Prior to the varsity football game last Friday night, the Tippecanoe Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2024 was introduced. Recipients and their families spent the pregame at the American Legion Post 586 across from the Tipp Park. They were also introduced on the field before the game at the stadium.

Six Tippecanoe alumni took their place among the elite athletes in school history with this honor, including Randy Thompson (Class of 1973), Chris Wampler (Class of 1986), Maria (Barhorst) Davis (Class of 1998), Matthew Barhorst (Class of 2000), Jason Salyer (Class of 2009), and Sam Wharton (Class of 2013).

● Randy Thompson was a four-year letterwinner for the Red Devils football team where he earned first-team all-league in both 1971 and 1972. He was also a two-year letterwinner in basketball and a four-year letterwinner in baseball. Thompson attended Tennessee State on a football scholarship in 1973 before transferring to Wilmington College, where he was a three-year letterwinner in baseball. “I always told my players if you do things right, good things will happen,” Thompson said about his coaching days. “What I cherish the most about this moment is that I am able to share it with my family. I was privileged to play with so many great athletes here at Tipp, and I am proud of being a part of three generations who played quarterback here at Tipp.”

● Chris Wampler was a first-team all-Ohio basketball player during the 1985-86 season and, at one point, held the career scoring record holder with 1,172 points. He finished his career with an 18.9 points per game average while grabbing 7.2 rebounds per game. He is the school record holder in scoring average at 23.0 points per game, field goals in a season with 211 and a career with 458, and free throws in a game 12-12. All of these happened during a 20-game regular season. He also placed fifth in the state with the 3200 relay team in track, and sixth in Ohio in the 800. Wampler was also a six-time conference champion in track.

After Tipp, Wampler played in all 111 games at Wright State, and while he was a Raider, they moved to Division 1, and he was co-captain during his senior year. “It boils down to being in the right place at the right time with great people around you, Wampler said. “I was born into a sports house. My brother John took me over to the park to play basketball, and it was a real growing experience. There was a strong motivation to get over there.”

● Maria Davis was a four-year letter winner on the softball field for Tipp with a career batting average of .609, placing her 12th all-time with the OHSAA. She was a two-time all-Ohioan, and in 1997, she led the team in batting average, hits, triples, home runs, stolen bases, and runs batted in. Her .659 batting average in 1995 put her in the record books for the state, while her defense was also honored as Player of the Year in 1995 for Tippecanoe.

She then went onto Wright State where she lettered all four years and was an academic All-American. She also received the WSU Female Scholar Athlete Award in 2002. “Softball has impacted my entire life,” Davis said. “I was introduced to the game at a very young age.”

“I did realize the potential I had for the next level by the end of my junior year. My coaches taught me that the lessons I learn in softball would also be lessons I could use my whole life.”

● Matthew Barhorst was a two-time First-team all-Ohio in baseball and the area Player of the Year in 1999. In both 1999 and 2000, he was Player of the Year in the SRC, and holds several school records, including doubles in a season, hits in a season, second all-time in season batting average, second in runs in a season, fourth in stolen bases in a season, and third in triples in a season. He was also a three-year letterwinner on the football field.

At Wright State, Barhorst played 164 career games and in 2002, batted a career high .323. He was also team captain in both 2003 and 2004. “It’s amazing that I am being inducted into the Hall of Fame because I am probably only the third-best athlete in my family,” he said. “Coach Bruce Cahill was very instrumental in my baseball career. We had a college-level baseball coach coaching us in high school.”

● Jason Salyer had quite a career with the Red Devils in both cross country and track. During the fall, he was a three-time state qualifier and placed third overall in 2008. He was twice named all-Ohio. In track, he won three conference titles and two district crowns. Twice he captured the 3200 regional championship and qualified several times for state in different events. Since graduating from Bowling Green, where he also ran, Salyer qualified for the 2024 US Olympic Marathon Trials. He is a two-time winner of the Air Force Marathon while also winning both the Toledo and Cincinnati Marathon Championships.

“I went to the sport that all the misfits went...cross country,” Salyer joked. “I set the school record my senior, then Sam (Wharton) broke it his sophomore year like it was nothing. He didn’t even break a sweat.” Salyer also praised the program, including his first year as an assistant coach at Tipp, where he was part of the first state championship in school history.

● Sam Wharton was a four-time all-Ohio runner in cross country and, in 2012, brought home the state championship to Tippecanoe. One year prior, Wharton was the state runner-up. During his high school career, he was a three-time All-American and the 2012 National Champion. He also claimed the Gatorade Ohio Runner of the Year and was a Wendy’s Heisman Finalist.

In track, Wharton also picked up many accolades, including four-time all-Ohio in the 3200. He was also the state champion and runner-up in that event during his career. Nationally, he was a three-time All-American in the 3200. He then attended Stanford, where he was an All-American in both cross country and track. Wharton gave a lot of “thank yous” to his family and coaches who gave him the chance to allow him to have such a great career at Tipp.

Tippecanoe Hall of Fame Members

Class of 2017

Tom Rettig- Girls Basketball Coach

Phillip Hiatt- Class of 1965

Tom Rogers- Class of 1965

Dale Pittenger- Class of 1968

Jeff Rawlins- Class of 1976

Kelly Lyn Rickard- Class of 1981

Kipp Huntsberger- Class of 1998

Class of 2018

Charlie Burgbacher- Football Coach

Dan Furlong- Class of 1968

Doug Zimmer- Class of 1983

Angie May Strong- Class of 1994

Nicholas Landis- Class of 2006

Robert Goldsberry- Class of 2007

Class of 2019

Bob Servis- Boys Soccer Coach

Jessica Locker Roseberry- Class of 2006

Melanie Grim Clark- Class of 2004

Kim Sevitts- Class of 1973

Charles Elliott- Class of 1964

Steve Barhorst- Class of 1992

Class of 2021

Bruce Cahill- Baseball coach

Scott Downing- Class of 1992

Katie Landwehr- Class of 2011

Zach Otte- Class of 1997

Nick Otte- Class of 1997

Class of 2022

Roger Bowen- Class of 1963

Brad Gibson- Class of 2001

Whitney Gibson- Class of 1996

Sarah Merritt- Class of 2004

Kellen Zawadzki- Class of 2007

Class of 2023-2024

Maria Barhorst Davis- Class of 1998

Chris Wampler- Class of 1986

Jason Salyer- Class of 2009

Randy Thompson- Class of 1973

Sam Wharton- Class of 2013

Matthew Barhorst- Class of 2000