Stebbins High School renaming gymnasium after McClain graduate Ron Coleman
Ronald Coleman. (Photo courtesy of Mad River Local Schools)
A McClain High School graduate, the late Ronald Coleman, will be honored next month when Mad River Local Schools dedicate the Stebbins High School gymnasium in his memory.
The announcement was previously reported by the Dayton Daily News.
According to the Mad River district’s Facebook post, “We are thrilled to announce a heartfelt tribute to a remarkable individual who left an indelible mark on our community. We are very excited about this upcoming dedication. We miss you, Coach."
The dedication of the Ron Coleman Gymnasium is set for Aug. 3. Doors open at 12:15 p.m., and the ceremony will start at 12:30 p.m. Stebbins High School is located at 1900 Harshman Rd., Riverside, Ohio.
Mr. Coleman passed away Sept. 21, 2023 at the age of 72. He was born in Greenfield and was the son of the late Charles and Susie Coleman.
Coleman was a four-sport athlete when he attended McClain in the late ’60s, playing football, basketball, baseball and track & field. He also played four sports at Wilmington College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in education, and later received a master’s in education administration from Antioch College.
The MHS class of 1969 graduate raised a family and became a successful and beloved teacher, coach and principal. According to his obituary, “Ron was an educator with multiple schools for 35 years, a decorated coach, and a color commentator with Wright State for 10 years. He was proud to have been involved in career based intervention for at-risk students at Stebbins High School, where he was able to give them the guidance and tools they needed to complete their education.”
The Dayton Daily News reported that “Coleman spent 21 years in the Mad River school district and also mentored students at Middletown, Bellbrook and Central State during his educational career. He later served as an assistant football coach at Middletown, the head baseball coach and a basketball assistant at Bellbrook then coached basketball at Central State before coaching basketball and baseball at Stebbins.”
Mr. Coleman and his family also established a charitable foundation, Coleman 4 A Cure, in response to his fight against breast cancer. Mr. Coleman also battled prostate cancer.
To read the Dayton Daily News story, go to: https://www.daytondailynews.com/sports/stebbins-to-name-gym-after-belov….
A Highland County Press feature on Mr. Coleman from 2016, when his son, Kurt Coleman, played in Super Bowl 50, can be read at https://highlandcountypress.com/sports/mcclain-grad-ron-coleman-holds-s….
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