NEWSLINE STORY

published March-April 2016

Horseshoe Pitching Facts & Folklore

Hall of Fame Members Profiled (Continued)

by Bob Dunn, NHPA Historian

To continue the series of Hall of Fame member bios, here is another offering of inductees from the early 1970s:

Ralph Dykes, Illinois, 1973, Promoter/Organizer

Ralph Dykes was born in 1913 and bought his first pair of horseshoes in 1937 from Hansford Jackson (son of Frank Jackson), a pair of 1936 Ohio shoes for $1.50. Before his involvement in the NHPA, Dykes was participating in several AAU pitching events in the Chicago area. He went on to serve as Illinois Association President for 20 years (1948-1968). He also was elected NHPA President from 1967 to 1972. Ralph is known for providing innovative improvements to the handling of World Tournaments, including construction of scoring devises, qualifying score posting board, and revision of a 36-player, round-robin schedule. Ralph was awarded the Stokes Memorial Award in 1968. Ralph passed away December 8, 1998, at age 85.

Harold Reno, Ohio, 1974, Player

Harold Reno was born February 16, 1915, and enjoyed a career as a farmer from Sabina, Ohio. He won the World Championship in 1961 and again in 1964, the record-setting year when 13 players averaged over 80 percent. Harold averaged 84.1 that year while winning 32 games and losing just 3. Harold qualified for the Men’s Championship Class 13 times, never finished out of the top 10, and had a career ringer average of 80.43 percent. He also won the Ohio State Championship 11 times, and countless open tournaments across the country. He was truly one of the best horseshoe pitchers ever and may have been best known by his opponents as a real gentleman of the game. Harold passed away September 12, 2005 at age 90.

Leo McGrath, Ohio, 1974, Organizer

Leo McGrath was born July 18, 1903, in Cincinnati, Ohio and was a promoter of the game for many years. He hardly ever missed helping out at a World Tournament, and gave the sport promotion efforts for over 60 years, back as early as 1925. Leo’s early promotion efforts were with the AAU in the 1940s. He was elected NHPA Vice President in 1969 and served as president of the Ohio State Association for 27 years. Leo was recipient of the Stokes Award in 1969. Leo McGrath passed away July 3, 2000.

Dean McLaughlin, Ontario, Canada, 1974, Player

Dean McLaughlin is considered one of the all-time great Canadian pitchers. He won 13 Canadian Championships and 10 Ontario championships. He won his first Ontario title at the age of 17, in 1937. He won his first Canadian title in 1937 and his final title in 1974. In 1960, he won the first of two North American Championships ever held. In the second, held in 1967, he tied with Carl Steinfeldt with 13 wins and two losses and averaged 84.5 percent, but lost in a playoff. His best finish at an NHPA World Tournament was in 1956 with a seventh place finish on a 79 percent average.

Paul Focht, Ohio, 1975, Player

Paul Focht of Dayton, Ohio, began his pitching career in 1924, under the tutelage of his father. During his career he won the Ohio State title three times and was runner-up 11 times. He won the World Championship in 1962 with a ringer average of 81.8 percent. Paul qualified for the Men’s Championship Class16 times from 1957–1975, winning 385 games (70.5 percent of games played) and had a career ringer average of 78.05 percent. Eleven times Paul finished in the top 10. Paul won the 1976 Intermediate Men’s Championship in a three-way play-off, averaging 74.9 percent. Paul Focht passed away July 3, 2000 at age 89.

History Jottings

Several members have enjoyed reading “World Champions of Horseshoe Pitching” (link to: http://www.horseshoepitching.com/WCHP/WorldChampsW_J_S.html) on the website and now have ordered a paper copy of the book. If you would like a copy of “World Champions of Horseshoe Pitching” just email Bob Dunn and your name will be placed on an order list. The cost is $35 plus $5 postage. Thank you.