THE BEGINNING (1959-60)

Roth became the tenth member of the Dayton City League in 1959. Despite its short twenty-three-year existence as a high school, Roth was one of the league’s most successful (winning 6 State Titles between 1976-1982 in Boys Basketball and Boys Track). Before its opening, students living in the Crown Point, Residence Park, Drexel, and part of the Westwood neighborhoods had to attend Roosevelt High School. At the time, all four neighborhoods were still predominantly white. As Roosevelt became more integrated in the late 1950s, many of the families, along with their teachers and administrators began to move their kids out of Roosevelt and over to the new Roth High School. The school was named after former Roosevelt Assistant Principal Nettie Lee Roth who was known as a staunch segregationist.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD (1960-61)

Ironically, as the Westwood Neighborhood slowly became more integrated in the early 1960s so did Roth. As a result, Roth began to attract some of the most talented athletes from across the city with most of them coming from Jane Adams Elementary School located in the Crown Point Neighborhood (a.k.a. The Academy) of West Dayton. With the influx of the young talent, it didn't take long for Football Coach Ken Amlin and Boys Basketball Coach Edgar Norris to field competitive teams in the league. In 1960, Linebacker Larry Hurst was the first Roth Athlete to earn First Team All-City Football Honors and a year later Lee Martin was named First Team All-City and the 1961 City League Player of the Year in Basketball.

FOOTBALL (1963-64)

Roth finished the regular season (9-0) and received the school’s first City Championship Playoff berth to face Colonel White who they had defeated earlier in the season (18-16). Defense was a big reason for the Falcons success that season and why they advanced to the City Championship Game. They led the league defensively in passing and rushing, holding their opponents to 152 rushing and 29 passing yards for the season. Equally important to the defense success were the contributions from Paul Sumlin and Harry Wright blocking seven punts between them and stand-out safety Charles Bell eight touchdown breakups. The offense featured five outstanding running backs (Charles Bell, Sid Davis, Jim Hardin, Lonnie Gilbert and Frank Jackson) and the best quarterback in the Miami Valley Verbie Walder (who threw for 14 touchdowns and 972 yards for the season). Walder’s dual threat (running/throwing) abilities made the Falcons very difficult to defend. The Falcons performed admirably in their first City Championship Game despite having a two-week layoff prior to the big game. They beat a Cougar team bigger physically and, in some ways, statistically too by a score of (32-6). No team this season had scored by passing against Colonel White’s first defensive unit. Roth did, amazing quarterback Verbie Walder connected with Ron Ditto on a 30-yard scoring pass with 46 seconds left in the first half. No team had scored against the Cougars during the first 12 minutes. Roth did, when Walder sneaked three yards into the end zone after 8:29 had elapsed. Charles Bell's 93-yard scamper, off the scissor play, was the best run of the night. Roth had 110-yards in penalties called against them that probably negated two more touchdown scores. The Falcons placed five players on the Dayton Daily News All-City Team First Team that year. Ron Ditto/WR, Jim Hathcock/OT, Verbie Walder/QB, Jim Harden/RB, and Paul Sumlin/DE.

FOOTBALL (1964-65)

