From marathons to math books, championships to classrooms: it may seem unlikely that the same teachers walking down the halls each day were once highly competitive athletes, but whether it’s on the golf course, the basketball court or the track, Bexley’s finest have done it all.
While many are oblivious to the athletic prowess of the individuals now responsible for the mountains of homework and seemingly endless tests, teachers have won state titles, competed in college athletics and even fallen victim to a case or two of sports rage.
For math teacher Mark Hayman, soccer at Grove City High School was a way to have fun and reap the rewards of organized sports.
“It helped me stay focused in school,” Hayman said. “I actually got better grades during the season.”
While Hayman said he enjoyed playing soccer and opted against playing at a smaller school in favor of attending The Ohio State University, he is skeptical of the increased emphasis on sports today.
“When I was playing, it wasn’t a year-round thing,” Hayman said. “I wouldn’t have made it though all four years if it was.”
Hayman has chosen to hang up his cleats competitively but continues to stay involved in the sport by occasionally coaching his children’s soccer teams.
Several other teachers choose to stay in touch with their athletic roots by coaching.
As the current boys basketball coach, it comes as little surprise that health teacher Dave Gustin played basketball both in high school and at Urbana University.
Gustin played 109 college games, ending his career with an appearance in the district finals his senior year. Gustin no longer plays competitive basketball, opting instead to stay in shape by playing on his own, and he said he now enjoys coaching.
“I like the kids and the competition,” Gustin said. “Coaching is a passion; you have to enjoy it.”
But Gustin isn’t the only former collegiate athlete now coaching.
After winning three league championships at Logan High School in southeastern Ohio, football coach John Smith played four years of NCAA division III college football at Mount Union College.
“[At Mount Union] we went a combined 44-3-1,” Smith said. “We also won a national championship my senior year.”
Smith no longer plays competitive football but said he has coached at both the collegiate and high school levels since graduating from Mount Union.
However, Smith isn’t the only champion athlete turned academic roaming the halls.
Principal John Kellogg was the New Jersey state champion for the 1600 meter run during high school. After running year-round for the cross-country, indoor and outdoor track teams in high school, Kellogg said he went on to run for the William and Mary College track team.
“After college, I competed until the early ‘90s,” Kellogg added.
During a career that included running against future Olympian Carl Lewis and qualifying for the national running championships in 1989, Kellogg said one event stands out.
“In 1988 and ‘89, I was lucky enough to be picked to participate in the Eckiden relays sponsored by the shoe company ‘Asics,’” Kellogg said. “It was kind of fun to get put up in a hotel in New York City for a few days.”
At the relays, Kellogg competed against the top five runners from each state, as well as athletes from eight different countries, and competed in road races through the city.
Kellogg also said he completed a marathon in two hours and 44 minutes. For those keeping track, that’s about six and a half minutes per mile… for 26 miles.
After his extensive career, Kellogg said he has gained much from his experiences.
“I learned early on that success was determined by effort,” Kellogg said. “If you work hard, good things will come.”
Unlike Kellogg, English teacher Eileen McMahon didn’t initially focus on one sport, instead participating in a variety, including basketball, softball, golf and volleyball.
Eventually, McMahon said she focused on volleyball and played on a club team at Northwestern University.
After years of playing competitive sports, McMahon said she learned a lot about what it means to be part of a team.
“This is going to sound cliché, but I learned a lot about the whole team concept,” McMahon said. “Other people are depending on you, so you can’t let them down.”
McMahon, who once completed a triathalon, said she no longer plays competitive sports but runs and lifts weights to stay in shape. Math teacher Scott Brewer also competed in college athletics.
“I played baseball and golf in high school, then played golf for all four years at Ohio Northern University,” Brewer said.
After winning three golf tournaments his senior year in high school and being named all-conference his junior year in college, Brewer stopped playing competitive sports.
However, Brewer has one memory that has nothing to do with his accomplishments, but rather his miss-hits.
“I got a club stuck in a tree,” Brewer said. “Actually, it didn’t get stuck. I threw it there, and it happened more than once.”
Anger management aside, Brewer said he learned a lot from his years of competition.
“I learned a lot about how to handle pressure and competition, in sports or otherwise,” Brewer said.
Published February 2008. Digitized 2025.