Hall of Fame News

Muskegon Reeths-Puffer dunks, bombs its way past Shelby in Hall of Fame Classic

December 30, 2009
 by Tom Kendra | The Muskegon Chronicle

   Reeths-Puffer looked a little bit like the Harlem Globetrotters on Wednesday night.

   The Rockets turned the opener on the second night of the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame Holiday Classic into a dunkathon, roaring to a 12-0 lead and never looking back in a 69-46 rout of overmatched Shelby.

   "We were on today," Reeths-Puffer senior forward Joe Melton, who did his damage from long range. "Maybe we needed that loss (Tuesday) against Muskegon Heights to spark us up."

   Melton, at 6-4, has the size of an inside player with the outside stroke of a guard, which he displayed by knocking down five 3-pointers and finishing with 19 points and six rebounds.

   Chris Anderson did the damage inside with a game-high 22 points and 12 rebounds, highlighted by four dunks.

   Two of those dunks came in the game's first six minutes as the Rockets roared to the 12-0 lead. Shelby finally got on the board on a layup by sophomore JF James late in the first quarter, but R-P scored the final seven points of the stanza for a 19-2 lead.

  Puffer really got its own version of showtime going late in the second quarter, when 5-10 senior Dontreal McKinley elevated for his first dunk during game action, followed 40 seconds later with an alley-oop pass from McKinley to Anderson to make it 42-17 at halftime.

   "We pressed them, speeded up the game and really got into our comfort zone," said Puffer coach Dalrecus Stewart, whose team improved to 4-1.

   McKinley finished with 11 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and five steals. Jhaamonte Melton, Joe Melton's nephew, had eight points and six rebounds and Ryan Oosting added three steals.

   For Shelby, Wednesday's game was a continuation of Tuesday's fourth quarter against Muskegon, which the Tigers entered with a 43-40 lead before being outscored 26-5 in the final eight minutes.

   Shelby (2-4) was led by a pair of sophomore, D.J. Beckman and James, with 10 points each.

Muskegon rallies past Shelby in fourth quarter in Hall of Fame opener

December 29, 2009
 by Tom Kendra | The Muskegon Chronicle

Shelby was supposedly the team that didn't belong at the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame Holiday Classic basketball tournament.

But for three quarters on Tuesday, Shelby looked like it was going to pull off the biggest upset in the holiday tournament's eight-year history.
Muskegon came out of its slumber with a 14-0 run to open the fourth quarter and went on to a 66-48 victory in front of 2,000 fans at Reeths-Puffer's Rocket Arena.

"We closed out real well, but against Heights (tonight) we'll have to come out ready to play from the start," said Muskegon coach Bernard Loudermill, whose team outscored the Tigers 26-5 in the fourth quarter.
Shelby, however, was the team that came out ready to play from the opening tip.

The Tigers did the West Michigan Conference proud through the first three quarters, leading at halftime (30-25) and after three quarters (43-40) behind a a variety of zone defenses and outstanding 3-point shooting.

Sophomore DJ Beckman scored 11 points with three 3-pointers and Kyle Plummer added two treys and eight points. Taylor Herin, a 6-5 senior forward, did most of the dirty work inside and finished with a game-high 13 points.

But when the Big Reds extended their defense to open the fourth quarter, the men in purple simply had no answer.

"That's getting to be our theme - play pretty well for three quarters," said Shelby coach Rick Zoulek, whose team had a similar fourth-quarter meltdown against conference rival Whitehall.

"They made a couple of runs at us earlier in the game and we were able to recover. But in the fourth quarter, we broke down mentally."

Desmond Grissom hit two 3-pointers during Muskegon's 14-0 run to open the fourth quarter, while Jevante Hunter added four points. Eleven of the Big Reds' 14 points during that run came off of steals resulting from full-court pressure.

Muskegon showed amazing depth, with 12 different players scoring. Marcus Brown was the lone Big Red in double figures with 11 points and Gavin Mathews was next with eight points.

"We don't have a guy who is going to put up 20 points," Loudermill said. "The key for us will be if the players grasp the true concept of being a team, so that when their number is called, they're ready."

Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame announces 'Class of 2010'

December 19, 2009
by Tom Kendra | The Muskegon Chronicle

 
The Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame has been criticized in the past for being an “old boy’s club” that focuses too much on football and boys basketball.

No one can say that any more.

The local sports hall recently announced its 2010 induction class, which will recognize two sports — luge and racquetball — for the first time, as well as inducting its first female team.

Luger Mark Grimmette, racquetball player Lynn Hahn and the Newaygo High School girls basketball back-to-back state championship teams of 1984 and 1985 will make up the hall’s 24th induction class on June 5 at the Holiday Inn-Muskegon Harbor.

“There are a lot of firsts in this class,” said Hall of Fame President Gene Young. “We are very proud to expand to two brand-new sports and to honor a very unique girls team.”

A Distinguished Service Award winner will be announced next month and a male and female high school student-athlete of the year will be named in May.

The hall started honoring the area’s top high school student athletes in 1996 and further bridged the gap to the younger generation by starting the Hall of Fame Classic high school basketball tournament during Christmas break, back in 2003. This year’s tournament — featuring Muskegon, Muskegon Heights, Reeths-Puffer and Shelby — will be Dec. 29 and Dec. 30 at Reeths-Puffer High School.

The new inductees will increase the Hall’s membership to 96 individuals, eight teams, 20 Distinguished Service Award winners and 30 student-athletes.

Young noted that the hall’s 14-member board of directors considers hundreds of nominees before naming a select group to be honored each year.

The Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame’s exhibits are on display inside the L.C. Walker Arena in downtown Muskegon and information on the organization and all of the past inductees is available at www.mashf.com.

Here’s a look at the MASHF’s “Class of 2010.”

Mark Grimmette
Mark Grimmette is the only area athlete to win an Olympic medal, with a bronze and silver under his belt heading into February’s Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.

Grimmette, who had the downhill sport of luge come to him as he grew up across the street from the luge track at Muskegon State Park, will also become an extremely rare five-time Olympian in February. He and longtime partner Brian Martin seek to add to their legacy as the most decorated luge athletes in U.S. history.

The quiet, contemplative Grimmette made his Olympic debut in 1994 with partner Jonathan Edwards, placing fourth and narrowly missing out on a medal in Lillehammer, Norway.

Grimmette and Martin took the Luge World Cup circuit by storm in the 1997-1998 season, culminating with a bronze medal at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan — the first-ever Olympic medal for the U.S. in luge, a sport which has been dominated by Germany, Austria and Italy for decades.

The duo did one better at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, sliding to a surprising silver medal finish.

That gave Grimmette a fourth, third and second in his first three Olympics heading into the 2006 Olympics in Torino, Italy, making first place and a gold medal his obvious goal. On that day, however, Grimmette and Martin’s push for extra speed resulted in a dangerous crash on the wicked Torino track and his first taste of Olympic disappointment.

