Ennis, who is now a retired coach at just 49, lead the cross country program Leto High School for 21 years. As anyone who has been around the sport for more than five years can tell you, Leto's "Long Red Row" dominated Florida cross country like few others have. Under the leadership of Ennis, the Falcons qualified for the state meet 20 times, including seven state championships and six runners-up finishes. Although he is no longer coaching at Leto, he still stays active in the high school's athletic programs and in the sport of cross country: last season, he served as meet director for the FHSAA State Cross Country Championship held at Ed Radice Park in Tampa.
Hemmer, meanwhile, has assembled quite an impressive resume himself. As the head boys track and field coach at Oak Ridge High School for 29 years, Hemmer skippered the team to five state titles and a record of 301 meet wins, 159 of those being invitational wins. Beyond the high school arena, the 58-year-old served as assistant manager for the US Olympic Track & Field Team in the 1992 Barcelona Summer Games and also as head manager for the US Men\'s Team in the 1999 IAFF World Track & Field Championships.
Also on the agenda to be inducted tonight is former Escambia High School running back Emmit Smith. The current Dallas Cowboy is the only inductee selected based on his accomplishments as a student-athlete.
The FHSAA Hall of Fame was founded in 1990 to help preserve the rich heritage of Florida high school athletics. With this 11th induction class, the total membership into the elite club will increase to 62 deserving coaches, student-athletes, administrators, officials, sports writers, and other worthy individuals who have raised the level of awareness of high school athletics through their efforts, achievements and dedication.