Fran Guilbault
Birthdate: April 17, 1936
Birthplace: Ontonagon, Michigan
High School: Ontonagon High School
College: Western Michigan (1960), Ohio University (1961)
Year Inducted: 2013
Not many high school coaches have had a career that compares favorably to that of Fran Guilbault, who spent 38 years (1961-1999) as boys basketball coach at St. Henry High School. Guilbault, who served in the Marine Corps before attending college, took over a St. Henry team that won only 13 games over the first three seasons and followed that with 35 consecutive winning seasons. Along the way the Redskins won three state championships. They went 26-0 in 1979 while winning the Class A crown. They returned to Columbus in 1990 and 1991, winning the Division III and Division IV titles. Guilbault’s teams won their league championship 20 times, the Sectional 20 times and the District seven times. Guilbault’s philosophy was to work the players hard during game preparation and then turn them loose on game nights and let them have fun. They did have fun, averaging 70.5 points per game to the opponents’ 58.1. The three state championship teams had average victory margins of 23.5, 25.3 and 28.5. Fran and his wife Mary Lou have seven children, 28 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.
Watch Fran Guilbault’s Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Speech:
