Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame brings Barberton's 1976 state championship back to forefront

Purple beer flowed in jam-packed bars while patrons spilled into Barberton streets, and word quickly spread about at least one unsuccessful, covert attempt to dye Lake Anna the same magical color.

When Jack Greynolds Sr. secured a coaching job at Barberton High School in 1969, he visited the homes of players and promised families he would transform the city into a basketball town.

It didn't take long for a new brand of purple pandemonium to envelop a community previously known for football.

Within two seasons, tickets and parking spots for Magics boys hoops games at the Industrial Arts Building became scarce.

And as the wins accumulated, a rabid following further intensified.

Doughnuts, ice cream, cake, chicken, clothing and even a casket filled with the names of defeated opponents — they all had a purple hue. People eager to be first in line camped out the night before ticket sales opened to the general public. One woman made the front page of the Beacon Journal for devoting 30 hours to the cause.

The pinnacle of the madness occurred after Barberton earned a record of 26-0 and seized the Class AAA state championship on March 27, 1976. While the coaching staff and players remained in Columbus overnight, fans in Barberton reveled in the team's 82-70 victory over Middletown.

“You had a bunch of guys that had too many purple beers that thought, 'I'm going to make the lake purple, too,'” former Barberton basketball star and assistant coach Tom Brabson said.

At the time, Brabson had just finished his playing days at Kent State University. He attended the championship game at Ohio State's St. John Arena and then drove back to Barberton the next day for a historic celebration. Businesses had closed. Roads were painted purple and littered with fans, high school students and adults alike, waving Magics flags to welcome the caravan escorted by police.

Brabson recalled Greynolds receiving “Elvis” treatment when the coach emerged from a car.

“It was just like a mythical individual,” former Barberton player Tony Ward said. “He was just bigger than life.”

In the mid-1970s, Ward and his state title-winning teammates were also local celebrities, their autographs sought by younger kids and their surnames temporarily adorning street signs to commemorate tournament time.

“It was like Beatlemania,” said Greynolds' son, Jack Greynolds Jr., who grew up amid the hysteria reminiscent of the film “Hoosiers.”

Although those glory days from nearly 50 years ago have not been forgotten in Barberton, they are at the forefront again because of Saturday evening's Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame inductions of the late Greynolds and his entire 1975-76 Magics team.

“It started with Jack, but Jack's impact resonated beyond the scoreboard,” said Ralph Pim, an assistant coach of Greynolds for three seasons, including when the Magics were crowed state champions. “He revitalized a program, a city and the way the game of basketball was played. It was the perfect time to do it in Barberton because Barberton fans loved Jack's style. Barberton basketball was fast-paced. It was exciting. It was vibrant. It was played with a flair that fans loved.

“The city of Barberton, they played such a key role because they were like our sixth man. They were always there for us no matter where we played, and they were diehards. They loved their basketball, they loved winning and they loved Jack's personality and how he was able to do it. He did it in a blue-collar type of way.”

Greynolds, who died in 2005 at age 73, did it his way.

“He was a character,” Jack Greynolds Jr. said. “He liked to kind of put on a show and liked to get his teams to put on a show a little bit, and I think that captured the imagination of the town and the whole area.”

Barberton's state championship basketball team featured future Ohio State and Michigan players Carter Scott and Mark and Marty Bodnar

Barberton had a “big three” on its state championship roster long before the term had entered the nation's basketball lexicon.

As juniors, Carter Scott and twins Mark and Marty Bodnar were the 1975-76 team's leading scorers. Scott produced a game-high 26 points with the state title at stake, followed by Mark Bodnar with 20 and Marty Bodnar with 19.

For an encore, the trio paced the Magics as seniors en route to a 51-game winning streak, which ended with the 1976-77 team's 80-74 loss to Columbus Linden McKinley in the Class AAA state championship game. Scott went on to play at Ohio State and the Bodnars at Michigan.

“If a team has one really good player, five players can stop him,” said Frank Lupica, who coached against Greynolds during 31 seasons at the helm of Walsh Jesuit basketball. “If a team has two really good players, you can make certain adjustments to limit those two. But when you have three players the quality and the talent of the Bodnars and Carter Scott, it made it virtually impossible to come up with a type of defense to stop the three and their unselfishness.

“They were willing to pass the ball, and if you stop that drive, they're dishing it off to a guy that can make a 1- or 2-footer. So you had to guard all five. You had to pick your poison. If you played zone, they would shoot the eyes out. If you played man, they would press you, run the court and beat you with their fast break.”

Contributions were needed from Barberton's whole team to hoist the Ohio High School Athletic Association's Class AAA trophy.

The 1975-76 season began with Marty Bodnar sidelined for the first three games as he recovered from back surgery he underwent Aug. 1, 1975. Fred Grisby, who would later join the University of Akron basketball team, missed the first 13 games because he was academically ineligible. And Scott was unproven on the varsity level when the season tipped off, yet he earned a starting spot, broke out and became a force.

