Label
Councilman Hobbs
Title
Designating Dennis Hopson Way.
Summary
WHEREAS, Dennis Hopson, a native to Toledo and a 1984, graduate of Bowsher High School, left Toledo to pursue a career that some young people only dream of; and
WHEREAS, Hopson was a standout player at The Ohio State University, where he was an All-American and the Big Ten Player of the Year in 1987; The Buckeyes’ all-time leading scorer, tallying 2,096 points during his four-year career, he also holds the school’s single season scoring record with 958 points in 1986-1987, a season in which he finished second nationally in scoring; and
WHEREAS, a member of The Ohio State Hall of Fame Class of 1994, Hopson was named to the John Wooden Award All-American Team and was named a First Team All-Big Ten selection in 1987; and
WHEREAS, Dennis played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for five seasons and was the third pick overall in the 1987 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets, where he played for three years; he also had stretches with the Chicago Bulls, where he won a NBA Championship, and the Sacramento Kings. Following his NBA career, Hopson played seven more years in Europe; and
WHEREAS, upon retiring from his playing career, Hopson was a regional scout for the Philadelphia 76ers, before moving into the coaching ranks; he began his collegiate coaching career at Northwood University as an assistant coach for two years. He was a part of a NAIA national quarterfinals team in 07-08 and helped guide the Timberwolves to a pair of Florida Sun Conference titles; and
WHEREAS, Hopson spent 2009-2014 as an assistant coach at Bowling Green State University for coach Louis Orr; he was an instrumental member of the coaching staff that helped the Falcons earn a berth in the 2012 CollegeInsider.com postseason tournament; and
WHEREAS, Hopson spent one season as the head boys coach at Bedford High School and also served as the Director of Basketball Operations for the YMCA of Greater Toledo prior to arriving at Lourdes University in Sylvania, Ohio; and
WHEREAS, Dennis was hired at Lourdes College with more than 30 years of basketball coaching, recruiting, and playing experience; and was named the third head men's basketball coach in program history at Lourdes in May of 2019; and
WHEREAS, in his three seasons at Lourdes, and as a collegiate head coach, Hopson has led the Gray Wolves to a 53-25 record; during his first season at Lourdes, he led the team to a tie for third place in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference standings, matching the highest finish in program history. Lourdes was ranked as high as 13th in the NAIA Division II national poll in mid-January; and
WHEREAS, Hopson’s 2021-2022 team tied for third in the WHAC regular season standings before capturing the WHAC tournament title, its first in program history; the Gray Wolves advanced to the NAIA National Championships, falling on a buzzer-beater in the first round; and
WHEREAS, Hopson produced a NAIA Honorable Mention All-American in his first season at Lourdes; he has had five players named First Team All-WHAC; four others garner Second Team All-WHAC honors; a player named to the WHAC All-Freshman Team and two named to the WHAC All-Defensive Team; and
WHEREAS, his student-athletes have also succeeded in the classroom; Hopson has produced four CoSIDA Academic All-District I First Team honorees, as well as nine members on the WHAC All-Academic Team and seven NAIA Scholar-Athletes; NOW, THEREFORE,
Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Toledo:
SECTION 1. That this Council does hereby designate the corner of Elysian Avenue and Dorr Street as “Dennis Hopson Way”.
SECTION 2. That this Resolution shall take effect and be in force from and after the earliest period allowed by law.
Adopted: November 9, 2022: yeas 12, nays 0.
Attest:
Gerald E. Dendinger Matt Cherry
Clerk of Council President of Council
Approved: November 14, 2022
Wade Kapszukiewicz
Mayor