Remembering Ike Maxwell: Elyria legend leaves complex legacy

In the latter years of Ike Maxwell's life, his friends, family and supporters rallied to keep his memory alive. Although Maxwell, a former Elyria High School football standout who won the 1971 Golden Helmet Award and earned All-Ohio that year, died Tuesday, those who knew him aren't ready to let him and his accomplishments be forgotten. "I grew up knowing Ike was a All-Ohio running back," said Aric Bowens, who founded the Ike Maxwell Elyria Hall of Fame Push Committee to lead the drive to get Maxwell enshrined in the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame. "Ike was a picture in the trophy case at the high school that we all recognized. We had heard the story about Ike so I kinda had the idea of how legendary he was." In two seasons at Elyria, Maxwell rushed for 2,685 yards and 34 touchdowns. In his senior year he had five 200-yard rushing games, including a career-high 278 yards against Admiral King, and averaged 187 yards a game. "Everybody growing up heard about 'Dynamite Ike.' Being in that athletic fraternity, so to speak, you hear about different names that came before you and what they accomplished," said Ethan West, founder of the Elyria Black Legacy Connection and a baseball coach at Elyria High School. "Everybody remembered when Ike Maxwell brought the city a great deal of pride on those Friday nights playing football." The next chapters of Maxwell's life weren't as glamorous. After a brief college football career, Maxwell returned home to Elyria. Shortly thereafter, his brother, Daryl, was shot and killed by an Elyria police officer. Later, Maxwell was shot and attacked by a baseball bat-wielding assailant in separate incidents. Despite it all, Elyria remained Maxwell's home throughout his life. "It shows the love he actually had for Elyria," West said. "The fact that he stayed in Elyria and he was prideful of Elyria. He was an example of the trials and tribulations and the journey that many people go through and where life can take you." Maxwell's life story was turned into a documentary by filmmaker Tara Conley. "Dry Bones" premiered at the Karamu House in Cleveland in February. A screening will be held June 17 at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Elyria. "Ike Maxwell was one of Elyria's finest. He was an amazing athlete, I think that's been covered very widely. He was also just a special individual," Conley said. "As someone who was a former athlete in Ohio, I appreciate what Ike stood for and all of the things he had to endure. Ike was a very strong person. Some of the instances he had to deal with and some of the outcomes of his life were tragic." While the work of getting Maxwell into the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame continues, he was honored by former Elyria mayor Frank Whitfield with "Ike Maxwell Appreciation Day" in 2021. "It was super powerful. It gave some of the young folks who may not have known the actual story behind Ike a chance to recognize his accomplishments," Bowens said. "It was something he was able to attend. He was able to get his flowers, if you will, before he passed away." Conley hopes "Dry Bones" will help the community remember Maxwell as more than just a football player. "I think oftentimes we tend to frame certain people according to the highlights and lowlights of their lives and we forget about the in-between and the mundane moments that make life worth living," Conley said. "Ike Maxwell was a man. A man of strength but also a man of imperfections. His story is a story of humanity and of a human being who despite many challenges he faced still managed to smile through it all." West is hoping that soon, albeit posthumously, Maxwell will be in the Elyria Hall. "I think deep down it would have meant a lot for him to get officially inducted into the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame," West said. A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the Maxwell family deal with the funeral expenses. Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.