WADSWORTH, Ohio — Wadsworth Community Television host Roger Wright often comes across relics of Grizzlies football history, including photos from their back to back perfect seasons in 1966 and 1967.
“In ’68 they lost one game on a Hail Mary,” Wright said. “On a Hail Mary at halftime. They went through with two different coaches, they went through three seasons and one loss.”
He’s documenting different tidbits of Wadsworth football history on a series on WCTV called Glory on Grandview. It’s in its second season and has stories dating back nearly a century.
“It’s just kind of a cool thing to think that’s been going on in Wadsworth for a long, long time and will be going on in Wadsworth for a long, long time,” Wright said.
Ron Bayduke was on that 1968 team that lost only one game and has helped dig up nuggets as a way to remind him of his days donning the red and white. He said he became a historian by accident.
“Some people at the historical society had a file of papers that they wanted identified,” Bayduke said. “They asked me if I’d take it on. Took me 40 years to finish it.”
One episode of the show features former coach Arthur Wright. The stadium’s been named after him because of his efforts to raise donations and update field conditions. There’s a plaque of him right by the gate.
“It was a field that the teams had played on,” Wright said. “It was in news of some love and some growth. So Art Wright was instrumental in rallying the troops.”
Wright said the show helps current players learn about the meaning of putting on the red and white
“They’re a part of history,” Wright said. “When you put on that Wadsworth uniform, you’re a part of that chapter of history.”