A few months later, the team announced that it did not want to end its career in that fashion and committed to compete in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Grimmette and Martin secured the second U.S. doubles luge spot for February’s Games on Wednesday.

Grimmette, a 38-year-old Reeths-Puffer High School graduate, has indicated he will retire after this year’s Olympics. He currently serves on the USA Luge Executive Board.

He is single and lives in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Lynn Hahn
A large number of Muskegon-area racquetball players submitted a letter to the MASHF board, indicating that if the board ever decided to honor their sport, that Lynn Hahn should be the first inductee.

The board listened.

Hahn earned widespread respect from all of his racquetball opponents during a career that began in the early 1970s and continues today, as the 78-year-old Hahn still holds his own against younger players in the 70-and-over division.

Hahn, a Whitehall resident who worked as a chemist at Howmet, said he fell in love with the sport the first time he played it and he was a natural.
He began to beat all of his local competitors, so he started competing in state, regional and national competitions — where he made a name for himself with his talent and his sportsmanship.

Hahn’s amazing skills made him one of the first two inductees, along with Fred Lewerenz of Birmingham, into the Michigan Racquetball Hall of Fame in 1984.

That honor led to the start of the Lynn Hahn Hall of Fame racquetball tournament in Muskegon at what is now the Omni Fitness Club, but it was hardly the end of Hahn’s competitive racquetball career. In fact, Hahn said making the hall motivated him further.

“After that (induction), my goal was to become nationally-ranked,” Hahn told The Chronicle in a 1991 interview. “I worked hard on my game and in 1988 I won a national tournament, a regional and a couple of states.”
Hahn has remained a force in age-group competitions for the past 20-plus years.

Newaygo girls basketball teams of 1984 and 1985
One year before the movie “Hoosiers” immortalized tiny Milan High School’s magical run to the Indiana state championship, the Newaygo High School girls basketball team took its small town on a similar, storybook run to the Class C state championship.

Not once, but twice.

Newaygo, coached by native son Stan Thomas, stunned the state with a roster featuring no one taller than 5-7 — beating Pewamo-Westphalia for the 1984 Class C state championship and coming back to knock off prohibitive favorite Detroit St. Martin dePorres (which featured 6-3 center Daedra Charles) for the 1985 Class C state title.

In 1984, senior Dawn Bulk and junior Keri Thomas led the Lions to an 18-2 regular season.

Other team members that season were seniors Kristen Westcott, Sonja Beckman and Sheryl Frye, juniors Sandy Wagner and Doreen Berger, sophomore Kristen Long and freshman Erica Thomas. The Thomas sisters were the daughters of Coach Thomas.

The 1984 Lions roared all the way to the “Final Four” at Western Michigan University’s Read Fieldhouse, where their biggest upset was a 48-46 win over a much taller Flint Academy team in the semifinals.

In 1985, only four members of the 1984 team — the Thomas sisters, Wagner and Long — returned, making a repeat state championship seemingly impossible. That returning foursome was joined by Lori Mauter, Tammy Morton, Amy Saum and Amy Schenk.

Newaygo actually finished one game better in the 1985 regular season at 19-1, then promptly took off on another tournament run.

The signature win in the 1985 postseason was the 46-43 championship game win over Detroit dePorres, a David vs. Goliath battle and a fitting finish to a truly incredible two-year run for the “Little Lions.”

HEAD OF THE CLASS
Who: The Class of 2010 features Mark Grimmette (luge), Lynn Hahn (racquetball) and the Newaygo state champion girls basketball teams of 1984 and 1985.

What: The 24th annual Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

When: June 5, 2010

Where: Holiday Inn-Muskegon Harbor.

Notable: A Distinguished Service Award winner will be announced next month and male and female student-athlete honorees in


Mona Shores' Marie Roof named Muskegon-area Female Student-Athlete of the Year

May 22, 2009
by Tom Kendra | The Muskegon Chronicle

Mona Shores Marie Roof got Division 1 offers in basketball and volleyball and chose to play volleyball at Notre Dame. - (Ken Stevens | The Muskegon Chronicle)

The Division I coaches and scouts all came to the regional basketball game this winter to watch Benton Harbor star Destiny Williams.

By the time the game was over, they were huddled near the Mona Shores locker room, asking about the tall, skinny girl who had outscored, outrebounded and outplayed the Tigers' Miss Basketball candidate.

That's when Shores coach Brad Kurth had to give them the bad news.

Marie Roof, the Sailors' 6-1 standout who could shoot and handle the ball like a guard, was already committed to play volleyball at Notre Dame.

"There are not many kids that are offered Division I scholarships in two different sports," said Kurth.

"Marie Roof is one of those special kids. She combines so many things - athletic ability, work ethic, competitiveness and she thinks the game at a level that coaches think."

Roof's two-sport stardom and her glistening 4.19 GPA made her the top choice as the area's Female Student-Athlete of the Year, an award presented jointly by The Muskegon Chronicle and the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame.

Roof, along with the male award winner which will be announced in Sunday's Chronicle, will receive her award and a $500 scholarship at the Hall of Fame's annual induction banquet on June 6 at the Holiday Inn-Muskegon Harbor.

"I owe a lot to my parents and all of the great coaches I've had," said Roof. "I'm really going to miss playing for Mona Shores."

In that regional basketball game against Benton Harbor, Roof hit a clutch jumper in the final minute to give the Sailors a one-point lead - a basket which she later discovered pushed her over the 1,000-point mark for her career.

Benton Harbor ended up hitting two free throws with 2.5 seconds left to win, 39-38, then went on to win the Class A state championship.

But Roof certainly made an impression.

A tough choice

While that performance gained her statewide recognition, Roof has been a known, and feared, volleyball and basketball player in the Muskegon area for four years.

She was so dominant in both sports that the hardest thing she had to do in high school - much more difficult and gut-wrenching than guarding a Miss Basketball candidate - was deciding whether to play basketball or volleyball in college.

Basketball was her first love.

Roof remembers going as a little girl and watching her dad, Jerry, play recreation games and shooting around on side baskets.

After her parents, Jerry and Chris, she lists Jennifer Bustard, her varsity basketball coach during her freshman and sophomore years and the current Mona Shores High School principal, as the biggest influence in her life.

"Mrs. Bustard brought me out of my shell," said Roof. "I was just the shyest little girl you could imagine, but she saw something in me."

Roof appeared on her way to a college basketball career when, suddenly during her sophomore year, volleyball came along and swept her off her feet.

Just like Bustard did in basketball, Shores volleyball coach Kyle Kurant moved Roof up to the varsity as a freshman who had just turned 14 years old.

"We both knew what we had right away," said Kurant.

Roof has the perfect name for volleyball - roof in volleyball lingo is when a blocker smothers a hitter's shot - and her combination of size and athletic ability quickly made her one of the state's best hitters.

Roof basically re-wrote the Sailors' volleyball record book, leaving with career records for attacks, attack percentage, kills, blocks and digs.

From her sophomore year on, Kurant was busy fielding phone calls and replying to messages from Division I coaches interested in his star hitter.

