Magics QB remembered 60 years after death during homecoming week

Barberton High School’s seniors on the 1964 Magics football team.

Barberton senior Ken Sennett was a standout quarterback and young man who passed away suddenly during football season in 1964 from a health issue. The news of his death sent shock waves across the city, state and even the country.

By RANDY FORST

BGNN sports editor

Mention the name Ken Sennett around town – especially to residents who graduated from Barberton, Norton and other local high schools in the 1960s – and there’s a good chance they will nod knowingly and may even have a special memory or story to share.

I never knew Ken Sennett. Being a senior at Norton in 1964 I knew of him as did just about everyone in northeast Ohio who followed high school football.

Being a Norton senior, I was primarily interested in the Panthers, but my parents, who both graduated from Barberton, would always let me know about the Magics. It wasn’t until I became friends with many  Barbertonians that I came to appreciate the greatness of Ken Sennett.

By researching articles on the great 1964 Magic I found out a lot about the quarterback that many were comparing to the George Izo. On Sept. 27, 1963, Sennett stepped on the field for the first time ever as a starter. He led the Magics to a 16-6 win over St. Vincent. In that game he threw a touchdown pass to Joe Suboticki and two extra point passes, one to Suboticki and one to end Joe Kaiser. The Magics, with Sennett under center, were off and running. They never lost a game with Sennett at quarterback.

Throughout this football season, a series of stories looking back 60 years ago on “A season of triumph; a season of despair” has been printed each week in The Barberton Gazette & Norton News. The 1964 Magics football season may have been the most successful and tragic season in school history, and many Magics fans maintain Sennett was on his way to being one of the greatest Barberton quarterbacks. Not only that, teammates, neighbors, friends, family and other residents share stories about the friendly young man. The future was bright for the talented Barberton senior who was passionate about football.

The 1964 Magics, under head coach Tom Phillips, ended their season 8-1. The team was enjoying a win streak at the beginning of the season. Suddenly, during homecoming week in 1964, Sennett passed out in class. Friends tried to revive him and he was rushed to the hospital. He didn’t recover.

This loss sent shockwaves through the city and beyond. His spirit is kept alive in the Magic City thanks to those who knew him and those who continue to share their memories about the remarkable Barberton High School student and dedicated football player who showed greatness on and off the field.

Here are some more memories by a few of those who knew and loved Ken Sennett.

• Coach Tom Phillips was quoted in the Beacon Journal saying: “The finest football player I’ve ever coached, maybe the finest I’ve ever seen! Might be most coachable kid I ever had.” The late Coach Marco Burnette had said: “Ken was cocky, and I mean that not in a negative way. He was sure of himself and his abilities and one of the best leaders I’ve ever been associated with!”

• Teammate and friend Terry Brown: “Ken and I were close; he was not just a great player but a great teammate as well. Many do not know what a great athlete he was, he was also a tremendous basketball player and baseball player, but he gave that up to concentrate on football in high school.”

• Teammate Dave Kapes: “Ken was a year ahead of me, so we weren’t exceptionally close. But, my fellow classmates and I knew what a talent we had in Ken Sennett. Ken’s locker was next to mine, I’ll never forget going to practice after he had passed and seeing his equipment still in his locker. I think a lot of the team was also touched by seeing that. I’ll also never forget after the Alliance game walking from the stadium to Campfield-Hickman Funeral Home for a private viewing for the team.”

• Teammate Paul Okolish: “Ken was great, we never lost with him at quarterback. The night before he died my dad took Ken and me to Mr. Skillet in the Magic City Shopping Center for a meal. The next day I had to tell my dad he had passed. It was the first and only time I had ever seen my dad break down.”

• Ray Todd, teammate: “I’ll never forget the practice’s we had the week of his death. I was getting a chance to start at end because of an injury to regular starter Ray Karl. Ken was a big help to me with my preparation for the game. I was able to catch a pass that set up our only touchdown against Alliance.”

• Friend Dave Incorvati: “Ken was a year ahead of me, but we were friends. I think a lot of us knew growing up how athletic he was but never guessed he’d turn into that superstar QB for the Magics. I remember in Little League, one time he came up to bat and the opposing team was making fun of him because of his odd batting stance, so what did Ken do? He promptly belted the next pitch for a home run. My favorite memory of him in high school was the way he led the Magics to that touchdown in the Garfield game, it was legendary!
“The best thing about Ken Sennett to me was his humility, he was a star, but you would never know it, he always greeted you with a smile and a hello. What a shame, what a loss, not just to BHS but the entire city! RIP Ken!”

• Neighbor/Close friend Jim Crawford: “We were close, we grew up together, shooting hoops, throwing the football around, playing baseball, we did what neighborhood kids did we played. I was walking the hallways that day after we were dismissed, and someone came up to me and told me Ken had passed out in class and was taken to the hospital. I walked to the hospital, but by the time I got there he had passed. I was devastated! I had never dealt with the death of a close friend before. I had lost a friend, I didn’t know what to do, I honestly think if not for my dad I would have dropped out of school. Fortunately, I stayed in. After school I joined the Army, eventually got married, and had a son who I named after Ken. I’m not sure I’ll ever get over Ken dying!”
Norton football player Jeff McNab: “I was part of a group of players representing Norton at his funeral. Most of us didn’t know Ken but knew about him. Funeral was incredibly sad. There were so many cars going to the cemetery, we didn’t make it in time for the graveyard services.”
In researching Ken Sennett’s story, some interesting facts were noted along the way.

NOTEWORTHY
• Ken’s PeeWee football coach was his mother.
• Ken had a full ride offer from Vanderbilt.
• Ken and his father, James, attended the Ohio State-Southern Cal football game the weekend before he passed.
He pretty much was convinced he wanted to be a Buckeye, even if he had to walk on.
• Along with football, Ken was also a very good baseball and basketball player while at Portage Junior High.
He also was a city wrestling champ in his weight division.
• According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, fellow students Lou Slimak, Mark Hornyak, and Barb Dilworth did everything they could to revive Ken after he passed out. Miss Lois Finley was the teacher in the class that fateful day.
• Ken’s mother, Agnes Sennett called the school to ask that they play the Alliance game. She felt that’s what Ken would want.
• The Inaugural winner of the Ken Sennett award was Tom Papp.
• In 1981, John Sennett, who was two months old when Ken passed, won the Ken Sennett award.
• Though he was considerably younger than his older brother, John Sennett recalls stories told by his mom as he grew older. One was how Ken’s teammate, Paul Walker would always come over to the house to check on her after Ken’s death.
• Pallbearers at Ken Sennett’s funeral were Ralph Ely, school superintendent; Head Coach Tom Phillips Sam Marchetti, Booster Club representative; and teammates Mike Gomez, Art Evans, Terry Brown, Bob Papp, Joe Suboticki, Russ Shreiner and Paul Walker.
• Ken Sennett’s siblings, Cynthia Sennett Kaisk, and brothers John and Jim, still reside in Barberton. Sister Patty lives in Georgia. John Sennett became a Barberton City Councilman.