Michael W. (Mike) Young

(Class of 1967)

After assuming the position of head football coach at his Alma mater Wheeling Central Catholic High School in 2005, Mike Young embarked on a mission that would see an already successful program reach even greater heights.During his first 13 years at the helm the accomplishments of his Maroon Knights’ players and assistant coaches resulted in a record of 138 wins and just 38 losses; six West Virginia Class A state championships; two Ohio Valley Athletic Conference titles and a record-tying Mountain State winning streak of 36 consecutive victories. For those achievements, Young received a Dapper Dan Man of the Year Award in 2007 along with being named the OVAC Coach of the Year in 2012 and The Intelligencer/News-Register Coach of the Year after the 2017 squad rebounded from a 2-4 start to rack up 10 wins in a row and finish off a 10-4 campaign with his sixth state crown. On four occasions during his Central Catholic career, Young received Nike Coach of the Year Recognition Awards.

  Mike’s contributions to the school have provided many more achievements in his role as Athletic Director and Dean of Students. In 2006 and 2007, Sports Illustrated recognized Central Catholic as the No. 1 athletic program in West Virginia. During his role as the athletic director, the Maroon Knights won state titles in eight different sports. He relinquished his AD duties after the 2016-20017 school year to concentrate on his role as football coach.

  Before launching a teaching and coaching career that spanned five decades, Young earned a Bachelor’s Degree from West Liberty University and he later gained his Master’s Degree from Marshall University (1975). The West Liberty Hall of Famer was a special education teacher at Wheeling High School (1971-72) where he served as the athletic trainer and an assistant coach in football, basketball and track.

  He then moved on to St. Clairsville High School where he was a coaching jack of all trades. In addition to his teaching and athletic training duties, Young was an assistant football coach under the legendary George Strager and he directed the Red Devils boys and girls’ tennis teams to OVAC titles in 1983 and 1984.  He also coached the basketball team for two years. Upon Strager’s retirement, Mike took over as the football coach and in nine years at the helm, his teams posted a 52-41 record, earning two OVAC titles, six East Central Ohio League crowns and his Red Devils made one OHSAA playoff appearance, advancing to the second round on that occasion.