One of nine children, Mart is remembered by friends from his youth as a man who always loved sports.  Baseball was always a favorite, and although Tardani was never blessed with outstanding athletic skills, he was always a participant and the team statistician in neighborhood games.
    A 1938 graduate of Muskegon St. Joseph, Tardani found full-time work at Lakey Foundry following a two-year stint at the Muskegon College of Business.  A timekeeper for Lakey's during the day, Tardani worked as a freelance reporter at night and on weekends.  In 1961, after 21 years at the foundry, he accepted a full-time sports writing position with the Muskegon Chronicle.
    Tardani felt a rapport with the West Michigan community and tales from his own life were often interspersed among his sports reporting.  His coverage of the local sports scene included numerous features on the sports heroes of yesterday.  Filled with anecdotes, his writings offered many the chance to relive the glory days of Muskegon's varied sports scene.  During the high school football season his column predicting the week's winners were heavily read, as well as a source of inspiration for numerous prep squads.
    Coverage of the Newaygo girls basketball team's march to the 1984 state championship, as well as coverage of three World Series were personal highlights of his career.  His sensitive text covering a cancer-stricken athlete, as well as an article about the untimely death of another athlete won awards.
    On January 1, 1988, Tardani retired from The Chronicle, but not from sports writing.  He continued covering events, and writing features for the paper until his death in August of 1990.

Les David - 1992 DSA
BORN:  AUGUST 31, 1908, BITELY, MI
DIED: NOVEMBER 9, 1988, MUSKEGON, MI

"Mr. Baseball" to local residents, Les David's involvement with the national pastime in Muskegon covered a span of more than 60 seasons.  A major league scout for 47 years, he worked for the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers, and Cincinnati Reds.  David also served as president of the United Baseball League from 1966 until his death in 1988.
    David was the originator and driving force behind the Marsh Field Improvement Fund Tournament hosted annually in Muskegon.  Serving as caretaker of the city-owned baseball diamond at Peck Street and Laketon Avenue, David poured time and money into the site.  Les not only kept the grounds in playable shape, but his efforts were directly responsible for the electric scoreboard, lighting system, modern restrooms, rebuilt dugouts, and aluminum bleachers among other improvements to the facility.
    At the age of 18, David first became involved in baseball in Muskegon.  A catcher and third baseman with a number of local teams, he officially hung up the cleats in 1935.  Over a span of 50 years behind the bench, David managed the Muskegon Pepsi's, the Muskegon Civics, and the Muskegon Zephyrs of the United Baseball League, among others.  His greatest coaching triumph came in August of 1967 when the Pepsi's defeated the Grand Rapids Sullivans for the state National Baseball Congress title, and the right to represent Michigan in the NBC nationals at Wichita, Kansas.
    In 1979, he was honored locally for his years of service to baseball in Greater Muskegon.  One year later, David was one of six baseball boosters from Michigan and Ohio honored before an exhibition game at Tiger Stadium for his contributions to amateur baseball.

Ray Cioe - 1993 DSA
BORN:  JULY 18, 1913, CHICAGO IL
DIED: FEBRUARY 14, 1993, MUSKEGON, MI

    A 1932 graduate of Muskegon High School, Cioe served Muskegon Catholic Central for over 25 years as a teacher, coach, athletic director and business manager.  He received his start in coaching as a volunteer assistant football coach at Muskegon Central Junior High in 1933.  In 1950 he joined the staff of St. Jean's High School as an assistant basketball coach.  With the merger of the area's three Catholic schools into Muskegon Catholic Central in 1953, Cioe was put in charge of the junior high school athletic program.  In 1954, he served MCC as a study hall supervisor, and handled the Crusader frosh football squad.
    Presented with the opportunity to teach, he returned to school in 1956, taking extension courses at Muskegon Community College and Aquinas College.  He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Michigan University in 1966 at the age of 52.
    Cioe retired from MCC in 1979, but his ties to the school remained strong.  "Catholic Central is what he talked about all the time," noted his sister Teresa Cioe, "and that's where he went every day."  In 1986, the school showed its appreciation with the formal dedication of the school's gymnasium in his name.
    Yet Cioe's volunteer work was not strictly limited to Catholic Central.  A devoted fan of baseball, for years he managed teams in the Greater Muskegon Little League, American Legion, and Connie Mack circuits.  In 1989, he was honored for 35 years of service as a volunteer worker at city track meets.  In 1993, he was honored with posthumous induction into the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Nelson Volz - 1994 DSA
BORN: JUNE 4, 1912, TOLEDO, OH
DIED: AUGUST 15, 1998, MUSKEGON, MI

