Delphos man crafts sports history legacy

By Jim Metcalfe, The Delphos Herald
Published:  Monday, February 5, 2007 (1 year, 3 months ago)
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ASHLAND — A love of sports and a desire to keep alive history.

That is what drives Paul R. Dienstberger.

The Delphos native was named to the Ashland County All-Sports Hall of Fame recently and also received a Trustee Achievement Award from Ashland High School because of the results of those motives.

The Jefferson High School graduate (1954) loved sports growing up in Delphos, known as one of the Lima area’s top kickers during the 1953 season and developing into a top-notch baseball player as well.

“I loved sports. In those days, everybody played three sports; it was all year-round,” the son of Paul and Delores Dienstberger began. “Jack Koch, the football coach, told us that if we never missed a practice, he’d take us to an Ohio State football game. I don’t think I missed a practice from junior high on. When I finally missed one in college, I didn’t know what to do.

“I played football and basketball at Jefferson with some great athletes like Ron Hageman and we had some pretty good teams. We had the most wins in a season in the basketball program’s history with 19 in 1953-54 and went 8-0 in football.

“The movie ‘Hoosiers’ — I remember listening to that game on WOWO — was about that era. That game inspired us to try and do better.”

What further cemented his love of sports — and his interest in research — came as part of a school assignment.

“My interest in research started when I had to do a research project for Ms. Wannemacher at Jefferson High School. I looked at some editions of The Delphos Herald in doing a history of Jefferson’s football and basketball teams; I don’t remember the grade I got but I still have the report,” he explained.

Dienstberger, the last baby born in the Historical Dienstberger home, graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1958 but credits another coach at Jefferson, Paul Krotzer, for helping him get that far.

“We were an industry family; that usually meant you didn’t go to college. Coach Krotzer more or less was responsible for getting me into Bowling Green,” he explained. “When I’d get the forms, he told me to bring them down and he’d fill them out for me. He introduced me to the people there. I was accepted at BG and Ohio State.

“He even encouraged me to get a job during the summer but not to get a car; he figured I would waste money on it and would end up not going to college.”

He was a kicker in high school but never really had the chance at college.

“They had me trying to play center or linebacker and I told the coach — before Doyt Perry — that I was too small to play either of those positions but I could kick. There was no doubt I could kick 50-yarders but he never gave me a chance,” he said. “When Coach Perry came in, he offered me a chance to kick. I was also a baseball player and I had a chance for a starting spot. I didn’t want to jeopardize a starting spot on the team that year, so I turned him down. That was the end of my football career.”

He did lead the Mid-American Conference in batting (.314) in 1957. He was a 2-time lettermen for the Falcon baseball team.

He remained in the athletic arena as a coach. He coached 26 seasons as a head football man at four schools: St. Paris-Graham; Troy; Trotwood-Madison (46-31-3); and Ashland (28-23-3). He coached 15 years as a JV golf coach at Ashland (303-22).

However, it was his interest in history — he taught history for 36 years before retiring in 1994 — and his love of sports that have created his greatest legacy.

Dienstberger — who graduated from Xavier University in 1969 with a master’s degree — has written nine sports histories and five sports booklets on Trotwood-Madison football (1965); Ashland football (1973), with an update in 1986; Ashland basketball (1992); and a history of 19 Ashland high school sports (2002).

He has chronicled the 100 years of Ashland High School football — which was this season — and will be doing so for the basketball program’s 100th year coming up.

“I’ve written books and as usual, you make mistakes. Now we have web sites — like www.CenturyArrowsfb.com — where you can make corrections,” he acknowledged. “With as many people on-line, it’s available and it’s interesting.

“I was a history teacher for 36 years. Now that I have the time to do more, I really enjoy the research, the writing and such. I find this all very interesting.”

His works include the histories of the “Lincoln Highway Leagues” detailing the Cardinal Conference, the North Central Ohio League and the Ohio Heartland Conference.

“You didn’t have many leagues in the 1930s because of the travel, especially outside of the big cities. The Lincoln Highway Leagues were a major exception because of Lincoln Highway, the Interurban and the railroad,” he added. “I remember one guy, Bill McKee, from the mid-1920s who was quoted as saying that without sportswriters, a lot of this history would be lost.

“That’s why I write; for posterity.”

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