"I told them all the same thing: ‘If you like her on the court, she's 10 times better as a person,'" said Kurant.

Buoyed by an amazing club volleyball career under Coach David Rawles, Roof capped her career by being named a Miss Volleyball finalist, meaning she was one of the state's Top 10 senior volleyball players last fall.

Competitive fire

Many schools have tall girls with athletic ability, but few, if any, combine the work ethic and absolute hatred of losing like Roof.

Kurant remembers seeing a different side of Roof at this year's city tournament, after Shores dropped a game in an early-round match against Muskegon.

Kurant said he was chuckling about something that happened after that game when Roof snapped:

"That's not funny!"

"She never barked at me like that before and it took me by surprise, but it shows how competitive she is," said Kurant.

Kurth and Kurant agree that her toughness is what enabled her to not only survive on the varsity as a 14-year-old, but thrive. Roof,  17, is young for her class and won't turn 18 until July.

And it's that same competitive drive which they say will allow her to be successful playing with and against some of the nation's top volleyball players at Notre Dame.

"I'm pretty competitive in everything I do. I really hate to lose," said Roof, who has one sibling, Tony, a football and basketball standout at Shores who now attends Grand Valley. "I try to let it go after the game is done, but while it's going on, I want to win.

"I've always been that way and, when I go down to Notre Dame, my goal is to make an impact."

Roof ran track as a freshman and  qualified for the area All-Star Meet in the 300 hurdles, high jump and 1,600-meter relay.

Kurth and Kurant know how lucky they've been over the past four years to have Roof and Allison Wolffis - who could have been a finalist for the area award if schools were allowed to nominate more than one male or female - and hope that the leadership and commitment to excellence they showed will influence future Sailors.

"It's going to be different around here and it's going to be impossible to fill those shoes," said Kurth. "They epitomize what a student-athlete should be."

Montague's Jeff Petsch wins Muskegon area Male Student-Athlete of the Year award

May 23, 2009
by Mike Mattson | The Muskegon Chronicle

Montague's Jeff Petsch hoists the Division 6 football state championship trophy after beating Leslie, 41-20. - (Cory Morse | The Muskegon Chronicle)

Montague's Jeff Petsch received some worthwhile advice in ninth grade from his uncle Warren Hutchins.

"Bite off more than you can chew - and then chew it,'' Petsch said about his uncle's words. "It's something I've tried to live by in all my high school years. It's simple, but it has great meaning. To grow as a person, you have to see how much you can handle.''

For sure, Petsch put a lot on his plate at Montague High School. 

He played offense and defense last fall on Montague's state championship football team.

He played point guard last winter on the Wildcats' Final Four basketball team.

Instead of taking the spring off, Petsch played on the boys golf team.

And he volunteered for various school activities, tutored elementary students and accepted many leadership positions.

Mention student-athlete and it fits Petsch to a tee.

For his accomplishments in sports, academics and extra curricular activities, Petsch was chosen the area's Male Student Athlete of the Year by The Chronicle and the Muskegon Area Sport Hall of Fame.

And what a year it's been for Petsch, who was a catalyst for Montague in the two main boys' sports that accomplished the most in school history.

"It's truly a year to remember,'' Petsch said. "I set goals for myself in high school. It was great to see them blossom into reality. It's been above my expectations and wildest dreams.''

In football, Petsch played defensive end and tight end. He recorded 76 tackles, five sacks, four tackles for lost yardage and blocked one punt for a score.

At 5-11 and 180 pounds, Petsch wasn't the biggest or strongest player on the field. But he may have been the smartest.

"He was always able to pull something out of the tool box,'' Montague football coach Pat Collins said. "He had a lot of tools. He's one of the best defensive ends we've had in a long time. He's so versatile and had great pass rush abilities. He did so many things to make plays for us.''

Petsch looked forward to the challenges in football against many bigger, stronger players.

"I would try to exploit whover I went against,'' Petsch said. "Intellectually, I did what I had to do each play to maximize my performance. Playing football and basketball takes a lot of knowledge and mental concentration.''

In basketball, Petsch did a lot of the little things. He dished off the assists to Montague's many scorers, while averaging about 6.0 points, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game. He also played in-your-face defense and proved to be the emotional leader on the court.

"The best way to describe Jeff is he gives you everything he has on the floor,'' Montague basketball coach Dave Osborne said. "He does all the little things you have to do to be successful.

"He was a huge part of our success. I've coached Jeffrey for six or seven years and watched him grow as a player and student. You couldn't ask for anybody better on your team as a leader.''

Petsch is the son of Rhonda and Phil Petsch, who both chiropractors. That's come in hand during Jeff's sports career at Montague.

"My parents help to keep my back and my hip in good condition,'' Petsch said. "They gave me treatments often to keep my body in condition so I could play to my best day in and day out.''

Petsch's resume is even more impressive outside of sports.

He served on the Michigan High School Athletic Association Youth Advisory Council and helped create a sportsmanship presentation that the MHSAA used around the state. He also was named the MHSAA Schlolar Athlete scholarship winner, a prestigious selection from a large pool of state-wide candidates.

Blood drives, beach cleanups, cooking and reading are other activities Petsch does in his free time.

Petsch plans to study business the University of Michigan. He will go to Ann Arbor with a 3.91 grade point average, earning all As except for one B in Algebra II.

Petsch has been good for Montague and Montague has been good for Petsch.

"We've had such great academic and athletic success at our school, I can't imagine what it would be like if I wasn't here,'' he said. "I've had the opportunity to get to know my teachers, my coaches, my administrators and develop relationships with them. ‘'

Petsch is the 14th recipient of the Male Student Athlete of the Year and the first from Montague. He's definitely inspired others at Montague to set the bar high in academics, sports and extracurricular activities.

"It's very gratifying to see all of my hard work culminate into something so great,'' Petsch said. "It's humbling because it makes you appreciate those who have helped you along the way - my parents, my coaches, my grandparents, my high school administration and my great friends and teammates who've given as much as I have.''


Three-sport Norse star will be missed

Wednesday April 1, 2009
by Jim Moyes | North Muskegon
As Readers See It

It is with the deepest of regrets I learned of the passing of my boyhood idol this past weekend.  Bill "Dupe" Duplissis was a phenomenal three-sport star at North Muskegon from 1948 to 1951 where he was instrumental in leading the Norse to many West Michigan Conference titles.

Early team photos of North Muskegon basketball squads first found Duplissis as the team manager where he developed the shooting skills he would ultimately use to set North Muskegon scoring records. Duplissis was more than a record-setting basketball player, however. He capped his senior season by leading his teams to conference championships in three sports.

In the fall of 1951, Duplissis quarterbacked the Norsemen to the WMC championship in football. My father, Paul Moyes, was the coach of the football and baseball teams during the Duplissis era. Dad had to do a little cajoling with Dupe's parents to obtain his services for his senior year. Fearful that their youngest son might have a serious knee injury, similar to the setback Bill's older brother, Bob, met in 1946, Doctor and Libby Duplissis were hesitant to see their son play football. Thankfully for Norse followers, Bill became the quarterback, with explicit instructions from my father not to carry the ball.