    A native of Toledo, Ohio, Nelson Volz has been active in the local sports community since his arrival in Muskegon in 1937. Best known as the public address announcer for Muskegon Big Reds, Volz has served the area in a variety of ways.  A baseball, basketball and football official for 30 years, he was recognized by the Michigan High School Athletic Association for his years of service.
    Volz received his start in announcing in 1939, as a color man for a local radio station.  In 1941, he began a 38-year stint as P.A. announcer for the Big Reds gridiron program.  In between, Volz handled the same duties for the Muskegon Lassies of the old All-American Girls Baseball League.  The team played their home games at Marsh Field from 1946-1950.  In later years, he worked the microphone for Muskegon High School boys and girls basketball games, and a number of prep contests at the L.C. Walker Arena.  In 1986, he was selected by the Michigan High School Coaches Association to handle the P.A. duties at the East-West All-Star game, played at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
    A graduate of Western Michigan University, Volz taught mathematics in the Muskegon Public Schools for 38 years before his retirement in 1979.  Since that time, he has been active member of the community, assisting the elderly with their taxes and serving on the Muskegon Elks scholarship committee.  An avid bowler and horseshoe pitcher, Volz has also worked on the design and promotion of the Moose horseshoe court.

Charles W. Marsh - 1995 DSA
BORN: FEBRUARY 24, 1871, NUNDA, NY
DIED: JANUARY 1, 1943, MUSKEGON, MI

    Arriving in Muskegon in 1900, Charles Marsh soon established himself as one of the community's most successful businessmen and a respected civic leader.  In addition to his prominent role in community affairs, he also made a significant personal contribution to sports in Muskegon, specifically in the area of baseball and high school athletics.
    After Muskegon entered the Michigan State League in 1910, Marsh immediately became one of the baseball team's most active boosters.  In 1912, he became president of the club and served for two years.  When the State League folded after 1914 and one of the principal home fields, Castenholz Park, was dismantled and converted to residential property, Marsh spearheaded a campaign to build a new downtown ballpark.
    Professional league baseball returned to Muskegon in 1916 with the grand opening of Marsh Field.  In 1919, Marsh and his associates generously deeded the new baseball park to the city of Muskegon at its original cost.  Marsh continued to provide financial and moral support to keep Muskegon in professional baseball and returned as president of the 1923-24 Michigan Ontario League franchise.
    As an influential and respected member of the Muskegon Board of Education for the last 27 years of his life, Charles Marsh continued to promote local sports programs in the school system.  He was instrumental in the campaign to construct the concrete stands of Hackley Stadium, which opened in 1927.

Lyle Moran - 1996 DSA
BORN: MAY 21, 1913, TRAVERSE CITY, MI
DIED: JULY 23, 1986, MUSKEGON, MI

    The late Lyle Moran devoted a lifetime to the encouragement and development of youth sports programs in the Muskegon area.  Although his contribution was felt throughout the county, the people of North Muskegon especially treasured his impact.  Much of the past sports traditions at North Muskegon High School were influenced by the hard work and dedication of Moran at the younger age levels of competitive sports.
    It is fair to say that Lyle was the “Godfather” of youth sports programs in the Greater Muskegon area.  In the 1940's he founded Little League football and in 1952 he co-founded the local Little League baseball.  Many area youngsters learned their sports fundamentals under the guidance of Lyle Moran. Not just an organizer, Moran was an expert coach who managed youth teams throughout his adult life.  Along with his dedication to promoting and teaching youth sports, he often contributed personal sums from his own modest income to help support the programs.
    Another lesser-known contribution made by Lyle Moran to the area's sports history was done through one of his hobbies - home movies.  With his own movie camera, he recorded numerous sports events from the distant past.  His surviving films offer a rare window for us to relive games and other sports activities of earlier decades.
    After his death, the city of North Muskegon honored Lyle by naming the city’s Little League Field in his honor.

