The school's student senate has started a GoFundMe campaign to pay for the coaches to watch Ashton Dulin at the NFL Combine

Since Malone announced plans to shut down its football program on Feb. 1, former Pioneers coach Fred Thomas estimates he has talked to coaches from more than 160 colleges.

Coaches from more than 60 different colleges have been on Malone’s campus to talk to his players.

And yet, as of Friday night, only three players had officially found new homes: DL Charles Ellington III (Wayne State), DB Malik Johnson (Central State) and QB Jermaine Camp (Alderson Broaddus). All three were freshmen last year.

“There’s been a zillion people talking to them,” said Thomas, who had 78 players with eligibility remaining. “We’ve got calls from Texas, California … you name it. But most of the kids are visiting schools within a couple hours.”

Malone cut the football program as part of a campus-wide restructuring designed to eliminate a $2.5 million debt over the next two years. The school has promised to honor scholarships for all of its football players who choose to stay on campus, but Thomas said most players are looking to leave. His Twitter account is filled with retweets of Pioneers who have already received offers, but because Malone’s announcement came several weeks into the spring semester, and because National Signing Day has already passed, there’s no need to commit immediately.

“The ones who are going to stay are the ones that are almost done with their degrees,” Thomas said. “My sense is if all of them could transfer and get a good home, they would.

“But anybody who wants to find a place to play will be able to, no doubt about it.”

Two of Thomas’ coaches also have found new homes. Cornerbacks coach Tony Carroscia will coach wide receivers at Olivet Nazarene and Director of Football Operations Brooks Andersson will do the same job at Northern Illinois.

When asked if he’s planning to coach somewhere next year, Thomas laughed and said, “I don’t know yet. I’ve got a couple options, but I’m 63 years old. If someone wants some old man, maybe.”

On the first day of his post-coaching life, Thomas’ wife, Mia, left him a list of 13 things to do.

“So, I get it all done before noon, like a good husband, and when she came home I said, ‘This ain’t gonna last,’” Thomas said, laughing. “No more notes. No more lists. Let me be myself.

“So, today, I only had three things to do. But I’m gonna have to find something.”

Send Malone’s coaches to the Combine

Malone's student senate has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise $1,500 for the Pioneer coaching staff to see wide receiver Ashton Dulin at the NFL Combine on March 1 in Indianapolis. Dulin, who holds just about every school record for receiving and all-purpose yards, will be the first Pioneer to compete at the Combine.

Although the event is free to enter, the students want to raise enough money to pay for food, hotels and gas.

“They have done so much for our university and this is a small way where people can give back,” Matthew Kennell, a student senate member, explained to me in an email. “We want (them to) have a weekend of celebration without having to worry about the financial burdens of traveling to Indianapolis.”

Said Thomas, "I thought that was pretty nice of them."

As of Friday night, the campaign had raised close to $500 of the $1,500 total. To give, visit GoFundMe.com/help-coaches-catch-ashton.

Butch to coach North-South game

Jackson girls basketball coach Anthony Butch will add his name to a very prestigious list when he coaches the North squad in the annual North-South All-Star game on April 26.

Butch was selected from a group of coaches who won district titles in 2018. His Polar Bears defeated GlenOak 44-41 in last year’s district final on a last second 3-pointer by Kerianne Diese last March. Golden Eagles coach Paul Wackerly coached in the North-South game in 2001 when he was the head coach at Hoover.

“It’s a really nice honor to represent Stark County and everything we do for girls basketball,” Butch said. “I know a lot of Federal League coaches have coached in that game in the past and it’s nice to be recognized alongside them.”

Hoover coach Abbey Allerding (2017) and McKinley coach Pam Davis (2011) have also coached in the game, as has one of Butch’s assistants, former Central Catholic coach Gary Isler (2014). Other Stark County coaches chosen for the game include Northwest’s Dennis Hoops (2005), McKinley’s Curt Bucklew (2002) and Sue Davis (1988), Massillon’s Darcy Huffman (1999), Central’s Dan Harold (1998), Louisville’s John Gresko (1992) and East Canton’s Tom Davis (1991).

McKinley senior Kierstan Bell will be the district selection for Stark County, but Butch said he is hoping to add Hoover’s Annie Roshak to the roster.