The smooth-shooting Duplissis would use his patented one-hand set shot to win a share of the West Michigan Conference basketball championship. It was in baseball, however, where Duplissis truly excelled. Bill was a four-year starter as a power-hitting catcher.

It was in 1949 when the Norsemen began a streak where they would win five consecutive West Michigan Conference baseball titles. The 1950 and '51 seasons would prove to be the best years in North Muskegon baseball history. The Norsemen of the early 1950s did not have a schedule full of cupcakes to pads their stats. The Norse would go undefeated in those two years with Duplissis the big gun.

In 1951, the Norsemen's nonconference schedule included a couple of powerhouse nine's in Muskegon and Muskegon Heights. The Norsemen defeated the Heights for the first time in school history and their only loss was at the hands of Muskegon. Muskegon would cap its undefeated season by winning the state baseball championship in Battle Creek.

In the first game of a double header against Scottville, Duplissis lashed out five hits, including three doubles and a triple. In the nightcap, 'Dupe' traded in his catching equipment for a pitcher's glove and proceeded to spin a one-hit shutout. 

As a catcher Duplissis had few peers in his era. I was fortunate to often serve as the batboy for the Norsemen at this time and I always was in awe of Bill's strong throwing arm.

Recently, I had a conversation with my boyhood idol and I asked him: "Did anybody ever steal a base on you?" With a sheepish grin Duplissis quickly replied, "Never."

Bill has been in poor health for the past few years. However, he has served faithfully on the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors. Those of you who have visited L.C. Walker Arena surely have admired the plaques and memorabilia honoring our inductees. Most of these displays can be attributed to the work of Bill Duplissis and his long time buddy, Marc Okkonen.

Last May, I saw 'Dupe' shortly before I was to give out the Moyes Award, named for my father and brother Tom, who played a much bigger role in North Muskegon sports history than I. Bill was in attendance in support of a grandson who was a graduating senior.

I was so proud to acknowledge his presence to the audience. I was quick to point out that we were honored to have in attendance, in my humble opinion, NM's all time best baseball player. You may remember that last spring the Norsemen baseball team was on a run that would propel them to the state semi-finals.

I can remember when uniforms were issued prior to the junior varsity basketball season back in 1956. I asked for the jersey that had number 24 on the front and back. It was a little too baggy at the time for a then slender, 5-foot player.

When the coach asked me why in the world would I want to wear this oversized jersey, my response was simple: "Because that was Dupey's number."

I'll miss ya Dupe, and thanks for the memories.

O'Brien singled out by Hall for helping youth

Sunday January 25, 2009
by Dave LeMieux | Muskegon Chronicle.

For 45 years, kids' smiles were Earl O'Brien's only reward for the endless hours he spent coaching, refereeing and organizing youth sports leagues.

For O'Brien, that was always more than enough.

"I didn't do the things I've done my whole life for an award," O'Brien said. "I did it for the kids."

Recently, however, O'Brien has received local and national recognition for his efforts.

The latest award given to the 71-year-old O'Brien is the Muskegon Sports Hall of Fame's Distinguished Service Award. It comes just three months after he received the President's Volunteer Service Award.

If smiles were O'Brien's reward, then it was the specter of disappointed kids which kept him motivated to provide as many opportunities as he could to provide youth sports.

To this day, he remains disappointed he did not have the same success in forming a youth basketball league in his hometown of Muskegon as he did in Grand Haven.

He still remembers the disappointed faces of the kids who showed up at Muskegon High in the mid-1990s with hopes of playing in a league he struggled for two years to get off the ground.

"We showed up at the gym and there were over a hundred kids there that wanted to get divvied up into teams," O'Brien remembered.

They never got the chance. Only one volunteer coach showed up at the gym, he said.
"I was extremely disappointed," he said.

It's a reminder that there would be no youth sports programs without willing volunteers like O'Brien.

It hurt especially because O'Brien, a 1955 graduate of Muskegon High, is a die-hard Big Red to this day.

"I haven't missed an awful lot of games in the past 50 years," he said.

He missed a few this fall, however, in order to watch his grandson, Michael O'Brien, play for Grand Haven's varsity football team. He was easy to spot in the sea of yellow-clad Buc fans. "I was wearing my Big Reds sweatshirt," he said, proudly.

O'Brien's ties to Muskegon are still strong -- his son Earl "Bill" O'Brien recently retired after serving on the Muskegon School Board for 11 years and his grandson Earl "Billy" O'Brien, a fifth-grade teacher at Oakview Elementary in Muskegon, was named Sam's Club's local teacher of the year for 2007.

Married at 17, O'Brien and his late wife Carol raised seven children. Looking back, his lifetime of volunteering seems inevitable.

"We were involved in school activities since we met. We had kids in grade school for 27 straight years," O'Brien said. "I think that must be some kind of record."

Since he first coached the Bluffton Elementary School softball team in 1964, O'Brien's successes have far outnumbered his disappointments.

From the start, he saw the profound effect team sports can have in shaping a child's habits and attitudes.

"What sports does for you, and this is a keynote in my heart, is in team sports you learn to accept and respect people for what they do, not what they look like," O'Brien said.

O'Brien believes playing sports as a kid can also lead to success in later life.

"Success breeds success," O'Brien said. "If you give kids a basic understanding of their role and let them succeed, they will continue to. I'm just an advocate of creating ways for kids to be successful."

A high school graduate with one year of classes at Muskegon Community College, O'Brien worked hard to achieve his own successes.

"I worked full-time from the time I was 13," he said.

After graduating from Muskegon, he worked at Universal Camshaft in Muskegon Heights, then Muskegon Camshaft in Muskegon. In 1968, he and his partners opened Camshaft Specialists in Grand Haven. He later moved on to become factory manager and human resources director at Engine Power Components in Grand Haven until he retired.

"I had a lot of wonderful opportunities. I always answered the door. Ambition made a big difference for me. Today, my children and grandchildren could never start a company without a college degree," O'Brien said.

In 1970, O'Brien took on his first big volunteer challenge when he established the Tri-Cities Family YMCA's Youth Basketball League. The league he served as volunteer coordinator for until 1993 now has more than 800 participants.

One of O'Brien proudest accomplishments is giving girls an opportunity to play in the YBL.

"When I started the YBL in Grand Haven, girls were not playing sports. I went to every PTA meeting I could find and begged mothers to just let girls join," he said. "We started with three or four girls the first year, then had eight or 10 the next and then 30 and now we have a whole league. That was, to me, a great feeling, to see girls get into sports."

The adjustable height backboard he designed was another pioneering innovation he introduced to the YBL and several local elementary schools.

A soccer and T-Ball coach and referee from 1970 until 1988, he remained a part-time soccer official until he turned 64.

