DISD Sports Hall of Fame 2021 Inductee

The Dayton Sports Hall of Fame inducted former Dayton Bronco standout athlete Mike Mabry on June 12 at the Dayton ISD Performing Arts Center. The following is from the induction speech by Larry Wadzeck.

When I first talked with Mike about his selection to the HOF, he wanted to make sure that everyone in Dayton knew that even though he lives in the Barbers Hill school district and that he cheered and clapped and supported all activities his children are in, he was not cheering for BH, just for his kids because he has too much purple in his blood.

And for good reason - a four-sport letterman at DHS earning, by my count, 11 varsity letters.

In power-lifting, Mike was a Regional Qualifier.

In basketball, he was Team Captain his senior year.

In track and field, he was a member of the District Champion Team his senior year.

But it was in football where Mike really excelled. He was a three-year letterman, Captain his senior year, earned first-team All All-District-offense and defense his junior and senior years, All-Area and Region honors north years, and All-State his senior year.

After starting for the Lumberjacks at Stephen F. Austin State University, Mike transferred to the University of Central Florida for his junior and senior years. His senior year, he was Team Captain and was an All-Conference Offensive Lineman and Offensive Line MVP. Mike was the first Offensive Lineman drafted from UCF.

Mike was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens but also saw NFL time with the Bengals and Falcons. He played in NFL Europe for the Cologne Centurians in 2005, where he was Team Captain. From 2006-2008 he was a member of the Philadelphia Soul Arena League Team. During his three years, he was selected All-Conference Lineman twice and Team Captain twice, and in 2008 the team was Arena Bowl Champ.

Mike played for the California Redwood Team in 2009, for the Sacramento Mountain Lions in 2010, and for the Jacksonville Sharks in 2011, who was Arena Bowl Champ that year. He was Team Captain for the California and Sacramento teams.

It is an honor to induct Mike Mabry into the Dayton ISD Sports Hall of Fame.