Dunlap To Be Inducted Into Ohio High School Coaches Hall of Fame – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/17/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
COLUMBUS, Ohio – After spending 24 seasons as head coach at Columbus Beechcroft High School and the past year as a program assistant on the Ohio State football staff, Tom Dunlap will be honored Friday as a 2010 inductee into the Ohio High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame.
The Columbus native joins Dave Bruney (Martins Ferry), Jim Chapman (Willoughby South), Chuck Kyle (St. Ignatius), Tom Crosby (Mariemont) and Mo Tipton (Orville) as members of the 2010 class.
After a successful high school coaching career in which he led Beechcroft to a 174-70 record, 13 playoff appearances and nine Columbus City Championships, Dunlap joined the Ohio State football staff in August 2009, helping the Buckeyes in operations, academics and recruiting.
A teacher in the Columbus City Schools system since 1974, he joined the faculty of Beechcroft High School in 1977 and taught there until 2009. The internship coordinator and credit recovery instructor, he was named Teacher of the Year by the Beechcroft PTA in 1995.
From his point of view, however, Dunlap’s greatest accomplishment had nothing to do with his record, championships or any award but the lives of players he was able to influence.
“Coaching a City League school, obviously my job as a coach was to teach the game of football but for me it was more than that,” Dunlap said. “I wanted to do whatever I could in my power to make these kids good people off the field and help them realize what they do in the classroom and in the community is much more important than anything they could do on the field Friday night. Since I was there for 24 years, I had the opportunity to coach many of the sons of my former players and see how they had grown over the years. It was great for me to make a difference in many of their lives.”
Despite being an accomplished high school coach, Dunlap was excited but, at the same time, unsure of what his future as part of the program would bring after retiring. Within just a short time, he came to realize there was no reason to be hesitant about how he might fit in at Ohio State.
“The transition, I would not say I had fear about it but I definitely was anxious,” Dunlap added. “When I came to work that very first day, everybody immediately treated me with respect. From Coach Tressel down to the interns, everybody asked questions but integrated me into activities and made the transition from longtime head coach of a high school program to this juggernaut that much easier.”
A father of two, including Melissa Palmisciano, who is a major in the U.S. Marine Corps and is married to a major in the Marines, Dunlap’s greatest moment at Ohio State so far was his first game and the first game for the Buckeyes in 2009, the opener against Navy.
“It was a great moment walking onto that field in front of 100,000-plus,” Dunlap said. “My favorite team outside of Ohio State is the Naval Academy because my daughter received her undergraduate degree from there and her master’s in law at Ohio State. It was my birthday, my son-in-law did the flyover and I really had to just pinch myself because it just seemed so unreal.
As the season progressed, I was able to see what this place is all about,” Dunlap added. “Everything about Ohio State is special and the main reason is the people. Everybody is genuine and sincere from top to bottom. We do everything the proper way and I am honored to be a part of it.”
Needless to say, the University, athletics department and football program are just as privileged to have Tom Dunlap as a part of the Ohio State family.
