Editors note: Landon was one of the greatest athletes ever at Cuyahoga Falls High School (Ohio). setting single game (48)and career (1973) school scoring records.. Landon earned All Metro, All District and All Summit County honors for four straight years as well as being a standout baseball player. Recruited by Miami U. (O.), he made an immediate impact as a freshman. shooting nearly 42 percent of his three pointers. Miami was the MAC champion that year and played in the NIT. During the ensuing three years, Landon continued to excel. His career high scoring performance came against Toledo in ´94, with 36 points. Upon graduation in 1997, Landon was the third leading scorer in Miami history, with 1,493, behind Ron Harper and Eric Newsome.
February 1988 CUYAHOGA FALLS COMMUNITY GATHERS AGAIN TO CELEBRATE LOST BASKETBALL PLAYERS' LIVES By Ellin Walsh | REPORTER Published: November 24, 2013 Cuyahoga Falls -- One basketball game ended many hopes. Another, gives life to new ones. The second annual 12-23 Classic will take place Nov. 29 at 6 p.m. at the Falls High gymnasium, 2300 Fourth St. The event is a benefit for the Humble/Hackim Athletic Scholarship Fund. The Cuyahoga Falls community was left in shock and disbelief in February 1988 when basketball standouts Lance Hackim, a sophomore, and Kevin Humble, a junior, died in a car accident on the way home from a Cleveland Cavaliers game. Two other passengers in the car, Marc Fugarino and Bill Scelza, were paralyzed. Hackim wore jersey #12, and Humble, jersey #23. Activity secretary Judy Ray, who's been with the Cuyahoga Falls School District for 28 years, remembers the days following as "the hardest I've been through at the school." The accident "touched everyone," she says, because the fathers of the boys who died were teachers and coaches in the district. Lance's father, Linc Hackim, was a math teacher and baseball coach, while Kevin's father, Bill Humble, was a football coach and principal. On the Friday before the accident, Ray recalls, Kevin "hit a pinnacle -- the most points scored in a season." The basketball game was stopped for a plaque presentation, she says, remembering, like yesterday, how Kevin handed off the plaque to his mom. "I loved those boys," Ray says, in a voice choked with emotion. "The accident took so many things that it took a while for us to get to the place to celebrate what we had." A quarter of a century later, Scott Davis, a former teammate, had a vivid dream and felt compelled to act on it. The dream was to stage an alumni basketball game to benefit the Humble/Hackim Athletic Scholarship Fund -- and to simultaneously celebrate the teens it memorializes. The first 12-23 Classic was conducted last year and the "can't wait til next year" response of those who attended left organizers convinced it had to be an annual event. "There was no doubt after last year's turn-out," Bill Hodson says, "… The community, friends, family, school, and classmates of Kevin and Lance all embraced the occasion and helped make the night an event that was fun and successful." Hodson played on the Falls High basketball team with Humble and Hackim. Last year's event raised $10,012.23 for the scholarship fund, which has been in place since 1988 and has distributed two $1,000 scholarships each year to deserving student athletes. The second annual 12-23 Classic is billed as an opportunity "to support, remember and reunite." Tickets are available for $5 at the main office at Falls High or at the door the day of the game. Organizers for this year's event include Hodson (Class of '88); Scott Davis (Class of '89); Julie (Anello) Reed (Class of '90); Michelle (Snyder) Stewart (Class of '88); and Judy Ray. Ray says the timing of the benefit game -- the day after Thanksgiving -- is "fitting." "We're thankful that we had survivors from the crash," she says, "and we're also thankful for each one of the basketball teams since then that have remembered Kevin and Lance. "Plus, Thanksgiving is family time," Ray says, "and we are a family that has been through a lot together." Both Fugarino and Scelza were on hand for the inaugural Classic and say they will be in attendance Nov. 29, too. Fugarino says last year's event gave him a sense of closure he was missing. "After talking to Bill Scelza," Marc says, "I feel like it was something we both needed. We never got to honor Kevin and Lance with their families and friends since we were in the hospital recovering. So in that sense it was nice to be able to remember them and show our love for them with their family and friends." Scelza says he's happy his wife and sons will be able to join him at the event this year. "The first annual 12-23 Classic was a truly powerful and special event," according to Scelza. "I think of it as a celebration and a way to support the legacy of Kevin Humble and Lance Hackim but, at the same time, it is much more than that. I think of it as a bridge to the future and in support of future students from CFHS , … providing opportunities for them." "Remember that when this happened we were just children," according to Scelza. "Now we are grown up and many have families and children of our own and have a much different perspective. I know I reflect on this as a parent. I think of my three sons and their future. I think of the community of people at the first 12-23 Classic and how it was truly a great feeling to reconnect with family, friends, teammates, and the Cuyahoga Falls community. I am sure that Kevin and Lance will be looking down with great pride and joy." "I think they'd … be happy that people remember them," Fugarino says, "and what they meant to us and … that there is a scholarship in their names that helps others attain their college dreams." Contributions may be mailed to the Humble/Hackim Scholarship Fund, Attn: Cuyahoga Falls High School Athletic Department, 2300 Fourth St., Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44221. To help support The 12-23 Classic, the annual event to benefit The Humble/Hackim Scholarship Fund, contributions may be mailed to: Cuyahoga Falls High Schools 12-23 Classic, Attn: Mrs. Judy Ray, 2300 Fourth St., Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44221. |
My Career
Cuyahoga Falls HS All Time Scoring Leader (1973 pts) Miami U. (O.) 3rd all time leading scorer after completion All-time MAC (NCAA) 3 point record holder from 1996-2014 Accomplished Businessman Husband to Michelle Father of three Linked In Summit County Hall of Fame Inductee (1997) Athletes in Action game at Oregon Athletes in Action game vs Indiana(game winner waived off) Indiana game stats NCAA tournament vs Arizona (pregame) |
