History - International Soap Box Derby (2025)

1934 – Col. Roscoe Turner

1935 – Cowboy star Tom Mix; World War flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker; Indianapolis “500” winner Bill Cummins; radio announcers Graham McNamee and Tom Manning

1936 – Dizzy and Daffey Dean of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team; Graham McNamee

1947 – Air Force General James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle; actor James Stewart

1948 – Air Force General James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle; actor James Stewart

1949 – Ohio Governor Frank Lausche; James Stewart and Gen. Doolittle were back for their third time

1950 – Prize fighter Jack Dempsey; William Boyd, (“Hop-along Cassidy”); Indy “500” winner Wilbur Shaw, and James Stewart was back for his fourth time

1951 – Actor Ronald Reagan; Andy Devine; ventriloquist Paul Winchell; Wilbur Shaw; Air Force Generals Nathan F. Twining and Hoyt S. Vandenberg

1952 – Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy; comedian Joe E. Brown; James Stewart and Wilbur Shaw as flagmen

1953 – Dinah Shore and husband George Montgomery; Andy Devine; Don Ameche; Captain Video and the Video Ranger; Wilbur Shaw and Mauri Rose

1954 – Robert Cummings; Jack Carson; Abbott and Costello; Lola Albright

1955 – Cleveland Browns quarterback Otto Graham; Indy “500” champ Bob Sweikert; Jon Hall; Dinah Shore and George Montgomery

1956 – Roy Rogers; Joe E. Brown; singer Snookie Lanson

1957 – James Stewart for the sixth time; Dinah Shore and George Montgomery; Roy Rogers and wife Dale Evans

1958 – Pat Boone; Eddie Bracken; Guy Madison

1959 – Vice-President Richard Nixon; Art Carney; Jimmy Dean; Wendell Corey

1960 – Andy Williams; Craig Stevens; Dale Robertson

1961 – Eddie Arnold; Peter Brown; George Maharis and Martin Milner

1962 – Lorne Green; Dan Blocker and Michael Landon of “Bonanza”

1963 – Rock Hudson; Paul Lynde; Arthur Godfrey; Paul Anka; John Russell

1964 – Lorne Green; Dan Blocker; Michael Landon were back, joined by Pernell Roberts

1965 – Fess Parker; Glenn Ford; Frankie Avalon

1966 – Forrest Tucker; Ken Berry and Larry Storch (“F Troop”); Elizabeth Montgomerey; Agnes Moore­head and Dick York of ‘Bewitched’

1967 – Robert Lansing; Adam West (Batman); Christopher George; James Rhodes; Patty Duke; Shari Lewis

1968 – Judy Carne; David Canary; Herb Alpert; ski champ Jean-Claude Killy; Frankie Randall and Jennie Smith; John Havlicek of the Boston Celtics

1969 – Hugh O’Brian; Chuck Connors; Lorne Greene; Mark Slade; Noel Harrison; O.J. Simpson; Gus Johnson

1970 – Lorne Greene; Lloyd Haynes (Room 222); Cazzie Russell; Karen Stenwall; Linda Cristal; astro­nauts Richard F. Gordon and Alfred M. Warden; Dick Clark

1971 – Lorne Greene; Jim Backus (Mister Magoo); Oscar Robertson; Bobby Unser; Arlene Stens (America’s Junior Miss)

1972 – Comedian George Kirby; Jim Backus (Mister Magoo); Cazzie Russell; Robert Reed (The Brady Bunch)

1973 – Marty Allen; Jerry Lucas; Jim Lovell

1974 – Eddie Bracken; Evel Knievel

1975 – Eddie Bracken and the Fifth Dimension

1976 – Bob Crane; Bobby Allison; Barbara Crawford; Mike Haynes

1977 – Actors Vic Tayback; Peter Isacksen; Eric Scott; Joe Conley; Bill Fitch; Lou Groza; Tommy Hite (Olympic Wheelchair Champion); Rick Hampton (Cleveland Barons)

1978 – Bobby Troup (“Emergency”); Char Fontane (“Joe and Valerie”); Patty Weaver (“Days of Our Lives”); Dave Gardner (Los Angeles Kings); John Lambert (Cleveland Cavaliers); Pele’ (World-famous Soccer Player)

