The Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame is privileged to present the 2026 Ohio Heritage Award to Co-Founder Harold "Doc" Daugherty. A native of Glenford in Perry County, Doc played basketball at Ohio University, where he earned his bachelor's degree. He went on to get his Master's at John Carroll University. Doc began his coaching career at Euclid High School in 1956 — and had so much fun that he stayed for 44 years. In four decades on the sideline, he won 597 games, 16 league championships, and led his 1968 Panthers to a 22-2 season and the Class AA state semi-final game — and the lasting admiration of hundreds of young men and women he mentored as a teacher and coach. He was inducted into the National Coaches Hall of Fame and the Euclid High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2000, the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association in 2002, and the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. He was the Division I Coach of the Year in 1990 and received the John Wooden Award from the OHBCA in 2022.

But Doc's impact on Ohio reaches far beyond the hardwood. Before beginning his coaching career, he proudly served his country as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Medical Corps during the Korean War. His wife, June, and Doc were instrumental in saving the historic Henn Mansion in Euclid from demolition, preserving a piece of the community they spent their lives serving. The father of five sons, Doc has embodied Ohio's values of hard work, community, and dedication at every turn.

At 95 years old, he continues to work on behalf of the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame — the institution he co-founded — nearly every day. There is no more fitting recipient for an award honoring those who have made a lasting impact on Ohio. Doc Daugherty is, quite simply, the heart of this Hall of Fame.

Learn more about the Ohio Heritage Award and past recipients here.