Three Inducted to Cleveland's Sports Legends Hall of Fame
In 1962 the Cleveland Plain Dealer ran a sports story which featured an unlikely State Championship by Collinwood High School. Theo Morrow and Mike Cavotta captured Collinwood’s first ever Championship by winning the State Track & Field event. The two of them stunned the meet and the highly favored defending champion, Dayton Dunbar, who fielded 18 qualifiers. (picture 1 here)
On Saturday, October 19, 2019, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District held its Inaugural Sports Legends Hall of Fame inductions. Athletes and coaches from all the Cleveland schools, numbering more than 4,000, spanning the past 115 years were recognized with 45 honored by induction. Athletes Theo Morrow, Mike Cavotta and Coach Lou Slapnick joined the Legends Pantheon which also inducted former Olympians Jesse Owens, Harrison Dilliard and Stella Walsh. Lou coached the Collinwood girls track team from 1994 thru 2010 amassing seventeen City of Cleveland championships in seventeen years of coaching at Collinwood, along with nine state championships. Morrow commented, "after all these years, this is still a humbling moment for me and Mike”. Mike commented, “being mentioned along with so many truly great athletes is a privilege and a blessing”. (picture 2 here)
Inductions will be held every two years, so keep tuned for potentially more CHS athletes being inducted in 2021.
For details visit https://sites.google.com/view/sportslegendsofcleveland/home
By Len Corpora, Vice President Collinwood High School Alumni Association
Michael Cavotta
Currently the residing President of the Collinwood High School Alumni Association. Notable acedemic/athletic CHS 1962 grad, Engineering degree from OSU. Founder and owner of Performance Concepts a multi media engineering firm located in Mentor, OH. An innovator in intereactive healthcare products and services. Retired and living in Thompson, Ohio with his wife Wendy.