Nancy Hanger Obituary

Nancy E. Hanger

Jan 27, 1947 - Apr 23, 2025

Clyde

Nancy E. Hanger, 78, passed away after a brief illness Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at Firelands Hospital in Sandusky with family and friends by her side. She was born to Donald and Jean (Tippett) Hanger in Cleveland January 27, 1947. A 1965 graduate of Shaw High School, she attended Miami University, graduating with a degree in Physical Education in 1969. That same year, she was hired to teach Physical Education and coach cheerleading at Clyde High School. Her legendary career, spanning three decades, was guided by her belief in the transformative power of public education and the pivotal role of athletics in empowering young women.

Known fondly as Coach Hanger, her lasting impact on generations of Clyde-Green Springs School District young women cannot be overstated. Before establishing the Clyde Fliers girls' sports teams, she sponsored the Girls Athletic Association (GAA), providing after-school access to athletic equipment and facilities for hundreds of girls, and thereafter founded the girls varsity volleyball, basketball, and track & field programs. In the absence of funding and support for these programs, she used her modest teaching salary to pay for both uniforms and travel to games and meets. When her girls' track & field team was denied access to the high school stadium for practice, they jumped the fence in principled defiance.

As her teams accumulated local and state accolades and support for girls' athletics grew locally and more broadly, Coach Hanger focused her boundless energies on coaching volleyball. At retirement in 2002, she had tallied 530 wins and dozens of conference, sectional, district, and regional championships. Her pioneering achievements and successes in girls' sports led to state and national recognition by her peers, including the 2002 induction into the Ohio High School Volleyball Association Coaches Hall of Fame and a Sports Illustrated feature in 2000 for reaching 500 career wins. Still, her greatest legacy is the confidence and positivity she instilled in the many people she taught, coached, and befriended.

Coach Hanger's influence extended beyond the classroom and the sports field. She was a friend and mentor to countless students and community members. An avid reader and advocate for the arts, she spent her retirement contributing to the cultural richness of the broader Clyde community. She served on the Board of Trustees for the Clyde Public Library and was a founding member and president of the Communities for the Arts. In that capacity, she helped bring concerts to Clyde, ranging from classical to country, a testament to her enduring commitment to the community.

Her free time was spent exploring her love of nature; the beautiful colors of the Southwest decorated her life, and a set of binoculars was always handy to spy local bird life. She took many trips out west with family and friends, enjoying the wide open spaces and the quiet of the desert and mountain landscapes.

Coach Hanger was surrounded by the love of her extensive family, including her siblings and cousins. She is survived by her brothers, Tom (Cherie) Hanger of Cleveland Heights and Rick (Dorothy Olivier) Hanger of Pueblo, Colorado; as well as her nieces, Jody (Chris Hannauer) Hanger of Champaign, Illinois, Megan (Matt Albers) Hanger of Shaker Heights; and their children.

She was predeceased by her parents, Donald and Jean Hanger. Coach Hanger also leaves behind a host of close friends, neighbors, former students, and colleagues who were like family to her. Each one of these relationships enriched her life, and, in turn, she touched their lives with her warmth, kindness, and unwavering positivity. Always ready for a little bit of mischief, friendly competition, and laughter, she had the uncanny ability to bring people together for fun, for change, and for community.

Please feel encouraged to share your memories of Coach Hanger and upload photos to her memorial page. In celebrating her life, we pay tribute to a remarkable woman whose impact on the lives of those fortunate enough to know her was profound and lasting.

Memorial gifts in her honor may be made to the scholarship fund established by Coach Hanger in honor of her parents, with an award granted annually to an outstanding Clyde High School Athlete. Gifts should be sent to Project Excellence, Clyde-Green Springs Schools, 106 South Main Street, Clyde, OH 43410. Please indicate the Don and Jean Hanger Scholarship Fund in the check memo. Additionally, gifts may also be made to Clyde Fliers girls volleyball. Gifts should be sent to Flier Boosters, Inc., Attn: Volleyball and mailed to the above address.

A celebration of Coach Hanger's remarkable life will be from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, July 27, 2025, at the Nancy E. Hanger Gymnasium at Clyde High School.