Hall of Fame Coach, Hall of Fame Man

By Mark Carpenter

People’s Defender

If you have spent any time at all talking with Joe Kramer, a few things become very obvious. Joe Kramer has thousands of stories to tell, is a walking encyclopedia of baseball knowledge and is perhaps the “nicest guy in the business”. His long and storied career as a teacher and coach have touched the lives of so many young people and been one of the most positive influences in their lives.

In June of 2024, Kramer was recognized for all of his years in the dugout as a high school baseball coach. In a ceremony held at the home of the Chillicothe Paints, Veterans Stadium, Kramer was inducted into the Ohio Southeast District Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame. Kramer has been the West Union High School varsity baseball coach for 25 years after serving three seasons as the assistant coach. In his time at WUHS, the Dragons captured three Southern Hills Athletic Conference championships and according to the coach, “I was blessed with a lot of dedicated players, numerous skilled assistant coaches and wonderful support from parents and family.” In addition, Kramer has coached the most high school baseball games in the history of Adams County.

The illustrious coaching career of Joe Kramer actually began at Chaminade Julienne High School in Dayton where his team won the Greater Dayton League title in 1978. He returned to his alma mater, Miami University, the next year where he had played and been an assistant coach, taking great pride in being part of the coaching staff on a team that won the Mid-American Conference. At the end of the 1979 season, Bud Middaugh, the Miami head coach, moved on to become head coach at the University of Michigan. With that change, Kramer made the decision to return, though he was constantly recruited by Middaugh to work a multitude of camps and clinics from 1980-1989 for the Michigan program.

Kramer’s next high school coaching gigs came with positions at Valley View and Oakwood High Schools and beyond that came another college stint as the assistant coach at the University of Dayton in 1984. At the conclusion of the 1984 campaign, Kramer found his way to Adams County, beginning a long teaching and coaching career at West Union High School.

Coach Kramer announced his retirement after the 2024 season and leaves behind a legacy unmatched in local high school baseball lore. His Hall of Fame induction decibel him as “always ready to talk about the skills that baseball demands and the qualities of character that can be acquired by being part of a baseball team.”

Kramer says that “he will retire with many wonderful memories” and any one fortunate to have been part of a Joe Kramer baseball squad will certainly have the same.

In the official program for the Hall of Fame induction, Kramer sums up his career with these words.

“I am honored and humbled to be selected for the Southeast District Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame. My 40 years at West Union High School have been exciting and rewarding. A big ‘thank you’ goes out to Bud Middaugh, who has always supported me in my endeavors and I consider one of my truest friends. Another special thanks to my former teammate, Danny Hall, who modeled for me what true baseball professionalism is.”

“I have been truly blessed by having the opportunity to coach against some of the best coaches in southern Ohio- Chris Veidt at Whiteoak, Judd Johnson and Ryan McFarland at Peebles, Gary Newman and Rob Meade at North Adams, Rusty Poole and Josh Reaves at Manchester, Kip Young, Ted Downing and Steve Goetz at Eastern Brown, Gary West, Aric Fiscus, and Vince Pitzer at Lynchburg, Jeff Noble at Western Latham and Waverly and my old teammate and roommate at Miami University, Steve Chester.”

“”Additionally I have been blessed to share coaching duties with Bill Garrison, Sean Inman, Brian Miley, Austin Kingsolver, Brian Day and Derek Yoder. These men always worked tirelessly to improve our players and teams. The true moments of success experienced by our teams are the direct result of their efforts.”

“Lastly, my special thanks and appreciation to my wife Ann for all of her unwavering support and encouragement and a special thanks to my sons, Ryan, Bryce and Janson, who always practiced hard and played harder as we traveled through life together.”

From this writer’s point of view, there is no one more deserving than Joe Kramer of Hall of Fame status and I hope to soon see his plaque adorning the wall outside the West Union High School gymnasium. If you want to talk baseball for hours at a time, then Joe Kramer is your man.

Subscribe to the People’s Defender

https://www.peoplesdefender.com/subscribe/