A portion of Market Street from Main Street to Cloverdale High School will be renamed in honor of a Cloverdale legend, Dave Kiley.
Kiley coached the Cloverdale wrestling team for 27 years, amassing over 200 wins, 14 Putnam County titles and 15 sectional championships before being inducted into the Indiana High school Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He also taught at Cloverdale for 40 years.
The name change came from the Cloverdale Town Council earlier this month, by a vote of 3-1 and will be named Kiley Way for that stretch of road.
Cloverdale High School principal Sonny Stoltz said Kiley is one person many Cloverdale fans think of when discussing the history of Cloverdale.
"When most people talk about the history of Cloverdale, most conversations are centered around the high school and its successes particularly in sports, most notably basketball and wrestling. Most will mention the history of legendary coaches at Cloverdale High School, most are in the hall of fame and some will soon be. The list is particularly filled with basketball coaches except for one name. He was not a basketball coach, au contraire, he was a wrestling coach," Stoltz told The Putnam County Post.
Stoltz said he led the Clovers to its most successful athletic reign in school history.
According to Stoltz, Cloverdale compiled a dual meet record of 204-144-7 during Kiley's tenure, which ran from 1974-75 to the 2000-01 season.
"Included in those numbers was a run from the 1987-88 season through 1997-98 when the Clovers won county and sectional championships for 11 straight years," Stoltz said.
Stoltz said what set Kiley apart was the fact that he is a "Godly man, with principle."
"He taught at Cloverdale for 40 years. Each and every student who donned the halls of Cloverdale Junior-Senior High School was in one of his classrooms for P.E., Health, Driver's Education, Strength and Conditioning, or on one of his teams. It is estimated during his 40 years, he would have come in contact with over 5,000 students and their parents. He was honest, compassionate and a father figure to many young boys and girls. I can still hear his whistle, shrill to the naked ear, see his pencil gently tucked behind his right ear and, lastly, I can see him walking to school daily from 101 W. Market Street, two blocks to 205 E. Market Street in shorts rain, snow or shine. His commitment to Cloverdale was obvious for all to bear witness," Stoltz said.
Stoltz said renaming a section of Market Street to Kiley Way is "long overdue."
"And the least we could do for a man who exemplifies what a "Clover really is," Stoltz said.
