# McKinley High School (Canton, Ohio)

McKinley Senior High School is a public high school in Canton, Ohio, United States. It is the only secondary school in the Canton City School District and has two campuses: Downtown Campus (mostly known as Early College High School or Timken High School) and the main campus, which is known as McKinley Senior High School. Athletic teams compete as the Canton McKinley Bulldogs in the Ohio High School Athletic Association as a member of the Federal League.

## History

The original McKinley building on Market Avenue North was opened on March 27, 1918. The students of Central High School and North High School were moved to the new building. The school was named for President William McKinley (whose home was across the street from McKinley High School) and his sister, Anna McKinley, who taught in the Canton Public Schools for 30 years. When it opened, it was the only high school in Canton. By 1943, it was one of four high schools, as enrollment in the city schools dictated Lehman High School, Lincoln High School, and Timken Vocational High School be opened.
McKinley High School's enrollment peaked in the 1935–36 school year with 4,000 students attending. As the city of Canton's population declined, so did city school enrollment. In the spring of 1976, the Canton City Schools closed all four high schools in the city. Lehman and Lincoln reverted to junior high schools, and Timken Senior High School and McKinley Senior High School were their replacements. McKinley Senior opened in a new building on the site of Fawcett Stadium.
On February 25, 2015, Canton City Schools approved the "one community, one school" initiative by merging Timken High School into McKinley High School (also known as the pre-mentioned Early College High School), giving Canton a single high school for the first time since 1937. Freshmen of the merged schools will attend the Freshmen Academy located at the current Timken High School, while grades 10–12 attend the senior high school located at the current McKinley building. The remaining high school will retain the McKinley name, mascot, and colors.
On May 24, 2021, head football coach Marcus Wattley allegedly forced an unnamed 17-year-old football team member to eat a pizza made with pork, although the student's religious beliefs prohibited him from consuming pork or pork residue. The Canton City School District announced that the head coach had been suspended, and later that he had been fired. Wattley's Twitter account was then deleted soon after.

## Athletics

McKinley competes in the Federal League, one of the oldest athletic conferences in Ohio.

### OHSAA State Championships

* Football – 1895, 1896, 1920, 1927, 1934, 1942, 1944, 1955, 1956, 1981, 1997, 1998 (National Champions – 1934, 1997)
* Boys Swimming – 1937, 1939, 1940, 1945, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961
* Boys Basketball – 1984, 2005, 2006
* Boys Golf – 1943
* Boys Track and Field – 1997
* Boys Baseball – 1937, 1939
* Girls Volleyball – 1983, 1987, 1991
* Girls Basketball – 2010

### Football

Canton McKinley is 10th in the nation in football wins all-time, with 873 as of December 2023. McKinley is also second in Ohio in win totals. McKinley has won 12 State Titles and 2 National Titles. Since the playoff format began, McKinley has won three State Titles, in 1981, 1997, and 1998. They have been State Runner-Up three times in 1977, 1985, and 2004.
McKinley plays at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium (formerly Fawcett Stadium), which seats over 22,500 fans. Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, part of Hall of Fame Village, is also home to the NFL's annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Game.

#### McKinley–Massillon rivalry

The Canton McKinley vs. Massillon Washington rivalry is the 13th most played rivalry in the nation, with 129 meetings between the schools. The rivalry is also tied for the nation's 14th oldest, dating back to 1894 and was profiled in the November 14, 1994 issue of Sports Illustrated. The Great American Rivalry Series which features the nation's top high school football rivalries has highlighted the rivalry 11 times since 2006.

#### Notable football alumni

Famous Bulldogs include Percy Snow, Kenny Peterson, Marion Motley, Wayne Fontes, Ray Ellis, Jamar Martin, the late Pro Bowl linebacker John Grimsley, Mike Doss, Reggie Corner and Josh McDaniels (Former Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach, former New England Patriots Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks coach, former Denver Broncos Head Coach). Famous former coaches include Don Nehlen (West Virginia) and Ben Schwartzwalder (Syracuse).

### Basketball

McKinley has won three State Championships in 1983–84, 2004–05, and 2005–2006. They have been State Runners-Up eight times, and hold Ohio records for most appearances in the Championship game (11), Final Four appearances (23), and Sweet Sixteen appearances (48). McKinley has had several players move on to the NBA, including Nick Weatherspoon, Phil Hubbard, Gary Grant, Eric Snow, Michael Hawkins, and Keith McLeod.

