ATHLETIC
HALL OF FAME
Class of 2015
Mike Walker
1979
At Oak Ridge, Mike lettered in three Varsity sports – Football, Track and
Basketball. As a junior, Mike was the first Pioneer running back to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season. In 1978, his senior year, Mike once again rushed for over 1,000 yards; thus, establishing the Oak Ridge career rushing record which stood until 1997. Mike was the driving force in leading to Pioneers to the Metro and District Championships and into the state playoffs. In addition to earning All-Metro and All-State honors, he was named to the first team on the All-Southern Team. In addition to his three varsity letters in football, Mike also earned three varsity letters in track. As an All-Metro, All-State performer in track, Mike ran the second leg on the state winning and record setting 440yd Relay Team in leading
the Pioneers to their back-to-back State Track Championships. The 440 yard Relay Team finished the season ranked number one in the state and finished in the top ten nationally.
Mike signed a football scholarship with FSU but during his freshman season, he suffered a career ending ankle injury.
Terry Reese
1985
As a three year letterman in Track, Terry won three individual Metro Championships and two District Championships as he led the Pioneers to three Metro, two District and two Region Team Championships. He ended his senior campaign with a 13.8 clocking for 5th place in the 110 high hurdles at the State Meet in what is considered one of the greatest races in the history of Florida as the top three times were ranked top ten in the nation. Terry is still ranked the # 3 all time high hurdler, the # 2 triple jumper, the # 5 high jumper and the # 8 in career points scored in Oak Ridge history. Terry earned two letters in football as the starting free safety in his junior and senior years.
Upon graduation, Terry turned down several football offers to accept a track scholarship at NC State. During the next four years, Terry earned All-American honors as a member of 3 ACC Championship Teams while becoming the school record holder in the 55 Meter and 110 Meter High Hurdles.
His professional track career is highlighted by his numerous top ten rankings in the 110 High Hurdles along with being a three time Olympic Trials qualifier. In 1997, as a member of the USA World Championship Team, Terry finished 6th in Athens, Greece to earn a top ten ranking in the world. In 2008, in his first year as a Masters athlete, Terry set a new world’s record in the 60 Meter High Hurdles.
Terry served 18 years as an assistant track coach at NC State and in 2007 was elected to the State of Florida Track & Field Hall of Fame.
Mike Newton
1980
A two sport athlete at Oak Ridge, Mike was a three year letterman in Track. He was an All-Metro, All-State performer who went on to earn All-American honors as a member of the record setting Mile Relay Team. In 1980, as the # 3 ranked quarter miler in the state as a senior, he helped the Pioneers win the Metro, District, Region and State Championships. Mike had one of the all time great state meet performances as he finished 3rd in the 440 yard dash, anchored the 440 yard Relay Team to a second place finish and ran a 47.7 third leg on the mile relay to break the race open for the eventual victory. He is still ranks # 2 all time in the 400 only behind 2013 Hall of Fame member, James Rolle.
A two year letterman in football, Mike earned All-Metro honors as a defensive end. Upon graduation, Mike signed a football scholarship at Austin Peay University in Tennessee. A four year letterman, Mike earned All Ohio Valley Conference honors as a defensive back.
After college, he went on to the professional ranks and played defensive back for the Tampa Bay Bandits and the Orlando Renegades in the USFL. He signed as a free agent in the NFL and played briefly with the Dallas Cowboys. After his football career ended, Mike went on to coach football and track at the high school level. After coaching stints in Florida and Tennessee, Mike is currently the Defensive Coordinator at Gainesville High School in Gainesville, Georgia.
Joel Berry
1987
During his years at Oak Ridge, Joel was a three sport athlete – Football, Track and Basketball. A three year letterman in football, Joel became the second running back in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season. The amazing aspect of this was he did it as a fullback. In addition to being named All-Central Florida and All-State, he was also named to the Parade All-American Team becoming only the second Pioneer ever to earn All-American honors in football. He was also named to the Orlando Citrus Bowl Super Seniors and selected to play in the Florida vs. Georgia All Star Game. A three year letterman in track, Joel was a point scorer on the Metro and District Championship Teams in 1985 and 87. Currently, Joel is still ranked #4 all time in the shot put and #9 in the discus. In his junior and senior years, Joel lettered in basketball which totaled 8 varsity letters.