John E. "Jake" Outwin - 1997 DSA
BORN: AUGUST 8, 1882, PORT JERVIS, NY
DIED: JUNE 3, 1954, MUSKEGON, MI

    Jake Outwin was Muskegon’s “Grand Old Man” of baseball at the time of his death in 1954.  His contributions, especially in later life, in giving local fans entertaining and quality baseball at Marsh Field for many seasons cannot be overlooked.  Numerous legendary stars of the game, as well as the “cream” of local talent were showcased for Muskegon fans during the 1940’s when Mr. Outwin organized his own semi-professional teams and later a class A level of fully professional baseball with the Muskegon Clippers of the Central League.
    Jake came to Muskegon around WWI and participated in local factory leagues as player and manager for several years.  He later had a brief fling in the front office of Muskegon’s MINT League club as secretary and business manager in the 1920’s.  When WWII put the Muskegon Reds of the Michigan State League on the shelf, Outwin filled the void by assembling the best of local players into a semi-pro team called the Outwin Zephyrs.  From 1942 to 1947, the Zephyrs attracted an interesting variety of first-rate opponents at Marsh Field, including visits by the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago White Sox.   Many of the great Negro League teams made stops in Muskegon, as did the Great Lakes Navy team, made up of big league stars serving their wartime obligations in the military.
    The post-war boom of minor league baseball gave rise to the rebirth of the class A Central League in 1948.  Mr. Outwin was among the organizers of this new circuit and was instrumental in gaining a franchise for Muskegon.  Jake was president and principal stockholder in the Muskegon Clippers, a Chicago White Sox farm team.  Many future major leaguers appeared at Marsh Field during the Central League years.  Thanks to the dedication of Jake Outwin, Muskegon was on the baseball map once again in his lifetime.

Elsa Lowe - 1998 DSA
BORN: MAY 2, 1925, VIENNA, AUSTRIA

    An ice skating instructor at outdoor rinks and at the L.C. Walker Arena since the 1950's, Lowe embodies the spirit of what the Distinguished Service Award is all about.  While she receives a nominal fee for her time of teaching figure skating, she has consistently taken on skaters free who cannot afford the classes, while spending her own money, talents and time in an effort to promote figure skating.
    A native of Austria, where she became a professional skater at a young age, Elsa toured Europe performing in ice shows.  A resident of Muskegon since 1948, she took over the L.C. Walker Arena's skating program from Gil McKellen in 1962.  Lowe's dream was to produce national champion-type figure skaters from the area and she pushed on toward that goal with a vengeance.
    She staged shows at the Arena in which she personally did all the sewing of the costumes for the 50-plus participants, in addition to designing and building the props for the set.  During the 1960's and early 70's, Elsa's annual shows would draw more than 2,000 fans to the arena. She continued this work tirelessly for 15 years, until ice time at the arena became so expensive that she could no longer host shows there.  Interest in skating peaked during this era, as nearly 150 skaters enrolled in her classes annually.  Lowe continues to teach the sport she loves, and is credited with instructing nearly 5,000 skaters during her long career in the Port City.
    Elsa is a member of the US Figure Skating Association and is rated a Senior Professional with the Professional Skaters Guild of America.  While only one of Elsa's skaters became professional, many were gold skaters (highest honor) at national amateur competitions in Ohio.  "I've always believed there would be a champion coming out of Muskegon someday," said Lowe.  I still believe that."

