In this file photo Dawn Draper, left, head softball coach at North Union, urges a former North Union player to get back to the base during a Central District finals game against Bishop Ready. Draper was recently inducted into the Ohio High School Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association Hall of Fame after 18 years of coaching and a career record of 382-98.
(Submitted photo)
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When you hear the name Dawn Draper, you will most likely hear the word softball within the same sentence.
Those are words that can almost be melded into one when talking about North Union softball.
Now, fans can add the words Hall of Fame when describing their coach.
Draper was recently inducted into the Ohio High School Fastpitch Coaches Hall of Fame.
Ceremonies were recently held in Columbus.
Before entering the world of coaching, Draper was a softball player herself. Many of her life’s milestones have revolved around the diamond.
“I met my husband through playing co-ed softball, so softball has been pretty good to me,” she said.
In fact, softball has been very good to the Wildcat alum. Draper got her first taste of softball when she was a youngster playing in the Richwood recreational league at Richwood Park.
“I played on the purple team,” she said. “I played against all of my friends at the rec… that is all we had.”
The love of the game continued for Draper as she made her way onto the NU varsity softball team, where she played on the 1991 team that made it to the state Final Four before falling to Akron Hoban.
She also helped advance softball in the area by playing on the inaugural Heart of Ohio travel softball team in ‘91
“(There was ) Not really a whole lot of travel ball back then,” she said. “I started travel when I was 18, playing for the Heart of Ohio softball, the HOGS, under Shelia Kitchen.”
The sport didn’t end there for the three-season athlete. Draper went on to Bowling Green State University on an art scholarship where she had dreams of becoming an illustrator for children’s books.
However, softball remained in her life as she played for the Falcons.
“I was a walk-on, where we played fall games, but we didn’t get to travel,” Draper said. “I got to play at Michigan in scrimmages.”
What brought her back to the Richwood area was the arrival of her sister Shanda Ridgeway. She is 19 years younger than Draper, who wanted to be closer to her family.
That brought about a transfer to The Ohio State University Marion campus.
“I got my masters degree at Ohio State and that led me to teaching here, Draper said. “I did several different things along with several different coaching jobs, but I wanted to be here at North Union.”
Although Draper had several “odds-and-ends” coaching jobs after college, she recognized her first year as a coach as being when she took over the NU unior varsity softball team in 1999.
“I coached at (Marion) Harding, but it just wasn’t the same,” she said. “I consider my first real coaching job here.”
Draper, along with Terry Setser, who is still coaching with Draper today, went undefeated in their first year. The following season, long-time head coach Nancy Rubeck retired from coaching, leaving the team to her new JV coach Draper.
“We didn’t really talk about her not coaching the next year,” Draper said. “I understand why, because Nancy was preparing me to take over. I didn’t know she was going to retire. I was really glad I was her replacement.”
Draper took over the program in 2000 and led her team to a 31-1 season and a state runner-up to Jerome Hillsdale.
“We were so talented,” she said. “It was unbelievable. I think I could have sat on the sideline and they could have coached themselves. That’s how talented that team was in 2000.”
Her success continued, making it to the Central District finals until 2004.
The Lady Cats then had a “down year,” despite a winning season and another Mid Ohio Athletic Conference championship.
Draper, though, was disappointed in herself.
“That year haunts me to np end and I still think about it,” she said. “To me, going 15-10 is a losing season and to this community not making it the district finals, that is not a good season.”
Since 2004, Draper has taken the Lady Cats to the district finals every year except 2011-2012. All of that winning has amassed her a lifetime record of 382-98.
Under her 18-year guidance, NU has made three appearances at the state tournament, won eight district championships and captured 10 MOAC titles.
Her coaching prowess has led to four MOAC Coach of the Year awards, five Central District Coach of Year honors, two Central District Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity (SEI) accolades and one State of Ohio SEI award.
All of her success has led to Draper’s latest award, induction into the Ohio High School Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association.
“Wow, that day I received that phone call I got the book out from the previous year and started looking at all of these names of people I still talk to,” Draper said. “These are now my mentors. I just thought ‘oh my gosh, this is awesome.’”
Draper was one of three coaches inducted into this year’s class, marking the 30th year of the OHSFSCA Hall of Fame.
Draper said North Union’s success didn’t come from just herself, adding it has taken the support of numerous people to get her to this stage.
“My husband plays mister mom four or five months out of the year,” she said. “I don’t do laundry, I don’t cook. He gets the kids where they need to be, but he has supported me.”
Draper has also been with her assistant coaches for nearly the entire time she has been NU’s head coach.
“You get there because you are with the same people every year and we all believe in the same philosophy,” she said. “We (the coaching staff) finish each other’s sentences. We all have the same goals and the same plan to get there.
“Terry has been with me since day one. Steve (Allen) joined when his daughter was in high school around 2004, so he has almost been with me the whole time as well. We are almost like a family.”
That family mindset also extends to Draper’s players and is a major reason why after 18 years she continues to coach.
“How do you step away from coaching when the girls are your family?” she said. “You have a softball family and swhat keeps any coach… friends, family, great coaching staff. (That’s) softball is me.”
Draper doesn’t know when her coaching career will end as she accomplished her goal as a member of the Hall of Fame.
However, she feels there is more to accomplish.
“We are setting goals every year and there are reachable goals and then there are (big) goals,” she said. “I’m at 19 (years) so 20 (years) would be a great goal. I’m at 382 wins. 400 looks real good, but 500 looks real good too. So our goal is to just go year-by-year.”