Humorous newspaper gaffe aided Mike Meneer's ascent as an Akron basketball coaching legend

An overzealous high school student newspaper writer unwittingly launched a legendary coaching career in Akron 50 years ago.

And Mike Meneer still gets a kick out of the way his journey to the Akron Public Schools Athletics Hall of Fame began in 1973.

Back then, it was common for new teachers at Central-Hower High School to be featured in the student newspaper. When Meneer was interviewed for his profile, he told a student reporter he had played basketball at the University of Akron and coached a travel hoops team created by the late Judge Edward J. Mahoney.

Somehow, Meneer mentioning his basketball experience snowballed into the student newspaper running a story about Meneer arriving at Central-Hower to supplant iconic Eagles boys hoops coach Joe Siegferth Sr.

“When I read the article, I was dumbfounded by it because that certainly wasn't my intention,” Meneer said after throwing out a ceremonial first pitch before Sunday's RubberDucks game as part of an APS Athletics HOF fundraiser at Canal Park.

So Meneer wrote letters to Siegferth and his assistant coaches to set the record straight. To Meneer's surprise, Siegferth responded with an invitation to attend an open gym. They hit it off, and Siegferth enlisted Meneer to coach junior varsity in the 1973-74 season.

"He was just a class individual," Meneer said of longtime mentor Siegferth.

During Meneer's eight seasons as a Central-Hower assistant, he became the handpicked successor of Siegferth, and the torch was officially passed after Siegferth's retirement in 1982.

As a head coach, Meneer guided Central-Hower for eight seasons (spanning 1982-90), St. Vincent-St. Mary for two (1990-92) and Cuyahoga Falls for 12 (1992-2004). His record was 316-180.

Meneer said he wanted to coach at Cuyahoga Falls not only because it's his alma mater, but because his late mother, Gloria, was the school's head of food services.

Joining City Series legends and friends in APS Athletics Hall of Fame is emotional experience for Mike Meneer

Meneer was an assistant under Siegferth when Central-Hower won the Class AAA state championship in 1980 and the program's head coach when it captured the Class AAA state title in 1986. Central-Hower, which closed in 2006, was also the Class AAA state runner-up under Meneer in 1983.

A year after Siegferth was inducted posthumously into the APS Athletics HOF's inaugural class, Meneer will enter the same hall of fame during a banquet Oct. 21 at House Three Thirty.

Meneer, 73, is one of two coaches in this year's class. The other is local football legend Tim Flossie, who died in July 2022. Meneer and Flossie became friends during the latter's first stint coaching Central-Hower football (1979-82).

Meneer said he “was very teary-eyed” when he learned he would join Siegferth and Flossie on a list of all-time City Series greats. The late Dan "Babe" Flossie, Tim's father, was inducted last year.

From Siegferth, Meneer said he learned to be patient with players and strategy. He also took note of Siegferth's efforts to foster a family atmosphere and support players throughout their lives.

“I believe that I've kind of held true and made him proud in that vein,” Meneer said.

Meneer was born and raised in Detroit, but his father's work brought him to Bluffton, Ohio, at age 14 and Cuyahoga Falls a couple of years later. He graduated from Cuyahoga Falls High School in 1968. He played basketball in ninth grade, then soccer and baseball for Cuyahoga Falls. At UA, he played hoops for two seasons, then ice hockey for two more. He graduated from UA in 1973 with a degree in business education.

Mike Meneer has been a key assistant basketball coach to Dru Joyce II at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School

If you count travel teams, AAU and high school, Meneer has coached more than 50 seasons of basketball. He retired from teaching in 2004 and moved to Las Vegas, where he coached AAU hoops for three years.

After returning to Ohio in 2007, Meneer began aiding St. Vincent-St. Mary coach Dru Joyce II behind the scenes. Meneer said he has been sitting on the bench with Joyce as a STVM assistant for the past nine seasons.

Meneer insisted he doesn't know when he'll retire from coaching, but he added he's looking forward to assisting Joyce again in the upcoming 2023-24 season.

APS assistant athletic director Ron Linger coached football at Central-Hower during Meneer's tenure there and has long admired Meneer's ability to adapt to different styles of play and skill sets.

“He was able to win wherever he went,” Linger said. “And there's a reason that Dru Joyce has him there [at STVM]. He's got a wealth of knowledge, a wealth of experience, not only in basketball, but in tournament play. That knowledge he has about that is invaluable.”

With Central-Hower and STVM combined, Meneer has been on the bench as a coach for six state titles.

“One for each grandkid,” he quipped.

The presence of those half dozen grandchildren pulled Meneer back to Northeast Ohio after a few years in Las Vegas, where he worked at a spa in the Bellagio Hotel and Casino.

Meneer manages Brookledge Golf Club in Cuyahoga Falls, directing special events and providing instruction. His lengthy coaching career isn't limited to hoops. He said he has taught golf lessons for 50 years, too.

“I treasure my path because I got to know a lot of great people,” Meneer said.

The path led Meneer to the APS Athletics HOF — with a humorous journalistic gaffe paving the way for some of his early steps.

More City Series basketball: Milwaukee Bucks taking Chris Livingston in NBA Draft unearths Akron Buchtel history lesson

The APS Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023 will have 11 inductees

In addition to Meneer and Flossie, nine other individuals will be inducted into the APS Athletics HOF in October.

They are former APS student-athletes Mark Gangloff, Charles Gladman, Gus Johnson, Gene Michael, Katie Miller-Como, Nate Thurmond, Jeff Walker and John Wooldridge.

LeBron James will also be inducted as a special contributor.

LeBron James entering APS Athletics HOF: Why the NBA superstar will be inducted into the Akron Public Schools Athletics Hall of Fame despite playing at STVM

Akron Public Schools Athletics Hall of Fame ticket information

The APS Athletics HOF induction banquet is scheduled to run from 6-9 p.m. Oct. 21 at House Three Thirty. Doors are set to open at 5 p.m. Tickets have yet to go on sale. They will be available for purchase at a later time at www.akronschools.com/district/departments/athletics.

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Mike Meneer in Akron Public Schools Athletics Hall of Fame