Dave Ross is the youngest son of local industrialist, philanthropist and historian William A. Ross, Jr. He graduated from Sidney High School in 1972 and thereafter from Urbana College. Dave became a long-time supporter of the college until its recent closing. He also earned an MBA from the University of Dayton.
He worked at local radio station WMVR and pursued a career in sports journalism. Dave’s love of the Cincinnati Reds and the University of Dayton Flyers is well-known. His long-running Sidney Daily News weekly column on sports topics is must reading for many.
Dave was the kicker on the legendary 30-0 undefeated Sidney football teams. His forty year devotion to his fellow players resulted in Dave planning and coordinating regular reunions. Ross led the effort to build the Sidney Memorial Football stadium in a first of a kind partnership between Sidney and Lehman High Schools. His personal generosity resulted in naming the field ‘30-0 Field.’
Dave has always been a long-time supporter of the Sidney City Schools. He championed the Sidney City Schools Hall of Honor and chaired the organization for many years.
Ross is the author of a book detailing the first century of the Sidney High School football. He followed in the footsteps of his father, who was a respected local historian. Dave has been a long-time supporter of the Shelby County Historical Society and its headquarters, Ross Historical Center. The center bears his family’s name as a result of Dave’s generosity.
Dave refocused his desire to support the community in 2017. Noting the Community Foundation of Shelby County was celebrating its 65th anniversary, Dave stepped forward to recognize the date by participating in what has become known as Match Day. His love for the community resulted in his commitment to personally fund the initial matching grant in the years that followed. His leadership has had a synergistic effect on community giving. Twenty-five different qualifying charitable organizations benefitted from Match Day in 2021.
Dave was inducted into the Sidney City Schools Hall of Honor in 2010.