North Royalton High School celebrated five distinguished alumni as the newest members of the North Royalton Athletic Hall of Fame during a ceremony on August 27.
The Class of 2026 includes Dean Chuppa (Class of 1979), Debbie Andrews (Class of 1990), Troy Richert (Class of 2011), Nick Woods (Class of 2014), and Joseph Marousek (Class of 2020). Each was nominated and selected for outstanding athletic achievement, leadership, character, and the positive impact they have made both during and after their time at North Royalton High School.
Selection into the Hall of Fame is one of the highest honors bestowed upon Royalton alumni. The recognition celebrates individuals who excelled in athletics while representing North Royalton with integrity, sportsmanship and leadership. Their accomplishments continue to inspire today's student-athletes and reflect the proud tradition of Bear athletics.
On the evening of August 28, the inductees were recognized during the North Royalton vs. Brecksville football game, where they were introduced to the Bear community and honored for their athletic accomplishments and lasting contributions to the school's tradition of excellence.
North Royalton City Schools congratulates this year's Hall of Fame class and thanks each inductee for the legacy they have built and the example they continue to set for current and future Bear student-athletes.
Dean Chuppa (Class of 1979)
A member of the North Royalton High School Class of 1979, Dean Chuppa’s connection to North Royalton athletics spans more than five decades as both a student-athlete and coach.
Chuppa played basketball for the Bears from 1974-1979 before returning to North Royalton as a coach. Over the course of 41 years of coaching in the district, he has contributed to nearly every area of the athletic program, including boys and girls basketball, football, baseball, golf, wrestling, and track and field.
Chuppa served as head coach of the North Royalton girls basketball program from 2002-2008, compiling an impressive 98-35 record. During his tenure, the Bears won three conference championships and one district championship and finished as district runner-up once. His success earned him Greater Cleveland Coach of the Year honors.
His extensive coaching career also includes multiple tenures as an assistant coach with the boys and girls basketball programs. He served as a boys basketball assistant from 1984-1990, 1991-1994, 2011-2014, and again beginning in 2025. He was a girls basketball assistant from 2000-2002 and 2021-2025.
Beyond basketball, Chuppa coached football from 1990-1997, baseball from 1984-1993, wrestling from 1990-1991, and track and field from 1998-1999 before returning to the program in 2011. He has also served as an assistant golf coach since 2019.
Chuppa’s service to North Royalton athletics extended beyond coaching. He spent three years as an assistant athletic director, working alongside Randy Radtke and Joe Guilfoyle.
With 41 years of coaching at North Royalton, Chuppa has dedicated much of his life to Bears athletics and generations of North Royalton student-athletes. His induction into the North Royalton Athletic Hall of Fame recognizes a remarkable career of service, leadership, and commitment to the district’s athletic programs.
Debbie Andrews (Class of 1990)
Debbie Andrews was a standout three-sport athlete at North Royalton High School, competing in cross country, basketball, and track and field while earning 10 varsity letters during her high school career.
In cross country, Andrews was a three-year letter winner and earned First Team All-Conference honors in both 1988 and 1989 after receiving Second Team All-Conference recognition in 1987. She was named the team's MVP in 1988 and 1989 and served as team captain both years.
Andrews was also a three-year letter winner in basketball. During the 1989-90 season, she served as the team's floor leader and captain. She earned Honorable Mention All-Conference recognition and was named Defensive Player of the Year.
Her success continued in track and field, where she earned four varsity letters while competing in the 400-meter, 800-meter, 1,600-meter, and 4x400-meter relay. Andrews was named team MVP in 1987-88 and again in 1989 and 1990. She earned Second Team All-Conference honors in the 1,600 meters in both 1988 and 1989 and placed fifth at the regional meet in 1988. As a senior, she received the 1990 NRHS Outstanding Sportsmanship Award.
Beyond competition, Andrews was active in the Letterman's Club, serving as vice president and secretary during the 1988-89 school year.
Following graduation from North Royalton in 1990, Andrews received an NCAA Division I scholarship to the University of Toledo, where she competed for four years in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track.
Andrews remained an accomplished distance runner after college, completing 11 marathons, including five Boston Marathons. Her running journey also became part of an inspiring personal story when Fox 8 News featured her after she returned to run the Boston Marathon the year following the 2013 bombing as a cancer survivor.
Troy Richert (Class of 2011)
Troy Richert distinguished himself as one of the most accomplished divers in North Royalton High School history while also competing in track and field.
A four-year letter winner in swimming and diving, Richert was named North Royalton’s Outstanding Diver all four years and qualified for the state diving meet each season. He earned All-Ohio honors four times, placing 13th as a freshman, 10th as a sophomore, third as a junior and second as a senior. His third-place and state runner-up finishes were the highest finishes by a male diver at the state meet in North Royalton history.
Richert was also a four-time All-American and four-time NISCA National All-American Diver, an honor recognizing the top 100 divers in the country. He was named Conference Diver of the Year four times and still holds North Royalton’s school record for six dives.
