POINT PLEASANT — In the world of athletics it takes both passion and hard work to succeed.

And this Saturday the Point Pleasant High School Hall of Fame committee will recognize 15 former athletes who possessed excellent work ethic, which helped them excel in both their sport and life.

The athletes will be inducted at a reception slated for 5 p.m. Saturday at the PPHS Commons Area and Lillian and Paul Wedge Auditorium.

A dinner will be served at 6 p.m. and will be followed by the induction ceremony in the auditorium. Those inducted will receive a glass award, which is sponsored by Pleasant Valley Hospital, and states that they are a member of the PPHS Hall of Fame. A full biography of each inductee will be featured at the reception as well.

The dinner is open to the public and tickets can be purchased for $12 at the Point Pleasant River Museum or from any member of the Hall of Fame committee. Tickets also will be available prior to the dinner at the high school.

Jack Fowler, Hall of Fame committee member, described the inductees as being very dedicated and productive during their time at PPHS.

“Most of them had success in athletics during high school and many went on to other honors in college and other sports arenas,” Fowler said. “It is important to recognize them for their early start and what they did at Point Pleasant High School.”

In addition, Fowler described the Hall of Fame as being good for the community as well as an inspiration for the current class of athletes at PPHS.

“It’s motivational for these young (athletes) who want to excel,” he said.

The group of inductees represent the Hall of Fame’s third class, and attended PPHS in the 1920s, ‘30s, ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s.

The inductees are:

• Omar Bradley — Bradley, a 1963 graduate of PPHS, played football and was a two-way player for one of the best teams in the school’s history. He also served as co-captain, was first team All-State AAA as an offensive lineman and received a four-year scholarship from the University of North Carolina to play football.

• Frank Capehart — Capehart was a multi-sport athlete for PPHS. He played football, basketball and baseball. He played end and was the place-kicker on the football team, center on the basketball team and a great long ball hitter on the baseball team. Following graduation he went on to play for then-Rio Grande College’s last football team and later played semi-pro baseball in South Carolina. Playing in the OVA league, he won two batting titles. He later transferred to Furman University where he played football and basketball before a car accident ended his sports career. In his senior year, he received the intramural trophy as the most outstanding student-athlete. He also has been a coach and teacher in the school system for 33 years and a sportswriter for the Point Pleasant Register.

• K. Monroe Chase — Chase, a 1927 graduate of PPHS, played football, track and wrestling. He played left guard and center for Coach Jerome VanMeter, a fellow Hall of Fame coach. He excelled at the sport of wrestling due to his size, which at the time was 250 pounds.

• Don Duncan — Duncan graduated from PPHS in 1958 and began contributing as a booster in 1960. He filmed football games for more than 40 years and also filmed the boys’ and girls’ soccer games in the late 1990s until 2005. He also has worked on several booster projects, including new softball field construction, any welding project around the football field and has always been there to offer help when needed.

• John Grubb, MD — Grubb was the team physician for PPHS for more than 25 years, starting in the 1960s. He provided medical services, including physicals, at no cost to PPHS athletes.

• Richard “Hindu” Henderson — Henderson was an impact player for PPHS football, basketball and baseball in the late 1940s. He was a defensive back, offensive end and place-kicker on the football team; a guard on the basketball team, where he scored 187 points; and a great infielder on the baseball team. He batted .312 while playing baseball under Coach Jack Rogers and won three batting titles in the OVA league. Following graduation he was invited to walk-on at the University of Georgia football camp. In 1949, he began officiating football, basketball and baseball. He officiated football at the collegiate level in the Southern Conference and both football and basketball in the WVIAC. He worked many playoff games and regional basketball tournaments. Upon retirement he continued to work as an umpire and still played basketball and softball.

• Carl E. Lynch — Lynch, a 1937 graduate of PPHS, was a four-year letterman for the football team. He was voted “Most Athletic Boy” for the class of 1937 and was noted as one of the finest linemen to attend PPHS by Jack Rogers. He received a four-year scholarship to Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C. He also helped participate in and organize the alumni football games, and was a faithful supporter of PPHS athletics until his death.

• Pete McDermitt — McDermitt, a 1969 graduate of PPHS, played football, basketball and baseball. He was a three-year letter winner in football and baseball and a two-year letter winner in basketball. He was Special Honorable Mention Charleston Gazette All-Southern team in football and also was Special Honorable Mention All-State and is noted as one of the finest quarterbacks that PPHS has ever had. He later went on to play at Glenville State College.