    Jim Dodson's technical job description at Muskegon Heights High School was equipment manager - counting jerseys, taking care of the balls and washing towels.  But his real work went far beyond that.  Dodson made the Muskegon Heights Tigers look good on the outside from 1966 until his death in 1992, but his real gift was the ability to reach youngsters' minds, hearts and souls.
    An all-state football player for the Heights in 1945, Dodson was invited back to help out at his alma mater by Heights sports legend, Ossie McCarty.  For 25 years, Dodson's daily routine for nine months of the year was the same - work eight hours delivering mail, come home and eat dinner, change his clothes and head to the high school.
    'Dr. D.' as he was known to Tiger athletes was eventually paid for his work of taping ankles, cleaning jerseys, fixing lockers, sweeping dressing rooms, rubbing his special ointment on sprains and sore muscles and anything else the coaches needed.  But he was never paid for his extensive counseling work.  And he never charged for his shirts, pants or jackets the he would give to kids that desperately needed them.
    The father of three children with his wife Helen, Dodson was active in the U.S. Army Reserves for almost 40 years.

John "Smitty" Vanderplow - 2000 DSA
BORN: APRIL 29, 1908, MUSKEGON, MI
DIED: MAY 16, 1976, MUSKEGON, MI

    Muskegon area sports teams and individual athletes enjoyed the benefits of one of the city's most generous boosters in beverage distributor Smitty Vanderplow during the mid-twentieth century.  Smitty, himself a football and basketball star at Muskegon High School in the 1920's, was committed to the promotion of athletics in his home town and gave generously of his own time and money to make Muskegon proud of its sports programs and its heroes.
    Among his considerable contributions were team sponsorships, primarily for youth baseball and softball leagues and numerous bowling teams in the area.  Many, many local athletes participated in their favorite team sports under the banner of "Smitty's Beverage".  Smitty was devoted to local sports and reached into his own wallet on many occasions to accommodate requests for sponsorship.  He also took a personal interest in individual athletes needing financial support to further their careers in college by providing summer jobs at his distributorship.  
    When professional baseball returned to the city in 1948 with the formation of the Muskegon Clippers of the Central League, Vanderplow was one of the stockholders, along with the parent Chicago White Sox.  After two disappointing seasons, the White Sox attempted to buy out local shareholders and dissolve the franchise.  Determined to keep baseball in Muskegon, Smitty purchased the team and arranged a working agreement with the New York Yankees and other Central League clubs to assemble quality players to continue the Clippers operation another year.  Unfortunately, poor attendance here and throughout the league in 1950 forced Smitty to sell out in a sea of red ink, but he managed to pay off all outstanding debts, many of them out of his own pocket.
    In 1966, local sports enthusiasts toasted Vanderplow at a special banquet.  On this occasion, Smitty donated over $8,000 to the creation of a new athletic facility in Norton Shores, which was named Vanderplow Field in his honor.

Michael Knight - 2001 DSA
BORN: SEPTEMBER 19, 1942, CHARLOTTE, NC
DIED: JULY 4, 1988, MUSKEGON, MI

    Michael Knight was not a native of Muskegon. But few have championed her causes as Knight has. He fell in love with the area shortly after moving here in the 1970s and immediately got involved with many civic projects on a volunteer basis. He is credited with personally fighting through miles of red tape to get a luge, cross-country ski trails, and an ice-skating facility built on state park land in North Muskegon. The facility, known as the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex, has been utilized by hundreds of thousands of peo­ple since it was established in the late 1980s, averaging 25,000 participants a year. The complex’s lodge is called the “Michael Knight Memorial Sports Lodge,” in honor of Knight who died in 1988 at age 45 of heart failure.
    In addition to the Winter Sports Complex, Knight helped establish the Amateur Athletic Union winter games in Muskegon, which lured hundreds here for competition in everything from cross country skiing to gymnastics, to karate. Those games even received national TV exposure. Knight also established a biathlon near the state park that was among the most competitive and well attended in the state. Outside of the sports arena, Knight busily promoted Muskegon in whatever capacity he could. He served as president of the Miss Michigan Scholarship Pageant, was founder and executive director of the Northside Summer Spectacular, served on the North Muskegon city council and was executive director of the Muskegon Heights Festival in the Park.

