Lindsey induced into hall of fame
On Nov. 15, Rod Lindsey was inducted into the Ohio Interscholastic Athletics Administrators Association Hall of Fame for 2021 at the State Athletic Directors Conference in Columbus.
Lindsey retired in August 2020 with 41 years of service with River View School District. In June 2011, he accepted the athletic director position at River View. He had coached baseball for 32 years, 20 as head coach. Prior to this, Lindsey coached the Black Bear Junior Varsity team for 10 years and was varsity assistant for two years. His teams had won six sectional titles and two district championships (1995, 1996). His 1995 and 1996 teams were regional finalists. The Black Bears were district finalists in 1997, 2003, and 2007. Lindsey’s 2002 squad finished 13th in the final Division II State Coaches Poll. The Black Bears won the East Central Ohio League title in 2005.
Lindsey was named the 2002 Coach of the Year in the Muskingum Valley League, as well as 2002 Division II Eastern District Coach of the Year. He was also Coach of the Year in the ECOL in 2005 and 2011. Lindsey was very instrumental in reorganizing the Eastern District Baseball Coaches Association in the mid 90s. He coached the first EDBCA All Star Game in 1999 and also coached in 2011. In 2011, he was inducted into the East District Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame.
During his nine years as athletic director at River View High School, River View teams won 12 district championships under his leadership. He served as secretary on the executive committee of the EOIAAA from 2013 – 2018 and was presented the EOIAAA Horizon Award in 2013. In April of 2021, Lindsey was inducted into the EOIAAA Hall of Fame.
In 2002, he served as president of the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association. He was elected to the OHSBCA Executive Board after spending four years on the board of directors representing the East District. In 2007, Lindsey served on the coaching staff of the OHSBCA Ohio All Star Team that participated in the Sunbelt Classic in Norman, Oklahoma. In January 2012, he was inducted into the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame. As a result of this state recognition, Lindsey will also be honored with induction into the River View High School Athletic Hall of Fame during December 2021.
A 1975 graduate of Granville High School, he was inducted into the Granville High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.He is a 1979 graduate of the University of Mount Union where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in education and a Master’s in 2003 from Marygrove College. In addition to coaching baseball, Lindsey’s previous coaching responsibilities at River View also included varsity assistant football for six years and assistant coach in the basketball program for 19 years. He taught physical education and health classes in the River View School District at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels for 35 years.
He resides in Licking County with his wife of 43 years, Sarah Jane. Their three children are Courtney (Jeremy) Fleming of Granville, Emily (Nolan) Cox of Newark, and Mark (Sarah) Lindsey of Coshocton. Papaw time with his five grandchildren includes attending sporting events for Braden (12), Julian (10), and Scarlett Fleming (7) and enjoying time on the farm and at sheep shows with Brant (10) and Avery Lindsey (8). He was also active in the community as a member of the Coshocton County Fair Board (19 years) and is currently a Keene United Methodist Church Trustee and 4-H volunteer for Coshocton County 4-H Junior Camp (41 years).
