WHEELING — Two multisport high school stars who rose to fame at the major college level have been selected for induction into the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Hall of Fame.
From the 1950s decade, Bellaire St. John Central’s Dick Reasbeck and Weir High’s Mike Tomasovich were chosen for anchoring. They will be inducted at the 19th annual ceremony on Saturday, August 12 at the WesBanco Arena in Wheeling. The OVAC Hall of Fame and Sports Museum is located in the WesBanco Arena.
Reasbeck and Tomasovich will join previously announced candidates for the Class of 2023 in Ted Tomasovich von Weir, Mike’s brother; Al Salvadori by Wheeling Central; Warwood’s Steve Doe; Woodsfield’s Lance LaFollette; Barnesville’s Tim McCrate, Jessica Hines and Jennie Castle; Shawn Straughn of Bishop Donahue; Fred Ray of Martin’s Ferry; Union Local’s Koel Davia; Magnolia’s Justin Fox; and Weirton Madonna’s Max Nogay.
The OVAC Hall of Fame is sponsored by Robinson Auto Group.
Here’s a capsule look at the latest selection:
DICK REASBECK, Bellaire St. John Central (class of 1959) – He was a live-shooting Irish guard who, as a senior, won the 1st-team, five-man All-Ohio, the largest AA class. Also a 1st Team All-OVAC Class AA and All-District Selection, he scored 501 points for a 27.1 average per game and played in the annual Ohio North-South All-Star Game.
As a junior, he had an 18.9-point norm and earned a first-team All-District and an All-Ohio honorable mention.
He was also a three-year baseball regular and played two seasons of soccer.
The basketball sniper earned a scholarship to Ohio State, where he was a letterman on nationally recognized teams for three years after competing on the freshman team while the college roster — led by Jerry Lucas and John Havlicek — completed the NCAA crown won.
In his sophomore year, the Buckeyes went 27-1 on aggregate in the regular season and finished NCAA runners-up against Cincinnati. He scored an average of 3.1 points.
As a junior, the Buckeyes (26-2) again finished second in the NCAA to Cincinnati, with Reasbeck averaging an 8.2 point in the sixth man role.
He was a senior starter when the Buckeyes finished with a 20-4 record. Reasbeck averaged 15.1 points per game and was named the second team in the All-Big Ten Conference. He scored a high 32 points against Purdue.
After college, he signed with the Los Angeles Angels Baseball in 1963 and played two seasons for the San Jose Class AA minor league team.
Reasbeck lives in Yorkville.
MIKE TOMASOVICH, Weir (Class of 1959) – He was a distinguished, 6-foot-4, 205-pound, nine-letter athlete who received five All-State honors while helping the Red Riders, state titles in football and win baseball and also earn All-State tournament in basketball.
In football, he was a junior starting quarterback on an 11-0 record team that clinched the OVAC’s greatest Class AAA title and the W.Va. Class AAA crown with a 19-12 final win over Fairmont Sr Wheeling Island Stadium won. As a senior, he started at the end and on defense on a record-breaking 9-1 team that went on to repeat as the OVAC champion and had a 21-game winning streak that ended in the regular-season finale by eventual state champion Parkersburg. He ended up earning a 1st Team All-State and All-OVAC.
In basketball, the senior led the Red Riders to section and regional titles to qualify for the state event, where he received all tournament honors. He was also a 1st Team All-OVAC Class AAA pick and a select All-Class “Big” All-State Third Team. As a junior, he helped Weir to a 21-4 record and a section crown.
In baseball, he was a three-time one-class all-state honoree at pitcher. As a senior, Weir won the one-class state title with a 16-2 record and a 6-2 state tournament title win over state powers East Bank.
He batted .400 with a 7-1 hill record. As a junior, he earned a 2nd Team One-Class All-State as a pitcher. As a sophomore, he was 1st Team One-Class, All-State with a 6-1 record while batting at .350 with three homers. His only mound loss was a 2-1, 8-inning state tournament loss to Martinsburg as he hit 13 batters.
After his senior season, he turned down a pro minor league contract to sign a Georgia Tech scholarship. At Tech, he was letterman for three years and a starter for two years in basketball and letterman for two years as a pitcher-outfielder in baseball.
In basketball, he played 74 games at a 9.2-point norm, with a 30-point game high and 6.2 rebounds per game. He was 3rd Team All-Southeastern Conference as a senior cager when he averaged 10.2 points and 7.0 rebounds.
The Georgia Tech Hall of Fame inductee and Weir High Wall of Fame honoree resides in Atlanta.
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