Sebring McKinley inducts pair into Athletic Hall of Fame

Two graduates of Sebring McKinley Jr./Sr. High School were inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday night. Kevin Smith, a 1978 graduate, and Josh Hurford, a 2013 graduate, were before McKinley’s varsity boys basketball game against Reimer Road Christian School in the school’s gym. Smith earned six varsity letters at McKinley, in football, track and baseball. As a senior, he was named special-mention All-Ohio as a defensive back, after nabbing a team-high nine interceptions. That year, he also made the first teams for Northeast Ohio, the former Tri-County League and Alliance Review All-Area. The 1982 graduate of Kent State University is the chief operator at the wastewater department in New Philadelphia, where he has 25 years of service. Smith’s mother, 1957 Sebring graduate Diane Smith, presented Smith’s plaque during the ceremony. Hurford earned 10 varsity letters at McKinley – four in baseball and football, and two in basketball. In baseball, Hurford was selected for the Northeast Ohio All-Star game and was selected to the second team for the Inter-Tri-County League three consecutive years. Hurford played baseball for four years at Malone University. His 49 career games included 37 starts at pitcher with a 19-11 record. After earning a master’s degree in business administration from Malone in 2021, Hurford, a Massillon resident, works as assistant operations manager at R2Net-James Allen. Hurford’s parents, Kevin and Leigh Carpenter Hurford ’85, presented his plaque.

This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Sebring McKinley inducts Kevin Smith, Josh Hurford into Athletic Hall of Fame