In 2005, O'Brien organized a fishing tournament in Grand Haven to benefit St. Jude's Children's Hospital. To date the tournament has raised $104,000.

Seeing the young cancer patients and their families enjoying a day fishing on Lake Michigan gives him immense satisfaction, O'Brien said.

"It's heart-warming and wonderful. It's tear-time when the sponsors see the kids out there," he said.

It might even be the good medicine for the kids, O'Brien said.

"The doctors at DeVos Children's Hospital told me that of all the treatments they do, nothing works better than improving the kids' mental attitude when we put them on board those boats," he said.

Organizing this year's tournament is going to be real challenge, O'Brien says, due to the current poor economy. Sponsors are proving hard to come by and O'Brien's own health is in question after "some heart problems" over the winter.

But there's nothing wrong with his spirit.

"Some days I get a little frustrated by being housebound, but by spring, I'll be raring to go," O'Brien said.

Heights wins hoops' clash of the titans

Sunday, December 28, 2008
by Tom Kendra

Basketball bragging rights are back in Muskegon Heights -- for the next 365 days.

The rest of the season will happen and both Heights and Muskegon will win many more games than they lose, but THE game was played at Reeths-Puffer in Saturday's finale of the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame Holiday Classic.

And a classic it was.

Muskegon's Dominique Maybanks against Muskegon Heights' Ricarri Stimage at Reeths-Puffer Saturday. (Muskegon Chronicle/Cory Morse)

Heights, after losing to Muskegon in last year's tournament, regained the upper hand in the area's best sports rivalry with a 64-56 victory over the Big Reds in front of an overflow crowd of 3,200 delirious fans.

"It feels like we just won the state championship," said Heights senior guard Sean Davis, who rose to the occasion and scored 15 points with seven rebounds. "We showed that we're the tougher team."

Heights held a commanding 45-32 lead entering the fourth quarter and, when Muskegon turned up the heat, the Tigers could have easily gone the way of Davison -- especially when Karey Webb hit a 3-pointer and then made a layup off a steal to cut the lead to 51-49 with 3:20 remaining.

That was when the Tiger guards rose up to the challenge, repeatedly breaking through the Muskegon pressure in the fourth quarter and either scoring or getting to the free-throw line.

Ricarri Stimage scored 19 points with six assists and four steals and Sidney Scott added 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.

The Muskegon Heights vs. Muskegon rivalry has a unique flavor and personal component -- often pitting members of the same family against each other on the court and in the stands -- which is something you'll never find in the NBA, NFL or any of the so-called "big-time" sports.

Maybe that's what made the atmosphere so spectacular Saturday night, as Reeths-Puffer's beautiful fieldhouse slowly filled up to its limits. After all the seats were filled, fans stood (often several deep) around the running track at the top of the seating area.

By the time tip-off came around, the place was absolutely buzzing.

Former Hall of Fame Scholar/ Athlete award winner Terrance Taylor of Muskegon and the University of Michigan joined the fun at this year's Holiday Classic (photo by Blaine Hotz)

By the time the middle of the fourth quarter rolled around and Muskegon was making its run, it was so exciting and obvious why this game must be played on an annual basis.

"It was a great atmosphere and two great teams giving it everything that they had," said Heights coach Keith Guy. "When we play, we hate each other. But we respect each other. We proved ourselves. We're Muskegon Heights -- basketball is what we do."

Webb came up huge for Muskegon off the bench, scoring a game-high 21 points. Rashard Donley, a 6-6 senior, was the only other Big Red in double figures with 11 points and seven rebounds.

It must be noted that Heights and Muskegon have now played each other five straight years at Christmastime, with no serious incidents before, during or after any of those games -- effectively shutting up the skeptics who think that these two schools, these two communities, cannot play each other every year in a civil basketball game.

Those are the same naysayers who said Muskegon football players couldn't handle a sophisticated, veer-option offense.

Note: Three football state titles in the past five years.

No question, emotions run high because Heights vs. Muskegon is a game that really means something to the kids and the communities. You can bring in all the Rockfords or Whitney Youngs or Buena Vistas you want, but nothing will match the intensity of Heights vs. Muskegon.

This year, Heights has the bragging rights.

But every year this game is played, the area's basketball fans are the real winners.

Anderson tallies 24 as Puffer sends Packers packing

Saturday, December 27, 2008
by Mark Lewis

MUSKEGON — The host Reeths-Puffer Rocket boys basketball team responded well to a 62-38 loss to power Muskegon the previous night by defeating Fremont 63-35 Saturday, Dec. 27 to cap a 1-1 run at this year’s Muskegon Area Hall of Fame Classic basketball tournament at Reeths-Puffer High School.

With the win, the Rockets (2-2, 0-1) climbed back to .500 overall, while Fremont dropped to 3-2 overall.

Running out to an early 12-6 lead after the first quarter, the Rockets extend their advantage to 12 at the break, taking with them a 28-16 lead into the locker room. There was no slowdown for the Rockets in the second half. After Fremont was outscored by four in the third, Reeths-Puffer exploded for 24 fourth-quarter points to provide the final result and erase any chance of a Packer come back.

The Rockets were paced by junior forward Chris Anderson’s 23 points, while senior Jordan Darcy added 14 and junior guard Dontreal McKinley added 12 in the victory.

Fremont was led by Reed Luchies’ 12-point effort.

Muskegon Heights rolls over Fremont in boys basketball holiday tournament

Friday, December 26, 2008
 by Tom Kendra

Sidney Scott wants to get things back to the way he - and many others in Muskegon Heights - think it should be.

"Muskegon has the football and Heights has the basketball," said Scott, a senior for Heights. "They took the basketball from us last year and now we're going to get it back."

Scott scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds on Friday, leading Heights to an impressive 67-30 rout of previously unbeaten Fremont in the opening game of the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame Holiday Classic at Reeths-Puffer.

Muskegon beat Reeths-Puffer, 62-38, in Friday's second game, setting the stage for tonight's 7:30 p.m. showdown between the area's oldest, and most heated, rivals.

Heights and Muskegon did not play for 13 years after a series of incidents at games between the schools, but the Tigers won the first five games after the series resumed in 2002. Muskegon broke through with a 74-56 win last year.

"We have not forgotten," said Heights coach Keith Guy, stating the obvious while also emphasizing the importance his independent team puts on the cross-town matchup. "We're ready to play. This is our chance to show people that the Heights is still the Heights."

Remaining tickets for tonight's doubleheader will go on sale at 5 p.m. at the door at Puffer. Doors open at 5:15 p.m.

Heights, 2-2, was dominant against Fremont, as guards Sean Davis, Jamil Thornton, Scott and Ricarri Stimage keyed a second-quarter explosion that gave the Tigers a 33-12 halftime lead.

Thornton led all scorers with 13 points, Davis scored 10 and Stimage added 10 points and five steals.

Jullian Plummer, a 6-6 junior and one of three good-looking inside underclassmen for the Tigers, finished with eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Fremont coach Peter Zerfas was not pleased with his team's intensity, settling for many outside shots (making just 25 percent), while Heights went aggressively to the basket.

