The Gahanna-Jefferson Board of Education honored Mike Shade on Thursday, Oct. 15, for more than 40 years coaching the Gahanna Lincoln baseball program.
The board and district leadership also thanked Shade's wife, Cathi, for their combined contributions to the school and district, according to Matthew Welsh, a certified master athletic administrator who posted about the recognition on X.
"We'd like to thank Mike and his wife, Cathi, for all they've done for Gahanna Lincoln and GJPS," Welsh wrote.
The 40-plus-year figure cited by the board is broader than the 24 years as head baseball coach listed in Shade's Whitehall-Yearling High School Alumni Hall of Fame entry. That entry covers his tenure through 2016. The longer span likely reflects additional years in the program beyond the head coaching role, though the board did not specify.
Shade graduated cum laude from Capital University, where he played baseball and earned Division III All-American honors. He was inducted into Capital's Athletic Hall of Fame. He also retired from teaching after 36 years, according to the alumni hall of fame.
Shade joined Gahanna Lincoln’s coaching staff in 1983 and became head baseball coach in 1992, according to the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association. He submitted his resignation July 21 after 34 seasons leading the program.
His teams won eight district titles and four Ohio Capital Conference championships and reached the Division I state tournament in 2013 and 2014.
In that preview, Shade said the team would return "a solid core of players from last season, as well as a group of young players eager to compete for a starting role."
Gahanna Lincoln's next baseball season begins in spring 2027.
