This corner would like to again express its congratulations to Saint Ignatius head football coach Chuck Kyle '69, who on Friday night will be officially inducted into the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. The festivities will take place at the Hilton Columbus Hotel at Easton in Columbus, Ohio.

Coach Kyle, a former All-City running back under the late John J. Wirtz, is synonymous with football excellence in Ohio. He is preparing for his 28th season as the head coach of the Wildcats.

Chuck, who is the son and grandson of former successful high school coaches, has a career record of 273-59-1. It is a mark that includes a state-record 10 Division I state championships, three national crowns (1989, 1993 and 1995) and a second-place national ranking by MaxPreps in 2008, when the 'Cats captured their 10th Ohio title. Coach Kyle has led the Wildcats to winning streaks of 39, 38 and 25 games (twice). He has an impressive postseason record of 56-12 and his Saint Ignatius teams currently own an Ohio-best streak of 22 consecutive big-school playoff appearances.

As eye-popping as the above numbers are, the record on Coach Kyle's resume that will definitely stand the test of time is the remarkable five consecutive Division I state championships (1991-95). And in 1996, the 'Cats were state runners-up!

In 1994, Coach Kyle led Ohio to an impressive victory over Pennsylvania in the annual Big 33 Classic and last summer he displayed his coaching skills on a national and world-wide stage by leading Team USA to the Gold Medal in the IFAF Junior World Championship at Canton's legendary Fawcett Stadium.

Last month, in his 37th season as Saint Ignatius' head track and field coach, Chuck guided the 'Cats to the Lakewood District and Amherst Regional Division I championships. His 2001 track and field team raced to the Division I state championship.

Again, congratulations to the man they call “Chico."