East High School is a public high school located on the near east side of Columbus, Ohio at 1500 E. Broad Street. It is a part of Columbus City Schools. It was originally constructed in 1922.
Renovation work at East High School was completed in December 2008. The work included restoring numerous skylights throughout the building, refinishing the solid woodwork and wrought iron railings, as well as installing energy-efficient lighting fixtures. The new capacity is 1032 students. Included in the renovation was the addition of a 34,000-square-foot (3,200 m2) gymnasium, which features three full-sized basketball courts and seating for 1850 spectators. The total construction cost was $28.2 million.
Contents
Notable alumni
Politics
Kevin Boyce, member of the Ohio House of Representatives and 47th Ohio State Treasurer
Hearcel Craig, Columbus City Councilman, member of the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate
Latyna Humphrey, member of the Ohio House of Representatives
Ray Miller, member of the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate
Nick Bankston, Columbus City Councilmember
Sports
Bernie Casey, NFL player, actor
Ray Eichenlaub (class of 1911), Notre Dame fullback 1911–1914, College Football Hall of Fame 1972
Dennis Fowlkes, former NFL linebacker
Chic Harley, College Football Hall of Fame 1951, Ohio Stadium is "The House That Harley Built"
Bo Lamar, NBA player
Jim Marshall, NFL player primarily with the Minnesota Vikings
Alex Moore, AFL player with the Denver Broncos
Ed Ratleff, college basketball All-American, Olympian, and NBA player with the Houston Rockets
Thelma Thall, two-time world table tennis champion
Granville Waiters, NBA player
Chuckie Williams, college basketball All-American and NBA player with the Cleveland Cavaliers
Bill Willis, Ohio State lineman 1941–1944, College Football Hall of Fame 1971, Pro Football Hall of Fame 1977
Other
Gillette Hayden, pioneering dentist and periodontist
Kojo Kamau, artist
Gardner Rea, cartoonist
Florence Kenyon Hayden Rector, first licensed female architect in the state of Ohio
Aminah Robinson, artist
James Thurber, writer, humorist, cartoonist (attended the original East HS on Franklin Ave.)
Ann B. Walker, journalist, radio host, and first Black woman from Franklin County to receive a presidential appointment
D. K. Wilgus (class of 1935), folksong scholar and academic
Athletics
Columbus East won the first state boys basketball championship for the capital city in 1951. This was Columbus, Ohio's first basketball championship for the high school category. This team is considered to be one of the greatest teams in Ohio high school basketball history. The team was composed of Rollie Harris, Romey Watkins, Dick Linson, Ed Granger, and Bill Truss. They were coached by the legendary Paul "Bucky" Walters. This historic team beat the highly favored Hamilton Big Blue in the State finals before a soldout crowd. The Walters team used an advanced defense called the "flat iron" zone. The offense was also ahead of their time relying on the incredible passing skills of Watkins and the "fast break". In the 2022-2023 season the tigers football team made history and won two playoff games in a row at their home field.
Ohio High School Athletic Association state championships
Boys Baseball – 1969
Boys Basketball – 1951, 1963, 1968, 1969, 1979
Boys Cross Country – 1955
Boys Gymnastics - 1928, 1931
Boys Track and Field – 1914
Girls Track and Field – 1982, 1983
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