Markle left his mark as one of best basketball players in Newark history

NEWARK — A former teammate has Roger Markle in the top five of all-time Newark basketball greats, while a longtime Wildcats' observer has him in the top 10.

Either way you look at it, there can be no denying that the 6-foot-4 scoring and rebounding dynamo, who graduated in 1965, is one of Newark's best ever. Markle, 74, died earlier this month in Florida, after being in declining health for the last 15 years, said his wife of 51 years, Sandy.

"He was very private about his basketball playing days," Sandy said. "He said, 'it was done and over with, and it was time to move on with my life.'" His playing days, however, were quite remarkable. He was inducted into the Newark Hall of Fame in 1992.

Markle became the Wildcats' first two-time, first-team All-Ohioan in 1964 and 1965. As a senior, he averaged 23.5 points and 12.8 rebounds a game as the Wildcats went 19-2. As a junior, he averaged 12.1 rebounds per game as Newark finished 20-3. He still holds two Newark records: points in a game (43 vs. Ironton as a senior) and rebounds in a game (25 vs. Miami Trace as a sophomore). He is the Wildcats' fourth all-time leading scorer with 1,095 points and ranks third on the all-time rebounding list with 698.

"I remember meeting him when he was an awkward, rawboned ninth grade kid," said 1962 Newark graduate and Wildcat player Dave DeLong. "He went from a kid in 10th grade, who fumbled more passes than he caught, to All-Ohio as a junior and senior. Dick Schenk was the key contributor to his success, by working hours with skills development." Schenk coached the Wildcats from 1961-72 and went 178-63 with three district titles.

"Dick Schenk told me was the best player that he had ever had," said Newark Hall of Fame coach Gary Walters. "He was a terrific rebounder."

DeLong called Markle one of the top 10 players in Newark basketball history. "He was relentless as a rebounder and scorer," he said. "His 1964 and 1965 teams were among Newark's best. He improved more in one year, from 1963 to 1964, than any other Newark player I've seen."

Newark Hall of Famer Phil Wince, who graduated in 1966 and played with Markle as a junior, said if you looked at him, you might not be too impressed.

"He was lanky, pretty thin, and you might not think he could hold his own," said Wince, a local attorney now living in Granville, who went on to play football and basketball at Denison University. "But he was a tough kid, always that way when we were growing up. He hustled and played all out. The entire game, he did not give up. He was all out, that's for sure. He has to be one of the top two, three or four players in Newark history."

Wince, who went on to coach and teach at Newark Catholic, said the 1960's were a heyday for Newark basketball, and he and Markle were fortunate to be a big part of it. Wince's 1966 Newark team alone included Craig Barclay, who went on to become captain at Ohio State, Charlie Claggett (Denison), Mike Foote (Kent State) and Ray Hupp, one of the best all-around Wildcat athletes ever who became an NCAA champion decathlete at Ohio State. All are in the Newark Hall of Fame.

Sandy Markle and her future husband were both juniors at Newark when she started watching him play basketball. "They always had to keep their shirts tucked in, and when his was out, I knew he was upset," she said. "He was named Player of the Week by a TV station, and he still had that plaque."

She and Roger met after they graduated high school when she worked at Licking Memorial Hospital, and he was a patient. He went on to national power Western Kentucky as a top recruit before a chronic shoulder ailment wrecked his career.

When they were married, coach Schenk lived nearby, and they used to share stories. Roger was a Newark police officer for over 12 years, before he had to retire and take over M&D Rental and Sales Inc., when his dad had a stroke. "He sponsored the Player of the Week award, and he was very supportive of Newark basketball," Walters said. "He was always very friendly."

Through the years, Markle never lost his passion for basketball. When he returned from Western Kentucky, he played one game under an alias (Sam Way) and scored 44 points in an industrial league game at Ben Franklin Junior High. "His dad was very unhappy, when he found out that Roger had played despite the doctor's recommendation," DeLong said.

A love for fishing took the Markles up to live on Lake Erie, and they moved to Florida from Port Clinton in 2019.

"When we lived in Marblehead, my husband and a friend were playing basketball against some young boys," Sandy said. "Well, they were more than holding their own, and enjoying it. You could just tell how much he loves the game. He had that spark in his eyes."

dweidig@gannett.com

740-973-4503

Twitter: @noz75

Instagram: @dfweidig

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Markle left mark as one of best basketball players in Newark history