Bio

The tradition of Midview sports excellence has been built over several decades.  As with anything built to last, it requires a strong foundation.  Tom Grills was a Midview athlete who provided that foundation for the success of future athletes and teams to follow. 

Grills career began at Eaton where he played football, basketball and baseball as freshman.  The Eaton football team was a six-man squad.  As a 9^th grader on the varsity basketball team, Tom was a starter, and contributed immediately as the teams’ second leading scorer.  A sharp shooting guard, Grills had several big games, including a 22 point outburst against Avon Lake.  Midview High School would open in his sophomore year, and again, Grills excelled in three sports, starting in the football season, when he played offensively at end and defensively in the secondary, while also handling the punting duties.  Grills played a critical role on that very first Midview football team that went 5-1-1.  On the hardwood, Tom would be one of the Middies top scorers, including a 32 point outburst against South Amherst.

Grills continued his brilliance in his junior year.  Following another stellar football campaign, Tom would again have great success on the basketball floor.  He led the Middies in scoring, and set a school record when he scorched the nets for 36 against Columbia.  The Middies went 16-3 that season, and captured the Lorain County League championship.

Grills’ senior year was also a memorable one.  Another tremendous year on the football field was followed by a basketball campaign in which he led Midview with 22 points per game.  The season began with a huge OT victory over Seville, when Grills connected on a shot at the overtime buzzer to lift the Middies to the win.  Grills was the driving force behind an unbeaten regular season before Midview fell in tournament play.

Tom Grills was an all-around athlete that set the standard for future greats at Midview.  He received 12 varsity letters in his four year career.  He would score over 1,000 career points in basketball.  His all-around excellence left a lasting legacy at Midview.