## Notable alumni

* James B. Allardice – Emmy award-winning writer
* Mother Angelica – television personality and the founder of the Eternal Word Television Network
* Brannon Braga – creator, writer and producer of several Star Trek films and television series
* Kierstan Bell – professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces
* Matt Bors – editorial cartoonist & editor of online comics publication The Nib
* Hal Broda – American football player (All-American); (NFL) the 1927 Cleveland Bulldogs
* Dwayne Broyles – former professional basketball player (EuroLeague)
* Kimberlé Crenshaw – legal theorist, Fulbright scholar, and professor
* Frank DeVol – Musician, composer, actor; Nominated for 5 Academy awards and 5 Emmy Nominations
* Mike Doss – American football player (All-American); (NFL) the Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals
* Sandy Dukat – Paralympic athlete, Bronze medalist in alpine skiing
* Jack Dugger – American football player (All-American)
* Kerwin Ray Ellis – former Pro Football player for Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles
* Richard H. Emmons – Physicist, Planetarium pioneer
* Tyler Everett – American football player, former Pro Football player for Chicago Bears
* Harold Fannin Jr. – consensus All-American college football tight end at Bowling Green State University
* Ralph Fife – American football player (All-American);(NFL) the Chicago Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers
* Randall Craig Fleischer – philharmonic conductor
* Wayne Fontes – Detroit Lions head coach (1988–1996)
* Cassietta George – Grammy nominated Gospel vocalist
* Wayne Gift – American football player
* Gary Grant – Former NBA player for Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Portland Trail Blazers and University of Michigan all-time assists leader
* John Grimsley – American football player for the Miami Dolphins and Houston Oilers
* Antonio Hall – Canadian football player for the Edmonton Eskimos
* Ronnie Harris – 1968 Olympic Gold Medalist in Boxing; Former #1 Middleweight Contender
* Trippie Redd – rapper
* Ralph Hay – once owner of the Canton Bulldogs, helped form the American Professional Football Association (NFL)
* William J. Healy II – Former Mayor Canton, Ohio; Ohio House of Representatives 52nd district
* Matt Hoopes – Guitarist for the band Relient K
* Phil Hubbard – former professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association from 1979 to 1989, and current Assistant Coach of the Washington Wizards
* Dick Kempthorn – University of Michigan football MVP and 3 time college All-Star, USAF (Korea F-86) pilot (Distinguished Flying Cross)
* Reuben Klamer – Inventor of "The Game of Life" and various other toys, Inducted into the Toy Inventors HOF and honored by the Smithsonian Institution
* Jamar Martin – former NFL fullback for the Dallas Cowboys
* Ben McDaniels – offensive quality control coach for the Chicago Bears
* Josh McDaniels – Former Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, Former Offensive Coordinator for the New England Patriots, Former Denver Broncos Head Coach
* Keith McLeod – professional basketball player
* Rip Miller – member of Notre Dame's "Seven Mules", Navy Midshipmen football Head Coach and associate athletic director; College Football Hall of Fame inductee
* Raymar Morgan – professional basketball player for Barak Netanya in Israel
* Marion Motley – Pro Football Hall of Famer for the Cleveland Browns
* The O'Jays – R&B group; inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005
* Mary Orr – Broadway actress, author, playwright; Her short story / radio play "The Wisdom of Eve" was made into the movie All About Eve and was nominated for 14 Academy Awards, winning 6
* Kenny Peterson – American football player for the Denver Broncos
* Brian Pittman – Former bassist for Relient K
* John G. Price – Former Ohio Attorney General, Grand Exalted Ruler of B.P.O.E.
* Garland Rivers – American football player, All-American for Michigan Wolverines football, NFL Chicago Bears
* Nick Roman – American football player
* John Alfred Scali – ABC Washington, D.C. beat reporter; helped resolve the Cuban Missile Crisis. Appointed "Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary" to the United Nations by President Nixon
* Don Scott – two-time All American football player at Ohio State University; was the ninth overall selection in the 1941 NFL draft, but died in World War II
* Robert Sedlock – American football player for the Buffalo Bills
* George Sharrock – Mayor of Anchorage, Alaska from 1961 to 1964
* Limmie Snell – soul singer
* Eric Snow – basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers
* Percy Snow – Former NFL Linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Chicago Bears
* Larry Snyder – Ohio State University Head Coach (Track & Field); Head Coach 1960 USA Olympic Track & Field team
* Harry Steel – Olympic Gold Medal winner heavy weight wrestler in the 1924 Paris games
* Blanche Thebom – operatic mezzo-soprano, voice teacher, and opera director with the New York Metropolitan Opera
* Nick Weatherspoon – All-American basketball player at the University of Illinois before a nine-year NBA career that included stops in Washington, Seattle, Chicago and San Diego
* Frank A. Zazula – head football coach at the University of North Dakota where he also coached track and field and cross country

## Notable staff

* Jim Aiken – Coach: Head football and basketball; would go on to coach at the University of Akron, University of Nevada, Reno, and University of Oregon
* Paul Bixler – Coach: Head basketball, assistant football; would go on to coach at Ohio State and Colgate; Director of Player Personnel for the NFL Cleveland Browns
* Ron Chismar – Coach: Head football; would go on to coach at Wichita State University
* Len Fontes – Coach: Asst. football; would go on to coach NFL defensive backs.
* Harry Hazlett – Coach: Head football and basketball; Head coach of the Pro Canton Bulldogs; during World War II was a Major General and commanded the 86th Infantry Division
* Dewey King – Coach: Asst. football; became head football coach at San Jose State, Wheaton College (Illinois), and AD at Carroll University (Wisconsin)
* Harry March – Coach: Head football; involved in Pro Football, President of American Football League (1936), co-founder and administrator for the NFL New York Giants
* Thom McDaniels – Coach: Head football; USA Today 1997 High School Coach of the Year
* Don Nehlen – Coach: Head football; became head football coach at West Virginia University, College Football Hall of Fame inductee
* Dwight Peabody – Coach: Head football; early NFL player with the Columbus Panhandles and Toledo Maroons
* Bob Rupert – Coach: Head basketball; became head basketball coach at the University of Akron
* Ben Schwartzwalder – Coach: Head football; became head football coach at Syracuse University, College Football Hall of Fame inductee

## Gallery

* Sarah Palin speaks at McKinley High School
* Gretchen Wilson performs at McKinley High School