"Every basket they had, except one, was in the paint," said Zerfas, whose team was outrebounded 46-23. "If we can't match their intensity, we don't have a chance. That was the story tonight."

Zerfas, whose team plays tourney host Reeths-Puffer in tonight's opener, is hoping his team will have a better effort tonight and when it hosts Heights on Jan. 6.

Alec Beattie led Fremont with seven points. Reed Luchies, who scored 40 points in an overtime win over Spring Lake last week, was held to six points on 3-for-16 shooting.

Muskegon Sports Hall of Fame announces 'Class of 2009'

Sunday, December 21, 2008,
by Tom Kendra

Two of the most recognizable coaches in Muskegon-area history headline the 2009 induction class into the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame.

One of them is still coaching.

Jack Schugars, who last month won his third state championship as coach of the Oakridge Eagles, headlines the three-member "Class of 2009," which will be inducted into the MASHF on June 6, 2009, at the Holiday Inn-Muskegon Harbor.

"What a great time to welcome Jack Schugars into the hall," said Hall of Fame President Gene Young, referring to the recently-completed prep season, which saw a record four area schools win state football championships.

"Jack is not only a great role model to his players, but to the other area coaches as well. We really feel good about this class. It's three very popular guys."

Joining Schugars in the 2009 class is longtime Mona Shores wrestling coach Don Mosley and former Muskegon Lumberjack great Dave Michayluk.

Those three will be joined by a Distinguished Service Award winner to be announced in January and a male and female student-athlete award winner to be announced in May.

The hall started honoring the area's top high school student athletes in 1996 and further bridged the gap to the younger generation by starting the Hall of Fame Classic high school basketball tournament during Christmas break, back in 2003. This year's tournament -- featuring Muskegon, Muskegon Heights, Reeths-Puffer and Fremont -- will be Dec. 26 and Dec. 27 at Reeths-Puffer High School.

The "Class of 2009" will join the current hall membership of 89 members, 10 teams, 17 Distinguished Service Award winners and 26 Student-Athlete recipients.

Young noted that the hall's 11-member board of directors considers hundreds of nominees before naming a select group to be honored.

The Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame's exhibits are on display inside the L.C. Walker Arena and information on the organization and all of the past inductees is available at www.mashf.com.

Here's a capsule look at the Class of 2009:

Dave Michayluk

Rick Ley coached the Muskegon Lumberjacks for many of the seven years from 1985 to 1992 that Dave Michayluk ruled the L.C. Walker Arena.

Back in 1988, Ley had this to say about his star player:

"(Dave Michayluk) is a very hard worker and he comes to play every game. He's a complete player, the kind you build a franchise around."

And that's exactly what the Lumberjacks did.

"Boris" -- the nickname Michayluk was given early on because his last name resembled that of Boris Mikhailov, the all-time leading goal scorer in the history of Russian hockey -- scored at least 100 points in all seven of his professional seasons in Muskegon, which were highlighted by league championships in 1986 and 1989. He helped the team to league runner-up finishes in 1985, 1987, 1990 and 1992.

Michayluk was part of a Jacks dynamic trio which also included current MASHF member Jock Callander and Scott Gruhl. Michayluk has the most points in Muskegon Lumberjacks history (769), most points in a season (137) and career games played as a Lumberjack (564).

He capped his career in Muskegon in 1992 when he was called up to Pittsburgh for the Stanley Cup playoffs, during which he scored a goal and had an assist, helping the Penguins and star Mario Lemieux to the championship.

Michayluk, 46, played the final five years of his career with the Cleveland Lumberjacks. He still lives in the Cleveland area, but is remembered as one of the most popular players in Muskegon-area hockey history.

Don Mosley

Mona Shores is now known for its outstanding hockey program, but back in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, the Sailors were known for their wrestling program.

The only coach Shores ever had in the first 38 years of the school's existence was Don Mosley.

Mosley's record is one of incredible longevity and winning, ranking among the winningest wrestling coaches in national history with a 494-189-5 record -- an amazing 72 percent winning percentage.

Mosley's teams dominated the city wrestling meet for years, winning 20 city titles. A total of 86 of his grapplers qualifying for state and 28 of those finishing in the top four at the state finals. Seventeen of his wrestlers are members of the Shores Century Club with 100-or-more career wins.

Shores compiled a 99-22 record in the 1960s, 121-16-2 in the 1970s, 134-29 in the 1980s and 123-112-2 in the 1990s.

The Sailors have had more than 30 individual state place-winners and one state champion, Ken Luipakka (167) in 1978. Shores has never won a wrestling state title, with state powerhouse Grandville often the end of the road for some of Mosley's best teams. One of his most memorable years was 1982, when he coached both of his sons, Randy and Brent, and the Sailors won a Class A regional title.

But for Mosley, the most fun was always getting on the mat and working out with the kids -- something he did right until he retired in 2001.

"One time a newspaper reporter asked Jon Zerkle (a top heavyweight wrestler for Shores in the early 1980s) who was the toughest guy he ever had to wrestle," recalled Mosley upon his retirement in 2001. "And he said Coach Mosley. I thought that was pretty good."

Mosley, who is also well known for running Mosley's Driving School for the past 34 years, said part of his coaching style was molded from playing center and noseguard at Muskegon Heights High School for Okie Johnson. Mosley coached football at Shores for 10 years, including an 8-1 season as head coach in 1968, the best football season in school history.

Jack Schugars

Jack Schugars pretty much locked up a spot in the MASHF on a cold and rainy night in Hart back in 2004, when he led Oakridge over Hart for his 210th win -- breaking Muskegon Heights legend Okie Johnson's record for area coaching victories.

"I never dreamed about getting this many wins way back when I started," said Schugars after that memorable win, which came in an extremely rare year which the Eagles started 0-3. "But right now, I'm most excited for these kids. They could have quit and walked away the way this season started. But they stuck together and climbed out of the hole."

And ever since, Schugars has not quit winning.

Schugars appears to be getting better with age -- like a fine wine.

Schugars, who is now 247-71 in 29 years as the Eagles' head football coach, led Oakridge to its third state championship under his watch, to go along with two runner-up finishes.

Schugars' teams have won 17 titles in the outstanding West Michigan Conference, considered the top small-school football league in the state, including nine of the last 10 years.

A past president of the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association, Schugars earned that organization's Jim Crowley Award in 2000 and was inducted into the MHSFCA Hall of Fame in 1993.

Schugars has served as a father figure to many Oakridge players. He deals with family problems and been a strong role model for the players.

What makes Schugars so successful is his family approach. He often discusses the "Oakridge football family'' and togetherness that has built a winning chemistry over the years.

 


Muskegon boxing legend Kenny Lane dies at 76

Tuesday, August 5, 2008
by Tom Kendra
Chronicle file photo

 Even after retiring, Kenny Lane remained active in the Muskegon Boxing Club, where he often sparred with fighters he trained at the club's former site in the Shaw-Walker building.

