Massillon Loses a Great One in Dave Sheegog
Mention the 1964 Massillon football team to older Tiger fans and they will immediately recall the 20-14 comeback victory over Canton McKinley that sealed a state championship. And they will fondly remember quarterback Dave Sheegog, the hero of the game. Solemnly, we lost Dave recently, having passed away on January 18, 2025, at the age of 77.
Sheegog graduated from Massillon in 1966. During his time there he was a 3-sport athlete, having participated in football, basketball and baseball. But it was football in which he made his mark. In the victory over the Bulldogs mentioned above both teams entered the game ranked undefeated and they were ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the Associated Press state poll. With that setting, the game may have been a precursor to the modern-day playoff system that began just a few years later; i.e., to the winner goes the state title.
The Tigers were down 14-0 entering the fourth quarter, but managed to tie the score on short touchdown runs by Jim Lawrence and Bob Hewitt. Only, quarterback Steve Kanner was forced to leave the field on account of an injury. In came backup QB Dave Sheegog, tasked with engineering a final drive in hopes of grabbing a victory. After completing a pass to a diving Will Foster at the 14, Sheegog dropped back to pass, but couldn’t find anyone open. So, he tucked the ball and ran, while eluding several would-be tacklers, and was able to propel himself just over the goal line against two defenders for the winning score (see photo). Pandemonium ensued as it was evident that the Tigers had just secured both the game and the state title. Sheegog was indeed the hero of the moment. He ended the day with six rushes for 39 yards, 3 of 4 passing for 41 yards and a punt return of 19 yards, while scoring on a 2-point conversion.
Sheegog played two years of varsity football under future Ohio State University head coach Earl Bruce, winning the state title both years. In his junior year he was used sparingly at quarterback, but was the primary return specialist on both kickoffs and punts. He did, however, toss three touchdown passes (two against Cleveland Benedictine) and scored twenty points.
The following year he was the starting quarterback and he led his team to a perfect record and a repeat state championship. The team was also ranked second in the nation, to go along with a first-place finish in the All-American Conference. For the season, he scored 59 points, rushed 106 times for 405 yards and completed 26 of 72 passes for 427 yards. He also returned 9 kickoffs for 215 yards and 19 punts for 270 yards, including a 94-yard punt return for a TD against Mansfield. That, to go along with two pass interceptions on defense. Three times his team was behind at halftime and came back in the second half to win. Those games were against conference foes Steubenville, Warren Harding and Canton McKinley, during which he contributed greatly with both his rushing and passing skills.
Following the season Sheegog received a scholarship offer from Kent State University, while he ended up playing for Mt. San Jacinto Junior College.
His awards include:
- 1966 – Inducted into the Negro Old Timers Hall of Fame.
- 2012 – Awarded a trophy by the Marines Great American Rivalry Series.
- 2016 – Inducted into the Massillon Football Hall of Fame.
Dave will be sorely missed by the Tiger nation.
