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Ohio High School Athletics
Dave Gray Named
OHSAA Interim Commissioner
Former OHSAA Board of Directors President and Franklin Monroe
Superintendent will serve while Dr. Dan Ross recovers from health
issues - COLUMBUS, Ohio – Former OHSAA Board of Directors President
Dave Gray has been named Interim Commissioner of the Ohio High School
Athletic Association following action by the OHSAA Board of Directors
at a special meeting last week. Gray, who spent 37 years in the
Franklin Monroe Local School District in Pitsburg, Ohio, before
retiring in 2012, will fill in for OHSAA Commissioner Dr. Dan Ross, who
is recovering from a series of health setbacks.
Gray, who has served as chair of the OHSAA’s Student Eligibility
Appeals Panel for the past three years, begins his duties Monday (June
20). While a member of the OHSAA’s Southwest District Athletic Board
for 29 years, he served two stints as an officer of the OHSAA Board of
Directors, including vice president in 1992-93 and president in 2010-11.
“The Board of Directors felt that our number one priority was for Dan
to regain his strength and strictly concentrate on getting healthy,”
said Steve Stirn, current president of the OHSAA Board of Directors.
“At the same time, we recognize that the commissioner’s position has so
many duties and the office staff has a lot on their plates, so we
believe the appropriate move was to appoint someone to help ensure that
we do not fall off course and continue to provide all of the services
that our member schools expect. Dave is well respected, has long ties
to the OHSAA and has a wealth of experience, so he is the perfect
person to help lead us during Dan’s absence. We’re excited that he has
accepted this role.”
No timetable has been set for the duration of Gray’s appointment, as
Dr. Ross will have the option of returning to his position as
commissioner once he returns to good health.
“I am honored and humbled to serve the OHSAA in this new capacity while
Dr. Ross is recovering from his health issues,” Gray said. “In my years
on the Board of Directors, the Southwest District Board and the OHSAA
Appeals Panel, I have enjoyed being a part of the OHSAA and all the
great things that interscholastic sports can provide for young people.
I look forward to working with the OHSAA staff on a daily basis on
behalf of all the constituents that we serve. Together, we’ll help keep
Ohio as a national leader.”
Gray was the superintendent at Franklin Monroe during his last 20 years
in the district (1992-2012). He served as a coach, athletic
administrator and principal before becoming the district’s leader. He
began his career in education in 1973 in the Twin Valley Community
Local School District in West Alexandria. A graduate of Arcanum High
School, Dave was a member of the school’s 1969 state championship
basketball team and he scored a small-school state tournament record 45
points in the semifinals. He went on to earn NAIA All-America honors in
basketball at Earlham College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree, and
he earned a master’s degree at the University of Dayton.
Gray and his wife, Susan, reside in Greenville and have three children
and have six grandchildren.
Dr. Ross is completing his 12th year as commissioner after beginning
his duties as the OHSAA’s ninth commissioner on August 1, 2004. Health
issues have limited him in his position since November 2015. Associate
Commissioner Bob Goldring had been serving as the association’s acting
commissioner since mid-March and will return to his position, which
includes director of operations.
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