Already a member of the Hall of Fames at Mohawk High School and Ohio University, Kevin Babcock will be one of six individuals to be inducted into the first class of the Wyandot Sports Hall of Fame Saturday at the Masters’ Building at the Wyandot County Fairgrounds.

“It’s just a great honor considering all the athletes form Wyandot County, not only from the Mohawk district, but form all of Wyandot County,” Babcock said. “It’s just a great honor to be considered or named in this first class.”

Babcock earned 10 letters at Mohawk and went on to start all 44 games in his four seasons playing football at Ohio University. He was a two-time first-team All-Mid American Conference selection with the Bobcats, was an Associated Press honorable mention All-American as a senior and signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Browns after graduating in 1980.

In addition to football, Babcock competed in basketball, baseball and track at Mohawk.

Babcock twice earned All-North Central Conference honors in basketball and twice in baseball. He gave up baseball for track his senior year and won the league long jump championship. He still is the school’s co-record holder in the event.

But football always was the sport he loved the most.

“Our best record was my junior year,” Babcock said. “We ended up in second place, I think, to Buckeye Central that year that won it. I think we lost two games and ended up as the runner-up.”

He racked up 3,839 yards rushing in his career with the Warriors, earned first-team All-Ohio status two years in a row in 1974 and 1975. Three times, Babcock was an All-NCC pick, and he twice was picked to the all-district team.

After his high school playing career was over, Babcock chose to head to Athens.

“The biggest thing was I loved the campus,” Babcock said. “It’s a beautiful campus and frankly I had a great recruiting visit. The head coach was Bill Hess, who was at that time, he had been at OU for 20 years and he was the dean of MAC coaches and I had a lot of respect for him. He offered me a full ride during that first visit. I had other visits to Cincinnati and Miami, but really didn’t consider anything but Ohio University after I had such a great experience on my recruiting visit.”

Coming from a small school, Babcock did not know how he would stack up, he said, especially when all the other players on the field also were all-state selections.

Babcock did not have to bid his time, though. Some injuries opened up the door for him to get on the playing field early and he seized the opportunity.

“When my number got called I was ready when I got an opportunity,” he said. “I can remember in summer camp we had a guy or two go down to injury in the preseason and I got a shot playing some tailback and then one of our fullbacks went down and I really wasn’t big enough, but I did a good enough job, and then next thing I know our opener I’m in the starting lineup.”

A tailback throughout his high school career, Babcock quickly adjusted to the fullback position, where he made a name for himself by amassing 2,614 yards and 13 touchdowns in his Bobcats career.

“The opening really initially was at the fullback position and I got in there and did a good job and had to block guys bigger than me, but it was pretty cool that I got a chance to play and got the job done,” Babcock said.

He led Ohio in rushing as a sophomore and junior and was named an Academic All-MAC pick during his senior season, when he served as a co-captain.

Those accomplishments were nice, Babcock said, but his experience was much more than that.

“If you ever been part of a big group like that, those are the memories you take with you,” he said. “It’s not the wins and losses and specific things. It’s the camaraderie and friendships you develop with the guys you played with.”

Football was not quite over for Babcock at that point, though. Undrafted, he signed a free agent contract with the Cleveland Browns in 1980, but he was unable to earn a roster spot.

“That was dream come true to get a look at an NFL team,” Babcock said. “… Looking back I probably didn’t have much of a chance, but I wasn’t thinking that at the time. It was a good experience and I’m glad to get the opportunity. I was probably a tweener, probably not big enough to play fullback and probably not enough speed and quickness to play halfback at the NFL level. I was a hard-nosed player and I was hoping to be able to stick on at special teams and it just wasn’t meant to be. I really have no regrets.”

Babcock decided it was time to move on from football at that point and make the most of his marketing degree. He now resides in Liberty Township in southwest Ohio, working as the business development manager for Vega Industries. He and his wife Kelly have two children, Shaun and Erin.

“It’s nice to be able to share with my family,” Babcock said. “I’m sure I’ll have some former coaches and teammates there. I know one of the guys I played with in college is going to introduce me, so it’s going to be a fun night doing that.”

Steve Doe, a lineman who also entered Ohio University in the fall of 1976, will introduce Babcock.