Harrier Hall of Fame 2025

Men's Basketball

Mike came to Miami Hamilton in the fall of 2015 from Hughes High School.  His arrival ushered in a new era for the Harrier men's basketball team.  Mike helped to tranform the squad into a championship caliber team that has continued for the past decade and fed to multiple state and conference championships as well as a number of national tournament appearances.  In addition to his stellar basketball career, the most important aspect of Mike's time at Miami University is the Degree in Liberal Arts that he earned in 2019.

Mike's basketball career saw many honors and accolades along the way.  As a team, the Harriers collected two Ohio Regional Campus Conference championships...the first of which was the first conference championship in over 20 years for Miami Hamilton.  He also helped lead the team to an ORCC state tournament crown as well.

From an individual standpoint, Mike definitely left his mark on the Ohio Regional Campus Conference.  As a freshmen, Mike took the conference by storm averaging over 22 points per game and finishing 1st Team All-confence and runner-up in the Player of the Year voting.  As a sophomore, no one proved more valuable in the conference than Mike.  He averaged over 24 points per game in route to another 1st Team All-conference and this time earned Player of the Year.  Mike is one of the top scorers in the history of Miami Hamilton men's basketball amassing close to 1500 points in his career, while averaging over 20 points per game as a Harrier culminating with a 43 point outburst on his Senior Night.

After his time at Miami University, Mike continued to stay connected to basketball as an assistant coach for New Miami High School.  He has a son King, now 6 years old, who is the best thing that's ever happened to him...and if he can score like his father, hopefully King will suit up for the Harriers one day himself.

Golf 

James began his college years in the fall of 2014 here at Miami Hamilton and ended up as possibly the most decorated student athlete in the history of the campus.  It would be hard to find someone that dominated his sport as much as James did in his four years as a Harrier.  And while James was known for his domination on the links, most people don't know he as also a highly successful baseball player as well.  His freshman year he played both golf and baseball, which is no easy task but he excelled in both just as he has in so many other aspects of his life.  As a freshman pitcher, James compiled a 7-1 record for fellow hall of fame inductee, Coach Darrel Grissom.

As great as James was as a baseball player, golf was where he etched his name in the record books.  In his first year on the golf team, while playing baseball mind you, James averaged 75.66 for the season earning him Ohio Regional Campus Conference Player of the Year and finished the season winning the individual state tournament championship as well.  And this was just the start.

As a sophomore he improved his scoring average to 74.66 in conference play earning medalist honors at four tournaments and once again won the conference Player of the Year award as well as the individual state tournament title.

His junior season he continued to lower that scoring average to 73.33 in route to his third staight conference Player of the Year award and third straight individual state tournament championship; however, this time he helped lead the Harriers to the ORCC team championship as well.

James saved the best for last.  During is senior year he lowered his scoring average to 71.75 in conference play.  And for the fourth consecutive season was ORCC Player of the Year and individual state champion while leading Miami Hamilton to back-to-back conference championships as well as the team state tournament title.  When all the dust settled, James was four time conference Player of the Year and four time state tourney champion...you can't do much better than that.

James went on to earn a Bachelor Degree in Criminal Justice in 2018 and is currently in his foruth year with the Hamilton Police Department.  He and his wife just had their first child, their son Kase, this past November, which is no doubt James' top accomplishment.

Baseball Coach

To say Darrel Grissom is a great baseball coach doesn't do justice to the legacy he built over two decades at Miami Hamilton.  Harrier baseball is synonymous with the name Darrel Grissom and the immense success of the program is due in large part to his efforts over the years building the program from the ground floor to the national power that we are today.

Darrel coached the Harriers from 2000 to 2023 compiling a record of 723-369 in that time, yes that's right.  723 WINS over his 23 years.  The majority of that time was spent as a member of the Ohio Regional Campus Conference in which Miami Hamilton won the conference and state title 17 out of 19 years, making the Harriers one of the most dominant teams in the state of Ohio.

In 2022, Miami Hamilton joined the United States Collegiate Athletic Association and Coach Grissom just kept winning ball games.  In our first season in the USCAA, Darrel led the Harriers to a National Runner Up finish and he capped the season off by being named National Coach of the Year for the USCAA.  The following season, once again Coach Grisom was named National Coach of the Year for an unprecedented second time in a row.  This time the Harriers finished 3rd nationally in his final season at the helm.

However, Miami Hamilton isn't the only place Coach Grissom has had success.  In 2009 he co-founded and was head coach of the Hamilton Joes of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League, which is a wooden bat league that consists of Major League Baseball's draft prospects from around the nation.  In 2010, in just their second year of existence, the Hamilton Joes won the Great Lakes Summer League championship and ranked 12th in the nation under Darrel's leadership.  Coach Grissom has since moved from the field to the front office and became the General Manager and eventually President of the Hamilton Joes as well as President of the entire Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League.  The Joes have won 4 additional GLSCL titles in 2016, 2021, 2022 and the most recent season in 2024.  Since 2009 the Joes have had over 50 players sign professional contracts including current Cincinnati Red, Brent Suter.

Off the ball diamond, Darrel can be found playing golf on most nice days.  He's married to his wife of 50 years, Jill Grissom, and the two of them have three children...Amy Baker, Niki Hudson and Adam Grissom (also a Miami Hamilton Hall of Famer)...along with 8 grandchildren that keep them very busy.

Volleyball

Ali Stewart (formerly Ali Graber) arrived at Miami Hamilton in the fall of 2013 fresh off of a successful volleyball career at Fairfield High School and hit the ground running with the Harriers.  While somewhat quiet off the court, she was a ball of energy and enthusiasm on the court each and every day for four solid years.  On top of being a standout athlete, Ali also excelled in the classroom earning a Kinesiology degree from Miami.

Just as a homerun hitter gets all the accolades in baseball, often the big hitters in volleyball are the ones that stand out.  Although Ali wasn't a big hitter and didn't register many kills, she was the most vital part of the Harrier volleyball squad for four years.  While she was surrounded by talented teammates like fellow Hall of Famer Jamie Cogan, Ali was the engine that made the team go.  In her four years, Ali registered over 1700 digs and maintained a serve percentage of nearly 95%.  Furthermore, it's safe to say she led the entire nation in floor burns as well.  Former head coach Sarah Dennis said of Ali, "Ali Graber is easily one of the most dedicated and talented players I have ever coached; which is particularly impressive considering she could have rested on her natural instincts.  She did not.  She worked every day to make herself the best she coule be and honed those instincts into becoming a remarkable and irreplacable asset to Harrier Volleyball".

Individually Ali took home numerous honors.  As a freshman she was named 1st Team All-Conference by the Ohio Regional Campus Conference and was voted Player of the Year by the other coaches in the conference...an amazing accomplishment in just her first year of college volleyball.  Ali continued to bring home All-Conference honors in each of the next three seasons as well.

From a team standpoint Ali led the Harriers to ORCC conference championships in 2013, 2014 and 2015.  And in 2014 the Harriers were the first volleyball team in school history to win both the conference title and the state title in the same year.

After her playing days, Ali joined the coaching staff at Miami Hamilton for two years.  In those two years the Harriers won the ORCC conference championship in 2018 and the state title in 2019.  Needless to say, Ali has had a part in A LOT of wins for Miami Hamilton.

Ali is married to Nick Stewart, a former standout pitcher for the Miami Hamilton baseball team, and the two of them just welcomed a baby boy this past year and it has been the blessing of a lifetime.  Career-wise she has also found a home at KidStrong doing what she loves - coaching, teaching and developing kids.