Hladek has worked with the most well-known athletic directors in county history, including Hall of Famers Andy Garcia, Ed Batanian, Adam Holman, Bob Hitchcock, Jon Hall, Sr., and Al Goodwin. Other ADs included Larry Carlson, Sue *****, Pavolino, Steve Locy, and Bill Fails.
He continued to play recreational basketball with a group which included Hall of Famers like Jim Chiacchiero, Andy Juhola, Dave Golen, Dana Schulte, Augie Pugliese and Tim Tallbacka.
Hladek’s time as a recreational basketball player came to a sad and abrupt end in June, 2021, when he suffered a stroke.
He initially thought he was too healthy to suffer complications from it for very long.
“I thought I’d be back in no time,” Hladek said.
The stroke has had its physical effects, but he remains sharp mentally. Andy Holloman, another official, had a stroke not long after Hladek, and Hladek feels a kinship with him.
Since the stroke, Hladek has been unable to drive. His kids think Pat has become, among so many other things, his chauffeur, though other friends, like Andy Juhola and John Higgins also gladly help him get around.
“Pat deserves all the credit,” Hladek said. “We’ve been together since college and got married in 1977. She was an Edgewood girl who was cheerleading at Kent State and has stayed with me through all this.”
Doug and Pat have two children.
Kelly graduated from Ashtabula in 1999 and played basketball for Roby Potts, and Ryan graduated from Lakeside in 2003 and played basketball for Jim Hood.
Kelly and her husband, Mike, have two sons who play basketball and soccer, Logan, 11 and Colin, 9. Ryan and his wife, Melissa, have three daughters, Reggie, 6, Gordie Kate 4, and Nellie, 3.
Continue reading...
