2004 Hall of Fame Class Has It All
March 22, 2004

Former ABC sports anchorman Jim McKay would love the 2004 Ashland University Hall of Fame class.

McKay used to span the globe for ABC while hosting Wide World of Sports. In that role, he provided viewers with a look at athletes and events from all corners of the world and in a wide variety of events.

The 2004 Ashland University Hall of Fame class takes in a wide array of events and achievements. Several sports are represented in this year’s class and the inductees enjoyed great personal and team success while playing for the Eagles.

This year’s class includes Ben Dagley (Class of 1990), Richard Ferrari (Class of 1976), Richard McKenzie (Class of 1961), Bill Overmyer (Class of 1972), Doug Powell (Class of 1990), Jack Rendlesham (Class of 1977), and Bobbi Pugh Weaver (Class of 1993).

This group will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at Ashland University’s 20th Annual Hall of Fame/All-Sports Banquet on Sunday, April 4, at 5 p.m. The banquet will be held at AU’s Myers Convocation Center. Tickets for the event can be purchased by calling the AU athletic department at 419-289-5441.

Biographical information on the inductees can be found below.

Ben Dagley
Dagley made a name for himself in wrestling. He was a starter for four seasons and finished fourth or higher at the regional meet all four years he wrestled. In 1989 he was a regional champion. That same year he was the Eagles’ most valuable wrestler while finishing as the national runnerup at 150 pounds. He led AU in falls that season. That finish earned Dagley one of the two All-America citations he collected at AU. In 1988 he was sixth at 142 pounds.

Dagley is one of nine wrestlers in school history to win 100 matches in his career. His four-year record is 106-44-4 (.701) and he’s part of a select group of Eagle matmen to win 30 matches in a season (30-1988-89).

Dagley and his wife, Julie Johnson Dagley (a 1991 AU graduate), have two children – Kara, 9, and Dylan, 3. The family resides in Wooster, OH. Dagley is a national accounts sales engineer for Heads and Threads International LLC.

Richard Ferrari
Lacrosse was Ferrari’s game. In 1974 he led the Midwest in points (65/5.6 ppg.). He had the most goals in a game (7), most assists in a game (7) and most points in a game (13). He held the career record for points (187). Ferrari received first team All-Midwest honors at the attack position. He was honorable mention All-America.

After leaving Ashland, Ferrari attended New York Radiological Institute and received a degree in nuclear medicine technology. He later worked at John Hopkins in the nuclear medicine department.

Ferrari and his wife, Beth Lynn, have three children – Joshua, 19, Sara Beth, 17, and Alyssia Grace, 15.

Richard McKenzie
McKenzie played football and basketball at Ashland from 1957-60 and was a four-year letterwinner in both sports. He was a co-captain on both squads his senior season. He was a first team all-conference pick and honorable mention All-Ohio on the gridiron. McKenzie was an offensive and defensive end in football and was a forward in basketball.

That playing experience has served McKenzie well. He’s spent a good deal of his life on a football field. He was a high school official from 1963-1976 and then worked in the Ohio Athletic Conference (1968-1973) and Mid-American Conference (1973-77).

From there, McKenzie made the leap most officials dream about – he moved to the NFL. McKenzie worked NFL games from 1978-1994. He officiated three NFC championships games (1985, 1987, 1991), one AFC title matchup (1994) and two Super Bowls (1990, 1992). Today he’s an associate NFL supervisor of game officials, assisting in the supervision, training, development, observation and evaluation of game officials. He’s held that position since 1995.

McKenzie is employed as an accountant at B.F. Goodrich Co., in Akron and Marion, OH. He and his wife, Patti, have three children and seven grandchildren. One son, Dana, is a football official in the Big Ten, NFL Europe and Arena Football 1.

Bill Overmyer
Physical toughness and rugged defensive line play were the trademarks of Bill Overmyer’s career. Overmyer was an anchor for the AU defense throughout his career. He was tabbed the team’s best lineman for three years (1969, 1970, 1971). In 1970 he had 107 tackles and the following season, he posted 120 tackles and three fumble recoveries. Following the 1971 season the defensive end was a second team Kodak All-America and an AP honorable mention All-America. He was drafted in the 14th round by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Overmyer is employed in the home improvement industry. He and his wife, Dana, along with their son, Jon, and daughters Carly and Nichole, live in Willard, OH.

Doug Powell
Playing the pass or the run, Powell was equally strong. He completed his career as one of the most successful defensive backs in AU history. Powell was cited as an All-America by Kodak, USA Today, the Football Gazette, the Associated Press and Don Hansen. In 1989 he was the Heartland Conference defensive player of the year. That same season he was the AU male athlete of the year.

Powell had 141 tackles in 1989 and that’s the eighth highest single-season total in school history. However, Powell’s prowess extended beyond the gridiron as he was an exceptional student, too. Powell was awarded an NCAA postgraduate scholarship and he was the recipient of the Heartland Conference’s Hinkle Scholar-Athlete award in 1989. Twice he was named to the league’s all-academic team. Powell was a business administration major with a minor in computer information systems. He had a 3.6 GPA.

Powell and his wife, Amy (a 1990 AU graduate), have three children – Joshua, 17, Jacob, 10, and Chloe, 5. The family resides in Atlanta, GA, where Powell is a systems conversion manager with Coca-Cola.

Jack Rendlesham
Rendlesham’s specialty was high quality golf. In 1975 he placed 13th at the NCAA Division III national tournament. He was a Division III honorable mention All-America in 1976 and in 1977 was a second team All-America. At the 1977 NCAA Division III national championships held in Gambier, OH, Rendlesham finished ninth.

Since 1977 Rendlesham has been a property/casualty insurance agent. He’s the owner of Rendlesham Insurance Agency LLC, in Willoughby, OH. He and his wife, Betty, have three children – Brian, 19, Allison, 17 and Kyle, 10.

Bobbi Pugh Weaver
When AU fans think volleyball, the first name that comes to mind is Bobbi Pugh. Pugh was a four-year starter and was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference player of the year twice. She made the conference’s all-star team three times and was the AU female student-athlete of the year twice. Pugh was a first team all-region selection as a junior and senior. In 1991 Pugh led the nation in hitting percentage. She played on the first volleyball team in school history to win a conference championship – AU captured a GLVC title in 1991. All of those awards helped her secure second team All-America status in 1991.

A look through the record book reveals that Weaver is still listed among the Eagles’ best in numerous categories. She is Ashland’s career leader in kills and is second in digs. Weaver owns the school single-season record for digs and has three of the top six single-season kills totals in school history.

Weaver is a teacher in the Madison Local School District. She and her husband, Brian, have two children – Mackenzie Ann, 6 and Matthew Patrick, 3.