Bill Tilton -2002 DSA
BORN: MARCH 29, 1925, CANTON, OH
DIED: FEBRUARY 29, 2008, MUSKEGON, MI

     Bill Tilton moved to the Muskegon area from Terra Haute in 1964.  An avid golfer, he won 38 golf tournaments during his days in Muskegon, but he is best remembered for his work within the sport.
    A retired engineer, Tilton spent much of his adult life passing golf lessons on to hundreds of area junior golfers and to the less fortunate. Gathering unclaimed and demonstration clubs from area courses, Tilton would put together free sets of clubs for those who want to try the game.
    Among his many accomplishments, in 1967 Tilton developed the junior program at Oak Ridge Golf Course, then known as the Pontaluna Country Club. He started the county junior traveling golf program in 1971 and helped run it for the next 19 years. Soon after, Tilton began the local “Golfer of the Year” program and was the driving force behind the tournament which is now known as the James Henderson Memorial Match Play Championship. From 1989 to 1993, he coached the Muskegon Community College golf team and he served as president of the Greater Muskegon Golf Association in 1994.

Leo Campbell - 2003 DSA
BORN: APRIL 18, 1899, ANDERSON, IN
DIED: JUNE 7, 1983, MUSKEGON, MI

    Leo Campbell, who taught physical education at Muskegon's 44 years, helped thousands of kids learn the rules and the value of sports long before they reached high school. Campbell never married. Instead, he devoted his energy and free time to his students. A native of Anderson, Indiana, Campbell lived in Muskegon for 65 years. He started teaching gym at Muskegon’s elementary schools in 1920 and didn’t retire until 1964 — working with Big Red greats from Ike Kepford to Earl Morrall to Don Arnson and even future Ice Follies stars Gil and Gordon McKellen.
    His final gift to Muskegon’s youth came after his death. The antiques in his home and shop were auctioned shortly after his death, with the proceeds going to establish a fund with the Muskegon County Community Foundation to benefit recreation sports and young people. In 1990, money from that fund was given to the Muskegon Area Special Olympics program.

     Times were when doctors with black bags full of stethoscopes, band aids and ointments, stalked the sidelines at high school football games.  Times were when they volunteered their services to help out the young athletes in their communities.  They performed team physicals, taped ankles, wrapped knees and checked out bumps and bruises young football players would incur during practice and on the playing field.  There are few left now, replaced by athletic trainers in the growing area of sports medicine.  They include eight who have given at least 20 years of service on the sidelines.  The distinguished service award honors these individuals for so selflessly giving their time and talents back to the schools in their communities.

The father-and-son duo of Dr. Louis Beechnau and Dr. Tim Beechnau at Ravenna kept Bulldogs going for more than 50 years.

Dr. Ed Fugate, who retired in 1990, served Muskegon High School for 42 years.

Dr. Yousif Hamati, an orthopedic surgeon who started manning the sidelines at Muskegon Catholic Central in 1979, continues to serve today.  Hamati has not only treated, but has performed surgery on many a Crusader football player.

Dr Ned Krohn of Whitehall who began treating football players in the 1960s, continued serving the Vikings for over 30 years.

In addition to football, Dr. Robert Pierce of Fruitport made it a point to be at girls and boys basketball games, and served the district for over 25 years.

Grand Haven's Dr. Larry Poel also made it a point to be at girls and boys basketball games, served the Buccaneers for over 25 years.

Dr. Charles Teifer served Muskegon football from the 1920s until 1952.

Ralph Burr - 2005 DSA
BORN: SEPTEMBER 28, 1936, MUSKEGON, MI

    Most Little League baseball fields in the older parts of towns do not look as beauti­fully manicured as Sheldon Park in East Muskegon. Of course, most fields do not have an individual like Ralph Burr to work on like a second front lawn. Burr has often single-handedly maintained his own "field of dreams” for no pay since 1958.
     In 1999, Sheldon Park hosted the little League baseball state tournament a true feather in Burr’s cap. Burr has also served his hometown as the unpaid offi­cial scorekeeper of Muskegon profession­al hockey games for the past 26 years and a minimally-paid official and coach for high school and youth games for the past 49 years.
    Burr, a 1954 Muskegon High School graduate, worked as a supervisor at Brunswick Corp. for 35 years. When he was not working, he was serving others. Many Muskegonites still remember him as ‘Coach Burr,’ as he did quite a bit of youth football and baseball coaching in the 1960s. Ralph and Kathy Burr have seven children, 11 grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Jerry Porter - 2006 DSA
BORN: SEPTEMBER 4, 1935, MUSKEGON, MI