After capturing the school’s first City League Title with an unblemished (10-0) record for the 1963-64 season and returning the majority of his key players, Ken Amlin’s Falcons were the unanimous favorite to repeat as City League Champions. Returning for Coach Ken Amlin were players who scored 274 of last year’s 322 points (including pass receivers who chalked up 1,046 of 1,060 yards via the sky and running backs who accounted for 1,512 of 2,141 rushing yards for the season). However, one thing that wasn’t factored into their projected forecast for success was unexpected injuries to key players. Fullback Jim Hardin suffered an early season growing injury that hampered him throughout the season. He was the City League’s second leading scorer last season with 108 points and was the Falcons work horse with 110 carries for 747 yards. The Falcons opened the season up with a (21-12) loss against Cincinnati Moeller one of the top high school programs in the State of Ohio. The Falcons gave the Crusaders all they wanted and with a few breaks here and there could have easily come away with the win. It took some deft second half defensive adjustments and torrential downpours in the fourth quarter to hold off the aroused Falcons. Despite being physically overmatched, Roth’s defense held Moeller to 71-yards rushing in the first half. Moeller’s legendary coach Jerry Faust called Verbie Walder the greatest roll out quarterback he’s ever seen. Walder completed five straight passes during one point of the game and threw for 100-yards for the night. In City League play, the Falcons lost their first City League game since 1962 against Fairview (28-12). On the bus ride back to the school, Senior Co-Captain Lonny Gilbert stood up and challenged the team saying, “We’re going to set this town on fire from here on” and the Falcons did, winning their final six games (averaging 40.67 points per game) and claiming their second straight City League Championship. Walder broke the City League passing touchdown record (throwing 29 touchdown passes) breaking the old record of 17 set by Colonel White’s Bill Gaines in 1960. The Falcons placed six players on the Dayton Daily News All-City Team First Team that year. Ron Ditto/WR, Verbie Walder/QB, Jim Harden/RB, Mike Pullen/DE, Lonny Gilbert/LB and Charles Bell/DB. Both Walder and Bell went on to have Hall of Fame Careers at Indiana State University and Sacramento State University respectively. Several other players from the team went on to have very successful college careers as well: Lonny Gilbert (Louisville), Jim Harden (Bowling Green), Mike Pullen (Tennessee State) and Frank Jackson (Central State).

WRESTLING (1966-67)

The Roth Falcons won the school’s first of two City League Wrestling Titles in 1967 edging out Roosevelt, who had won five straight, by two points. That was the high point for an unusual season for the Falcons since they weren’t invited to any tournaments in the local area that year. The team won 11 dual meets and the Cincinnati Indian Hills Invitational. Only one Falcon (145-pounder Leonard Jackson) grabbed an individual title at the City League Meet. He pinned 3 of his 4 opponents and was voted the meet’s outstanding wrestler. Jackson was a three-time City League and District Champion in his division and finished third in the state his senior year. He finished his career with a (63-4-1) overall record. Ken Miliner (127-pounder), Charles Hickland (154), Larry Harris (175) and heavyweight Harold Harris took runner-up spots in the City Meet. Marshall Martin (103), and Henry Baker (165) finished third and John Conley (133) placed fourth.

BOYS TRACK (1966-68)

In 1966, Phillip Gary joined a small group of athletes in the State of Ohio when he became a double winner in the Shot Put/Discus Events. His first-place finishes include a throw of 185'7.5 in the Discus and 58'11.75 in the Shot Put. The Boys Track Team continued to have success over the next couple of seasons and produced its second double State Champion James Harris in 1968. Harris set a State Record in the 100-Yard Dash with a winning time of 9.5 and ran a 47.4 to win the 400-Yard Dash.

PERIOD of UNITY (1967-68)

The 1967-68 school year was a long and trying year in many aspects at Roth. Principal William L. Bombeck, resigned at mid-year and was succeeded by Robert S. King. Principal King’s top priority was to address the racial tensions that existed throughout the school building between students, teachers, and administrators. Additionally, an enormous amount of criticism had been directed at the school after a small group of students became involved in some things that left a negative light on the entire student body. The rest of the students were looking for something to be proud of and a way to unite the students. The Boys Basketball team gave them just what they needed when they defeated Chaminade, 77-66, in the 1968 Dayton District Class AA Championship game to earn a regional shot at Cincinnati Elder. The victory not only gave Roth its first District Title in any sport, but more importantly it gave the entire school a new sense of pride and togetherness. First year coach Paul Palumbo was totally surprised by his team's success and going into the season with a team built around underclassmen. However, the Falcons got off to a surprising start taking advantage of an easy early schedule piling up an impressive (6-1) record while gaining valuable experience. Coach Palumbo credits much of the Falcon’s success to Mike McGuire and Robert Wilson, the only seniors in the starting lineup. They provided much needed leadership to the younger players (Chuck Horton, Malcolm Stavis and Donald Smith). For the season, the Falcons racked up seven team and individual records. Team marks included most points scored (1,705), best record (19-5), most consecutive victories (8) and best performance in tournament history.

