The History of Boardman Football

Football at Boardman High School has a long and rich history stretching back to its very first year as a four-year institution.  The Spartans have enjoyed many great football campaigns over the years and have consistently provided strong competition for their opponents, as well as exciting, popular entertainment for the Boardman Community.

In 1917, Boardman High School (BHS) fielded its first football team, coached by a college-aged volunteer.  They defeated Poland in their first game ever and compiled a 13-1 record. 

There was no team in 1918, but in 1919, future longstanding Boardman School Superintendent Al Henderson, arrived at BHS.  He coached the football team until subsequent teachers like Harry Geiss and Al Davies assumed such duties.

In 1927, Clarence K. “Buck” Burkle became Boardman’s head football coach.  He guided his “Burklemen” to three county championships before BHS joined the newly formed Tri-County League in 1932.  In 1933, Coach Burkle’s “Men of Sparta” saw the start of construction of the present day playing field and adoption of the “Spartans” team mascot designation in 1934.

Coach Burkle’s assistant, Lowell “Rib” Allen, was the first head football coach to see the field played on during Rib’s inaugural 1937 season.  Briefly sporting scarlet and gray uniforms (maroon and white, for the record, have been the school colors since 1925), Rib’s team captured five Tri-County titles.  Among them a 9-0 season in 942, which saw the Spartans, outscore their opponents 347-6!  Coach Allen’s tenure at the football helm included many other “firsts”, such as the first home game “under the lights” in 1936 (they beat East Palestine 45-0) and the completion of the original concrete Boardman Stadium (still in use), dedicated on November 15, 1941.  Rib held claim to being the winningest football coach in BHS history with 55 career victories.

Byron “By” Morgan succeeded Rib in 1947 and preceded to compile a solid winning record for the next six years, including such benchmarks as capturing the Tri-County Championship in 1950 and seeing Boardman enter the young Steel Valley Conference (they were not a charter member) in 1951. 

By’s successor, Howard “Howdy” Friend, began his two-year stint with construction of the new Boardman Booster scoreboard at the southeast corner of the stadium in 1953 (replaced with the new one in the early 1970’s). 

It was Jerry Thorpe (1955-1962) who brought the first SVC football title to BHS in 1960, only to follow up in 1961 with a 9-0 SVC championship team ranked fifth in the state at the season’s end.

Steve Sonoga, one of Coach Thorp’s assistants, took over the program in 1963 and captured an SVC crown in 1965 with an 8-1 record.

 During the brief but successful tenure of Head Coach Larry Saxton, the Boardman Boosters completed construction of our present–day press box in 1968. 

Jim Orr followed in 1970 and led the Spartans to a Steel Valley title his first year. 

His assistant, Gene Pushic, took over the reins in 1975 and went on to become the third winningest football coach in BHS history (50 wins, 59.5%), including an undefeated, shortened season in 1980.  Gene also supervised the four-year development of a gangling, slingshot QB named Bernie Kosar, who was voted Ohio’s Division I Back of the Year in 1981, com0piling a record of 2,222 passing yards in his senior campaign.

After much success as a head coach elsewhere, Bill Bohren arrived in 1984 (along with construction of our current Booster refreshment facility), and accumulated the highest winning percentage  (64.8%) in BHS football history.  During that period the Spartans won two (2) SVC Titles (1990 and 1991), and made it to the Ohio State Football playoffs twice.  In 1987 they went all the way to the championship game only to come up short against Cincinnati Princeton.  In 1990 the Spartans lost in the first round of the playoffs.  These were thrilling seasons that we all vividly remember.

The head coaching reigns were turned over to Dan Pallante in 1993.  Memorable games against Cleveland St. Ignatius in 1994, when the Spartans stopped their long winning streak, and a season ending loss in the state semifinals were highlights of his tenure. The Spartans secured an SVC co-championship in 1995 under Coach Pallente’s tenure.

In 1996, Garry Smith took over the helm.  In his first season he led the Spartans to an impressive 8-2 campaign and a share of the SVC title.  In 1999, he guided the team to the second round of the playoffs.  Under Coach Smith, the Spartans won or shared the SVC Championship three times.  Garry’s leadership and experience built a strong foundation and thrust the Spartans forward into a new era in Spartan Football.

The 2008 Spartans are led by five year head coach D.J. Ogilvie, a product of Boardman High School and Bowling Green State University.  The 2007 season was the turn arround season they had hoped for. The 2007 Team went deeper than the 1990 and 2001 playoff teams and equaled the 1999 team's depth into the tournament. 
They finished the regular season 7-3, runner up in the Federal League and made to the second round of the playoff with a final record of 8-4 
The 2008 season is shaping up to be another thrilling season for the Boardman Spartan Football Program.

Boardman Playoff History