For almost 40 years, Jerry Porter has been "Mr. Bowling" in Muskegon County. Elected to the Greater Muskegon Bowling Association board of directors in 1969, Porter worked his way up to GMBA president in 1979. In 1982, he became the organization's executive director, and 25 years later, he remains on the job. He and his wife, Paulette, who is the assistant executive director of the GMBA, have worked thousands of hours running tournaments at bowling alleys all over the state and even more hours compiling scores and awards at their longtime home in Lakeside. Porter was one of the founders of the Muskegon Bowling Hall of Fame in 1995 and was inducted into that organization in 2000. He also served the sport of bowling on the national level for 15 years, starting in 1990, as the only Muskegon-area board member ever for the American Bowling Congress. While Porter is well-known among area bowlers, he also was one of the founders of the Greater Muskegon Golf Association in the 1960s.

Mark Jastrzembski has given more than 20 years of his time to many area groups, particularly the West Michigan Speedskating club and the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex.  Fitting the job description of the Distinguished Service Award to a 'T', Jastrzembski has almost single-handedly run the speedskating organization for nearly 20 years, seldom missing a practice.  The club has produced many top skaters, including the organization's first national champion, Grand Haven's Kelly Anderson, as well as Caledonia's Kimberly Derrick, who competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics held in Italy.  Jastrzembski is also the founder of the Michigan Winter Triathlon, and Muskegon's Wintersportsfest.

Jack Crowell fell in love with boxing while watching Pete Petroskey work Kenny Lane’s corner during a 1963 title fight on a hot August afternoon in Saginaw. In a dozen or so fights over the next decade, Crowell proved he could punch and developed "a decent left hook." From the start, though, Crowell knew his boxing legacy would be built outside the ring, not in it.
    He began his coaching career in 1976.  Working out of his small Cloverville garage with kids from the neighborhood, Crowell laid the groundwork for a local boxing renaissance that blossomed in the mid 1980's. And it was Crowell who, along with Lane, Petroskey and Terry Markowski, helped keep the Muskegon Area Boxing Club going as it was kicked around town for almost three decades before finding a permanent home in the Muskegon Recreation Center at Smith-Ryerson Park on Jackson Hill.
    Featuring a strong stable of successful fighters, the sport returned to local glory.  With bulging crowds filling local auditoriums, Crowell moved his shows to the L.C. Walker Arena.  With his reputation as a trainer growing nationally, Crowell was named a coach for the U.S. Golden Gloves team from 1980-82.
    Crowell lives in Muskegon with his wife, Sandy. They have two children.

Heeres never married and has no children, but he became a father figure of sorts to thousands of Whitehall High School students through 48 years of service as a teacher and coach.

His sports background started in his prep days at Western Michigan Christian High School, where he was part of the school’s first graduating class in 1953 and played basketball for Hall of Fame coach Elmer Walcott. In 1962, Heeres got a teaching job at Whitehall. Heeres served as the Vikings’ athletic director for one year and coached football for 22 years, basketball for 10 years, baseball for 13 years.

He started the softball program at Whitehall and led the program as head coach for 17 years. In 2005, the district renamed their softball field in his honor. In the summer, Heeres worked as the waterfront director at Camp Pendalouan for eight years, then served for 30 years as the director of the swimming school at White Lake Yacht Club.  For ove 30 years he led the Whitehall chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

But for many, Heeres greatest impact came in the classroom where he taught the class for which he is best known, Entitled "Self-Discovery" Heeres asked Whitehall seniors to look inside themselves and evaluate who they are and what type of person they want to become.