C’view to honor Hall of Fame cage coach

Crestview information

CONVOY — On Friday, December 23, Crestview High School will honor former head coach and Ohio High School Basketball Coaches’ Association Hall of Fame member Ray Etzler between the junior varsity and varsity basketball game with Lima Central Catholic.

Etzler, who coached the Knights for 28 years, will have the Crestview High School gymnasium dedicated in his name during the ceremony immediately following the junior varsity game.

Coach Etzler is a 1959 graduate of Convoy-Union High School and a 1963 graduate of Defiance College.  He served as Crestview’s head basketball coach from 1964 to 1994, with the exception of 1973 and 1974 when he served as an assistant coach at Defiance College. Coach Etzler’s Crestview teams won 445 games and earned nine league, 16 sectional, and five district titles, and one regional title when his team advanced to the state tournament in 1971.

There will be a reception in Coach Etzler’s honor in the Crestview auditeria following the varsity contest.  All are invited.

The junior varsity game with Lima Central Catholic will start at 6 p.m.

Etzler’s other accomplishments include:

• 1994 recipient of the OHSBCA Paul Walker award
• Coach of the OHSBCA North-South All-Star game
• Coach of the Ohio-Michigan All-Star game
• Two-time coach of the District 8 All-Star game
• “Coach of the Year” three times in District 8
• UPI “Coach of the Year”
• President of the District 8 Coaches’ Association
• District 8 Distinguished Service Award