1979 – Donna Mills (“Knots Landing”); Peter Fonda; Joe Namath; Charlene Tilton (“Dallas”); Richard Paul (“Carter Country”); Michael Young (“Kids are Peo­ple Too”); George Takei (“Star Trek”)

1980 – Scott Baio (“Happy Days”); Bill Daily (“The Bob New-hart Show”); Kathleen Doyle (wife of actor Richard Kline); Christopher George (“Rat Patrol”); Linda Day George; Richard Kline (“Three’s Com­pany”); James Noble (“Benson”); Vic Tayback (“Alice”); Joey Travolta

1981 – TV stars Gordon Jump, Frank Bonner, Tom Hanks, Sonny Shroyer, Eddie Mekka, Laurie Walters, and Christopher Norris; Mike Mitchell and Bill Laimbeer of the Cleveland Cavaliers

1982 – Richard Gergman (“Father Murphy”); George Takei & James Doohan (“Star Trek”); Scatman Crothers; Brodie Greer (“CHIPS”; Harry Wayne Casey (lead singer of KC and the Sunshine Band)

1983 – Robert Mandan (“Soap”); Ben Jones and Sonny Shroyer (“Dukes of Hazard”); Terry Lester (The Young and the Restless”); Bruce Weitz and James B. Sikking (“Hill Street Blues”)

1984 – Brian Patrick Clarke (“General Hospital”); Dawn Parrish (“Capitol”); Howard Morton (“Gimme a Break”); Lee Benton (“Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer”); Michael Gross (“Family Ties”); Patricia McPherson (“Knight Rider”)

1985 – Elizabeth Burell (“One Life to Live”); Barbara Whinnery (“St. Elsewhere”); Peter Land (“Bay City Blues”); Sorrell Brooke (“Dukes of Hazzard”); Alison Arngrim (“Little House on the Prairie”); Robert Pine (“CHIPS”); and Phillip McKeon (“Alice”)

1986 – Mark Sellers (“Solid Gold”); Lara Jill Miller (“Gimme a Break”); Henry Polio (“Webster”); Adam Rich (“Eight is Enough”); and local Cleveland TV personalities Lil’ John Rinaldi and partner Big Chuck Schodowski.

1987 – Bill Hufsey (“Fame”); Connie Needham (“Eight is Enough”); Kevin Wested (“Growing Pains”); Dick Sargent (Down to Earth”); Miss Teen USA Kristi Addis

1988 – Bill Hufsey (“Our House”); Soleil Moon Frye (“Punky Brewster); Carla Ann Wilson, Ohio’s Junior Miss; Kristen Logan America’s Junior Miss; Dick Simon; NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt

1989 – Nina Blackwood of MTV; Jeremy Miller (“Growing Pains”); Will Gotay (“Stand and Deliver); Chris Economaki, CBS Announcer; Gloria Loring (“Days of Our Lives”)

1990 – Alaina Reed Hall (“227”); Kevin Peter Hall (“Predator and Harry & the Henderson”); Allan Kayser (“Mama’s Family”); Christina Nigra (“Out of this World”); Chris Economaki, Scott Nemes (“It’s Garry Shandling’s Show”); Chris MacDonald (“Empty Nest”)

1991 – John Andretti (PBS Announcer & Indy 500 Driver); Jon Provost (“Lassie”); Michael Delorenzo (“Head of the Class”); Julia St. Claire (“Santa Barbara”); Robert Reed (“The Brady Bunch”)

1992 – Phyllis Davis (“Vegas”); Lyn St. James (commen­tator for WVIZ-TV, Indy 500’s ‘Rookie of the Year); Christopher Castile and Brandon Call (“Step by Step”)

1993 – Leanza Cornett, 1993 Miss America; Ross Mellinger (“Sleepless in Seattle”); Tony Dow (“Leave it to Beaver”); Tom Sneva (former Indy 500 Champ); Titilayo Adedokun (1993 Miss Ohio); Leslie Easter-brook (“Police Academy”); Thomas lan Nicholas (“Rookie of the Year”); Robert ‘Hoot’ Gibson (Astro­naut and US Navy Captain); Alfred M. ‘Al’ Warden (farmer astronaut and current staff VP B.F. Goodrich Aerospace)

