Rick is currently the assistant wrestling coach at Ryle High School in Union , Kentucky .  He is in his third year with the Ryle Raiders who are the defending Regional Champions.  He is looking forward to coaching a State Champion this year.

Rick began playing basketball in grade school for Mr. Jim Callahan.  He chose to go to NC in hopes of obtaining a college scholarship.  He still holds several records at NCC in basketball.

After graduating Rick went on to play college basketball at Thomas More College , on a scholarship, and averaged 14 points per game.

Jim was a member of NC’s regional baseball championship teams all four years that he was a student – including the 1950 Kentucky State Championship team as a freshman.  As a senior, he captained the 1952-53 Thoroughbred basketball team to the Ninth Region championship, the first in school history and the first parochial high school in Northern Kentucky to accomplish this feat.

FR.  JOHN V. HEGENAUER COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD

Mr. Carlisle is an expert in heavy-lift and transportation services, demolition and excavation, as well as, general development and construction program management.  He is a member of the Board of Directors of Maxim Crane Works and is a member of many corporate boards and involved in numerous business enterprises.  His contribution of time and effort to charities and involvement in community projects is legendary.

Tom is a 1960 graduate of Newport Catholic High School .  Tom played basketball all four years at NC under Freshman Coach George Schneider and Varsity Coach Jim Connor.  In his senior year, Tom was awarded the Walter J. McGaff Award as the top student athlete at NC.

Tom played basketball for Xavier University and in his senior year he was captain of the team.  After college, he played baseball for 10 years and softball for 35 years.  He has refereed high school basketball for 36 years.  He has been involved with youth sports for over 20 years as both a coach and as an administrator.  Tom was inducted into the Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.

Tom worked for Western Southern Life Insurance Company for 38 years before retiring in 2002.  He has been married to Carol Rechtin Freppon for 39 years, and they have four children and 13 grandchildren.  All of his children attended NCC and participated in various sports at NCCHS.  His daughter, Christie McDonald, is the current Girls’ Basketball Coach at NCCHS and was inducted into the NCC Hall of Fame in 2001.

The first Annual Coach Jim Connor Award is presented to Andrew Furman. Mr. Furman is a newspaper columnist and Radio Sports Talk host. He is well known in our Greater Cincinnati Community and has shown excellence in his work and in his personal life. We honor him as a family man who has the courage to state his opinions and stand by his convictions. As such the committee is honored to bestow upon him the Coach Jim Connor Award for his contributions to our community and for his commitment to family values.

Columnist and Talk Show Host. Andy was born in Brooklyn, NY, where his vast experience in the sporting world took root. He was a sportswriter for both the Brooklyn Daily Bulletins and New York Post. He was sports information director at St. Francis College, Hunter College and Oral Roberts University. He was Publicity director for the Fort Lauderdale, FL Strikers in the North American Soccer League. He was Public Relations director for the following racetracks:

Monticello Raceway (NY); Buffalo Raceway (NY); Centennial Park (Littleton, CO); Lakos Region Greyhound Park (Belmont, NH); and Latonia Race Course (Florence, KY).

He is now one of the most respected Columnist for the Cincinnati Post and sports talk show hosts in Cincinnati for WLW Radio.

Stephen has one daughter, Jessica, a sister Marian and states that his two brothers, Kenny and Tony, were also great athletes at Newport Catholic High School .

The Newport Central Catholic Boosters have bestowed one community service award prior to finalizing a true name for this award.  This Award is to be given annually at the Hall of Fame Night.  Tonight, at the Third Annual Hall of Fame Night, we are formally dedicating this award in the name of Fr. John V. Hegenauer.  The Community Service Award will henceforth be known as the Fr. John Hegenauer Community Service Award.

This award is to be given to a person who has demonstrated his commitment to his community and to the family values that Newport Central Catholic strives to impart to its students.  

This award honors the memory of Fr. John Hegenauer who was first and foremost a priest of the Diocese of Covington from 1940 until his death in 1998.  During that time he served many parishes throughout the Diocese, as well as, being the Principal of Newport Catholic High School from 1947 until 1964.  He also served the Diocese as Superintendent of Catholic Education and Vicar of Education.  His commitment to catholic education is a reflection of his life and dedication to his faith.  His legacy to Newport Central Catholic is reflective of his love of his people who returned their love and respect for him as a priest and educator.