“Close games our junior year and that adversity really toughened us up,” Mark Bodnar said. “When we got to Canton McKinley, we were ready.”

Barberton defied the odds to defeat Canton McKinley 77-70 for a regional title and a state semifinal berth. The Magics trailed by 10 points at halftime and had Scott and Mark Bodnar on the bench with four fouls apiece in the third quarter. Brothers Harold and Fred Grisby, Jim Graham, Marty Bodnar and Ward sparked a rally resulting in a 28-point third quarter during which Harold Grisby scored 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting from the field and grabbed eight rebounds.

“If I ever need a pick-me-up, I just listen to the second half of the McKinley game,” said Marty Bodnar, who has audio of the radio broadcast stored on a computer.

During halftime of the famous regional final held at what is now known as the Canton Memorial Civic Center, Greynolds urged his players to compete as if they were on the playground basketball courts they frequented in Barberton. They started to play freely, and everything changed. Lupica said he never saw a Greynolds team panic.

“Jack was a master psychologist,” Ward said. “He knew when to get a technical foul in the game. That was strategically planned by him. He knew exactly the buttons to push of the referees and every one of his players.”

Why Jack Greynolds Sr. is one of the greatest high school coaches in Ohio basketball history

Greynolds invoking local parks in a crucial moment proved to be fitting.

After coaching Pim and many others at Revere for 12 years and winning the Suburban League title in more than half of those seasons, Greynolds made his presence known in Barberton by driving around to meet prospective players in the summer of 1969.

Scott noted Greynolds' visits included Barberton's south side, otherwise known as Snydertown, where he encouraged Black students to join the basketball team. Barberton's rosters grew substantially more diverse during the Greynolds era.

“That's probably the most powerful thing that he did,” Scott said. “People may not know that, but that is the truth.”

Greynolds wanted busy neighborhood courts, so he ensured nets, rims and backboards were in good condition, and he delivered rubber basketballs to kids. He told Brabson he wanted the ball he gifted him to be smooth and weathered by the fall. He would watch outdoor pickup games from his car or a bench. When school resumed, he inspected basketballs he had donated.

“I can remember him taking it, rubbing his hands around and saying, 'Yep, that's the way that ball should be,' because all the ridges were worn off it,” Brabson said.

Discipline and commitment were hallmarks of Greynolds' program. He went 549-121 in 29 seasons, including 17 at Barberton. He never had a losing season. None of the 33 coaches in Ohio high school boys basketball history who has more victories than Greynolds owns a better career winning percentage than his .819. All of them coached for more than 30 seasons. And more than half of them eclipsed the 40-year plateau.

In addition to the 1976 state title and 1977 runner-up finish, Greynolds guided the Magics to the Class AAA final in 1982, when they lost 71-67 to Cincinnati Roger Bacon in overtime. His only child, Jack Greynolds Jr., starred on the last Barberton team to reach a state championship game.

Along the way, Greynolds bucked coaching trends of past and present.

Barberton won its state title without Greynolds discussing goals with the team or presenting his players with scouting reports about upcoming opponents.

“We never talked about the state championship,” Marty Bodnar said. “We never talked about getting to Columbus.

“Jack was all about, 'What do you have to do just to get better?' And he wasn't into establishing goals.”

Greynolds didn't call plays for his mid-1970s teams, either. Instead, he taught concepts and granted players the requisite freedom to read and react. He often described the approach as a form of “organized chaos” and took pride in opposing coaches experiencing trouble scouting the Magics.

“The way we played and the philosophy, it was truly unique,” Mark Bodnar said.

Former St. Vincent-St. Mary coach Frank Jessie said the state champion Magics formed “the best passing team in high school I've ever seen.” They used a motion offense, and their staples were rebound, outlet pass and go. There were no 3-pointers until 1987. Still, Barberton averaged 85.6 points in 1975-76 and 93.7 in '76-77.

Greynolds compelled his players to run cross country in the offseason. He even served as Barberton's cross country coach for a period. The Magics' conditioning translated to their tempo on the basketball court.

“If I don't have the shot, I'm taking one or two dribbles, and I should be at the basket,” Scott said. “We were always attacking.

“Pass to the open man. And, usually, the first pass, that should be your shot. If you pass four or five times, that's considered stalling in our book.”

Forcing turnovers with pressure defense and creating fast breaks were Barberton's bread and butter during its title run. In a 64-58 state semifinal win over Toledo Scott on March 26, 1976, the Magics benefited from 47 turnovers, a statistic Marty Bodnar said he still has a hard time accepting as accurate.

What made it possible is the run-and-jump defense, a type of press Greynolds introduced to the Greater Akron area. University of North Carolina coaching legend Dean Smith credited Greynolds in one of his books with adding an effective wrinkle to the run and jump. Barberton surrendered 60.7 points per game in 1975-76 and 58.5 the next season.

The tallest Barberton player during its state championship season measured roughly 6 feet, 3 inches, the listed heights of Ward and Graham. Fred Grisby played point guard. The lines between most of the other positions blurred. Each defender could handle almost any matchup.

