This year’s Heffern Lecture on Christian Ethics in Business to feature Ted Ginn, Sr., on Oct. 14

ASHLAND, Ohio – Ted Ginn, Sr., coach of the state champion football and track and field teams at Glenville High School and director of the Ginn Academy, will be the featured speaker at Ashland University’s Gordon E. Heffern Lecture on Christian Ethics in Business on Monday, Oct. 14, at the John C. Myers Convocation Center (638 Jefferson St.). Doors open at 11:30 a.m. for the event, which includes lunch, and the program starts at 12:05 p.m. It is free and open to the public, but those interested in attending should RSVP by Oct. 6 or email au-cobe@ashland.edu.

Ginn is one of the most successful coaches in Ohio history. Since 1997, he has led the Tarblooders’ football program to more than 250 wins, headlined by back-to-back Div. IV state championships in 2022 and 2023—the first Cleveland public school to do so—and eight state track championships (2003-07, 2014, 2022-23).

Ginn’s personal mission transcends winning games, though. In 2007, his influence led to the Cleveland Municipal School District establishing the Ginn Academy, an all-boys school for at-risk students. Ginn continues to serve as headmaster. As an educator and leader in the Cleveland community, he has transformed the lives of hundreds of youth, guiding them off the streets and to higher education or technical careers.

For his remarkable service, Ginn has received a number of honors, recently receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and election into the National Federation of State High School Associations Hall of Fame. He has a forthcoming biography, “The Man with the Medicine: The Story of Ted Ginn, Sr.,” which explores his journey from modest beginnings to a life devoted to helping others.

Ginn will be joined at the Heffern Lecture by Frank Stretar. The duo has worked together in one form or another since 1989. Stretar is an assistant football coach at Glenville High School and teaches at Ginn Academy. He co-founded LeaderWithin, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to nurturing emerging leaders through various programs, camps and scholarships. He also established a Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter at Glenville in 1997, a program that continues to impact students at Ginn Academy.

The annual Gordon E. Heffern Lecture on Christian Ethics in Business is an event in which guest speakers share their experiences in applying Christian ethics in the business world. Friends and family of Heffern have created an endowment at AU, which supports the ongoing lecture series, in partnership with the In His Steps Foundation.

Heffern was a former chairman of the board of the Society Corporation (Key Bank) and president/CEO of The Timken Company, as well as a leader in the philanthropic and civic communities.