Induction Graduation Sport

2016 1958 Football | Basketball | Track & Field

Earl William "Bill" Ridge, Jr. was a basketball, track, and football star at NOCA High from 1955-1958. He was a 3-year letterman in basketball and football and a 4-year letterman in track. Bill was a State Track qualifier in the quarter mile and he was a member of the school record-setting relay. He held the school basketball record for the most career free throw and also earned All-County honors.

Bill scored 270 points his sophomore year, 237 his junior year, and 293 his senior year which ranked him 6th in career scoring. He was ranked as Stark County's 2nd leading scorer in football during the 1958 season. He scored 36 points his junior year and 93 points his senior year. By the end of his senior year he was ranked 5th on the All-Time Career Scoring list. 

Bill became a 4-year letterman in both track and football at Baldwin Wallace College. During his senior year the football team went undefeated for the first time in school history. In his final game, he had a school record punt return and caught the winning pass to defeat Kent State 14-7 to remain unbeaten for the season. Bill played professional football for 5 years with the Cleveland Dogs (1963-64), the Canton Bulldogs (1965), and the Philadelphia Bulldogs (1966-67)  in the Continental League. He remains active in athletics as a football, basketball, and softball official and recently retired from Alliance City Hospital.