“We were interchangeable,” Mark Bodnar said. “That's what drove coaches nuts.”

How coaching legend Jack Greynolds 'created a culture of intensity' at Barberton

Greynolds didn't run one system throughout his coaching career because he adapted to his personnel. One common theme, though, is his teams were relentless.

With about a minute left in a lopsided Barberton win, former Firestone player and future college coach Keith Dambrot told Marty Bodnar, “Good game.” The response from the Greynolds acolyte: “It's not over.” Performing at full throttle was the Barberton standard.

Marty Bodnar said Greynolds “created a culture of intensity.” The foundation had been laid with the Barberton teams featuring Brabson. In fact, Greynolds later told confidants he had burned out the Magics of the early 1970s with his demands. He learned lessons to prevent players from peaking too soon in the 1975-76 season, but the competitive spirit never faded.

Former longtime Walsh Jesuit coach Lupica remembers an example he witnessed while scouting a game at Barberton, a venue known for rattling opponents with thought-scrambling crowd noise and an unorthodox setup in which the teams' benches were positioned behind the baselines instead of along the sidelines.

“The ball bounced over to Jack on an out of bounds throw, and he picked it up and threw it into the stands,” Lupica said. “I've never seen a coach do that, and, oh my goodness, the place went crazy. [The officials] gave him the technical. All I can tell you is from that point on, there was no mercy on the opponent. The Barberton kids just were fired up and just dominating the game.”

Greynolds passed his love of the mental and emotional aspects of the sport down to his son, a former head coach at Rootstown, Tallmadge, Buchtel, GlenOak and Barberton.

“Being a coach, you've got to be an actor, too,” said Jack Greynolds Jr., who's now a CVCA assistant. “You've got to pretend a lot of times — pretend we're good. Or if you're really good, pretend we're not as good as we are.”

A native of West Virginia who settled in the Fairlawn Heights section of West Akron, Greynolds had a reputation for being a personable, humorous, religious man. On the court, he seldom took prisoners.

Regardless of the part he played, Greynolds was not boring. His colorful quotes were fixtures in the Beacon Journal for decades, and the coach's wife, Mary, noticed.

“My mom told him one time, she goes, 'You know what your problem is?' He's like, 'What?' She goes, 'You never lie. You just say what you feel,'” Jack Greynolds Jr. said. “And he's like, 'Why would I lie?' He was so comfortable in his own skin it was ridiculous.”

In terms of being brutally honest with basketball officials, the parents of Jack Greynolds Jr. were often on the same page.

“She could outcoach most coaches — I'm telling you,” Ward said of Mary Greynolds, who died in 2015.

Jack Greynolds Sr. was ahead of his time in many ways.

After Barberton won its state championship, he and the Akron Zips had mutual interest in him taking control of UA's program. But something wasn't right with his health in the spring of 1976, his son explained. Greynolds felt as if he had no energy. He was so exhausted he called Akron and withdrew as a coaching candidate. While Barberton prepared for its state title defense in November 1976, he nearly died of a heart attack at age 45. He later spoke of going through two out-of-body experiences as he was rushed to the hospital.

No one involved, though, thought Greynolds would relinquish coaching. By February 1977, he had returned to the sideline. He continued to pilot the Magics until he suffered a massive stroke in 1987. It left him unable to talk, read or write, but he attended games and lived vicariously through his son's coaching career until shortly before his death 19 years ago.

Player Jerry Vaughn and assistant coach Joe Suboticki are other deceased members of the 1975-76 Magics.

Whenever Ward, Scott, Graham, the Bodnars and Grisbys reunite with fellow state titlists Kevin Stull, Jim Stocker, Rick Jacobs, Vance Cheatham, Leon Lewis, Mark Borsos, Terry Cameron and coach Pim, bonds forged long ago feel fresh.

“As far as the legacy, it's just the relationships,” Marty Bodnar said, “and I just think not only relationships with the team, but the community.”

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The state champs are beloved in the Magic City to this day. Treasures exist as evidence.

Marty Bodnar donated 21 scrapbooks loaded with newspaper clippings, personal photographs, college recruiting letters and tickets stubs to the Barberton Public Library. Memorabilia from the mid-1970s can be found decorating Barberton High School, the Lake Anna YMCA and the Green Diamond Grille and Pub.

Named in honor of Greynolds are basketball courts at the high school and YMCA, which stands on the former site of the old Industrial Arts Building. A high school hoops showcase also bears his name. And Greynolds has a spot on the city's Walk of Fame in front of Lake 8 Movies on West Tuscarawas Avenue.

In 1983, the Industrial Arts Building was renamed Greynolds Gymnasium. A piece of its court graced by Scott, the Bodnars and Co. is affixed to a wall in the locker room of the modern-day Magics. It's customary for players to touch the keepsake before they charge onto the floor for home games.

Barberton has never been completely cured of its basketball-induced purple fever.

“The town's kind of lived off that for a long time,” Jack Greynolds Jr. said.

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Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Barberton Magics, Jack Greynolds entering Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame