Roger Chiaverini
BORN: OCTOBER 17, 1926, TARANTA, ITALY
DIED: OCTOBER 19, 2010, MUSKEGON, MI
From
1954 to 1986, Roger Chiaverini established a reputation as a consistent
winning football coach for five Michigan high schools with a 31-year total
of 179 wins, 82 losses and 10 ties. His .793 winning percentage with two
Muskegon area schools (Muskegon and Muskegon Catholic) ranks with the very
best of local coaching careers.
Born in Italy, Chiaverini came to America as a small child in
1929. After graduation from Detroit Western High School in 1944, he
enrolled at the University of Michigan, then transferred to Western Michigan
College in Kalamazoo where he completed his undergraduate and graduate
work. A graduate assistant with the Bronco gridiron squad, "Chev" landed
his first head football coaching assignment at Adrian High School in 1954,
followed by a six-year stop at Monroe High School. In the fall of 1964, Chiaverini was hired by Muskegon High School to resurrect the winning
football tradition of the Big Reds. "Chev" proved to be the man of the
hour, giving Muskegon a 5-2-2 record in his first year, followed by two
undefeated seasons in 1965 and 1966. Through the 1970 season, Chiaverini's
Big Reds were 49-11-3, including two championships in the tough Lake
Michigan Athletic
Conference.
Despite the prospects of an outstanding Big Red squad for
1971 (they won the mythical state championship) Chiaverini was lured to
conference rival Muskegon Catholic Central. Employed to improve the
Crusaders' gridiron program, he again delivered. Over the next eight seasons
"Chev" led Catholic to a 56-15-1 mark, including an undefeated Class B
mythical state crown in 1974.
Chiaverini completed his coaching career with Holland West
Ottawa High School from 1979 to 1986, after which he "retired" from head
coaching duties. Unable to divorce himself completely from his love of high
school football, "Chev" continued to dispense his expertise as an
assistant to former coaching colleagues and students at Reeths-Puffer, Mona Shores
and Muskegon.
Ed Douma
BORN: JANUARY 2, 1945, ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
Ed Douma learned the
basics of basketball at Muskegon's Western Michigan Christian High School under the
school's great cage patriarch Elmer Walcott. Douma not only became a
standout player, but also went on to an illustrious coaching career at both
the prep and college level.
Douma was a key player on Christian's 1962 Class C state
championship team. He went on to Calvin College in Grand Rapids where he
was a four-year starter for the Knights under inspirational mentor, Barney
Steen. By this time he had decided on a basketball coaching career and he
was hired by Shelby High School as a teacher and varsity cage coach. With a stable of talented players, including future NBA star Paul Griffin, Douma led Shelby to consecutive Class C state championships in 1971 and
1972. His prep record soon led to a college coaching assignment at Lake
Superior State, where he won two conference titles. He went
on to coach at Alma College, North Carolina-Greensboro and Kent State where he
continued to build on his reputation as a winning coach.
In 1984, his alma mater Calvin College lured Douma back to
his West Michigan roots by offering him the head coaching job for their
prestigious Division III basketball program. Douma eagerly accepted the new
challenge and proceeded to lead the Knights for the next 12 seasons. Under
his tenure, Calvin continued to finish at the top of the MIAA conference,
falling below second place in the standings only in his final year (third
place, 1995-96). Under Douma, Calvin enjoyed seven 20-win seasons and never
won less than 15 games during his reign. His 254-72 career mark made him
the Knights all-time coaching leader. Among his accomplishments were six MIAA championships, including a Division III national championship in 1992. Their record that year was 31-1 and earned Douma
several Coach of the Year awards. Douma was inducted into the Basketball Coaches Association of
Michigan Hall of Fame in 1995. He retired after the 1995-96 season with an
overall collegiate record of 419-189 (.689), which placed him in the top 25
Division III basketball coaches of all-time.
In the spring of 1998, Douma returned to coaching at
Hillsdale College.
The veteran coach posted his 500th career
coaching victory on February 8, 2003 with an 86-83 overtime win over
Mercyhurst.
Jerry Fitzpatrick
BORN: MAY 4, 1939, RACINE, WI
Jerry Fitzpatrick, better
known as a coach and athletic director at Muskegon Mona Shores High School, was one of the greatest track and
field athletes ever produced in the Muskegon area. Specializing in the
sprints and the long jump, Fitzpatrick was a standout at Muskegon Catholic
Central in the 1950s and continued to sparkle for the University of Notre
Dame and for the Southern California Striders in AAU track events of the
early 1960s.
At Muskegon Catholic High School, Fitzpatrick established Crusader
records in all sprint events and in the long jump. His time of 9.8 in the 100-yard dash
was the fastest time ever
posted in the history of the Greater Muskegon track meet. In his senior
year, he became the first long jumper from the Muskegon area to win a Class A
state championship in that event since 1921.
Fitzpatrick's prep career earned him a full track and field
scholarship at Notre Dame and he quickly became a star performer for the
Irish under Coach Alex Wilson. In three years at Notre Dame, Jerry compiled
a phenomenal total of 320 points in top collegiate competitions. His
remarkable record in his specialties included 29 first place finishes, 19
seconds and eight thirds. In addition, the four-man relay teams in which he
participated finished first in 11 meets.
After graduation he moved to California and continued to
compete as an amateur for the Los Angeles-based Striders, one of the most
formidable track clubs in AAU competition. Competing in the prestigious Mt.
San Antonio (or Mt. Sac) Relays in the early 1960s, Fitzpatrick's relay
teams set or challenged world records against the finest runners in the
USA. In individual events, Jerry held his own and occasionally bested
Olympic gold medalists like Ralph Boston and Lee Calhoun.
In 1964, Fitzpatrick returned to Muskegon to teach and coach
track at the new Mona Shores High School. His 1972 Sailors won the city
track championship and in 1978 Jerry assumed the position of Athletic
Director, where he remained up to his retirement after the 1998 school year.
Bobby Morse
BORN: OCTOBER 3, 1965, MUSKEGON, MI
Like his father, Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame member Jim Morse, Bobby
was an exceptional football player, leading Muskegon Catholic Central to two
state titles and one runner-up finish during his career. A four-year
starter at MCC, the hard-charging running back helped the Crusaders compile
a phenomenal 40-1 record while leading the team his senior year with 1,065
yards on 181 carries.
A first-team all-stater, Morse duplicated his success at
Michigan State Universitywhere, at fullback, he was the lead blocker for Lorenzo
White, the nation's leading rusher in 1985. As a junior and senior, Morse
won MSU's Biggie Munn award, given to the team's most inspirational player. At only 5-10, 213 pounds, Morse showed his versatility by compiling a career
total of 651 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, while catching 102 passes
for 723 yards and three touchdowns. In addition, he was MSU's punt returner
for three-and-a-half years. During that span, he never called for a fair
catch or fumbled a punt while averaging eight yards per return. In 1984,
Morse ran a punt back 87 yards for a touchdown against rival
Michigan.
Following graduation, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Morse
in the 12th round of the NFL draft. He spent four seasons in the
professional ranks, including three as the primary punt returner for the New
Orleans Saints, where he is best remembered for a classic 99-yard kick
return for a TD against his home-state Detroit Lions. Morse was a crowd
favorite in the NFL because of the intensity and desire with which he played
the game. He broke his forearm in the 11th game of the 1990 season and was
forced to sit out the remainder of the year. He retired from the game
following that season.