Bell closes in on Smith

Speaking of Bell, she continued her assault on Ohio’s career scoring list this week by passing Plain City Jonathan Alder’s Lauren Prochaska (2,695 points) for sixth on the state’s all-time list. The two-time Ms. Basketball winner and Ohio State recruit now has 2,729 points, 11 short of Logan High legend Katie Smith, who played collegiately at Ohio State. Smith retired as the all-time leading scorer in women’s pro basketball history with more than 7,000 points and was a member of the 2018 class for the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.

So, you know, pretty good company.

“Absolutely,” McKinley coach Pam Davis said. “One is a Buckeye and one is going to be. She (Smith) was in the WNBA and I know Kierstan has aspirations to be in that league. It would be pretty cool if she can break that (mark).”

McKinley (21-1), which was ranked second in the latest Division I AP poll, opens tournament play on Wednesday at home against Copley or Firestone. Bell is almost certain to pass Smith in that game and could soon pass Garfield Heights Trinity graduate Semeka Randall (2,799 points), who played at Tennessee before going on to the WNBA.

“She’s in the upper echelon as far as the top performers in the state,” Davis said of Bell.

In case you’re wondering, the top three scorers in Ohio history are Beaver Eastern’s Marlene Stollings (3,514), Olmsted Falls’ Joanne Inneman (2,988) and Millersburg West Holmes’ Lisa Cline (2,958).

Hall of Fame snub?

Joe Horrigan, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s outgoing executive director, was asked last week if there was someone he’d like to see inducted into the Hall.

His answer: Duke Slater, a tackle who was named All-Pro six times in his 10-year career for the Milwaukee Badgers (1922), the Rock Island Independents (1922-1926) and the Chicago Cardinals (1926-1931).

“His plight was not so much his ability on the field, but when he became eligible (for the Hall) in 1963 the world was not so cosmopolitan as it is today,” Horrigan told Clark Judge of Football Maven. “And he was one of the few black men to play in the 1920s and had the longest — and by far probably the most successful — career.”

Slater, who was a Hall of Fame finalist in 1970 and 1971, died in 1966 at age 67.

Around the AAF

Orlando Apollos QB Austin Appleby (Hoover) made his pro football debut in last week’s 40-6 win over the Atlanta Legends. Appleby completed his only pass attempt for 4 yards and rushed once for a yard. His best play came with five minutes left in the fourth quarter when he scrambled for a 6-yard touchdown. Alas, the play was called back by a holding penalty. … Saturday’s games on CBS (Atlanta at Orlando and San Diego at San Antonio) drew a combined 2.9 million viewers, besting that night’s NBA game between Oklahoma City and Houston (2.5 million). Sunday’s Salt Lake-Arizona game drew just 408,000 viewers, but I think it was a solid start for the league. … The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman had a really cool fact in his college football column earlier this week. There were six former five-star recruits playing in last Sunday’s AAF game between Memphis and Birmingham: QB Christian Hackenberg, DE Anthony Johnson, RB Trent Richardson, S Max Redfield, RB Ty Isaac and CB Trovon Reed. That was the same number as five-star recruits in this year’s Super Bowl. The Patriots had two (RB Sony Michel and DT Malcolm Brown) and the Rams had four (WR Robert Woods, LT Andrew Whitworth, LB Dante Fowler Jr. and S Lamarcus Joyner).

Song that shouldn't be gone

Although I love Memorial Field House in the same way I love puppies, the pregame music for McKinley basketball games often leaves something to be desired. Case in point: At a recent game, I heard Gary Glitter's Rock and Roll Part 2 ("The Hey Song"), ACDC's "Back in Black" and Queen's "We Will Rock You" back-to-back-to-back. All three of those songs are old enough to run for president.

That said, one of McKinley's students, Kennedy Williams, absolutely crushed the national anthem at Wednesday's Jackson-McKinley girls basketball game. The only anthem I've heard this season that compares was also at a McKinley home game, when the Reverend Ed Arrington II (a Massillon Washington High graduate) played it on saxophone before both the boys and girls games on Jan. 26.

Keep the awesomeness coming, Pups.

Lutz to speak

Slippery Rock football coach Shawn Lutz will speak at Monday’s Hall of Fame Luncheon Club meeting at Tozzi’s on 12th.

Reach Joe at 330-580-8573 or

joe.scalzo@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @jscalzoREP