Hall of Fame
Orville B. Harper hails from Riverton, West Virginia. He graduated from Glenville State College in 1966 with a degree in Elementary Education. As a Pioneer, he played basketball as a freshman and four years of baseball. He went on to be a graduate student at West Virginia University following his time at Glenville State.
He is a two time All-Conference third baseman (the only Glenville State baseball player to repeat this honor) and was selected to the All-Time, All Conference WVIAC 50th Anniversary Team (1924-1974).
He taught at Circleville High School for 33 years and was their baseball coach for 20 years before retiring in 1999. Orville has also served as a high school basketball official with the WVSSAC for the past 55 years; he continues to officiate sectional, regional, and state games.
In 1977, Harper’s Circleville High team won the state baseball championship…in fact, they won the Class AA title, as well as the Single A title, since there were only two classes for baseball that year, A-AA and AAA. With about 150 students, Circleville High School, won the championship over Buffalo High of Wayne, a AA school with about 800 students. Circleville repeated the state championship feat in 1994.
He has worked as a painting contractor for the past 20 years, something he began doing in the summers when he was teaching. He has continued painting full-time since retiring from teaching.
Orville earned the Potomac Valley Conference Baseball Coach of the Year award six times and was honored with the Legends Baseball Tournament Retired Coach Award. He also coached his son Travis, a Major League Pitcher who spent several seasons with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
In his spare time, he follows Major League Baseball, collects baseball cards, and enjoys traveling. He is also the president of Circleville High School Preservation, Inc.
Orville says that his experiences at Glenville State impacted him greatly. “Glenville State prepared me for my career as teacher and coach,” he said. “I have lifelong friends from Glenville. My baseball coach, Bill Douglas, who passed away recently, remained a lifelong friend and my only wish is that he could be a part of the induction. He impacted me greatly with his Christian values.”
Orville and his wife Barbara reside in Riverton. They have four children, Bridget, Kellen, Travis, and Valerie.
