Even Windham was sending kids to D-I schools back then. The “Golden Triangle” recruiting area was rocking and roll in’.
Yes it was. The Vindicator did something similar to what Worm posted but it was for D1 players from the Youngstown-Warren area, there would have been far too many to list otherwise. Chuck Perazich was the sports editor at that time and he would periodically publish the stats from the NCAA regarding number of D1 players produced per capita in areas that had a population of at least 500,000.
The Youngstown-Warren area often led the country at the time. In one of the articles the NCAA said that the local area led the country with one D1 player produced per approx. every 6100 people. Cincinnati was #2 with 1 per approx. 8200 people. It then listed the 84 D1 players from the Youngstown-Warren area at the time.
In addition they used to publish pictures of those graduating players going D1 singing their LOIs. Usually their fathers were standing behind them as they signed. I can remember one in particular. At the table were the following seniors signing their LOIs:
Bernie Kosar - Boardman - Miami (Fla)
Mike Zordich - Chaney - Penn St.
Bob Maggs - Mooney - OSU
Steve Johnson - Mooney - Michigan
John Thomas - Mooney - Ga. Tech.
George Saadey - Mooney - Cincinnati
Ray Carter - Ursuline - Notre Dame
Al Ezman - Ursuline - Air Force.
Don Ginetti - Struthers - Penn St.
Pete Popovich - Austintown Fitch - Tulane but he transferred to Kansas
Jed Kesler - Boardman - Cincinnati
Ellis Sullivan - South - Cincinnati
Victor Bush - South - Cincinnati
There were several others that went on to YSU, Akron, MAC schools, S. Illinois etc. and that was just Mahoning County.
The area still produces some big time talent but not in the quantity that it once did which of course makes sense considering the huge population loss. The area doesn't even qualify for the NCAA prerequisite 500,000 population anymore.
