By Scott Halasz
BEAVERCREEK — Amber (Miller) Brandimore never knew there was a Beavercreek Athletic Hall of Fame until her sister, Stefanie, was inducted in 2010.
“I remember when Stefanie received her induction and that was amazing,” Brandimore said. “I had not heard about the hall of fame prior to that and thought ‘wow, how great that would be to join my fellow basketball players, coaches and sister, maybe one day.’ “
That “one day” is Saturday when Brandimore and nine others will enter the Beavercreek hall.
“I’m excited and honored to be inducted amongst a group of tremendous athletes, coaches and contributors,” she said. “When I received the call from Coach (Ed) Zink I was ecstatic. I am so grateful and could not be more proud to be a part of the BHS athletics family.”
Brandimore, a member of the class of 1997, helped lead the Beavercreek girls basketball team to a state championship in 1995 and an overall record of 100-6 during her career.
Along with 2006 inductee Amanda Reese, Brandimore helped launch the Beavercreek girls program into what was a decade of area and state domination. She earned four varsity letters and is the school’s statistical leader in free throw and 3-point shooting. As a senior she was honorable mention All-Ohio, first team All-Western Ohio League, a District 15 All-Star, first-team All-Area and second team All-Southwest Ohio.
Brandimore said she has many great memories of her four years including back-to-back trips to St. John Arena in Columbus for the state tournament and playing with her sister for two years.
“Those are truly memories I will cherish,” she said.
Joining Brandimore are Jerome Tillman, Randy Cowman, Brandon Judy, Rob Plunkett, Carrie Berkey, Andy Bisswurm, Mark Brown, Doug Cline and Roy Smith.
Tillman — who starred at basketball — admits he thought about one day being inducted into the hall but was never sure it would become a reality.
“It feels great to be selected to be in the hall of fame,” the 2005 graduate said via email from Japan, where he is currently playing professionally. “I think it is a prestigious award that not too many people get to experience, so I can say I am blessed to be recognized.”
Tillman averaged 27 points and 13 rebounds as a senior and played at Ohio University. He earned four varsity letters and was honorable mention All-Ohio as a junior and special mention All-Ohio as a senior. He was also Western Ohio League player of the year in 2005 and finished his career among Beavercreek’s top five all-time in scoring and rebounding.
“It’s crazy to think I played high school basketball 10 years ago,” Tillman said. “All the games we played and how good the (league) was at that time. Since then things have changed, but I will always cherish those memories.”
Berkey (1990) played basketball and volleyball and earned four varsity letters and all-league, area and district honors in basketball. She helped lead her team to a 71-4 record during her career. As a volleyball player, she was team MVP as a senior and earned All-Western Ohio League honors.
Bisswurm coached the girls soccer team from 1981-1996 and compiled a 184-95-32 record. His 1993 team went to the state semifinals. He was league and area coach of the year after that season. His teams never had a losing record and also won a district title in 1994.
Brown (1987) is the BHS record holder in the 110-meter hurdles and the triple jump, winning the hurdles district title in 1987 on his way to a fifth-place finish at the state meet. He earned three varsity letters.
Cline (1977) was a standout at football, baseball and basketball, earning seven letters and all-league and all-area honors in football and basketball. He was a member of the 1976 regional championship baseball team.
Cowman (1969) earned six varsity letters in football, baseball and track. He earned All-Ohio honors in football and was player of the year in the WOL, helping lead the Beavers to a 10-0 record in 1968.
Judy (2001) was a four-time letterwinner in golf and was the medalist (low scorer) at the WOL tournament twice. He was first-team All-WOL three times and was a team leader during a period when the Beavers won three league titles, sectional titles and went to the state meet in 1998.
Plunkett (1991) earned five letters in soccer and basketball, earning all-area and all-league honors in both. He was the top goal-scorer as a senior and helped the Beavers to the state finals in 1990. BHS won three straight WOL titles during Plunkett’s varsity years.
Smith (1966) won four letters in wrestling and football and was a two-time WOL champ as a wrestler. He pinned 73 percent of his opponents in one season. He also earned all-league honors as a football player during his senior season. After high school he had a major influence with youth and high school wrestling programs and is also being inducted as a contributor.
