A couple of Ohio Valley legends recently took some time out of their busy schedules to compete in the Buckeyes’ Boosters Golf Scramble at Belmont Hills Country Club.

Allan Hornyak, a former St. John Central and Ohio State University basketball standout, and Jim Bradshaw, a terror on the football field at St. Clairsville High and later the Pittsburgh Steelers, were among the celebrities who helped raise $10,000 during the golf outing.

Although it’s been nearly 30 years since Hornyak donned a Green-and-White Irish jersey on Guernsey Street, his name is still etched atop a few categories in the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s boys’ basketball record books.

His 86-point outburst against Tiltonsville Warren Consolidated on January 10, 1969, still ranks as the fourth highest point total ever put up by a boys’ hoopster in the Buckeye State. He also had a 61-point effort against Bellaire , which is 33rd all-time.

And this was without the three-point line!

Just think what he could’ve done?

The 26th pick in the 1973 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Hornyak still follows the game of basketball, especially his beloved Buckeyes.

“It’s become great with the new arena and they’ve got a great coach,” he said of the OSU program. “If you’re from Ohio, I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to go to Ohio State. Ohio is just a great place to live and I’ve been to a lot of places.”

He related that the thing he has many good thoughts about his collegiate days.

“The competition of the Big 10. The rivalries. The teammates,” he recalled. “Every game was a big game and you had to be into it. You’re mind had to be right.”

Then there’s that dreadful night in Minneapolis when the highly-tought-of Buckeyes were spanking the you know what out of the hosting Golden Gophers, and then all he@# breaks out. OSU players are being knocked down and kicked, as center Luke Witte can attest.

“What I remember most is that they were playing dirty,” he said of that winter night up north. “They shut the lights out on us when we were still on the court and they had 18,500 people in the arena and another 8,000 in the ice rink watching it on TV.

“We just beat their butts and that was the whole, plain truth,” he concluded.

Interestingly enough, a member of that Golden Gopher team was none other than Dave Winfield, who would later be inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.

WHEN MOST people associate the name Bradshaw and Pittsburgh Steelers together, they usually think of Terry Bradshaw, and not Jim.

Well, little beknown that Jim Bradshaw was the leading tackler for two of his five seasons in the Steel City, and that being from his free safety slot.

“That just goes to show you how bad our linemen and linebackers were,” he joked during a break in the golf event. “Back then a free safety had to come up and force the run and we had some players that didn’t get to the ball in time.“

After a stellar career at St. Clairsville, Bradshaw took his talents to the University of Chattanooga, which later became the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

“This is my 50th anniversary of graduating from high school,” he added. “My wife and I graduated in the same class and we’re still married, believe it or not.“

The real estate broker in the Columbus area, Bradshaw said he gets back to the valley every so often.

“I played in a Tony Dorsett golf event Monday and then came over here to play in this event for Manny (Mehallis),” he said.

“This is a great course and it’s my hometown.”

PAC Honors Scholars

A total of 316 student-athletes were recently honored by the Presidents Athletic Conference on its Spring 2008 Academic Honor Roll.

Grove City College led the 10-team league with 60 selections, while Bethany checked in with 25. To qualify, honorees must attain at least a 3.6 grade-point average and excel in their respective sport(s) and their community.

Several local student athletes were among those honored. They include:

? Bethany — St. John Central’s Ashley Marinacci, a sophomore who is majoring in Communications. She plays softball.

? Chatham University — Martins Ferry resident Rachael Moynihan, a swimmer.

Other OVAC products earning accolades are:

? Bethany — Jodi Bodo, Steubenville Catholic, soph., physical education, track and field; Ryan Darrow, Edison, sr., psychology, swimming/track and field; Logan Kowcheck, Brooke, soph., accounting, golf; Kaitlyn McCormick, Wheeling Park, jr., psychology, women’s basketball; Petre Petkovski, Wheeling Park, sr., economics, men’s basketball; and Rachel Reardon, Brooke, sr., elementary education, softball.

? Washington & Jefferson — Tommy Brown, Steubenville, jr., accounting, baseball.

? Waynesburg University — Jered Gamble, Oak Glen, sr., management, men’s basketball; Celina Gomez, Steubenville, fr., nursing, women’s basketball; Michaelene Jones, Steubenville, jr., business management, women’s basketball.