SCTCCCA Inducts Two Into Hall of Fame

David Pratt (right) and William J. "Bill" Ramborger (left) were the two inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The SCTCCCA inducted two coaches into the organizations Hall of Fame at the Coaches Classic meet on March 27 at Spring Valley High School. David Pratt and William J. "Bill" Ramborger were the two honored. The boy's discus event at Coaches Classic is named after Pratt and the long jump is named after Ramborger.

Pratt, a former coach at three different high schools in the sport of track and field coached at Woodruff High School from 1977-1986. During this time his team captured state titles in 1980, 1981, 1983, 1985 and 1986. The team was state runner-ups in 1982. Pratt's team captured region titles from 1977-1986. After coaching for 10 years at Woodruff Pratt moved onto Dorman High School where he coached from 1987-1992. During his coaching tenure at Stratford (1992-1999) the team was 1999 region champions. Pratt was named SCTCCCA Coach of the Year six times and Region Coach of the Year eight times. Pratt served as SCTCCCA president for two terms and as vice president for four years.

Ramborger has been coaching at South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind in Spartanburg for 34 years. Ramborger retired from teaching mathematics after 30 years in 1999. Following the conclusion of next season Ramborger will have completed his 35th season as a track and field coach.

The SCSDB boy's track and field team won the national boy's championship in 1977 and 1978. The SCSDB girl's track and field team captured the national title three times: 1978, 1979 and 1989.

"I was very proud of my own deaf Olympic athletes that received gold, silver and bronze medals rather than the ones I received myself, because I coached them to improve their skills in order to accomplish more," said Ramborger.

Ramborger was named Deaf National Coach of the Year three times by the Deaf National committee along with selecting him as the 1970 Track Coach of the Decade. Ramborger was selected as South Carolina State Track Coach of the Year in 1977 and 1978.

Ramborger was honored into the hall of fame five times. In 1993 Ramborger received the American Athletic Association Deaf Award, Southeast Athletic Association of the Deaf in 1995 and the SCSDB in 1997. The California School for the Deaf at Riverside awarded Ramborger the honor in 1984 and Gallaudet University awarded him another honor as an athlete in 1998.

Ramborger coached as an assistant coach at the Deaf Olympics five times in the hurdles, horizontal jumps and relays in 1997, 1981, 1985, 1989 and 1993. Ramborger has also been nominated as coach for the 2005 Deaf Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.

Ed Boehmke, Gilbert Bristow, Rut Dingle, Patricia Gold, Delmer Howell, Bob Jenkins, George Johnson, Harold Jones, Eileen Kilbreth, Jim Kilbreth, Mike Mauldin, Mike Moore, Chuck Parker, Bob Reynolds, Frank Small, Ted Whitaker, Barbara Wilkes, Yodell Winborn, Willie Wooden and Sammy Way make up the Coaches Hall of Fame members of South Carolina.

The official SCTCCCA website is www.eastsideathletics.com/sctrackworld.