07/30/2026
MIKE KOVALESKI: A HALL OF FAMER!
On July 30, 1983, New Castle’s Mike Kovaleski shined in the Indiana High School Athletic Association’s North-South All-Star football game at Butler University. The Notre Dame-bound Kovaleski had a 62-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Kovaleski was voted by his peers as team captain for the game.
Today, 43 years later, Mike Kovaleski's football heroics are making headlines again. Kovaleski is in the Indiana Football Hall of Fame’s 2026 class of inductees. He was one of three players selected to join the Hall from Region 8.
In four years at Notre Dame, Kovaleski racked up 353 career tackles, 10th on the all-time list. He was the first freshman in Notre Dame history to start at linebacker. In his first-ever game, Kovaleski recorded 10 tackles, broke up two passes and was named defensive player of the game. In 1986, he was the lone team captain for Coach Lou Holtz’s first season
Here is a story published by The Henry County News Republican above Kovaleski's big day 43 years ago. Written by Darrel Radford, it was in the Aug. 4, 1983 edition of that newspaper. The photos in this post were taken by Jeff Mastin.
For many of the South All-Stars, Saturday's annual prep football battle with the North at Butler University could be summed up in one word.
"Kovo."
A group of New Castle fans shouted it when he was introduced as defensive team captain for the South. A group of South players screamed it when he leveled a North running back. Media members were saying it when he intercepted a pass and ran the ball back 62 yards for a touchdown.
Even after the game, "Kovo" seemed to be the phrase of the day.
"Kovo!" yelled South's Greg Corsar, another linebacker from Roncalli. "I need your number before we leave. I'll come up and see you guys next year."
"Kovo" is, of course, the popular abbreviation for New Castle's Mike Kovaleski, an All-American football player who gave more than 10,000 fans a sneak preview of what's to come when he attends Notre Dame University this fall. The linebacker will report to camp next Thursday, Aug. 11.
He'll coast into South Bend with nothing but momentum after being named the most valuable defensive player in Saturday's all-star game, a game won by the North 31-22.
Mike was honored before he had a chance to chase anybody on a hot, muggy and later stormy Saturday afternoon. He was introduced as a team captain, an honor given to him by his teammates, a collection of the state's best.
"I think that award given by his peers is a much greater award," Mike's father, Frank Kovaleski, said in between snap shots of his son after the game. "What they're saying is that you're an outstanding player and leader."
Mike proved his outstanding defensive ability in the second quarter of the game, when he left North's receiving corps standing still with an electrifying 62-yard interception run for a touchdown.
Mike seemed to know what was coming as North quarterback Brant Kennedy barked out the signals. He yelled "spread...spread" just before Kennedy took the snap. Seconds later, he was in the right spot at the right time -- with the football in his hands.
"He was playing his defense smart," Frank said of the big play that put the South ahead 7-6 for a brief time. "He let the North's man look like he was open. The quarterback didn't even see Mike."
New Castle Coach Mark Surface could see Kovaleski's interception coming, even though he was several rows away from the action, sitting in WCTW's radio booth as a commentator.
"I saw them throw that pass once," Surface said afterward. "I thought, 'I wonder if Mike remembers that?'"
He certainly did. And as soon as Kovaleski had the ball in his hands, he made sure no one would catch him. "I thought he showed pretty good speed down the sideline," Frank said of his son. "He just ran off and left them."
As Kovaleski was sprinting toward the goal line, the audio levels in the WCTW radio booth threatened to break car windows, thanks to an excited Mark Surface. "I put the needle clear over to the end," Surface admitted with a laugh.
Of all the times "Kovo" was yelled during the day, it was never yelled in anger. Frank praised the game as being an exhibition of "class kids," kids who never displayed tempers the entire day, in spite of muggy conditions.
Those same athletes probably won't be able to recall the final score of the game or if their team won. But chances are, many of them will remember an athlete New Castle is quite proud to call its own. No. 56, who played all three linebacker positions for the South. A team captain. A most valuable player.
"Kovo."
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