Fairmont High School Athletic Hall of Fame nears induction
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FAIRMONT - The 2026 Fairmont High School Athletic Hall of Fame class is nearing its official induction. After being announced on Wednesday, Jan. 21, Jack Houfer (1955), Marlene Ditzler (1957), Nick Lardy (1986), Brent Schultze (1996), Brandon Thiesse (1998), Angie Toothaker (2004), Megan Sandhurst (2007), Matt Reeve (2007) and Sam Waletich (2009) will officially be recognized for their contributions to Cardinal athletics.
"My grandpa established it to recognize former athletes for their achievements inside and outside of the classroom," Fairmont High School activities director Mat Mahoney said. "Even at the college level, we've had a lot of kids who have gone on and done some really good things. But I think the Hall of Fame was started to highlight kids for their athletic achievements."
The Hall of Fame goes beyond an individual athletic achievement. Coaches and other contributors have been awarded for their time giving back to the Fairmont community. This latest class shows two inductees, Houfer and Ditzler, who fit that bill.
Houfer, after contributing to Fairmont basketball's 1955 state tournament team, returned to the area to coach both the Cardinals and Granada-Huntley-East Chain for more than 30 years. Ditzler was someone behind-the-scenes for Fairmont sports. She worked for 43 years doing various tasks to help events run smoothly. According to Mat Mahoney, she did everything from taking tickets to turning the lights on and off.
"We want to recognize people who have made a life-lasting impact on our activities here at Fairmont," Mat Mahoney said. "Don't get me wrong, we want to highlight the kids who've been on some really good teams or had really good individual seasons, but we also want to highlight the other people who've dedicated their time and energy to our programs."
Festivities begin next Friday, September 25, at halftime of Fairmont football's home opener against Austin. Each member will walk across the track of Mahoney Field as a summary of achievements is read over the sound system.
The official banquet starts the following night in Fairmont High School's Performing Arts Center. Public admission is free for the 5:00 p.m. event. Each inductee will have a prerecorded video played, talking about their Cardinals career achievements before receiving their official plaque.
"What I think is cool about the Hall of Fame is that you have some old coaches, parents or some alumni who come back to town to support their inductee," Mat Mahoney said. "It's kinda cool. Because some of those people you just don't see every day."
Origins of the Hall
Tom Mahoney Sr., the former Cardinals athletic director and long-tenured head coach of the football program, created a nine-person selection committee in 1989 that established the Fairmont High School Athletic Hall of Fame we see today.
Today's selection process retains the same nine-person committee. Each person is responsible for bringing a list of names they seem worthy of getting the top honor. Nominated members can come from three categories: Athletes, Coaches and Special Contributors.
The initial list, which features up to 90 names, is chiseled down to a shorter list of individuals. A final voting process shrinks the name pool down further. Mat Mahoney says they aim for at least eight names. Names who made the first cut but came shy of the final Hall of Fame nod are considered.