Glenville’s legendary football coach and educator is nonstop community inspiration

For nearly five decades, legendary Glenville High School coach Dr. Ted Ginn, Sr., has done far more than build championship teams; he has built futures. The educator and mentor behind one of Cleveland's most influential youth programs will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 PBH Honors Celebration on Sunday, June 28, at Severance Music Center, recognizing a legacy that has helped shape generations of young men through education, discipline, and opportunity.

In recent years, Dr. Ginn's leadership has helped propel Glenville High School to historic success, including Ohio state football championships in 2022, 2023, and 2025, further cementing the Tarblooders as one of the nation’s most respected high school programs.

PBH Honors (formerly known as Pink & Black Honors) is a three-year old platform celebrating leaders whose work strengthens economic opportunity, entrepreneurship, and community impact across Northeast Ohio and beyond.

Few figures in Cleveland sports and education have shaped as many lives as Ted Ginn Sr. As the longtime head football and track coach at Glenville High School and founder of Ginn Academy for Young Men, he has dedicated his career to mentoring young men and preparing them for success both on and off the field.

Through his leadership, more than 400 student-athletes have gone on to attend college, including over 200 Division I scholarship recipients. His program has produced standout athletes such as Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, Ted Ginn Jr., Coby Bryant, Arvell Reese, Marshawn Lattimore, Donte Whitner, and Cardale Jones, while also preparing countless students for careers in business, education, and community leadership.

For Coach Ginn, the mission has always extended beyond athletics.

"It's not about football or track," Ginn often says. "It's about saving lives and saving souls. Football and track are just the vehicles we ride in.”

Ginn spent his early years in Franklinton, Louisiana, where his grandparents instilled in him rigid Christian values. He moved to Cleveland for his high school years and played center and linebacker on the Tarblooders football teams of the 1970s.

He returned to Glenville as a volunteer assistant football coach and full-time uniformed security guard, patrolling the hallways in his officer’s uniform during the school day and changing into his coaching gear after school.

After 10 years as an unpaid assistant coach, he went on the coaching payroll in 1986. He became head coach in 1997 and soon after the Tarblooders were earning national attention for their Glenville football prowess.

In recognition of his extraordinary impact on education and community leadership, Ginn has received numerous honors, including the Cleveland Legacy Medal in 2023 and an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Cleveland State University.

"Dr. Ginn's impact reaches far beyond the field," said Tenora Edwards, founder of PBH. "For decades, he has invested in young people, opened doors of opportunity, and changed the trajectory of countless lives. Honoring his legacy reflects exactly what PBH stands for: recognizing leaders who transform communities."

Hosted by Emmy Award-winning journalist Danita Harris, the 2026 PBH Honors Celebration will bring together leaders, entrepreneurs, creatives, and community advocates from across Northeast Ohio for an afternoon recognizing individuals whose work is shaping the future of business, culture, and community.

The PBH Honors Celebration has become one of Northeast Ohio's signal gatherings, recognizing leaders whose work strengthens communities and expands opportunity. This year's program will bring together business leaders, educators, entrepreneurs, creatives, and civic champions for an afternoon that celebrates both achievement and impact, highlighting the power of leadership, mentorship, and community investment to shape the next generation.

Ticket information for the event may be found here. 

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