SPRINGFIELD — A former Springfield high school Coach and Athletic Director will be inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame.
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Paul ‘Bucky’ Walters, the former coach and athletic director at Springfield South High School is a part of the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025, according to a release from the Springfield City School District.
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Walters left his coaching and teaching job at Columbus East High School in 1953 and started working as a coach at Springfield High School.
Walters’ team at Columbus East High School one the 1951 OHSAA Basketball State Championship, according to the release.
In 1960, Springfield High School split into two schools, Springfield North and Springfield South.
Walters coached at Springfield South for three more years before he transitioned to the Athletic Director.
He served as the Athletic Director for 20 years. He was active in the formation of the Western Ohio League and assisted in the writing of the league handbook.
Walters also served as chairman for the Wester Ohio League and a former president of the Greater Ohio League.
His overall record as a head basketball coach was 295-115 in 16 years. Five of those years were spent at Columbus Eat and 11 years were at Springfield.
One of the gyms at the Former Springfield South High School was named after him and he was inducted into the Springfield High School Hall of Fame in 1998, according to the release.
Walters died in 1989, three years after his retirement from Springfield South. He was 66 years old.
“Throughout his career, however, he influenced not only hundreds of student-athletes, but also several coaches who went on to outstanding careers,” the release said.
Walters will be inducted posthumously into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in Columbus on April 12.
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