BOYS BASKETBALL (1968-69)

After surprising everyone the previous season, Roth entered this season as the unanimous favorite to win the league title with starters back in three key positions. The Falcons started in this season where it left off averaging 87.4 points per game and soaring over the century mark three times, never scoring less than 67 points in a single game. Roth captured its first Journal Herald Class AA basketball ratings championship and featured the area’s top one-two point scoring punch in deadeye Donald Smith and leapin’ Larry Hamrick. Smith ranked #7 in the Journal Herald’s Top 30 Greater Dayton area scorers with a 21.3 average and Hamrick, #10 at 20.1 ppg. The Falcons finished the season (15-3) and held the top spot in the “AA” division 10 of the 13 rating weeks. Roth defeated Wilbur Wright in the final game of the season to secure a perfect (10-0) league record and claim the school’s second City League Basketball Championship. The Falcons earned the #1 Seed in the tournament but lost in the District Semi-Finals to Chaminade (70-71) on a last second tip in as the final buzzer sounded. With 29 seconds left in the game, Roth was up (70-69) and could have sealed the game but missed several key free throws during the final stretch of the game. J.D. Grigsby failed to convert on a one-and-one foul shot opportunity at the (0:28 mark) and Owen Walder missed his first shot on a one-and-one with 0:10 left in the game. The last second tip-in overshadowed individual heroics by Donald Smith who drilled in a game high 28-points, on 12 of 15 shooting from the field. He pumped in six straight field goals in the third quarter as Roth exploded to a 53-40 lead with 3:29 left. Roth placed three players on the Dayton Daily News All-City Team and Donald Smith was named City League Player of the Year. The Falcons earning All-City Honors were Donald Smith (1^st Team), Phil Lumpkin (2^nd Team) and J.D. Grigsby (3^rd Team). All-City Special Mention honors went to Larry Hamrick and All-State Honorable Mention to Donald Smith.

WRESTLING (1968-69)

Roth won its second City Wrestling Championship in 1969 upsetting heavily favored and perennial league power Roosevelt by 4 points. The Falcons only had two seniors on the team but still got the bulk of their scoring from sophomores Cleveland McCallister (120) won first place, Von Jackson (165) finished second, Roy Hollis (138) a third and Vinson Shells (127) a fourth-place finish. Two underclassmen on that team went on to be state qualifiers in their senior seasons. Marcus Washington (175) finished 6^th in 1970 and Vinson Shells (132) finished 3^rd in 1971.

***BOYS BASKETBALL (1969-70)***

After sharing the City League Basketball Title with Roosevelt in 1966, the Falcons came back to win back-to-back titles in 1969/1970. Another highlight of the 1970 regular season was the regular season game versus Chaminade. The historic game was the first SOLD-OUT high school game in University of Dayton Arena (13,544 capacity) history. The Paul Palumbo coached team, considered by many, featured the greatest backcourt tandem in City League History with Donald Smith and Phil Lumpkin. Smith was twice named City League Player of the Year and All-State while at Roth. He went on to attend the University of Dayton where he had an immediate impact on the team. Smith was selected in the second round (19th overall) of the 1974 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. In 1980, he was inducted into the University of Dayton Hall of Fame and in 2004 named to the University of Dayton's All-Century Team. Lumpkin was a three-time All-City Selection. He played his college basketball at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio where he was a Mid-American Conference (MAC) selection for three years and was inducted into the Miami Hall of Fame in 1981. He was a second-round NBA Draft Choice of the Portland Trailblazers. He played three years with the Blazers and the Phoenix Suns.

BOYS BASKETBALL (1970-73)

The Falcons continued their athletic success throughout the early 70s winning a share of three City League Football Titles in 1970, 1972 and 1973 along with two outright City Basketball Titles in 1970/1973 and shared the crown in 1972/1974.

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TITLE IX (1971-72)

The Dayton Public School District expanded athletic opportunities for its female students following the passing of the Title IX Legislation on June 23, 1972. Title IX prohibits federally funded educational institutions from discriminating against students or employees based on sex. Up until that time, only sports available for female athletes in the district were gymnastics, fencing and volleyball. Basketball was added in 1972, followed by track in 1973 and softball in 1974.

