2009 Inductee David Falknor, 1998
David Falknor, a 1998 graduate of Bellevue High School, earned seven varsity letters and still holds many basketball records at BHS, some which may remain for many years to come.
Falknor earned three of his seven letters in the sport of baseball. As a sophomore, he was a member of the 20-6 overall team which placed second in the NOL and finished as sectional and district champions. The team lost 4-1 to Avon Lake in the regional semifinals.
As a junior, David’s team was 17-5 and again placed second in the Northern Ohio League. He was Honorable Mention All-NOL (first base/pitcher) and earned the Most Improved Award the same season. During his senior campaign in 1998, Falknor was First Team All-NOL (first base/pitcher), was the team’s top pitcher, and was captain of the squad.
But it was in the sport of basketball where David left his mark. Playing for his father, Lyle Falknor, David earned four varsity letters. As a freshman, he helped guide the team to NOL and sectional titles and was named Most Improved in the process.
As a sophomore, David came into his own, leading the team to the NOL title. He received Second Team All-NOL, Second Team District 6, and Honorable Mention Northwest District honors as well.
During his junior campaign, David helped guide the team to NOL, sectional and district titles. He was co-MVP of the team, as well as First Team All-NOL, First Team District 6, Second Team All Northwest District, and Honorable Mention All-Ohio, Division II.
As a senior member of the Redmen squad, Falknor again led the team to NOL, sectional and district titles. He was team captain and MVP during that 1997-98 season, and was named First Team All-NOL, First Team District 6, District 6 Player of the Year, First Team All Northwest District, Northwest District Player of the Year, was First Team All-Ohio, Division II, was a McDonald’s All-American Team nominee, and participated in the Ohio/Indiana All Star Game and Wendy’s Classic All Star Game.
David is currently the school’s all-time scoring leader with 1,522 career points. He is second on the single-season points list (558), seventh in single-season free throw percentage (82%), first in single-season three point shooting (48%), 9th in single-season rebounds (224), and 12th in single-season recoveries (69).
David continued his basketball career at Akron University, lettering four years and in 2001 was second in the nation in three-point percentage and was first in the Mid American Conference for the same statistic. In 2002, he was named First Team All-MAC and was named Akron’s Best Offensive Player.
In 2004, David played professional basketball in Australia for the Sheperton Gators of the Big V Conference, where he averaged 27 points and 9 rebounds per game.