• Dale Miller — Miller played football and basketball for PPHS, and graduated from in 1960. He was a first team All-State halfback in 1959 and also was co-captain of the football team. He scored 1,132 career points and holds the single-season scoring record of 598 points, a mark that still stands. He averaged 20-plus points his junior and senior seasons and recorded several amazing statistics including 19 straight free throws his senior season, 133 made free throws that season, All-State honorable mention his junior and senior seasons and led all class AA players in scoring at the state tournament in 1958-59. His team was the Class AA State Runner-Up along with fellow Hall of Famers, Rusty Wamsley and Joe Wedge. He later went on to play college football at both Marietta College and West Virginia State.

• Howard Lee Miller — Miller, a 1962 PPHS graduate, played football, basketball and baseball. He was honorable mention All-State in football and basketball and was co-captain of the football and basketball teams his senior season. He was voted “Most Athletic” by his classmates and was the quarterback of one of the best football teams in PPHS history. He later went on to Marshall University where he was the quarterback and eventual co-captain of the football team. He was a second team All Mid-American quarterback in 1963, ‘64 and ‘65. He led the MAC in passing in ‘63 and ‘64, and was voted most valuable back in ‘65. Between the time Miller started playing football for Marshall and the time he graduated, he set several records, which included most passing yardage, passing percentage and single game yardage. While quarterback, Marshall achieved a 7-3 record his sophomore year, 6-4 record his junior year and a 5-5 his senior year. In his senior year, the team started out 4-0 but in the fourth game he was injured. He graduated from Marshall in 1966 and was later inducted in to the MU Hall of Fame in ‘87.

• Barry Nash — Nash graduated from PPHS in 1969, where he played football, wrestled and ran track. He lettered three years in a row in each sport. He later went on to play football at Marshall University where he was killed in the tragic 1970 plane crash that took the lives of 75 people, including the majority of the Herd football team.

• Steve Safford — Safford, a 1963 graduate of PPHS, played football, baseball, track and golf, and lettered in all five sports. He was the co-captain of the undefeated 1962 Big Blacks football team and also was Honorable Mention All-State that year. He was awarded a full scholarship to Miami University (Ohio) where he was coached by the legendary Bo Shembechler. While at Miami, they won two Mid-American Conference championships and Miami finished in the top 25 in 1966. He started his coaching career at William Henry Harrison High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he led them to a 34-15-1 record in his five seasons there. He began coaching the PPHS team in 1975 up until his final season in 2006. He won 164 games as the head coach of PPHS and also won the North-South game in 1991. He took the team to the playoffs five times and led PPHS to an undefeated regular season in 1979.

• Kenton Sheline — Sheline, a 1963 graduate of PPHS, played football. He was referred to as the “Wild Man” by Jack Rogers for his fearless play on the field. He holds the record for most blocked punts in a season as well as most fumbles recovered in a season and career. He was voted MVP and defensive MVP his senior season where he was part of one of the most successful football teams in school history. He held the record for the longest play from scrimmage for many years (83 yards against Nitro) and is one of the few in PPHS history to have a 200-yard rushing game. After graduation, he received a four-year scholarship to Memphis State University. He was president of the Big Blacks Backers during the bleacher construction and also has contributed to many other projects.

• Billy Joe Sturgeon — Sturgeon, a 1962 graduate of PPHS, played football, basketball and baseball. He was a defensive back in football as well as a running back. He led the team in rushing his senior season with 626 yards on 106 carries for an average of 5.9 yards per carry. He was the sixth man on the basketball team and his ball-handling skills helped ignite the basketball team on many occasions. In baseball, he started at third base for three years. Coach Jack Rogers noted that Sturgeon was a “fine third baseman, a rousing hitter, clever fielder and a real gentleman.” His football and baseball career continued after graduation at Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. Sturgeon went on to a very successful football, wrestling and baseball coaching career at Orrville High School in Orrville, Ohio. During his 11 years at Orrville as an assistant football coach, nine of which he was offensive coordinator/quarterbacks and running backs coach, the Red Riders had two undefeated seasons and two seasons at nine and one.

• Jimmy Joe Wedge — Wedge, a 1960 graduate of PPHS, played football and basketball. He was co-captain in both football and basketball and was Mr. Oh-Kan of his graduating class. He was part of the 1959 state runner-up in basketball along with fellow Hall of Famers Rusty Wamsley and Dale Miller. He was All-State his senior season in basketball as well. He later helped organize the Alumni Association for Point Pleasant High School.

The third class of PPHS Hall of Fame members will be recognized at 7 p.m. today prior to the PPHS football game.

For more information on the Hall of Fame reception or nominations for the Hall of Fame’s fourth class, call Fowler at (304) 674-0144.