McCurdy: Best achievement by Dan Ross — restoring OHSAA's reputation
Dan Ross accomplished a lot in his 14 years as OHSAA commissioner, but what was his crowning achievement?
Rob McCurdy
COLUMBUS - When Dan Ross retires in a few months after 14 years as commissioner of the Ohio High School Athletic Association, getting a competitive balance rule passed will be seen by many as his crowning achievement.
And why not?
There was a growing movement out there that threatened to splinter the OHSAA's membership.
Simply dividing up schools for tournament divisions based on enrollment was no longer cutting it.
Private schools that could pull students from a region were seen as having a competitive advantage. A small group was winning championships at a much higher rate than to be expected, and public school officials chafed at what they saw.
There were threats of separating public and non-public schools into two different tournaments, even two different organizations.
The affable Ross who has lived and worked in every region of the state at some point was the perfect guy to hold it together while attempting to fix the problem. Three times Ross, the OHSAA Board of Directors and its competitive balance committee came up with ways to address the issue and three times it failed in close votes.
But they stuck with it and on the fourth try got a bylaw passed.
While this was just the first school year with the new measure in place and some are underwhelmed at the change it initially brought, calm has been restored to the OHSAA's membership and a device is in place that can be tweaked to better help competitive balance issues in the future.
He stopped secession and brought unity over a divisive issue.
That's an accomplishment for sure.
But that's not the best thing Ross did for the OHSAA.
Dealing with the folks at 4080 Roselea Place in the bad old days was rarely a pleasant experience. It was adversarial. The OHSAA was seen as dictatorial. They were unyielding. It felt more like a kangaroo court than a governing body.
They ran their tournaments with all the charm of a drill sergeant wearing shoes that are too tight. You did exactly what they said or you suffered the consequences.
Right before Ross came on the scene as commissioner, the OHSAA was at its most embarrassing, being lampooned nationally over its handling of LeBron James in his senior year at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary. Remember the Hummer and the outrage over a few throwback jerseys?
What Ross brought in 2004 and continued throughout his tenure was a show of respect for all involved. He wasn't a guy who just pounded a gavel, but one folks could work with — and that's not just school administrators. That's game officials, media members, coaches, parents and most importantly the people the OHSAA says it serves — the students.
There was now professionalism. Communication improved. Bylaws and rules changed or were improved. Exceptions were passed. Tournaments were managed in a more welcoming tone.
Even if an issue didn't go your way, you came away from the experience feeling like you were listened to more times than not.
The leadership of Dan Ross is what made it all happen.
He restored the OHSAA's reputation.
And that truly is his crowning achievement.
Rob McCurdy is the sports writer at The Marion Star and can be reached at rmccurdy@gannett.com, work 740-375-5158, cell 419-610-0998, Twitter @McMotorsport and Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star.