ELIJAH CHATMAN (1973-74)

In December 1973, a tragic and unexpected incident shocked the Roth High School community when Boys Basketball Coach Elijah Chatman who had just led his team to the school's second City Championship fainted and died of a heart attack while attending a freshman team basketball practice. At 32 years of age, he was already one of the most popular coaches in the league in only his third season at Roth. He had a career record of (40-22) and two City League Championships. Coach Chatman was a native of Akron and graduated from Akron Central-Hower High School and Bowling Green State University. He was survived by his wife and two daughters (ages 7 & 3). Junior Varsity Coach Tom Zapernick was quickly appointed as his replacement. Coach Zapernick served in this capacity for the next two seasons.

BOYS BASKETBALL (1975-1976)

After the closing of Roosevelt in 1975, many athletes and students followed their coaches, Tom "Groundhog" Montgomery (Football), Mike Haley (Basketball) and Don Mitchell (Track) over to Roth. Coach Montgomery joined Head Coach David Henderson's football staff as a Defensive Coordinator. Coach Henderson's 1975 team shared the City League Title with Belmont. Coach Haley took over the Boys Basketball Program and Coach Mitchell the Boys Track Team. Both Coach Haley and Coach Mitchell won State Championship Titles in their first year at Roth. The Falcons defeated Cincinnati Greenhills (64-58) in the Regional Semi-Finals and Circleville (64-58) in the Regional Finals to advance to the Class AA State Championship Final Four Round in Columbus. Roth overpowered Wellsville with their full court pressing style defense and went on to win easily by a score of (79-64) in the semi-final game. The next game against Lorain Catholic (25-0) would not be easy. Roth edged by Lorain Catholic with a score of (82-81), on a Paul Moore free throw, and won the school's first state championship in any sport.

BOYS TRACK (1976-77)

A few months later, history was made when Coach Mitchell's Boys Track Team won the Class AA State Track Championship. The team scored 55 points to second place Jefferson 48. Leading the way for the Falcons with first place finishes were James Smith winning the 880 Yard Dash (1:54.4) and the Mile Relay Team of (Michael Allen, Leroy Gatewood, Michael Cottle and Robert "Buck" Buchannon) clocking a time of (3:18.9). Great performances were also put in by the 880 Yard Relay Team (Marshall Parks, Bruce Payne, Leroy Gatewood, and Michael Allen) (1:29.3) and Buck Buchannon in the 440 Yard Dash (48.3) both finishing second. Remaining scoring came from Marshall Parks (3rd Place) and Michael Allen (6th Place) in the 120-Yard-High Hurdles and a 6th place finish from Michael Cottle in the Mile Run (4:25.2). Only a handful of schools in Ohio have ever won two state titles in the same school year.

DESEGRATION PLAN (1976-77)

The next seven seasons would be quite challenging for Roth Athletics, following the Dayton Public School Board decision to implement a Forced Desegregation Busing Plan from (1976 to 1982). Many avid Dayton City League Sports fans still feel that some of Dayton's best athletic teams were never assembled because of the busing plan. The plan paired Roth (located on the west side of Dayton) with Wilbur Wright (located on the east side of Dayton in a predominantly white neighborhood). Both school districts were split up and students in the 9th/10th grades were bused cross town from designated neighborhoods on a rotating basis each year. In the first year of the plan, Wilbur Wright had a total of 268 athletic participants, with 112 them coming from the Roth District. From that figure, 87 participated in major sports with Basketball and Track being the biggest benefactors. In contrast, Roth had a total of 413 athletic participants that year with only 40 coming from the Wilbur Wright district and of that 40 only 14 participated in major sports. Despite losing a lot of good athletes during this period the Falcons still were able to maintain their standard of excellence winning 16 City League Titles between 1976-82.

DWIGHT ANDERSON (1977-78)

Dwight Anderson led Roth to the school’s first State Basketball Championship while earning All-State and unanimous All-City Honors as a sophomore. Going into his senior season, he was ranked as the top high school prospect in the nation. He went on to validate the preseason ranking by averaging 38 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists per game and earning Parade Magazine and McDonald’s All-American Honors for the season. He also broke the City League scoring record, previously held by Mike Pratt (Meadowdale HS/Kentucky All-American) and set a single game scoring record with a 53-point performance against Wilbur Wright. After his senior season, he played in several high school all-star games and claimed MVP Honors at the McDonald’s All-American Game in Lexington, Kentucky, All-American Classic in Dayton, Ohio and Ohio North vs South Game in Columbus, Ohio. After being recruited by every major college program in the nation, he chose to attend the University of Kentucky (UK). In his first season at UK, he averaged 13.3 points (a UK freshman record, min.20 games) on 50.7% shooting and was selected Third Team All-Southeast Conference (SEC). He transferred to USC in 1980 after his sophomore season. At USC Dwight earned All-PAC 10 honors in both his junior and senior seasons and was honorable mention All-American in 1982. He was drafted 41st overall by the Washington Bullets and saw only 5 games of NBA action.

TRAGIC PERIOD (1978-79)

1978-79 was a very tragic period for the Roth students & community after losing two of their legendary coaches Alice Kirksey (Volleyball & Girls Basketball) and Don Mitchell (Cross Country & Boys Track) within the same school year. Coach Kirksey died of an aneurysm in the brain after falling unconscious at her part-time job at Shawen Acres in the Fall of 1978. She had just led the Girls Basketball Team to the school's first City League Girls Title in any sport earlier that year. In May 1979, Coach Mitchell died of a heart attack in the locker room at Roth after returning from his daily conditioning run before practice. Principal James Caldwell turned the team over to Randy Waggoner and petitioned the OHSAA to approve Coach Waggoner taking over the coaching responsibilities despite his lack of a teaching certificate. Coach Waggoner ran for Coach Mitchell while at Roosevelt and served as an Assistant Coach after graduating there. He eventually was approved and went on to have a very successful career at Roth winning two Boys Track State Championship Titles in 1981/1982.

FOOTBALL (1978-79)

The 1978 Football Team finished the season with an impressive (7-2) record and tied Belmont and Meadowdale for the City League Championship. It was the eighth City League Football Title in the school’s history and the first since 1975. The highlight of the season was knocking off Meadowdale (19-14) and ending their 25-game win streak. Equally impressive was how the Falcons bounced back from a (14-0) deficit after fumbling twice deep inside their own territory which resulted into two easy touchdowns for Meadowdale. Quarterback Lee Anderson engineered three beautifully executed touchdown drives with two coming from the air to propel the Falcons to victory. The Falcon’s defense also played big, stopping two Meadowdale drives within spitting distance of the goal line. Coach Tom Montgomery team placed 12 players on the Dayton Daily News All-City Team that year. FIRST TEAM: Ron Malone/RB, Pete Sharp/G, Phil Peterson/WR, Tim Saine/DB; SECOND TEAM: Ivory Kennedy/RB, Alvin Starks/DE, Ed Cooley/DT, Norm Scearce/DB; HONORABLE MENTION: Lee Anderson/QB, Derrick Snead/QB, Jeff Schulte (WR) and Phillip Wynn.

GIRLS BASKETBALL (1978-79)

The 1978 Lady Falcons Basketball Team finished the regular season with a perfect (16-0) record and went on to claim the school’s first Girl’s City League Title in any sport. The team was coached by Alice Kirksey and led by high powered scoring duo of senior Sharon Caldwell and junior Sharon “Dee-Dee” Nash. Caldwell was a three-year starter and averaged 25 point per game. She was named 1978 City League Player of the Year and 2^nd Team All-State. Nash wasn’t far behind in the scoring department at 24.6 points per game. Nash’s all-around contributions included 117 steals and 179 rebounds was a main reason why the team went undefeated in the regular season. The Lady Falcons finished the season with a 16-1 record, losing only to Stivers-Patterson in the second round of the district tournament. In her final season at Roth, she averaged 31.0 points and 22.3 rebound per game and was named 1979 City League Player of the Year. She also received Journal Herald Area All-Star Honors was named 1^st Team All-State by the Associated Press (AP). Nash finished her career as the school’s all-time leader in points, rebounds, and assists.

