颁濒别惫别濒补苍诲鈥檚 football team is 14-0 heading into Saturday鈥檚 OHSAA Division IV title game against Cincinnati Wyoming at Canton鈥檚 Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Glenville is making its third trip to a state championship game since 2009 but is seeking its first title in program history.
In fact, commentator Terry Pluto says no school from 颁濒别惫别濒补苍诲鈥檚 Senate Athletic League has won a state title. But for most Glenville kids, it鈥檚 not about the titles.
鈥淪ince Ted Ginn has been there, they've sent over 100 players to Division I schools. They've had more than 20 in the NFL. That doesn't count, as [Ginn] told me, a couple hundred going to Division II and Division III schools. He says it's not just about getting the kid to the NFL, it鈥檚 getting them to college, and getting them squared away in high school."
has been coach at Glenville for 25 years. In 2007, he helped establish Ginn Academy, an all-boys high school for at-risk Cleveland students.
鈥淭ed Ginn really views this whole thing as a ministry and a calling. He keeps stressing is not about X's and O's, it's about hearts and souls,鈥� Pluto said.
Pluto said Ginn talked a lot about the stigma attached to inner city schools like Glenville, where discipline problems and disorganization are expected.
鈥淒o you see some of the programs in there that look like that? Yes, you do. Do I see some programs also maybe in the suburbs and elsewhere, and once in a while, even the NFL that look like, did they practice all week? They鈥檙e mouthing off and getting in fights? Yes, I do.鈥�
Pluto said Ginn also has an old-school style of running his team, where he prohibits players from stuffing cell phones in their pads. He also embraces 鈥淭he Table.鈥�
鈥淚t's an interesting metaphor and is so true. He said when he was growing up in Glenville in a single-family home with his mom and grandma, they were at the dinner table. He says, 鈥楴ow, really, who's at the table or where's the table?鈥� The cell phones become the table.鈥�
Ginn also holds some form of a chapel service 鈥渁bout every day鈥� for his players.
鈥淎s he says, 鈥業 have everything from Muslim kids to Jehovah's Witnesses to Catholics to Christians, to people who aren't sure where they are.鈥� But he says, 鈥業'm speaking to the heart and the soul, because if all I do is win games, that's not my job. I'm here for the kids.鈥欌��
The 67-year-old Ginn is a pancreatic cancer survivor. And he told Pluto he has no plans of slowing down.
鈥淗e said, 鈥業 don't believe God brought me back to just go somewhere and sit around.鈥欌��
Pluto says Glenville is a team to cheer on this weekend.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of good stories in the city that the people don't see, but this is one that I think could really put a bow on a lot of the things that he's done.鈥�
