SPORTS SHORTS: Panther volleyball team is on a roll, City Golf Champs, What's up Doc?, For the Bookshelf, Who's Crazy, & In Dad''s Footsteps.

After making headlines in late September for their stunning victory over Mentor, the Euclid Panther girls’ volleyball team kept its winning momentum going with a lopsided 25-16, 25-13, 25-11 triumph over Garfield Heights last weekend.

As noted in a recent Plain Dealer report, the come-from-behind win against Mentor gave Coach Tamika Drake her first-ever conquest of the Cardinals, who are the defending Lake Erie League champions. Behind the stellar play of Shaniqua Chisolm and Marissa Williams, the Panther girls rallied for the victory after losing the first game, 13-25. Whitney Hayes contributed eight kills and eight digs to the Panthers’ victory over Mentor, which boosted their season record to 15-6 and kept them in first place in the LEL Lake Division.

City Golf Champs -- The top winner in the city of Euclid Golf Championship tournament held Oct. 9 and 10 at Briardale Greens Golf Course was John Iosue, who won the low gross stroke play title in Flight A. He edged runner-up Steve Blackburn Sr. for the crown. In the Flight A handicap division, Jim Churney posted the best low net score, while Al Winton finished second.

In Flight B, the low gross champion was Ron Rositani, while Gary Cogin took runner-up honors. In low net play, Stan Kebe took first place, just ahead of Ted Heindel.

What’s Up, Doc? -- Former Euclid Panther basketball coach Hal “Doc” Daugherty is now serving on the executive board of the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame and Museum, which will hold its sixth annual induction ceremony for the Class of 2011 next May at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

The mission of the organization is to “recognize outstanding players and coaches at all levels and maintain a historical museum which portrays the history of basketball in Ohio.”

Coach Daugherty was enshrined with the Class of 2010, along with such familiar names as Cavaliers’ owner Gordon Gund and Coach Lenny Wilkens. The inaugural class in 2006 included former St. Joseph High and Ohio State standout Clark Kellogg.

For the Bookshelf -- Former Euclid resident Bob Dolgan, a long-time sportswriter for the Plain Dealer, is now promoting his latest book, “The Sportswriter Who Punched Sam McDowell.”

You probably guessed it — that sportswriter was Dolgan himself. The author also claims credit for giving McDowell the nickname “Sudden Sam.” The new book includes 114 stories about such Cleveland sports figures as Bob Feller, Lou Boudreau, Brian Sipe, Otto Graham, and Jim Brown.  Published by Kent State University Press, the book is available at Amazon.com.

Dolgan, who notes that he is available to appear for “humorous talks” at meetings and events, also authored a 2006 tell-all book, “America’s Polka King—The Real Story of Frankie Yankovic.”

Who’s Crazy? — Speaking of sportswriters, Dan Coughlin, who once spent two weeks filling in at the old Euclid News-Journal as a favor to a staffer who needed a vacation break, also has a new book out. Coughlin, better known lately for his work on TV8’s Friday night high school football report, titled his: “Crazy—With the Papers to Prove It.”

The explanation: “I covered sports in Cleveland for 45 years and that would make anybody crazy,” Dan says. “I wrote about the screwballs, oddballs, and goofballs. I covered thrilling events and also met fascinating people.”  Among  the “oddballs” profiled in his book are gambler Junior O’Malley, dwarf sportswriter Dennis Lustig, and practical joker Doug Dieken.

Coughlin’s book includes more than 40 chapters or vignettes, including an account of a day spent with heavyweight champ Muhammad Ali and another about the sad end to the friendship between Browns’ coaches Paul Brown and Blanton Collier. Published by Gray & Co., the book was scheduled to appear in bookstores on Oct. 15.

In Dad’s Footsteps — Mike Golic, the one-time standout football player at Notre Dame and St. Joseph High, must be paying special attention the fortunes of the Fighting Irish these days. During a recent game against Boston College, one of his sons, Mike Golic Jr., got a chance to play for Notre Dame as a backup center. Another son, Jake Golic, is a tight end for the Irish.

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Volume 1, Issue 7, Posted 3:24 PM, 10.19.2010