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Adams, Coyne will be enshrined for the 90s

BELLAIRE — The 16th class of Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Hall of Fame continues to take shape as two more honorees are set for induction on Saturday, Aug. 17.

A multi-sport standout who was especially product in basketball and football as well as one of the valley’s most decorated soccer players are the latest to receive the call to the hall.

The late Scott Coyne, who shined at Bellaire High School, and Jamie Adams, a Linsly School product, were voted into the hall of fame for the decade of the 90s.

Two weeks ago, Fort Frye graduate Tyler Engle and Steubenville product Liz Repella were announced as the honorees for the decade of the 2000s.

The entire OVAC Hall of Fame, which is sponsored by Robinson Auto Group and housed at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, class will be announced by the committee every two weeks.

The next release will contain the honorees from the 1980s and it will be announced on Feb. 3.

Here’s a capsule look at the honorees for the decade of the 1990s:

JAMIE ADAMS, Linsly (Class of 1994) — This former Cadets was instrumental, not only at Linsly, but throughout the Ohio Valley in putting soccer on the map.

A four-year regular for the Cadets, Adams etched his name into lore both at the prep and collegiate level.

When you consider that Adams led the state of West Virginia in scoring three times in his career, it’s not hard to see why he gained such a laundry list of accolades. After scoring just seven goals as a freshman, Adams exploded onto the scene in 1991, scoring 37 times. He went for 46 as a junior and 50 goals as a senior.

His 140 career goals is still a record at Linsly.

Adams was the first West Virginia athlete and OVAC player to garner Parade All-American honors in soccer. He was named all-American by National Soccer Coaches Association and was an ESPN/McDonald’s Scholastic Player of the Week in 1992.

Locally, Adams was named first-team all-OVAC three times, conference player of the year twice, first-team all-Valley three times and captained the squad twice. He was named first-team all-IPSL three tims and IPSL Player of the Year as a senior.

After sifting through more than 30 offers, Adams elected to continue his career at Princeton University. He was a four-year starter with the Tigers and served as a team captain in 1997.

He was also named to the all-Ivy League team that season.

Adams was also heavily involved with the United States Olympic Development Program. He was a member of the Region I team, which played in Europe. He was also selected for the Region I pool five times and was a part of six state ODP teams.

On top of his prep and collegiate exploits, Adams shined at the club level, too. He a part of teams that won six Snicker’s Cup state championships and was in the regional final four times.

Adams was inducted to the West Virginia High School Coaches Association in 2012.

SCOTT COYNE, Bellaire (Class of 1994) — This former Big Reds point guard was a wizard with the ball in his hands for OVAC Hall of Fame coach Gene Ammirante during his prep career.

While it was in basketball where Coyne achieved some of his greatest moments, his success wasn’t limited there. He was a three-sport standout for the Big Reds, shining in track and football, too.

Coyne finished his prep career with 1,051 points, including a 19.1 points per game average as a senior. He did more than score the ball. He stuffed the stat sheet to a tune of nine assists and seven rebounds a game as he led the Big Reds to their first undefeated regular season and an eventual 21-1 record.

During his junior season, Coyne averaged 20.4 points a game. He netted his career high of 43 points that season against St. Clairsville. The Big Reds finished 17-4 and won the OVAC that season.

Coyne ranks in the top 10 in numerous Bellaire categories, including 3-point shooting (44 percent), free-throw percentage (77 percent), steals (141) and his points are the 15th best.

Coyne earned all-everything, basically, as a senior. Along with all-Eastern District, District 12, OVAC and all-Valley, he was named to the McDonald’s All-American and Street and Smith’s All-American Honorable Mention lists. He was also named one of the top 25 players in Ohio by USA Today and placed in the Ohio North-South All-Star Game.

As a wide receiver, Coyne was the go-to-guy for the Big Reds during his three-year career. He finished with 1,764 yards.

Included was a 1993 campaign in which he caught 61 passes for 967 yards, which ranks seventh in BHS history.

Coyne was named to the all-Ohio first team. He was also named all-OVAC and all-Eastern District.

On the track, Coyne qualified for the state track and field championship meet twice in the 300 intermediate hurdles. He was a multiple-time OVAC placer in that event as well as running key legs on relay teams for the Big Reds.

Scott died tragically in a plane crash in 2002 at just 26 years old. At the time of his death, he was one of the area’s rising basketball officials.

Scott was inducted to the District 12 Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2015.

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