Windham mayor Lawrence ‘Mac’ Cunningham (left) stands with retired Windham teacher and coach Marty Hill with the street sign showing the renaming of Bauer Avenue to also be known as Marty Hill Drive.
Special to Portage Sports

By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

Marty Hill used Bauer Avenue for all 47 years he was a high school teacher and coach at Windham High School.

Now, he has a part of the road.

Marty Hill stands with his family by the street sign depicting Marty Hill Drive.
Special to Portage Sports

In a small, but meaningful ceremony on Monday morning, Bauer Avenue, which leads to the front doors of Windham’s school building, was renamed to honor Hill and his profound impact for the district during his long career.

Mayor Lawrence “Mac” Cunningham, who played basketball for Hill and graduated from Windham in 2000, sparked the process to name the road Marty Hill Drive.

Street signs for the road will now feature a shared name as Bauer Ave./Marty Hill Dr.

“I had no idea they were doing this,” Hill said. “I am extremely grateful and it touches my heart, but it is not something you ever expect. I never got into coaching for something like this to happen. I just loved coaching, loved basketball and loved the kids.”

Cunningham, who was named mayor in 2024, explained his desire to recognize his former coach who has inspired him and so many others.

“Being a former player and being in this community, Mr. and Mrs. (Jane) Hill, and their family, have always gone above and beyond to help others, including myself,” Cunningham said. “I feel that showing appreciation while people are around to cherish it is very important. We are spoiled with seeing Mr. Hill on a weekly basis, but he has done things that probably may never be duplicated in this village. He is a legend and icon in this state and community. Windham Council and I decided it was only fitting to add his name to the street he has done so much for.”

Hill said his mind snapped back to the 23-year-old version of himself on Monday morning when he was standing there being told of the honor.

Windham mayor Lawrence ‘Mac’ Cunningham hands retired teacher and coach Marty Hill the street sign named in his honor.
Special to Portage Sports

“I remember way back to when I first started coaching at Windham. I was 23 and it was football season, and we were invited as one of the four teams to play in the playoffs. We loaded up the bus right out in front of the school in the same exact spot we were standing this morning. There are so many memories for me like that, and I feel really honored to have so many of them.”

The idea to name the street after Hill began about a year ago, with Hill’s wife Jane and others keeping everything a secret from Hill, who also has the high school gymnasium named after him as Marty Hill Court.

“Originally, I had other plans for today,” Hill said. “I had a job lined up to help my brother-in-law fix his mower. Jane said, ‘No, you have to go to the school today. Something is going on.’ I was worried that something was wrong, but they told me that wasn’t it, but they didn’t want to tell me what it was.”

Hill, now 72 years old, retired from Windham in 2022 and finished with 694 career wins — the seventh-most in Ohio high school boys basketball history.