It is with humble respect and an honor and privilege, plus a sense of pride, that the Newport Central Catholic Boosters have chosen to honor this great leader by naming their Community Service Award in honor of the Rev. John V. Hegenauer.

In his senior year he helped lead NC to a 25-2 record.  Following graduation he accepted a basketball scholarship to Xavier University and played under Coach Ned Wulk.  He was an outstanding payer for Xavier having started every Varsity game in his sophomore, junior and senior years.  He lettered all three years and was the team MVP in his junior and senior year and captain of the team in his senior year.

Molly played volleyball, basketball and softball while she attended OLP and NCC.  She served as varsity team captain for both the volleyball and basketball teams and was awarded the Loyce Meadows Award her senior year, an award presented to one senior in the region who exhibited the highest in athletic and academic achievement.

After graduating, Molly attended the University of Louisville where she received her Masters in Engineering and then moved to Indiana to work for Eli Lilly and Company.  During college, Molly was extremely active in intramural sports and became an avid runner and biker.

Molly now lives in San Francisco with her four-year-old son, Ryan.  She works as an executive in the software industry and enjoys biking, hiking, and yoga.

Coached at Newport Catholic from 1946 to 1951. Was a Football and Basketball standout at Newport High School from 1931 to 1935. He is a member of the Northern Kentucky University, Xavier University and La Rosa High School Hall of Fame. He was the first Northern Kentucky athlete inducted into the La Rosa Hall of Fame. He coached at NCC without compensation coaching both football and basketball and had the best record in basketball for 25 Years. Al is a WW II Veteran, twice elected Sheriff of Campbell County.

Al is now retired living with his wife in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. Al is the father of three children. His son, Berry Howe, accepted this Award on behalf of his Father. Al advised the Committee that "My Years at NCC could not have been happier." He only regrets that prior commitments kept him from attending this evening.

Steve Mason was a three-sport athlete: football, basketball, and baseball from the 4th grade until he graduated from Newport Catholic in 1970. 

Steve is a self-employed real estate appraiser and has been married to Diane Tedesco Mason for 27 years. They have three sons: Michael, Matthew, and Jeffrey and reside in Fort Thomas .

Coach has been the OLP/NCC volleyball coach for the past 24 years amassing a 545-222 record which is one of the top in Kentucky for active coaches.  On August 26, 2000 , she earned her 500th victory as a volleyball coach in the Championship Match of the Parochial School Tournament.  Her teams have made 15 trips to the KHSAA State tournament during which time she has 10 Regional Championships, 1 district runner-up and 4 KHSSA State Runner-up trophies.

In 1972 he sold the store due to problems with his health.  He spent the next few years helping Jim Connor at Thomas More College with the basketball and baseball programs.

Mike began his high school career at Newport Catholic in 1979.  He started as a three-sport athlete participating in football, basketball, and track.  The freshmen were 9th Region basketball champions in 1979-80.  He was a sprinter on the varsity track team as a freshman.  As a sophomore, Mike concentrated on football and track.  As a sophomore, he started the year at linebacker and became the starting tailback in the third game of the season.  NC participated in Class AAA at the time.  Each season that Mike participated in football, the team complied winning records, and he was awarded many honors by the media, organizations, coaches, and teammates.  In 1982 he held the career rushing and single game football rushing records.  During his junior and senior years, he was a sectional qualifier in the 100 and 200-meter dashes.

Mike stated, “I am so proud to have graduated from Newport Catholic High School and to have been a part of its many traditions.  Without my parents’ sacrifices, I would not have had this opportunity.  For all the teachers, coaches, and teammates that helped me and those that continue to keep Newport Central Catholic rich in tradition and excellence, I give my sincere thanks.”

A 1987 graduate of Newport Central Catholic, Terry was an outstanding football and basketball player.  He lettered four years in basketball, two years in football, and one year in baseball.

In basketball he was All District, All Region, All NKAC, Ninth Region All-Star, and a member of the 1000-point club.  He was Co-Most Valuable Player of the Region, a Famous Recipe Player of the Week, and was invited to tryouts for the Kentucky-Indiana All Star Team.

Terry lives in Highland Heights with his wife Rhonda and daughter, Kaylee Jade.

This year’s award is presented to Coach Ken Shields, head basketball coach at