Haskell to speak to Curbstone

Charles “Chuck” Haskell, the executive director of the Ohio Athletic Commission, will be the guest speaker at Monday’s luncheon meeting of The Curbstone Coaches at the Avion Banquet Center on Western Reserve Road in Beaver Township.

The event begins at noon and the public is welcome to attend. For those arriving early the buffet lines will open at 11:45 a.m.

YSU announces Hall of Fame class

YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown State will induct a class of five former student-athletes and a long-time contributor into the YSU Athletics Hall of Fame in February.

The class of 2025 features Marta Burak (women’s tennis), Danielle Curry (women’s track and field), Dr. Ray Duffett (contributor), Phil Klein (baseball), Eric Rupe (men’s cross country and track and field), and Heidi Schlegel (women’s basketball).

The ceremony is set for 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 7, in the DeBartolo Stadium Club in Stambaugh Stadium. Tickets are available by contacting Austin Snodgrass at arsnodgrass@ysu.edu. The inductees will be introduced at halftime of the women’s basketball game against Green Bay. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. The YSU men host Robert Morris at 4:30 p.m. as part of a doubleheader.

Burak, who played from 2011-15, was a four-time first-team all-league honoree and won all but one regular-season and postseason Horizon League match in her four-year career. She had a school record 94 singles wins and guided YSU to the 2014 and 2015 Horizon League Tournament titles and the 2015 regular-season title. In 40 league matches, she lost five out of 74 sets played, and three of those were her freshman year. Overall, she had a career mark of 94-31 in singles and won 78 doubles matches. Burak was the YSU Female Student-Athlete of the Year in 2014-15.

Curry, a thrower from 2007-10, set the outdoor track shot put record with a throw of 15.71 meters in 2010 and ranks second all-time. She ranks eighth all-time in the indoor track weight throw at 17.18 meters, and she was named the Horizon League Indoor Field Newcomer of the Year in 2008. Curry earned the Horizon League Outdoor Field Athletic of the Year in 2009 and was a five-time Horizon League individual champion.

Duffett served as the Youngstown State team doctor from the late 1980’s until 2025. He is retiring from his service to the Penguin community, and he has been practicing here in the Mahoning Valley since 1988. Prior to coming to the area, Dr. Duffett worked with MLB and NFL players in Cincinnati, where he honed his skills and later benefited the YSU Athletic community, including four National Championship football teams in the 1990s.

Klein, a pitcher from 2008-11, was named First-Team All-Horizon League his sophomore year in 2009, and he is one of just four pitchers to earn first-team honors since YSU joined the Horizon League in 2002. Klein was also a Second-Team All-Horizon selection in 2011. Klein was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 30th Round of the 2011 MLB Draft, and he went on to make 40 appearances over three seasons in the majors with the Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies.

Rupe (Maplewood), who competed from 2011-15, led the Penguins by placing first at the Horizon League Cross Country Championship with a time of 25:41.24 as a junior. In 2013 he became the first YSU male runner in school history to win a cross country conference championship. He placed first in the Disney World Cross Country Classic with a time of 25:05.46 in 2013 and won the 5,000-meter run at the indoor Horizon League Championships with a time of 14:49.68 as a senior. By winning the 5,000-meter run, Rupe defended his title and became the first repeat champion in the event since Butler’s Gary Blackman in 2003-04. As a junior he won the event in a time of 15:09.25. In 2014, Rupe helped the Penguins win the Horizon League Outdoor Championship with first place finishes in the 5,000-meter and 3,000-meter runs.

Schlegel, who played from 2010-15, was a two-time All-Horizon League selection in 2013-14 and 2014-15. She ranks fourth on the all-time scoring list with 1,729 points, and her 621 points in 2013-14 rank fifth on the single-season chart, while her 584 in 2014-15 is eighth. Schlegel’s 20.0 ppg average in 2013-14 ranks eighth in a single season. Her 14.5 career-scoring average ranks 10th all-time, she ranks eighth all-time with 796 career rebounds and seventh all-time with 25 double-doubles.

Utah’s Whittingham steps down

SALT LAKE CITY — Kyle Whittingham, who with 177 victories is the most successful coach in the history of the Utah football program, will be stepping down after the Utes’ appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 31.

“The time is right to step down from my position as the head football coach at the University of Utah,” Whittingham said in a statement Friday. “It’s been an honor and a privilege to lead the program for the past 21 years, and I’m very grateful for the relationships forged with all the players and assistant coaches that have worked so hard and proudly worn the drum and feather during our time here. The opportunity to guide so many talented young men as they pursued their goals — both on and off the field, has truly been a blessing.”

Whittingham posted a 177-88 (.668) record over 21 seasons. Utah finished with 18 winning seasons under Whittingham and won at least 10 games eight times.

During his tenure, Whittingham twice helped Utah navigate conference changes. The Utes moved from the Mountain West Conference to the Pac-12 Conference in 2011 and then departed the Pac-12 for the Big 12 Conference in 2024.

Whittingham led the Utes to back-to-back Pac-12 Championships and Rose Bowl appearances in 2021 and 2022. Then, after a 5-7 campaign in their first Big 12 season, Utah went 10-2 this season and finished in a tie for third place in the league.

The second-longest tenured head coach in FBS college football, Whittingham earned three national Coach of the Year awards, including the AFCA and Bear Bryant Awards in 2008, and the Dodd Trophy in 2019.

Morgan Scalley will be Whittingham’s successor at Utah. Scalley has been designated head coach in waiting in recent seasons while serving as defensive coordinator — a position he has held since 2016.