Sidney resident Jim Conard recognized by Marshall Universityalumni for efforts
SIDNEY - It didn't take long for Jim Conard to figure thatsomething was up.
The Sidney resident and Marshall University graduate was attendinga spring alumni association event at his alma mater when it came timeto vote for the first-ever Distinguished M Club Member award.
Unbeknownst to Conard, his name topped the ballot.
'I thought, 'What is this for?' '
For starters, the award honors Conard's lifelong love affair withMarshall, one that began as a youngster growing up in Huntington,W.Va., and was nurtured further as an offensive and defensive tacklefor the Thundering Herd in the 1950s.
But even upon graduation, Conard seldom strayed far from the Herd.Conard followed the program from afar and attended games whenever hecould. He presently serves on the executive board of directors ofMarshall's alumni association.
For his efforts, the 66-year-old Conard was honored last Saturdayat a luncheon and during Marshall's game with Buffalo as the chartermember of the Distinguished M Club. A plaque honoring his achievementwill be on display in the Green Room of the Cam Henderson Center.
'It's a big deal,' said Conard, who was flanked for the on-fieldceremonies by the presidents of two booster groups and bygrandchildren Reece, Eric, Kylie and McKenzie. 'It goes beyondathletics, into what you've done in your career to representMarshall.'
In that respect, Conard, the former lineman, is on top of thepile.
In 1961, he guided Chesapeake High School to its first undefeatedseason. A year later he coached opposite Earle Bruce in the annualOhio High School Football Coaches North -South football game.
That same year Conard left Chesapeake for an assistant's job inTroy. He was promoted to head coach in 1969 and soon led the Trojansto previously unattained heights.
During Conard's three seasons as head coach at Troy, the Trojans -with standouts such as Randy Walker and Gordon Bell - went 22-7-1,including a 1971 campaign in which the team went undefeated and wasranked fourth in the state. That team, which outscored opponents,406-54, ultimately sent 20 players to play college football,including Walker (Miami University), Bell (Michigan), Joe Allen(Florida) and Elmo Boyd (Eastern Kentucky).
But because Troy's magical season came one year prior to theadvent of the state high school playoff system, the Trojans had onlystatistics and bravado to use in staking their claim of being amongthe state's best teams ever.
That, however, was more than enough to convince Conard.
'I don't think there was a high school team in the state thatcould've touched that team,' he said. 'To this day, I've seen a lotof teams and I've never seen one that compared to the 1971 team.'
As affirmation of Conard's claim, in 2001 the '71 Troy team wasselected by a panel of Dayton Daily News sports writers as the bestMiami Valley prep football team of the last 50 years.
Conard retired from coaching following the fabled '71 season - 'Ireally felt like I'd accomplished everything I wanted to,' he said -and became principal of Troy Junior High, a position he held for fouryears. He left the Troy district in 1975 to become superintendent ofFairlawn Schools.
In 1978, Conard left Fairlawn to become an area coordinator forthe Ohio Department of Education. In that capacity, he supervised 69school districts across nine counties in west-central Ohio until hisretirement in 1995.
Since then, Conard has enjoyed spending time with friends andfamily - a recent visitor to his Sidney home inadvertentlyinterrupted a family dinner - and working on behalf of his almamater.
He was one of the founding members of Marshall's M Club and hasworked to raise funds for a number of projects, includingconstruction of the university's proposed $3 million Erickson AlumniCenter.
Now, the school has rewarded Conard - in the best way possible -for years of service and commitment.
'It is,' he said, 'quite an honor.'
Contact Steve Jacoby at 225-2250 or e-mail him atSDJacoby@earthlink.net.