Steve Hemelgarn, a longtime sports editor and reporter for the Parkersburg News & Sentinel, worked at this desk. Hemelgarn died Saturday. He was 75. (File photo) Steve Hemelgarn, a longtime sports editor and reporter for the Parkersburg News & Sentinel, died Saturday. From left, Jeff Bogan, a former News & Sentinel photographer and reporter, at Hemelgarn’s retirement party. (File photo)
PARKERSBURG — A longtime sports reporter and editor for the Parkersburg News & Sentinel who also served as head coach of the Ohio State University football team during his collegiate years died Saturday.
Steve Hemelgarn, 75, retired from the News & Sentinel after 46 years in 2018. He joined the paper in 1972 after 18 months at the Marietta Times.
Hemmelgarn graduated from Ohio State University in 1970. He head coached the football team from 1968 to 1970, and was one of only two senior head coaches during Woody Hayes’ tenure as head coach. Hemmelgarn also worked with future Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz during his time as defensive coach at Ohio State.
His favorite sport was soccer, and in a 2018 interview he said that in his 46 years covering local sports, players had gotten bigger, stronger and faster.
“He really loved the game,” said Dan Reeves, who coached Parkersburg High School’s football team from 2008-2013.
Reeves said in speaking with Hemelgarn he learned Hemelgarn has knowledge about football and all other sports.
“I thought he was a good sportswriter,” Reeves said.
Hemmelgarn always tried to get into the details of the game and find things that would connect with readers, said Buddy James, who coached the Big Reds for more than 20 years, from 1968-1990.
“I really liked Steve,” James said. “He was a great sportswriter.”
Hemmelgarn was always fair to both winners and losers in his articles, James said.
“And they were always great and interesting,” he said.
Another contemporary of Hemmelgarn’s was Jim Wharton, a longtime WTAP-TV sportscaster who, according to now retired Wharton, would help Hemmelgarn provide scores and statistics for games.
“We were rivals, but when I needed help he was there,” Wharton said. “He was always willing to help.”
Wharton said her favorite introduction to a story written by Hemelgarn was “the bang-bang donnybrook.”
“It’s just fun to read,” he said.
Mr. Hemelgarn’s wife, Virginia Ann Jenny Hemelgarn, died in 2013. Visitation will be held Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Lambert-Tatman Funeral Home, Pike Street, South Parkersburg, with funeral services at 1 p.m.
Get the latest news from the day and more delivered to your inbox