Induction Graduation Sport

2023 1978 Football | Wrestling | Baseball | Track

Jeff Esmont is a Hoover High School Class of 1978 graduate.  During his high school career, he was a letterman in four varsity sports – football, wrestling, baseball and track.  Jeff won the Hoover Holiday Wrestling Tournament in 1977.  He was selected first team All-Federal League and All-Stark County in wrestling.  Jeff earned the local scholarship named after his grandfather, Joe Esmont, in 1978.  He was also named the best male athlete of his high school class. After graduating from Hoover, Jeff continued his athletic career at Ashland University participating in football and wrestling. He was a three-time All-Conference punter, and a starting guard for Ashland.  He was a three-time wrestling All-American.  At 190 pounds, Jeff was a Division II national runner-up in 1981 and won the individual national championship in 1982.  He was inducted into the Ashland Hall of Fame for football and wrestling in 1992.  Jeff has also been inducted into the Stark County Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1992 and the NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003. After college, Jeff received multiple tryouts in professional football as a punter.  He is also one of the few wrestlers to win at least one match in the NCAA Division I, Division II, and Division III National tournaments. Jeff has been married to his wife Beth for 40 years, and has three children – Joe, Mark and Emma.