The Muskegon boxing community lost not only its greatest fighter, but also the "heart and soul" of its youth training program Tuesday with the sudden death of Kenny Lane.

Kenny Lane

Lane, one of the all-time greats in Muskegon area sports history who once fought for the lightweight world championship, died Tuesday afternoon of a heart attack while playing golf. He was 76.

News of Lane's death swept through the gym at the Muskegon Recreation Center at Smith-Ryerson Park, where he was in the ring sparring with young fighters as recently as Monday night.

"I never got around to thanking him the way I should have for everything he's done for me," said Rocky Smith Jr., Lane's most recent professional fighter. "I can't imagine going to the gym to work out and him not being there.

Chronicle file photo
 Southpaw lightweight professional boxer Kenny Lane, left boxed in 1950s and 1960s. He won the Lightweight title in 1963. He is shown with Walter "Pete" Petroskey, who boxed from 1923-1939.

Lane was the most accomplished boxer in area history, a crafty southpaw, compiling a career record of 77-14-2.

As good of a fighter as he was, Lane forged an even greater legacy as a trainer of young men, working with area kids for the past 40 years, freely giving his expertise to several generations.

"I've never met anyone who loved kids more than Kenny Lane," said Jack Crowell, who was trained by Lane and then coached with him for years at the Muskegon Area Boxing Club, now known as the Muskegon Recreation Center.

"Kenny was the glue of our organization. We are going to miss everything about him so much."

Lane, who honed his skills under the guidance of legendary area trainer Pete Petroskey, turned professional in 1953. He was known for his unorthodox style, which is why many top boxers of the day avoided fights with him.

He is the only area boxer to ever fight for a world championship, losing a controversial 15-round decision to Joe Brown in 1958. Calls for a rematch were ignored.

Lane continued to maintain his top-ranked challenger rating for several more years and won the Michigan version of the world lightweight crown in a 15-round battle with Paul Armstead. In 1964, 51⁄2 years after the first fight, Lane finally earned another title shot against Carlos Ortiz.

Once again, the southpaw fighter lost a close 15-round decision. Lane fought for one more year. On Oct. 25, 1965, at the age of 33, after losses to future junior welterweight champion Carlos Hernandez and former junior welterweight champion Eddie Perkins, he called it quits.

Yet, in 1982, he startled the boxing world by coming out of retirement at age 50 and winning three of four matches against younger opponents. As a result, Lane became the oldest professional boxer to appear in his 100th professional bout.

"We all know him now because of his great sense of humor and everything else, but make no mistake, Kenny was one of the greatest left-handed fighters of all time," said Crowell. "I've traveled all over the world with boxing, but no matter where I go, people know about Kenny Lane. He was that good."

Lane, who grew up on a farm in Big Rapids, once told The Chronicle that his poor upbringing gave him a special affinity for street kids, who often walked into one of Lane's makeshift gyms around the Muskegon area with nothing more than the shirt on their backs.

"He knew how to connect with those kids," said Matt Kolkema, who now runs the Muskegon Recreation Center. "The way the kids related to him was really incredible to watch."

Smith remembers that Lane drove young members of his Muskegon team, many of whom had never been out of the city limits, to shows around the state (his van has logged more than 300,000 miles). He would always dig in his wallet and buy McDonald's for everyone, Smith recalled.

Joanne (Petroskey) Southland, one of the co-owners of Bent Pine Golf Club where Lane died on Tuesday, was one of Pete Petroskey's daughters and a friend of Lane's for more than 60 years. She was struggling with the thought of not having his quick wit around the course any more.

"Kenny loved to putz around the course and go in the woods and look for golf balls," Southland recalled. "He would say: 'It's like Easter.'"

Lane, who worked at Continental Motors and later owned a laundromat, is also well-known for his profession later in life -- a television repairman. He was inducted into the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame's second class in 1988 and the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004.

He is survived by his wife, Ruth, and four grown children.

Many people saw Lane for the last time at Saturday's "Kenny Lane Classic" golf tournament at Bent Pine, a fundraiser for the Muskegon Recreation Center.

Kolkema said his lasting image of Lane will be when he introduced him at the fundraiser and Lane stood up with his trademark pose, holding both hands clasped above his head.

"That's how we'll all remember him ..." said Kolkema, his voice shaking with emotion, "with his hands raised above his head like a champion."

 

Callander recalls '92 Cup win, picks Detroit this time

Saturday, May 24, 2008
by Ron Rop

Sixteen years after his name was engraved on the Stanley Cup, former Muskegon Lumberjack star Jock Callander is taking a keen interest in this year's final series.

Tonight, the Detroit Red Wings host the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals.

Callander predicts a highly competitive series, showcasing two teams with plenty of skill and speed.

"I think it will be awesome," said Callander, who was a member of the last Penguin team to hoist the Stanley Cup in 1992. "Neither team has seen the speed the other team will bring and the skill up front."

Since Callander lives in Avon Lake, Ohio, located between Pittsburgh and Detroit, he's seen both teams play on television on numerous occasions.

"Detroit hasn't seen anyone like (Sidney) Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, so I think it will be exciting," said Callander,. the all-time leading scorer in the IHL. "I'm kind of torn between who to cheer for."

One of Detroit's assistant coaches is Todd McClellan, who has coached with Callander in the past. On the other side, the Penguins are his former team.

"I think Detroit is going to win," he said. "When the playoffs got going, I thought Detroit would win for sure. But now I think it's going to be closer than I thought with the way Pittsburgh is playing and Detroit has had trouble scoring. Pittsburgh will score some goals and if Johan Franzen comes back, that will help."

Believe it or not, it was 16 years ago when Callander was informed during a pregame meal with the Muskegon Lumberjacks that he and Mike Needham had been summoned to the Penguins.

"We were getting ready for a game and Phil Russell came in and told Mike Needham and me that we were going up," said Callander, whose recalled was prompted by injuries to Mario Lemieux and Joey Mullen. The next game, Bob Errey got hurt and the Lumberjacks lost another high scorer in Dave Michayluk.

I think it will be awesome," said Callander, who was a member of the last Penguin team to hoist the Stanley Cup in 1992. "Neither team has seen the speed the other team will bring and the skill up front."

Since Callander lives in Avon Lake, Ohio, located between Pittsburgh and Detroit, he's seen both teams play on television on numerous occasions.

"Detroit hasn't seen anyone like (Sidney) Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, so I think it will be exciting," said Callander,. the all-time leading scorer in the IHL. "I'm kind of torn between who to cheer for."

One of Detroit's assistant coaches is Todd McClellan, who has coached with Callander in the past. On the other side, the Penguins are his former team.

"I think Detroit is going to win," he said. "When the playoffs got going, I thought Detroit would win for sure. But now I think it's going to be closer than I thought with the way Pittsburgh is playing and Detroit has had trouble scoring. Pittsburgh will score some goals and if Johan Franzen comes back, that will help."

