OUTSTANDING ATHLETE

Induction Year: 2007 | Graduation Year: 1990

James Berner, a 1990 graduate of Tecumseh, was born in 1971 to James and Alice Berner and is a lifelong resident of Donnelsville. Jimmy began his athletic career at an early age. He played football, baseball, and basketball for local teams. His father coached him on the New Carlisle Cubs football teams and the Donnelsville baseball teams. While playing for the Cubs, it didn't take long before he was being noticed as a good athlete. After winning numerous awards in his early years, Jimmy became a standout at Olive Branch Middle School. He played football, basketball and set two school records in track for the 800 meter run and the mile. He never lost a race his in 8th grade year in track.

In his four years of high school, Jimmy received letters for football, basketball, baseball, and track. In the spring of his freshmen year, Jimmy won the Tecumseh Gauntlet 10K race. He continued this success throughout high school track. He won a gold medal in the400 meters at the GMVC Conference Meet, with a school record time of 50.09. The record still stands today. At the Dayton Invitational, he placed in the long jump with a leap of 20 feet 1/2 inch, which placed him among the elite athletes at this meet.

Jimmy received numerous accolades in football. He was a captain both his junior and senior year. His junior year he was selected first team defense for Clark County, first team All-Area for the Springfield News Sun, and second team All-Conference for the GMVC. His coaches and team voted him the defensive MVP. As a senior, Jimmy was named to the Springfield News Sun All Area team for both offense and defense and Clark County first team for both offense and defense. He was awarded the Channel 7 Athlete of the Week. He played quarterback for the North Team in the Miami Valley Coaches Association North vs. South All Star Game. He rounded out his senior year in football by being selected first team GMVC as quarterback.

During the summer, Jimmy played baseball for the National Champion Ohio Warhawks. He was recently inducted into the Warhawk Baseball Hall of Fame.

After high school, Jimmy went to Defiance College. He played football and baseball all four years at Defiance. He was selected team captain his senior year for the football team. While playing free safety for Defiance, he had 15 interceptions and 12 blocked kicks, which set a school and NCAADivision Ill record. As a senior, he was selected First Team American Midwest Conference for free safety. While playing baseball, he was team captain both his junior and senior year. As a senior, Jimmy was First Team American Midwest Conference hitting over 415 and stealing 28 bases. At the end of his senior year, he was awarded Defiance College 1994 Male Athlete of the Year.

Jimmy graduated from Defiance College with a degree in criminal justice. He currently works for the Clark County Sheriff's Department. He remains dedicated to Tecumseh athletics working all home football and basketball games. He coaches numerous youth programs in the area. He still remains a competitive athlete. He competes each year in the Ohio Law games and plays softball for Central Ohio Lawmen, which travel the nation to tournaments. In 1996, he was on the Ohio International track team, which competed in Salt Lake City in the National Law Enforcement Olympics where he won two silver medals. In 2001, he was selected to the National Police Softball All-Tournament Team and was named Dayton Daily News athlete of the month for the neighborhood section of the paper.

In 1997, he married Shannon Cook, who teaches at Tecumseh Middle School. They have 4 children: Gabe, Allison, Macy, and Braden who also love Tecumseh athletics.