Former MV coach inducted into state hall of fame

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Fourth-and-long, no time outs left, down a score in the fourth quarter?

Yeah, Jeff Yelton faced a few tough situations like that in a football coaching career that dates back to the Nixon administration. But it pales in comparison to what he ran up against Sunday at Avalon Manor in Merrillville.

That's when Yelton and other local members of the latest Indiana Football Hall of Fame class were inducted before family, friends, mentors and colleagues.

"The biggest thing was trying to keep it together," Yelton said this week. "That's what made it hard."

What made it easy was seeing people Yelton admired as a young coach, guys like Bernie Krueger -- on hand to induct an old Hammond High teammate, Bob Livingstone -- and George Hall, who came up from Kentucky for the event.

There were also people who look to Yelton for inspiration as he looked to Krueger and Hall, people like Zac Wells, who played for and coached under Yelton before succeeding him as Merrillville's head coach.

And there was Yelton's son, Kyle, who played high school ball for Chesterton against his dad's teams before heading off to punt for the University of Illinois.

"It's one big family," Yelton said

The coaching fraternity in the region is a close-knit one, so forgive Yelton if he was a bit emotional about being honored by people he respects like Valparaiso's Mark Hoffman and Munster's Leroy Marsh.

"It's a tough thing to express," Yelton said. "Awards and everything are nice. When you're honored by ... your peers ... it's tough to talk about. The coaches in Northwest Indiana are a group of guys -- you can count on them when it comes to giving you help in a variety of ways, helping get your kids in school, if you've got a crisis in the family."

That helps to explain why guys like Yelton -- and those in the next generation like Wells and Crown Point's Chip Pettit -- grow up here, go off to college and then come back to coach.

Yelton, who graduated from Hammond Tech in 1967 before going to play at Ball State, has only coached in two programs since coming home. He was at Clark from 1971-80, ending with a two-year stint as the Pioneers' head coach. He moved to Merrillville in 1981, spending 16 seasons as an assistant before going 68-34 in nine seasons as a head coach from 1997-2005.

Along the way, Yelton had a pair of NFL players in Jamel Williams and Eugene Wilson, plus scores of other college players. But Yelton's career, which he put on hold in order to watch his own son play college ball, is about more than just the stats and the stars.

"I know coach Yelton in a lot different light than a lot of coaches," Wells said. "Coaches know him as a great coach, he can X and O with the best of them. His players don't see him in that light first.

"When I think of Jeff, it's about what he stands for and his caring for the kids. He is 100 percent a man of great integrity."

These days, Yelton serves as a kind of senior adviser for the Pirates. He'll sit in the press box during games on Friday night and also serve as a sounding board, especially about the offensive schemes that are closest to his heart.

Yelton has a standing offer to return to a more formal role on the Merrillville staff. According to Wells, there are plenty of other programs who send out feelers to the newly minted Hall of Famer as well.

With Kyle wrapping up his college eligibility this fall, Yelton figures to hear the questions about whether he'll coach again more frequently than ever.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," he says with a laugh. "The game changes every year. I've learned to enjoy some (other) things, like sitting in a tree stand or going out fishing."

But he's not saying never again. Because the only thing harder than keeping it together at that induction ceremony might be walking away from the game he loves.

Steve Balash, Hobart

A four-year letterman in football, basketball and track, Balash was an offensive lineman and linebacker for the Brickies from 1965-68, and was all-state as a junior and senior. He was a three-year starter at Indiana State, and is currently an assistant football and track coach at Hobart. He's a Hall of Fame wrestling coach with five state champions and 200 dual meet wins.

Charlie Boston, Hobart

A four-year letterman in football, basketball and baseball,?Boston was a two-year starter at defensive back and quarterback for the Brickies, and was all-state in 1970 as a senior. He started three years as a defensive back at Western Illinois, and went on to play for the New York Stars-Charlotte Hornets of the World Football League. He was head football coach at Hobart and Kankakee Valley, and was an assistant football coach at Valparaiso University and Western Illinois, and also at Hobart for four state championships.

Ric Frataccia, Wheeler

Frataccia became superintendent of Union?Township Schools in 1995 and was integral to the formation of the Bearcats' now-highly successful football program. Frataccia was a three-sport standout in high school and a sergeant in the army before becoming a teacher on Long Island, N.Y., and earning his doctorate from Ball State in 1978.

Jerry Hicks, Hobart

Hicks, a three-year letterman in football, basketball and track at Gary Edison High School from 1952-54, was Don?Howell's offensive coordinator at Hobart from 1975-89.?The Brickies were 165-30 and went to seven state finals in that time. He has a masters degree in health education from Indiana.

Bob?Livingstone, Hammond

A 1941 Hammond High graduate, Livingstone was a two-year letterman in football, basketball and baseball. He was an all-state halfback in 1940, and played three years at Notre Dame --?1942, 1946 and 1947, as he served in the army in the South Pacific during World War II. He was actually drafted by the Bears in 1945, but chose to return to Notre?Dame, and he went on to win two national championships. He went on to play for the Chicago Rockets (AAFC, 1948), the Chicago Hornets (AAFC, 1949), the Buffalo?Bills (AAFC, 1949) and the Baltimore Colts (NFL, 1950).