When Joel accepted and signed a football scholarship with the University of Central Florida, he became the first ever high school All-American to sign with UCF. His football career came to an end following knee surgery in 1989. Joel is currently coaching football, track and basketball at Lake Highland Prep.
Maria Castellucci
1990
While at Oak Ridge, Maria played number one on the Boys Golf Team and won individual state honors two years in a row. During her high school career, Maria playing as a junior, this refers to being 18 years old or younger, for several organizations including Golf Magazine, the PING Corporation, the North Florida PGA and the American Junior Golf Association. It was during this period of time Maria established a national reputation second to none. She won All-American honors 9 times for Golf Magazine, was a 5 time Player of the Year for Golf Magazine along with being a 5 time Player of the Year for the PING Corporation, and in 1990, she won the Francis Ouimet Award presented by the American Junior
Golf Academy for the best stroke average for girls 17 and under.
Upon graduation, Maria accepted a golf scholarship to FSU. After experiencing success in individual events, Maria and the Lady Seminoles went to the Nationals three years in a row.
Maria played professionally for three years and then, in 1996, she left the professional game to start a career working in social services. Maria was put into the Golf Hall of Fame when she broke Laura Baugh’s record for most International Pee Wee Championships.
Johnny Love
1995
Arguably the greatest and most decorated track & field athlete in the history of Oak Ridge, Johnny was a two time All-American in leading the Pioneers to 4 Metro and District Championships, 2 Region Championships and 2 runner-up finishes in the State Meet. Individually, Johnny won 5 Metro titles, 6 District titles, 5 Region titles and 3 State titles in either the 110 High Hurdles and/or the 300 Intermediate Hurdles. He was a member of several nationally ranked and championship relay teams including the school record 4x400 Meter Relay Team. He is the school record holder in both the 110 High Hurdles and the 300 Intermediate Hurdles. In his senior year, Johnny was the # 1 ranked 300 Intermediate Hurdler in the nation. A national class athlete, Johnny concluded his high school career ranked # 1 in career championship meet (Metro - District – Region – State) points scored; a position he still maintains. Oak Ridge retired his jersey in 1995. Adding to his four varsity letters in track, Johnny earned three letters as a running back for the football team. He led the team in rushing as a junior and senior.
After graduation, Johnny became a two time All-American and National
Champion at Central Arizona College. In addition to winning individual national titles in the 110 High Hurdles and the 400 Intermediate Hurdles, he also ran legs on winning the national championship 4x100 and 4x400 Relay Teams. Johnny led Central Arizona to its first ever Junior College National Team Championship.
Diana Chin
2001
Featured as one of Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd” on May 21, 2001, Diana was an All-Metro and All-State performer who captured 3 Metro, 11 District, 6 Region event titles while on her way to winning the State Meet 100 Meter Hurdles her senior year. During her career, she scored state meet points in the Long Jump, Triple Jump, and both the 4x100 and 4x400 Relays. Closing out her senior campaign in leading the Lady Pioneers to a runner-up finish in the State Championships, Diana was named Orange County Track Athlete of the Year and followed that up by being selected the Orlando Sentinal’s Female Athlete of the Year. Her jersey was retired in 2001.Diana’s versatility is further highlighted by her being a cheerleader for four years.
After accepting a scholarship at UCF, Diana continued her winning ways as a 9 time All Atlantic Sun Conference Athlete along with earning Atlantic Sun All-Academic Team honors. In addition to being ranked # 2 all time in the 100 Meter Hurdles at UCF, Diana is the Long Jump record holder and a member of the school’s record setting Shuttle Hurdle Relay Team.