GIRLS TRACK (1980-81)

After winning the 1981 Class AA District Title over Oakwood by a scoring margin of (66-54) the Girls Track Team entered the State Championship Meet in Columbus as the projected favorites. The projection was made by the Ohio Track and Field Newspaper after the Lady Falcons qualified in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter dashes, 400-meter, 800-meter, 1600-meter relays and Shot-Put Events. Coach Joyce Dorsey felt her team was peaking at the right time after getting a late start due to most of her sprinters participating in cheerleading. However, the team underperformed during the semi-finals and failed to qualify for the finals in several key events. Despite a dropped baton in the 400-meter relay and a disqualification in the 800-meter relay race, the Lady Falcons still managed to finish as State Runner-Ups with (24 points) to State Champion St. Clairsville (28 points). Stacey Brown finished second in both 100-meter (12.52) and in the 200-meter dashes (25.55). Other scoring came from the Mile Relay Team (Madonna Halloway, Benita Motley, Bonita Motley, Janice Scott) second place finish (4:02.1). It’s important to note that this accomplishment is the highest achievement of any Girl’s Athletic Team in Roth’s history.

FOOTBALL (1980-81)

The Roth Falcons football team finished the season with a perfect (10-0) record and clinched the school’s ninth City League Championship with a (30-0) victory over Colonel White. In the Falcons first four games of the season, they outscored their opponents (177-6). The six points came in the first game against Cincinnati Taft, on a punt return. Tom Montgomery’s high powered I-formation backfield featured two 1,000-yard running backs (Keith Byars/Randy Bozeman). The Falcons edged out Greenville by 1.95 computer point to earn a spot in the State Southwest Region Division II Playoffs to face the Lebanon Warriors. Roth was given a big boost in the computer ratings, thanks to some strange happenings in Lima. The Falcons trounced Lima Catholic, 41-0, in their mid-season Homecoming contest. Lime Catholic went on to defeat Lima Shawnee, which then beat Lima Senior. Several early mistakes in the playoff game were too much to overcome, and the Falcons were soundly defeated by Lebanon (17-0) to end their incredible season. Their Division II playoff appearance was the first for any City League team. The Falcons placed thirteen players on the Dayton Daily News All-City Team that year. FIRST TEAM: Keith Byars/RB, Randy/RB, Chae Harris/C, Nate Kimbrough/OT, Cedric Manuel/K, Randell Webb/DT, Chris Clements/LB and Leon Thommasson/DB. SECOND TEAM: Walter Seldon/QB, Laron Brown/WR, Tim Garrison/G, Todd Goldsmith/LB and Chuck Taylor/DB.

BOYS BASKETBALL (1980-81)

The 1981 Boys Basketball Team is revered for having the most successful season in Roth’s history finishing (19-1), dominating both league/area opponents and winning the school’s eighth City League Championship. The Falcons averaged 93 points per game with their full-court, man-to-man press, and high gear offense and set a Dayton City League single game scoring record of 130 points against Cincinnati Taft. The only loss of the season came in an away game at Celina where the Falcons lost (75-73 OT) in a controversial officiated game that saw Celina sink 31 free throws to Roth’s 11. After capturing the Journal Herald Area Rankings Title (beating out Alter) the Falcons rolled into the tournament “HOT” and on a "MISSION." They swept through the Sectionals with easy wins over Fairmont East (109-79), Wilmington (83-62) and Franklin (86-66) to capture the Dayton Boys Class AAA lower bracket Sectional Championship. Their first big test came in the District Finals at Millett Hall against Fairborn Park Hills. The Falcons prevailed in the tough fought contest to win (76-72). In the Regionals Semi-Finals, Roth edged by Sidney (67-64) to set up a premier match-up against #2 State Ranked Hamilton Big-Blue in the Regional Finals at the University of Dayton Arena. Hamilton entered the game (25-0) and featured one of the top players in Ohio (University of Iowa recruit - 6’9” Greg Stokes). Both teams were highly competitive throughout the star-studded game that saw several lead changes. Roth trailed by one point with 0:26 seconds left in the game before William Colston hit the game winning 12-foot jumper (with 0:08 seconds left) over the out reached hands of Stokes for the (85-84) victory.

In the State Semi-Final Game, Roth had to overcome a 42-30 deficit and a 39-point night performance from (University of Indiana recruit 6-9” Mark Giomi) to defeat Newark 83-81 and advance to the State Finals to face Wadsworth. Wadsworth knocked off Canton McKinley and Cleveland John Adams before advancing to the State Final Game to face Roth. Roth defeated Wadsworth, 73-66 for the state AAA (big school) title before 13,919 fans at St. John’s Arena. A huge storyline of the game was the combined 30 points of offense contributed by nonstarters Wesley Jones and Rick Lacy. Roth finished the season (26-1) and became the only school in boys’ history to capture state crowns in two classes, after winning the AA crown in 1976. Coach Haley also became the only individual to coach two state championship teams in two different classes and play on a state title team. He was a member of the 1961 Portsmouth HS team that won the Class AA State Championship. The Falcons placed four players on the 1981 Dayton Daily News All-City Team. FIRST TEAM: Fred Johnson and William Colston. SECOND TEAM: Ike Thornton and Daryl Murphy. SPECIAL MENTION: Chuck Taylor. Team was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame on April 9, 2022.

BOYS TRACK (1980-81)

The Roth Falcons were the clear favored heading into the 74^th Annual Ohio High School Track and Field Championship. The team had already gone undefeated during the regular season in football and made the state playoffs. The basketball team captured the State AAA Title in March. Now the team track title would complete the triple crown. Roth qualified stronger than any team in the state in AAA with Laron Brown and Derek Jones in the 100 and 200-meters; Brown and Juan Mosby in the 400-meters; Ricky Lacy and Cedric Manuel in the 800-meters; Anthony Saine in the 300-meter hurdles and Walter Seldon in the 110-meter highs; Kevin Johnson in the high jump and the undefeated 1,600 Meter Relay Team. All the Roth runners performed extremely well throughout the season in big pressure meets such as the Mansfield Relays, Ohio Relays, Bellaire Relays and the Don Mitchell Memorial. All their times were among the top in the state.

As expected, Roth dominated the State Track Championship and set a state meet record with 62 points to win the Class AAA Title. Leading the way for the Falcons with first place finishes were Laron Brown winning the 200-Meter Dash and setting a state record in the 400-Meter Dash (47.08) and anchored the Mile Relay Team (Juan Mosby, Anthony Saine, Michael McCray and Laron Brown) clocking a winning time (3:16.08). He also finished second in the 100-Meter (10.91) and third in the 200-Meter Dashes (22.37). Other great performances were third place finishes from Ricky Lacey (800-Meter Run), Kevin Jones (6’8” High Jump) and a fourth-place finish from Anthony Saine in the 300-Meter Hurdles (37.05). Remaining points came from sixth place finishes from Juan Mosby in the 400-Meter Dash and 400-Meter Relay Team (Michael McCray, Anthony Saine, Leon Thommasson and Derek Jones).

FOOTBALL (1981-82)

Last year, Roth was considered the run-away favorite and came through in spectacular fashion, finishing (10-0) winning the league title and advancing to the Division II State Playoffs before falling to Lebanon (17-0). This year, City League coaches are predicting more parity and mention Patterson in the same breath as Roth. The Falcons are led by Keith Byars one of the nation’s top running backs and classified “Top Priority” by the nation’s best Division I football schools. The Falcons opened the season by avenging last year’s playoff loss with a convincing victory over Lebanon. Later in the season in a come from behind thriller, Roth defeated league rival Meadowdale (21-14) before 4,000 spectators at Welcome Stadium to claim their second straight City League Title. Cedric Manuel scored Roth’s first TD on a six-yard run and then threw the two-point conversion pass to Keith Byars (who finished with 138 yards in 22 carries) to even the score at 8 with 7:08 remaining in the third quarter. Cedric Manuel’s 21-yard scamper with 6:48 left in the game sealed the victory for the Falcons. Roth wrapped up the season with a (39-0) victory over Belmont to complete a perfect season (10-0) and set up a long-awaited playoff clash with neighborhood rival Trotwood for the Southwest Ohio Division II Region 8 Title. Trotwood surprised Roth with a potent passing game to go along with their strong running game and blasted the Falcons (33-13) to claim the title. The only highlight in the game for Roth was Michael McCray’s 77-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. Roth finished the season (10-1) for the second straight season and placed six players on the Dayton Daily News All-City Team. FIRST TEAM: Cedric Manuel/QB, Keith Byars/RB, Laron Brown/WR and Terry Daniels/C. SECOND TEAM: Antonio Goldsmith/DL and Nick Harrison/DE.