In addition to his success in the pool, Richert was a four-year letter winner in track and field. He was a conference champion and regional qualifier during his high school career.
Following his graduation from North Royalton in 2011, Richert was a member of The Ohio State University men’s gymnastics team from 2011-2013. He later coached with the Ohio State Diving Club from 2015-2016. Richert continued his education by earning his MBA from Cleveland State University.
Nick Woods | Class of 2014
Nick Woods, a 2014 graduate of North Royalton High School, distinguished himself as a multi-sport athlete, leader and scholar during his time as a Bear.
A three-year letter winner and two-year starter in boys basketball, Woods served as team captain during his senior season and led the team in assists. He earned First Team All-Conference honors in both 2013 and 2014, as well as Honorable Mention All-District recognition both years. As a senior, he was also named First Team Academic All-State. Woods’ all-around play and leadership helped North Royalton capture conference championships and a district title while setting a school record for wins in a season. During his three years with the program, the Bears recorded 56 victories.
Woods was equally accomplished on the track. A three-year letter winner, he earned the team’s Most Improved Award in 2013 and was named Team MVP as a senior in 2014. He was part of school-record relay teams in the 4x200 and sprint medley relay and earned All-Conference honors in several events. In 2013, he was a conference champion in the 200-meter dash and 4x100 relay. During his senior season, Woods qualified for the regional meet individually in the 200 meters and as a member of the 4x200 and 4x400 relay teams.
Beyond athletics, Woods was a member of National Honor Society, Letterman’s Club and Link Crew. He also served as Mr. Bear during the 2013-14 school year.
Following graduation, Woods continued his track career at John Carroll University, where he became a six-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference honoree in the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 relays. He was an OAC conference champion in 2017, helped break John Carroll’s school record in the 4x200 relay and twice earned Academic All-OAC honors.
Woods has since returned to North Royalton to give back to the athletic programs that played an important role in his own development. He currently serves as the junior varsity boys basketball coach and an assistant coach with the high school track program.
Throughout his athletic career, Woods represented North Royalton with sportsmanship, leadership and respect both in competition and away from it. His accomplishments as a student-athlete, collegiate competitor and coach embody what it means to “Be a Bear.”
Joseph Marousek, Class of 2020
Joseph “Joey” Marousek distinguished himself as a three-sport athlete, scholar and student leader during his time at North Royalton High School, competing in football, baseball and track.
On the football field, Marousek was a four-year starter and letter winner at quarterback and a three-year team captain. He was named Division II All-Ohio in 2018, earned All-District honors three times and All-Conference honors four times, and was selected as the team’s Offensive MVP in 2016, 2017 and 2018. He finished his North Royalton career holding numerous school records, including 64 career passing touchdowns, 6,613 career passing yards, 26 career rushing touchdowns and 8,425 yards of total offense. His 2018 performance against Nordonia, which included 542 passing yards, 138 rushing yards and six total touchdowns, earned a place in the OHSAA record book.
Marousek also excelled on the baseball diamond. A three-year starter and letter winner whose senior season was canceled due to COVID-19, he earned two preseason All-Ohio selections from Prep Baseball, two All-Conference honors and All-District recognition in 2019. He helped North Royalton earn a share of the 2018 Suburban League National Conference championship.
His accomplishments extended well beyond athletics. Marousek was the 2020 Harold Conrad Male Athlete of the Year and received the Northeast Ohio National Football Foundation High School Scholar-Athlete Award. He graduated summa cum laude, was a member of the National Honor Society, earned Academic All-Ohio honors in both football and baseball and served as class president for four years.
Marousek initially received a Division I football scholarship to the University of Akron, where he earned Academic All-Mid-American Conference honors in 2021. He later transferred to Baldwin Wallace University, where he continued competing in both football and baseball.
As a quarterback for Baldwin Wallace from 2022-24, Marousek was a two-year starter and letter winner. He finished his career with 3,032 passing yards and 25 touchdowns and earned several honors, including OAC Offensive Player of the Week, the Lee Tressel Shrine’s Player of the Game and the Roy Seitz Yellow Jacket Award. He also earned Academic All-OAC recognition, College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors and a nomination for Academic All-America recognition.
Marousek also built an impressive collegiate baseball career as a three-year starter and letter winner. He was a two-time All-OAC outfielder, a 2024 ABCA All-Midwest Region selection and a 2024 All-OAC Tournament selection. He led the OAC with 66 hits in 2024 and helped Baldwin Wallace reach the NCAA Regional in 2023, 2024 and 2025, including a third-place finish at the 2023 NCAA Division III College World Series. His teams also won OAC regular-season championships in 2023 and 2024 and OAC Tournament championships in 2024 and 2025.
Marousek was named a finalist for Male Collegiate Athlete of the Year at the 25th Greater Cleveland Sports Awards and earned multiple academic honors during his collegiate baseball career. He graduated summa cum laude from Baldwin Wallace in May 2024.
From his record-setting years at North Royalton to his success as a two-sport collegiate athlete, Marousek carried with him the work ethic, leadership and commitment to excellence that defined his time as a Bear.
