Hall of Fame basketball coach Chuck Machock dies

He was once escorted off the basketball floor at a Cincinnati Bearcats basketball game. Chuck Machock, one of the more colorful and memorable characters from Elyria Catholic's basketball legacy, died early Saturday at the age of 82. "Basketball was his life," said Elyria Municipal Court Judge Gary Bennett, his brother-in-law. "Other than referees, I think everybody loved him." Machock coached Elyria Catholic for six years in the 1960s, and he had a host of other high-profile basketball jobs before ending his career as the radio voice for the University of Cincinnati basketball. He was inducted into the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame in 1987. His father, Stan, is also a member of the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame. He grew up in a family of 10 children — all still alive except Stan Jr. and now Chuck. His most memorable moment as a broadcaster came in 2003 when he was ejected from the game during Cincinnati's 74-69 loss to Gonzaga at the regional NCAA tournament in Salt Lake City. He was the color radio voice of the Bearcats for 25 years, retiring just a couple years ago. Cincinnati's coach and Machock's close friend, Bob Huggins, was ejected for arguing a call and Machock stood up at the broadcast table and yelled at the officials in defense of Huggins. He was then tossed out and escorted off the floor. The signature sign-off call from his cohort Dan Hoard on the radio after that was to advise fans in a joking way as to how many games it had been since Machock was ejected. A 1955 graduate of Elyria Catholic, Machock once held the school's single season scoring record of 377 points for the Panthers. He went on to the University of Cincinnati where he played for the Bearcats for two seasons, 1956-1957. He was a student coach in 1958-1959. After coaching one season at St. Henry High School in Erlanger, Kentucky, Machock returned to his alma mater in 1960, winning 73 games, losing 42 in his six years at the helm. His best year was 1966 when EC finished 18-2, winning 17 games in a row at one point. That team was led by Bobby Holiday, one of the school's most prolific scorers. He was the head coach when the Coliseum made its debut in 1966. He never had a losing season with the Panthers and directed EC to two straight North Central Conference championships in his final two seasons. He was also named the league's "Coach of the Year." Perhaps, his most infamous moment as EC's coach came in a tournament game at Elyria High against the favored Pioneers in 1963. The game was billed as the 'battle of the big men." Elyria High had 6-foot-7 Bill Masonis and the Panthers countered with 6-7 John Beno. The Panthers entered the tournament on the heels of three straight losses but Machock and Elyria Catholic gave the Dale Reichenbach-coached Pioneers all they wanted before falling 49-43. Elyria High was ice cold, hitting just four of its 31 first half shot attempts but trailed by only 16-12 at halftime. Machock's 1-3-1 zone had virtually shut down Masonis (one of nine shooting) but he came alive in the third quarter, scoring nine of Elyria's 22 points as the Pioneers took a 34-30 lead into the fourth quarter. EC tied the game but after a turnover, Machock batted the basketball back onto the court and was called for a technical foul with 2:36 left to play. Elyria's Tim Orvis made the free throw to break the tie and Ron Korka tipped in a missed shot on the subsequent possession and the Pioneers were able to salt the game away. Masonis scored 14 points for Elyria and Beno had 11 for the Panthers, who finished the season with an 11-8 record. After the 1966 season, Machock was hired by Lorain County Community College to start up and coach the basketball program. He stayed two years compiling a 12-9 record his first year and an outstanding 22-4 mark his second before leaving to become an assistant coach at the University of Akron. He left Akron to become the head coach at Steubenville College, inheriting a team that won only three games the year before. In three seasons, Machock was 31-44, becoming an assistant at West Virginia and later Ball State. When Eldon Miller took over as coach at Ohio State, Machock became his right-hand man and top recruiter — landing such star players as Clark Kellogg for Miller. He was at OSU for seven years before taking over the head coaching reins at Central Florida. He then joined Bobby Huggins at Cincinnati for the radio job, retiring in 2016. "He was so folksy, so down to earth," Bennett said. "Clark Kellogg was one of his best stories. His wife would tell stories that he'd tell her 'I'm bringing Kellogg over for dinner. He needs a home-cooked meal.' He'd march a player or two over and she'd be cooking dinner for them." Bennett said Machock's relationship with Huggins was long-standing. "Huggins was like his best friend in the world," Bennett said. "They always had a very strong relationship. He got his dream job — the voice of the Bearcats. He absolutely loved it. He traveled with the team, went to every single game. He was perfect because he had it in with Huggins. He loved his family but he loved his job." He was inducted into Cincinnati's James F. Kelly Hall of Fame as a contributor in 2016. He is survived by his wife Dottie, three children – Bob, Sandy and Mindy — and three grandchildren — Mitchell, Kaylee and Emily. The family will receive friends 5-8 p.m. Friday at the Laubenthal-Mercado Funeral Home and Cremation Services 38475 Chestnut Ridge Road (at state Route 57), Elyria. There will be a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, at St. Mary Catholic Church 320 Middle Ave., Elyria. Burial will follow at St. Mary Cemetery, Elyria. Contact Tim Gebhardt at (440) 329-7135 or timothygeb@msn.com.