Glenville State University has announced the 2022 Induction Class of the Curtis Elam Athletic Hall of Fame. Ceremonies are set for October 1st.  More information about the 2022 Hall of Fame induction will be released at a later date. 

 

Included in this year's class is Harrison County native and Liberty High School graduate Brian Hill. Hill, who began his coaching career at his Alma Mater under Rich Rodriguez, is currently the defensive coordinator at Glenville and also serves as the school's chief diversity officer. 

 

Below are brief summaries on all the honorees, starting with Hill.

 

BRIAN HILL – Class of 1990 – Hill was a star defensive lineman who broke the Glenville record for tackles in a single season with 145 in 1988, making First-Team All-Conference. He closed his career with 366 total tackles for his career. He has since enjoyed a long and successful coaching career. He now serves as Glenville's Defensive Coordinator and also the school's Chief Diversity Officer. He played along other GSU defensive legends such as Todd Layhew, Luther Toney, and Eric Mitchell. Hill was a star at local Liberty High School in Clarksburg, and came to Glenville in the Fall of 1986. 

 

MIKE EBERBAUGH – Class of 1963 – Eberbaugh was a star basketball player in the early 1960's and averaged a double-double throughout his career. He came to Glenville out of Charleston High School, and made an immediate impact on the Glenville program. He averaged a double-double all four seasons, culminating in his senior season of 1963 when he averaged 22.4 points per game and 12.2 rebounds. He was a First-Team All-Conference performer, and closed his career with 1798 career points, and is still ranked ninth, and with 966 rebounds, which still has him sixth. He worked in the public schools in three states, and ended his career working with the West Virginia State Board of Education. 

 

TEX GAINER – Class of 1951 – (1927-1990) - Tex Gainer is a true Gilmer County legend. As a star on the 1945 Normantown High School team, he helped lead the Vikings to the State Basketball title…during an era when there was only one class and over 300 high schools in the state. He went on to star at Glenville where he helped lead the Pioneers to the 1951 WVIAC Tournament title and advance to the National Tournament. He was the second leading scorer and top rebounder on that squad. He was on a '51 squad that was loaded with Hall of Famers such as Bob "Hooks" Hardman, Dickie Barrett, Don Merriman, Bob Turner, and Glennard Vannoy. After college, Gainer was a long-time Gilmer County, coach, teacher, administrator, and politician. Gainer made the All-Tournament team in Glenville's 1951 WVIAC Tournament Championship run. 

 

BRIAN HILL – Class of 1990 – Hill was a star defensive lineman who broke the Glenville record for tackles in a single season with 145 in 1988, making First-Team All-Conference. He closed his career with 366 total tackles for his career. He has since enjoyed a long and successful coaching career. He now serves as Glenville's Defensive Coordinator and also the school's Chief Diversity Officer. He played along other GSU defensive legends such as Todd Layhew, Luther Toney, and Eric Mitchell. Hill was a star at local Liberty High School in Clarksburg, and came to Glenville in the Fall of 1986. 

 

JIM SCOTT – Class of 1977 - Scott was a star on some great Glenville golf teams under Tim Carney in the late 1970's. He was a three-time All-WVIAC performer, and helped lead the Pioneers to three consecutive league titles in 1974, 1975, and 1977. He finished first in the 55-player field at the 1975 Conference Tournament, and was named WVIAC Player of the Year in 1976. He was part of the group that kick-started Carney's GSC Golf Dynasty that would produce 12 league titles over a 23-year span. 

  

GLENNARD VANNOY – Class of 1951 – (1926-2015) - Vannoy was the unofficial State "Player of the Year" in Normantown's title run of 1945, making Captain of the All-State team. At Glenville, Vannoy was a major baseball star in the WVIAC for the Pioneers, and was also a very productive player on some great Glenville basketball teams. As noted above, Vannoy, was a star at Glenville on rosters that included a large volume of future Hall of Famers. After his college career, Vannoy enjoyed a professional baseball career in the minor leagues. After Glenville, he spent over three decades as a teacher and coach in the public schools.  

 

KIM WEST – Class of 1978 – In Glenville's return to Women's Basketball in 1975, the first team ever under the guise of the AIAW, Kim West was a standout scorer on the early teams. She averaged 12.9 as a freshman, then 15.7 in her sophomore year of 1976,..over a third of the team's average. She averaged 12.1 in '77, then 15.7 again in her senior season of '78, teaming with stars Kim Short and Debbie Grogg to lead the Lady Pioneers to a 23-14 mark over those two seasons. She was also a volleyball star on the school's first ever squad, and went on to a long career in the public schools. She was also a strong proponent of the growth of female sports in the state, and served one of the state's most highly regarded officials for several decades. 

 

Editor's Note: Photo courtesy of Jason Gum from the Robert F. Kidd Library/ Archives; photo of Brian Hill sent by Glenville State Athletics, Lex Shaffer.