1994 – Kaye Lani Ralko (Miss America 1988); Shelli Yoder (Miss Indiana 1992); Max E, Stade (“3 Ninja’s”); Michael M. Horton and Steve Henneberry (“Ame­rican Gladiators”); NASA Astronaut and physician Dr. Rhea Seddon; Lea Mack (Miss Ohio 1995); Astronaut Robert ‘Hoot’ Gibson

1995 – Susan Powell (Miss America 1991); Shelli Yoder (Miss Indiana 1992); Sam Saletta (“The Little Rascals”); Steve Henneberry (“American Gladia­tors”); Commander of the USS Seawolf Dave McCall; Ellen Pasturzak (Miss Ohio 1995); Aaron ‘Mark’ Jackson (NBC’s “American Dreaming”); Donnie Jeffcoat (Nickelodeon’s & Crazy Kds)

1996 – Robyn Hancock (Miss Ohio 1996); actress Natalia Gigliuti; actor Johnathan Angel; Commander of the USS Seawolf Dave McCall; actor Jeffrey Licon; Shelli Yoder (Miss Indiana 1992); Shannon Duff (“Katt’s Kreatures”); American Gladiator’s Red Williams.

1997 – Lieutenant General Daniel W. Christmas (Superin­tendent, US Military Academy); actress Jennifer Banko; actor Harley Rodriguez; Manny Lopez (“Sweet Valley High”); Dennis Haskins (“Saved by the Bell”); Myron E. Scott (Founder of the Soap Box Derby)

1998 – Dennis Haskins (“Saved by the Bell”); Brandon Hammond (“The Gregory Hines Show”); Justin Walker (“Clueless” and “Monster”)

1999 – Dennis Haskins (“Saved by the Bell”); Eric Nies (“Road Rules” and “The Grind”); Mike Fox (Carolina Panthers); Lena Smith (Ms. Wheelchair Ohio 2000)

2000 – NASA Astronaut Candidate Michael J. Foreman; Ms. Wheelchair Ohio 2001 Kara Vargo; Samantha Becker (“Saved by the Bell the New Class”); Lindsey McKinnon (“The Opposite Sex”, “Saved by the Bell the New Class” and “Boy Meets World”); NASCAR driver Bobby Allison

2001 – NASA Astronaut Candidate Michael J. Forman; Dennis Haskins (“Saved by the Bell”); Olivia Hack (“Any Day Now” and “The Brady Bunch Movie”)’ Bruce Michael Hall (“Passions”)

2002 – Dennis Haskins (“Saved by the Bell”); Sherri Howard (“Scorpion King” and Olympic Champion); Dante Lavelli (Pro Football Hall of Famer); Richard Tayor (NYPD); Scott Kimmins (NYPD); Frank Perrone (FDNY); Scott Grupert (FONY); Diana Warren (Miss Wheelchair Ohio); Ricky Craven (NASCAR); Jerry Nadeau (NASCAR)

2003 – Sherri Howard (“Scorpion King” and Olympic Champion); Butch Reynolds (Olympic Gold & Silver Medalist); Scott Clifton (“General Hospital”); Tony Stewart (NASCAR); Ricky Craven (NASCAR); Joe Nemechek (NASCAR)

2004 – Billy Schuffenhauer (Olympic Champion, Silver Medalist); Butch Reynolds (Olympic Champion, Gold & Silver Medalist); Kevin Young (Olympic Champion, Gold Medalist, Record Holder); Paul Gonzles (Olympic Champion, Gold Medalist); Commander P.T. Stevens (USS Seawolf); Sherri Howard (“Scorpion King’ and Olympic Champion, Gold & Silver Medalist); Tony Stewart (NASCAR); Ricky Craven (NASCAR); Joe Nemechek (NASCAR)

2005 – Erin Cracker (NASCAR Driver); Bob Golic WNIR (former Cleveland Brown); Frank Stams (former Cleveland Brown)

History - International Soap Box Derby (2025)
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