BOYS BASKETBALL (1981-82)

Entering the season, rumors circulating around town pertaining to the closing of Roth High School weighed heavily on both the coaches and players. The rumors were triggered by the school’s sinking enrollment which resulted in a reclassification down to the Class AA Division for the upcoming season. Despite these external distractions along with ushering in a relatively new cast of players on a team that wasn’t predicted to finish in the Top-4 in the area, Coach Haley managed to return the inexperienced Falcons to the winner’s circle. With a young and athletic squad now in the fold, Roth took down Youngstown Rayen in the State Championship Game (68-56) to claim the school’s third State Championship Title. The team included multi-sport star Keith Byars, who would go on to be the 1984 Heisman Trophy Runner-Up as an Ohio State running back. Roth became the first Ohio Boys Basketball program to produce consecutive State Championships in separate divisions – a mark that would not be repeated until St. Henry accomplished that feat in 1990/1991. The 1982 title run included an epic victory over Dayton Dunbar in the District Final behind 13 points, 24 rebounds and 13 blocked shots from senior center Robert Maiden. The Falcons overcame injuries to standouts Mike McCray and Byars as 5-8 senior George Sims knocked down six crucial free throws in the fourth quarter and John Bailey, another role player, added four more freebies in the game’s final 37 seconds.

Roth overcame a 15-point first half deficit to take down Urbana in the Regional Finals before rolling to a pair of wins in Columbus, including one over unbeaten and top-ranked Willard. Senior Mike Carton was chosen as the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. He entered the state tournament with a team-high scoring average of 25.5 points per game. Steve Smith, a sophomore, was next at 20.2 ppg. McCray averaged right around 13 ppg while Byars scored 11 points per contest and led the way on the boards with 13 rebounds a game. The 1981-82 Falcons, despite having no returning starters, finished with a record of (24-4). Just a few weeks after celebrating those inspiring back-to-back titles, Dayton Roth closed its doors for good and Coach Mike Haley moved on to become the new coach at Dunbar. The Falcons placed two players on the 1982 Dayton Daily News All-City Team. FIRST TEAM: Mike Carton and SECOND TEAM: Steve Smith. Team was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame on April 9, 2022.

BOYS TRACK (1981-82)

After easily winning the 1981 Class AAA Title and returning all but three runners from that team, Roth was the clear favorite heading into the 75^th Annual Ohio High School Track and Field Championship in Columbus. The day belonged to Roth which was participating in its last official athletic event before becoming a junior high the following year. The Falcons showed no mercy on opposing runners while pilling up 77 points to take the Class AA team title as expected. It was the second straight double for the Falcons who captured the state AAA basketball and track titles last year. This is the third time Roth has won a state basketball and track title in the same year. Its first double was in 1976 in Class AA. It is also the first Dayton school since the Craig Wallace led Dunbar teams in 1964 and 65’ to win back-to-back state titles.

When Ohio High School Athletic Association Commissioner Dick Armstrong presented the State Championship trophy to Coach Waggoner and his runners, he said, “This is the last award to go to Dayton Roth High School, a school with a History of Champions.” All three Roth relay teams, the 400, 1,600 and 3,200-meter, took first places. Members of the winning relay teams and their times are as follows: 400-meter relay team (Michael McCray, Keith Byars, Derek Jones, Quinthony Brown) (42.41); 1600-meter relay team (Quinthony Brown, Michael McCray, Juan Mosby, Laron Brown) (3:21.5) and 3200-meter relay team (Victor Bryant, Juan Mosby, Cedric Manuel, Eric Hutchinson) (7:54.5 STATE RECORD). Laron Brown won his 31^st straight 400-meter race over the last two years setting a STATE MEET RECORD in 47.54. He also finished second to Kevin “McZoom” McBroom of Columbus Wehrle in the 100-meter (10.77) and 200-meter dashes (21.89). Cedric Manuel surprised more than a few people in winning the 800-meter run (1:56.5) and Juan Mosby finished fourth in the 400-meters (49.51). Fifth place finishes came from Jeff Early in both the 110-meter-high hurdles (15.04) and 300-intermediate low hurdles (38.33) and David Lawrence in the Long Jump (21’10 1/2). Roth’s final points came from Quinthony Brown in the 110-meter-high hurdles (15.11).

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