The Arizona High School Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame welcomed five new members to its ranks.

Three of the coaches who were feted Sunday during the 33^rd annual AHSAC Hall of Fame event at Phoenix Elks Lodge #335 haven’t hung up their whistles. But the contributions of Tim Beck, Lois Emshoff and Tom Succow are certainly hall of fame-worthy.

Sam Ballard’s high school coaching days are over, but he’s still giving back to basketball as the head men’s coach at Mesa Community College. Joe English retired in 2003, but the tall coach looked like he could still run a rebound drill or two if he wanted to.

Family members and friends of the inductees as well as a large group of AHSAC Hall of Fame members were also present during Sunday’s ceremony.

2016 AHSAC Hall of Fame class

Sam Ballard, boys basketball

Ballard began his 20-year secondary coaching career at Judson High School in 1978 and was head coach at Camelback and Mountain Pointe High Schools for a total of 17 years before moving to the community college ranks. As a high school head coach, he posted 339 career victories. His 1980 Judson squad won a state championship, and his teams appeared in the state Elite Eight four times and Final Four twice. His teams also were Central Region titlists four times. Ballard was named State Coach of the Year three times and Region Coach of the Year five times. He served as the 5A/4A All-Star head coach in 1993 and has been featured as a clinic speaker/presenter throughout Arizona and California. For many years Sam has volunteered his time as a summer basketball camp coach/mentor as well as serving as an assistant coach of the Arizona Senior Prep BCI teams from 1988-1995. During his BCI tenure with head coach Royce Youree, the Phoenix teams boasted an overall record of 49-5, won a mythical national title three times, were runner-up once, finished third three times and consolation champions once. He maintains his membership with the Arizona Coaches Association and the Arizona Basketball Coaches Association.

Tim Beck, boys soccer

Beck began coaching high school soccer as an assistant at Ironwood High School in 1993 and was promoted to head coach in 1994. His record is 338-90-17 with a winning percentage of nearly 80%. His program has won three state championships and finished state runners-up twice and regional champions eleven times. Beck was named National Coach of the Year by the National Soccer Federation Coaches Association in 2001, Region Eight Coach of the Year by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association in 2000 and 2011, Region Coach of the Year three times, and West Valley Coach of the Year four times. Beck is active in off the field professional activities as well, having served as a member of the Arizona High School Soccer Coaches Association Board of Directors for four years (vice-president in 1999 and 2000), and chair and member of the state’s Scheduling Committee for three years. He also served as the Arizona Interscholastic Association’s West Valley Region Soccer Representative from 1997 through 2004 and the Desert West Region Soccer representative from 2004 through 2010.

Lois Emshoff, badminton

Emshoff began her incredible 51-year high school coaching career in 1965 at Dysart High School when she was hired as a physical education teacher and head badminton coach. The 1971 Dysart team captured the state championship when both her singles player and doubles team won state titles. Based on her successful tenure at Dysart, Emshoff was recruited to start a badminton program at Chandler High School, where, even after retiring from her teaching duties in 2006, she remains as the only badminton coach in Chandler High’s history. Teams coached by Emshoff have posted four state and 11 regional championships, and she has also coached women’s tennis, softball and basketball. She is a fierce advocate of Title IX and remains highly involved in many civic and community activities. In recognition of this, her sterling coaching accomplishments and commitment to women’s high school athletics, she has been inducted into the Agua Fria Hall of Fame, the City of Chandler Hall of Fame and the Arizona Badminton Hall of Fame. 

Joe English, girls basketball

English spent all of his 26 years at Chaparral except for one season. He won 73 percent of his games while collecting 480 victories. His teams won state titles in 1978, 1996 and 2001, finished runner-up in 1993, 1994, 1995, 2001, and 2003, and were regional champions ten times. In 1996, The Arizona Republic honored English as its Big School Coach of the Year. He was named 4A East Sky Coach of the Year three times, City of Scottsdale Coach of the Year twice and Northeast Valley Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2003. In 1987 he was selected as the All-Star game assistant coach. English retired from his highly successful and distinguished teaching and coaching tenure at Chaparral in 2003.      

Tom Succow, baseball

Tom’s high school baseball coaching career began in 1975 when he accepted a teaching and assistant coaching position at Casa Grande High School. One year later he relocated to Brophy College Preparatory in the same role and was named head coach in 1978. He has remained as Brophy’s head coach for 39 years. Brophy won a state title in 2006, was runners-up three times, region champions five times, and Succow has won 712 games. In 2006, Succow was named National Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association and in 2012 was selected as Region Seven National Coach of the Year by the same organization. He has twice been honored as State Coach of the Year, seven times as Desert Valley Coach of the Year and was selected head coach of the big schools All-Star team on two occasions. He served as a committee member for the National High School Baseball Coaches Association for five years and he has remained active off the field as a member and secretary/treasurer of the Arizona Baseball Coaches’ Association since 2000.