FRED SAURO (WOOD COUNTY)
The game of basketball was great to Fred Sauro.
And Fred Sauro was certainly great for the game of basketball.
At the conclusion of the 2023-24 girls high school basketball season, illustrious head coaching career ended with Sauro battling it out for a championship.
His 557 wins as a girls head coach is a West Virginia state record. He patrolled the sidelines of countless high school venues for 54 years, with 38 of those coming at Williamstown High School.
A 1965 graduate of Fairmont Senior High School, he led Williamstown to 10 State Tournament appearances. With those trips to the big dance, his teams reached the Final Four on seven occasions, played in three championship game and brought home a title.
His outstanding days of guiding the Yellowjackets included four Little Kanawha Conference championships.
Sauro was the National Federation of High Schools West Virginia Coach of the Year. It was one of many Coach of the Year honors he received during his 50-plus career on the court.
He coached in several All-Star games. Perhaps his biggest honor came in 2020 when he was picked to be a coach in that year’s McDonald’s All-American event. Unfortunately, COVID-19 forced the game to be cancelled.
While at Williamstown, Sauro coached 11 First Team All-Staters while 12 players scored more than 1,000 points. He also had one 2,000-point scorer.
Before coming to Williamstown, Sauro started his coaching career in baseball and boys basketball at Hundred High School in Wetzel County.
His coaching career has also featured running girls basketball camps for 33 years.
Fred Sauro Video
Fred Sauro Plaque
Mid-Ohio Valley Sports Hall of Fame 