Induction Sport Role

2014 Basketball | Football Coach

Born and raised in New Berlin/North Canton. Ray graduated from the Portage Street School in 1929 - just before the cornerstone was laid for the NoCaHi building on Charlotte Street. Ray spent the next four years at Mount Union proving that a small offensive lineman could be tough and effective. Next to Ohio State for a Master's Degree, and then back home.

He began teaching at NoCaHi in 1935, and was named coach of both the football and basketball teams. Over the next several years, the current school colors of orange and black were selected, replacing the blue and white and black and gold that had been used. In 1938, Ray was instrumental in "helping" the senior class vote to adopt the VIKING as the school mascot.

The 1938 football season was not remarkable - 3 wins, 4 losses, and 2 ties - and the 1938-39 basketball season started the same way - 1 win, 4 losses after the first 5 games. Coach Swope met with the team and told them he had seen how well they could do when they wanted to play and how bad they did when they didn't care - "If you don't want to play, turn in your suit!" - No one turned in their uniforms. In fact, the team rose to the occasion and finished the remainder of the season undefeated, ending with a 24-23 victory over Sandusky St. Mary's for the State Championship. North Canton was noted as the "best coached team (in the tournament)" because "... they outsmarted every foe and were especially adept at solving changing defensive styles."

Success continued the next season, with North Canton being undefeated until the District Final game, losing to Canfield. The winning streak stood a 45 straight victories - a state record until the 1950's, and still a Stark County record. After a brief sint in Greenville, Ohio, teaching a coaching, Ray returned to North Canton in 1949 with his family - wife Luella and children Judy and Bud - to resume teaching duties until his retirement in 1969. Always a coach, he satisfied the coaching itch by working with the basketball programs at Malone and Kent Stark.

Throughout his career, Coach Swope was as proud of the accomplishments of his players and students off the field as on the field. He worked to prepare all his students as thoroughly as his teams. Like most good teachers and coaches, he rarely forgot a name for a face, regardless of how much time had elapsed.

Coach Ray Swope died in 1984.