By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

Windham High School will induct its Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2026 on Friday at the Bombers’ boys basketball game vs. Lordstown.

Here is a look at the four former athletic standouts who will be recognized.

ANTHONY MAIORCA

Class of 1998

Sports: Football, basketball and baseball

Maiorca earned All-Portage County League status across all three sports that he played. As a senior, playing for head coach Joe Baum, he pulled in 42 passes for 567 yards to earn First Team All-PCL honors.

Baum said, “Maiorca is just a hard-nosed player. He’s quick, tough and has amazing moves.”

In basketball, he played point guard as a sophomore and junior seasons. Coach Marty Hill moved him to shooting guard as a senior.

“He does such a nice job moving without the ball. Despite his size, he is an incredibly physical player,” Hill said at the time.

Maiorca averaged 16 points per game as a senior and was named to the All-PCL, All-Inland District and All-Ohio teams.

In baseball, he finished his career primarily as a pitcher, but he also played shortstop and centerfield. He was a career .400 hitter.

Academically, he was carried a 3.9 grade-point average.

Maiorca returned to the Bombers’ football programming 2005 as an assistant coach, then was hired as the head coach in 2015. In three years, he guided the Bombers to a 23-10 record, reached the regional semifinals in 2017 and was named the Division VII Northeast Inland District Coach of the Year.

BRIAN McCLEARY

Class of 1982

Sports: Football, basketball, baseball

McCleary is designated as one of the most dynamic runners in Windham football history.

He was nominated to the Hall of Fame by his football coach Joe Baum, who said:

“Brian is one of the three best football players I have coached in 30-plus years. Strong, quick, aggressive and tenacious as a pit bull, Brian was outstanding on both sides of the ball. To put his offensive achievements into perspective, he gained over 3,000 yards, was the team’s leading receiver for two years and was an exceptional blocker on teams that never won more than four games a season.

“Brian was the hardest hitter, pound for pound, that I have ever coached.”

McCleary was captain of the Bombers’ football and baseball teams, was named First Team All-PCL as a junior and senior and also led the PCL in rushing in both his junior and senior seasons.

He was a catcher on the baseball team and was twice named All-PCL.

PARKER RICKEY

Class of 2015

Sports: Football, basketball, baseball

As a quarterback and linebacker on the football team, he threw for 1,328 yards and 15 touchdowns and rushed for 608 yards in 2013. He was named all-league (All-Portage Trail Conference and All-Northeastern Athletic Conference) in all four years.

In basketball, he ranks in the top-50 scorers in Portage County history. He finished his career, playing for Marty Hill, with 1,092 points and more than 500 rebounds. He was named All-Ohio as a junior and all-league in the PTC and NAC.

He played baseball for two seasons and led the Bombers in batting average, RBI and home runs, earning All-District and all-league honors.

PHILLIP MAIORCA

Class of 2019

Sports: Football, basketball, baseball

Maiorca is Windham’s career rushing leader with 4,494 yards, which ranks as the ninth-best in Portage County history. He scored 58 career touchdowns and totaled more than 2,000 additional yards, despite being only 140 pounds.

He was named All-Northeasatern Athletic Conference, All-Northeast Inland District and All-Ohio honors.

In basketball, playing for Marty Hill, he was named All-NAC and averaged 4.8 assists per game during his 2017 senior season.

“Phillip played with a lot of unselfishness, and I think he always had a way of making players around him better,” Hill said.

In baseball, he was a speedy centerfielder, who was named All-NAC during his senior season, when he did not have a single error, with 26 putouts and three assists.