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Former Westerville South boys basketball coach Ed Calo enjoys having extra time to spend with his family, including his eight grandchildren, and to focus on his new passion, playing golf.
He also sometimes misses his time on the bench.
“I miss [coaching],” Calo said. “It’s been a part of your life. It’s somewhat your identity. I miss the day-to-day working with kids and trying to get them better and trying to maximize what you do. It was a joy when you’re working with young people and trying to help them not only become better basketball players, but better people. Now you’re really doing God’s work as well. ... I’m adjusting.”
Calo, 69, left a lasting legacy in Ohio high school boys basketball and at Westerville South, from which he stepped away from coaching in June 2025 after 38 seasons. He boasts a 575-298 career record with 19 league titles, seven district championships, two state tournament appearances and one state title.
Calo will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Central Ohio High School Sports Awards at 7 p.m. June 22 at Upper Arlington High School.
The show is presented with the support of Moo Moo Express Car Wash. Tickets can be purchased online here.
Central Ohio High School Sports Awards: See the 2025-26 spring nominees
Calo guided South to the Division I state title in 2016, a 57-55 win over Lima Senior a year after losing to Huber Heights Wayne 65-57 in the championship game.
He was inducted into the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in April, the OCC Hall of Fame in 2018 and the Westerville South Hall of Fame in 1995. The court at South was named in his honor when the new gym opened in fall 2020.
“I never wanted my name on the court,” he said. “It’s nice to be recognized, but it’s really kind of unnecessary.”
Calo also passed down his love of coaching to his son, Anthony, who guided Olentangy Orange to the Division I state title in 2025.
“That was surreal,” said Ed, who attended the game. “It was a whole different thing. It was really nice.”
Anthony, a 2003 graduate of South, played for his father and later served as an assistant coach for three seasons.
“The main core ingredients [of his coaching] are he is extremely competitive, but also a combination of really wanting to improve people and add value to people’s lives,” Anthony said. “One of the things that I got from my dad, in learning that he’s elite, is he has a picture in his head of what he thinks it should look like – both for the team and for individuals – and he just relentlessly pursues that until it’s accomplished. He knows what excellence looks like and he just relentlessly pursues excellence.”
A 1975 graduate of Westerville, Ed Calo played basketball at his alma mater and later at Slippery Rock before graduating in 1979.
He began his coaching career in 1980, serving as an assistant at Franklin Heights and later at Grove City. He joined the South staff in 1986, serving as an assistant for one year before becoming head coach.
He retired as an AP government and history teacher at South in 2015.
High school sports reporter Frank DiRenna can be reached at [email protected] and at @DispatchFrank on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Central Ohio High School Sports Awards to honor Ed Calo
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He also sometimes misses his time on the bench.
“I miss [coaching],” Calo said. “It’s been a part of your life. It’s somewhat your identity. I miss the day-to-day working with kids and trying to get them better and trying to maximize what you do. It was a joy when you’re working with young people and trying to help them not only become better basketball players, but better people. Now you’re really doing God’s work as well. ... I’m adjusting.”
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Calo, 69, left a lasting legacy in Ohio high school boys basketball and at Westerville South, from which he stepped away from coaching in June 2025 after 38 seasons. He boasts a 575-298 career record with 19 league titles, seven district championships, two state tournament appearances and one state title.
Calo will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Central Ohio High School Sports Awards at 7 p.m. June 22 at Upper Arlington High School.
The show is presented with the support of Moo Moo Express Car Wash. Tickets can be purchased online here.
Central Ohio High School Sports Awards: See the 2025-26 spring nominees
Calo guided South to the Division I state title in 2016, a 57-55 win over Lima Senior a year after losing to Huber Heights Wayne 65-57 in the championship game.
He was inducted into the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in April, the OCC Hall of Fame in 2018 and the Westerville South Hall of Fame in 1995. The court at South was named in his honor when the new gym opened in fall 2020.
“I never wanted my name on the court,” he said. “It’s nice to be recognized, but it’s really kind of unnecessary.”
You must be registered for see images attach
Calo also passed down his love of coaching to his son, Anthony, who guided Olentangy Orange to the Division I state title in 2025.
“That was surreal,” said Ed, who attended the game. “It was a whole different thing. It was really nice.”
Anthony, a 2003 graduate of South, played for his father and later served as an assistant coach for three seasons.
“The main core ingredients [of his coaching] are he is extremely competitive, but also a combination of really wanting to improve people and add value to people’s lives,” Anthony said. “One of the things that I got from my dad, in learning that he’s elite, is he has a picture in his head of what he thinks it should look like – both for the team and for individuals – and he just relentlessly pursues that until it’s accomplished. He knows what excellence looks like and he just relentlessly pursues excellence.”
A 1975 graduate of Westerville, Ed Calo played basketball at his alma mater and later at Slippery Rock before graduating in 1979.
He began his coaching career in 1980, serving as an assistant at Franklin Heights and later at Grove City. He joined the South staff in 1986, serving as an assistant for one year before becoming head coach.
He retired as an AP government and history teacher at South in 2015.
High school sports reporter Frank DiRenna can be reached at [email protected] and at @DispatchFrank on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Central Ohio High School Sports Awards to honor Ed Calo
Continue reading...
