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McKinley High School (Canton, Ohio)

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Coordinates: 40°49′07″N 81°23′54″W / 40.81861°N 81.39833°W / 40.81861; -81.39833
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McKinley Senior High School
Address
Map
2323 17th Street NW

Canton
,
Ohio
44708

United States
Information
TypePublic, coeducational high school
MottoWhere Champions are made and success is tradition
School districtCanton City School District
SuperintendentJeffrey Talbert
Teaching staff143.67 (FTE)[1]
Grades9–12
Enrollment2,154 (2022-23)[1]
Student to teacher ratio14.99[1]
Color(s)Red and black    
Fight songWashington and Lee Swing
Athletics conferenceFederal League
MascotBulldog
NicknamePups (by fans)
Team nameBulldogs
RivalsMassillon Tigers
YearbookPhoenix (formally The McKinleyite)
Websitewww.ccsdistrict.org/mckinley

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

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Old McKinley High School

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 – 1936 school year with 4,000 students attending.[2] 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.[3]

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.[4][5][6][7] Wattley's Twitter account was then deleted soon after.[8][9]

Athletics

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

OHSAA State Championships

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Further information: Ohio High School Athletic Association

Football

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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.[citation needed] 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,[16] is also home to the NFL's annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Game.

McKinley–Massillon rivalry

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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

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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

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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

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Notable staff

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  • 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
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Notes and references

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  1. ^ a b c "McKinley High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  2. ^ "Canton City SD: About Us". Archived from the original on January 25, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  3. ^ "School Board Unanimously Approves 'One Community, One School'". Canton City School District. Archived from the original on February 27, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  4. ^ "High school football coach forced teen to eat entire pizza that his religion forbids, family says". NBC4 WCMH-TV. June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  5. ^ "Canton McKinley football coach Marcus Wattley, 6 assistants fired following misconduct investigation". wkyc.com. June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  6. ^ "McKinley Head Football Coach Marcus Wattley Fired; 6 others relieved of coaching duties". News-Talk 1480 WHBC. June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  7. ^ "High school football coaches placed on leave after forcing player who can't consume pork to eat pepperoni pizza". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  8. ^ "Marcus Wattley (@coachmrwatt25) | Twitter". twitter.com. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  9. ^ Twitter https://twitter.com/coachmrwatt25. Retrieved June 3, 2021. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ^ Yappi. "Yappi Sports Football". Archived from the original on January 13, 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
  11. ^ OHSSCA. "Ohio High School Swim Coaches' Association-Boys Swimming State Champions". Archived from the original on June 22, 2006. Retrieved March 8, 2007.
  12. ^ Yappi. "Yappi Sports Basketball AAA". Archived from the original on January 13, 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
  13. ^ Yappi. "Yappi Sports Basketball D1". Archived from the original on June 8, 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
  14. ^ a b c d OHSAA. "Ohio High School Athletic Association Web site". Retrieved December 31, 2006.
  15. ^ Yappi. "Yappi Sports Baseball". Archived from the original on March 8, 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
  16. ^ "We're creating the first sports and entertainment "smart city"". Johnson Controls.
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