THE SEVENTH Annual Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Hall of Fame Banquet will be staged Saturday night, ushering in 17 more individuals who have distinguished themselves within the conference.

THE OVAC is the largest functioning conference in the nation. It is also one of the finest. The Hall of Fame — headquartered at Wheeling’s WesBanco Arena — was initiated to pay tribute to its glorious and tradition-rich past.

And what a past it is.

The OVAC has been in existence for nearly 70 years. During that time, the conference has played host to countless ultra-talented prep athletes, many of whom went on to collegiate stardom and professional fame.

The OVAC Hall of Fame is more than just a shrine to honor athletes. The hall is totally encompassing. Not only are former athletes honored, they are joined by worthy coaches, media, officials and family members (those who serve the conference in selfless fashion.)

The OVAC covers all bases.

The latest collection of enshrinees are truly a deserving group. Each of the 17 has distinguished themselves in elite fashion.

Saturday’s honorees include athletes Kyle Rose (River) and Joanna Bernabei (Madonna) from the 1990s; Melissa Hammond (Shadyside) and Jeff Sweitzer (Brooke) from the 1980s; Less Browne (East Liverpool) and Mike Wright (Wellsville) from the 1970s; Larry Duck (Martins Ferry) and Joe Niekro (Bridgeport) from the 1960s; Henry Josefczyk (Yorkville) and Don Sutherin (Toronto) from the 1950s; and Fred Bruney (Martins Ferry) from the 1940s.

They will be joined by coaching honorees Chuck Watt of Steubenville and John Stephenson of Cadiz High wrestling fame.

Rounding out the class are four enshrinees who exhibit the broad scope which the hall envelopes. They are Rick DeLuca (OVAC Family), Frank Baxter (OVAC Contributor), John “Streaky” Haloszka (Official) and Bill Davies (Media).

It is an illustrious and well-deserving group of individuals. They will join more than 100 previous inductees in the OVAC Hall.

Their enshrinement is the crowning glory to remarkable contributions to the conference.

We salute Saturday’s 17 new Hall of Famers. They are truly deserving of their tribute. We also commend the OVAC for being a conference that is concerned about not just the persent and future, but also its sparkling past.