Heidelberg Athletics Hall of Fame
In his freshman year at Heidelberg, Urshie Neal made his presence known. Neal earned co-Most Valuable Player honors of the 1963 Football team and became a leading rusher at half back.
In his second year as a half back, Neal further cemented his legacy by being second on the team for rushing, receiving, scoring and kick off returns. Neal, along with the help of his teammates, was an integral part in bringing the team up from a 1-8 record the year before to a 3-5-1 record during the 1964 season. He also earned Honorable Mention All-Ohio Athletic Conference honors.
During the 1965 season, Neal led the team in rushing. Overall for the season he had an average 4.23 yards on rushing attempts—more than twice the amount of any other team member.
Neal's senior season started off with a win against Bluffton (27-12), and the senior scored two of the games four touchdowns. He also switched positions a bit that year by acting also as a blocker for fellow teammate and half back Chuck Ehlers.
Also during his years at the Berg, Neal made his mark as a standout performer for the track team in broad jump and triple jump.
In the fall of 1968 Neal began working for the Cleveland Public Schools as a junior high mathematics teacher and finished his course work at Heidelberg in 1969. He earned his masters degree in education from Cleveland State University in 1977.
Neal has also served as a counselor and teacher for the Cleveland Urban Learning Community, coordinator of career education for Baldwin-Wallace College and the Cleveland Board of Education, and as an education administrator/principal for the Ohio Department of Mental Health. He retired in 1998 from the East Cleveland School District after 30 years of teaching.
(This profile appeared in the Hall of Fame Banquet program. Â Mr. Neal passed away in 2014.)Â