Gina McFerren
Coach
Considered one of the all-time outstanding high school coaches in Central Florida, Gina, a National Board Certified Teacher, coached at Oak Ridge for 23 years, from 1986 thru 2009. Coaching Volleyball, Softball and Basketball, her teams totaled 539 victories. In amassing 357 wins in Volleyball, Gina’s teams won 4 Metro and 4 District Championships as she coached 23 All-Metro, 19 All-County, 3 All-State players with two of her athletes earning Orange County Player of the Year Awards. Taking over reins of the Softball team, Gina continued her winning ways with 152 wins including 3 Metro, 3 District and 2 Region Championships. In 1991, she became the third coach at Oak Ridge to lead a team to a state title as Softball became the third sport to win a State Championship. The amazing aspect of this accomplishment was this was the first year Oak Ridge fielded a fast-pitch softball team. Gina went on to coach 28 All-Metro, 18 All-County, and 4 All-State players along with Softball’s lone All-American, Ramona Arscott. During the time Gina coached Basketball, she produced 3 All-Metro and 2 All-County players. From 2004 thru 2007, Gina served as Athletic Director. In her 23 year career at Oak Ridge, Gina was recognized as Coach of the Year 12 times, 7 in Volleyball, 4 in Softball and 1 in Basketball. She was also awarded the OCPS Coach of the Year Award for Excellence. In 2004, Orange County Public Schools named Coach McFerren Teacher of the Year and in 2013, Gina received her highest honor when she was named State of Florida High School Physical
Education Teacher of the Year.
*Pat Lockaby
Contributor
*Bill Spoone
Contributor
Pat Lockaby spent 35 of her 40 years in the Orange County School System teaching English and Language Arts at Oak Ridge. She arrived right out of college to begin a teaching career that influenced thousands of young people. In her first year at Oak Ridge, she became the advisor of the Trailblazer, the school yearbook. A constant supporter of athletics she led the way in establishing the Sports Section of the yearbook to award winning status. Recognition of athletic achievement became the priority of her yearbook staff. Her student photographers were a fixture at sporting events. One can only guess the budget she had for film; a budget she surely exceeded. Pat was the best assistant coach any head coach at the school could have. Regardless of how hard you coached your athletes, Pat had the ability to get an athlete back on track. She was “old school” but could handle today’s athletes. She always saw the best in her students and pushed them to achieve both inside and outside of the classroom. Pat was a member and trainer for the National Writing Project at UCF. She was also responsible for establishing a mentoring program of yearbook sponsors in the Orange County School System. After retiring for a year, Pat returned to Oak Ridge for a year before transferring to Odyssey Middle School where she spent three years before finally retiring in 2008. Before passing away in 2011, Pat was heard to say, “no matter what, her
heart would always bleed Oak Ridge green and gold”.
As a former University of Tennessee Volunteer who played the defensive end opposite the NFL Hall of Famer, Doug Atkins, Bill Spoone arrived in Orange County in 1958 to begin his teaching and coaching career. He coached at Edgewater, Oviedo, Deland and Evans before beginning his administrative career as Principal at Howard Junior High. Upon Mr. Spoone’s arrival in the fall of 1974, Oak Ridge began its ascent in becoming a dominant athletic force not only in the Metro Conference and Central Florida but within the state. The football team found success immediately by becoming the first ever Metro team to go undefeated in the regular season. The ’74 Pioneers went on to finish 11-1. During his 13 year tenure, 1974 thru 1987, the boys and girls track teams won a total of 9 state championships with the first ever state title coming in 1977 when the Boys Team won the title. It was often said that Mr. Spoone “let coaches be coaches”, thus, giving them the opportunity to be successful. He also believed in weekly pep rallies, student support at every event and total administrative backing which raised school spirit to a remarkable level. This atmosphere was highlighted in 1974, when Mr. Spoone and with Ms. Lillian Derrick, a Hall of Fame inductee last year, organized a caravan of 17 school buses to transport the students to the Oak Ridge - Vero Beach Region Championship at Vero. During his term at Oak Ridge, Mr. Spoone served on the FHSAA Board of Directors. He also served as President of the Metro Conference. In 1983, he was elected to the Metro Conference Hall of fame. The school gymnasium is named in his honor. After retiring, Mr. Spoone served on the Orange County School Board.
* Deceased