Believe it or not, it was 16 years ago when Callander was informed during a pregame meal with the Muskegon Lumberjacks that he and Mike Needham had been summoned to the Penguins.

"We were getting ready for a game and Phil Russell came in and told Mike Needham and me that we were going up," said Callander, whose recalled was prompted by injuries to Mario Lemieux and Joey Mullen. The next game, Bob Errey got hurt and the Lumberjacks lost another high scorer in Dave Michayluk.

The three Lumberjacks were put on the same line, dubbed the "Muskegon line." All three scored one goal in the playoffs. Callander ended up with four points in 12 games, Michayluk had two points in seven games and Needham had one point in five games.

"In our first game together against Boston, they scored on us, but (Coach) Scotty Bowmen left us out there and we scored," Callander said.

The Penguins fell behind the Rangers 3-1 in the series before roaring back to win that series in seven games. They proceeded to sweep the Bruins in the Eastern Conference finals and the Chicago Blackhawks in the finals.

The deciding game was played at the old Chicago Stadium before a raucous crowd.

"It was a great game," said Callander. "I didn't get off the bench, but I was sweating. It was back and forth. I didn't get a shift. I thought if we'd get a couple goal lead, I'd get out there, but everytime we'd get up, they would score.

"It was unbelievable how loud it was in there," said Callander, who is the director of community relations and hockey operations for the American Hockey League's Lake Erie Monsters. "It was just an awesome feeling. I was so exhausted and I didn't even play much."

The charter flight back to Pittsburgh included players, their parents, wives and girlfriends.

"Everyone was happy and having a good time, but some of the guys were just exhausted," said Callander.

Six years ago, Callander met his former teammates on the golf course for a 10-year reunion of the championship team. He's run into several teammates since then and meets up with his good friend, Michayluk, every summer.

"We'll sit down and play cribbage, drink a couple beers and talk," said Callander.

One topic that certainly arises every year is the time three players from Muskegon helped the Penguins win their last Stanley Cup title 16 years ago.

 


'Sonny' Grandelius was one of the best

Friday, May 2, 2008

He was one of "Okie's boys" and he could run like the wind. Everett "Sonny" Grandelius, a Muskegon Heights High School sports legend, was one of the best and now he is gone.

Grandelius, 79 when he died last Friday, played for the Tigers in the middle 1940s when the Muskegon Big Reds-Heights rivalry was at a fever pitch -- the Heights coached by Oscar "Okie" Johnson and the Reds by C. Leo "Tiny" Redmond. "Sonny's" teams went undefeated in all three years he played.

In his greatest game as a two-way starter on offense and defense, Grandelius' 1945 Tigers beat the undefeated Big Reds at Hackley Stadium in a thrilling 7-6 game rated as one of the greatest ever played here. Heights won the mythical state championship that year. 

The star's career wasn't over yet by a long shot. "Sonny" became an All-American at Michigan State University, earning three football letters, numerous accolades, setting records all over the place and earning the title of "Mr. Touchdown." At school, he carried a straight "A" average in every subject but one -- "The Theory of Football."

He later served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, earning the Bronze Star, played a season for the professional New York Giants in the National Football League, went on to a coaching career in the college ranks, and also served as commentator for CBS Sports.

Through it all, Grandelius never forgot Muskegon Heights or West Michigan. He was a frequent attendee at the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame banquets. "Sonny" was a class act in every way, and a hallmark figure in local athletic history, someone who was, in the words of local football historian Ron Pesch, "the classic model of the student-athlete," who enriched our community in many ways.

Yet he saw things differently.

Standing before a huge Muskegon audience who had turned out in force to see their local hero honored during "Grandelius Day" in 1951, and with tears running down his face, he said:

"The community owes me nothing, but I owe it everything."

Hockey great Gary Ford
dies at 62

Friday, January 25, 2008
By Ron Rop

Gary Ford, one of the greatest players in the long history of Muskegon professional hockey, died early Thursday at home in Washago, Ontario.

 

Ford, 62, died of an apparent heart attack, said longtime friend Steve Habetler, who was informed of his death by Ford's wife, Sue.

 

Ford was inducted into the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 after a highly successful 10-year career with the Muskegon Mohawks.

 

"Gary Ford was probably the most talented hockey player I've seen personally," said Habetler. "And the smartest hockey player. I learned so much from him about the game. That was like getting a Ph.D. in hockey. He was so smart and so smooth."

 

Ford was born Oct. 6, 1946 in Toronto, Ontario, and began his Mohawk career in 1967.

 

 During his rookie season, Ford had 56 goals and 59 assists for 115 points. He not only won the Leo Lamoureux Memorial Trophy as the league's top scorer, but was also won the Garry F. Longman Memorial Trophy as the league's top rookie.

 

He won another scoring title in 1971-72 when he amassed 109 points in 71 games and in in 1972-73 when he appeared in just 59 games, but scored 60 goals and 81 assists for 141 points.

 

How did Ford explain his scoring title despite missing more than a dozen games?

 

"A lot of payoffs," said Ford in a Chronicle story published in 1995. "I slipped the goalies five dollars. In those days it was a lot of money."

 

That point total remains the highest ever in Muskegon hockey history. He was a four-time all-star in the International Hockey League.

 

He played 10 games in the American Hockey League for the Nova Scotia Vogageurs part of the 1972-73 season and later with the Grand Rapids Blades in the USHL.

 

Ford retired from the Mohawks after the 1979 season having scored 353 goals and 577 assists for 930 points.

 

The Ford and Habetler families were neighbors for many years and remained in constant contact. They annually spent two weeks together in the summer at a cottage, talked on the phone and exchanged e-mails.

 

"As gruff as he appeared on the outside, he was probably one of the warmest human beings I've ever met," said Habetler, a former hockey coach at Mona Shores High School. "He loved watching kids. He just enjoyed the game with the kids ... he was a big kid himself."

Heights, Muskegon win; to square off tonight



Ken Stevens / Muskegon Chronicle

Corey Johnson of Muskegon drives to the basket while defended by JaMarcus Martin of Mona Shores in the second quarter of the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame Classic at Reeths-Puffer High School. Muskegon won 70-55.


Ken Stevens / Muskegon Chronicle
Marquis Brewer of Muskegon Heights drives to the basket, while Dan Durham of Fremont attempts to take a charge in the third quarter of the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame Classic at Reeths-Puffer High School. Brewer and Mark Parker led the Muskegon Heights Tigers to a 71-61 win over Fremont.

Friday, December 28, 2007
By Scott Brandenburg

Marquis Brewer and Mark Parker continue to be tough matchups for Muskegon Heights' opposition.

The dynamic Tiger duo couldn't be stopped Thursday on Day 1 of the Sixth Annual Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame Basketball Classic as the Tigers remained perfect in the history of the event.

Brewer came off the bench to score 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting and Parker totaled 14 points in Heights' 71-61 win over Fremont at Reeths-Puffer High School.

"Marquis and Mark might be the most athletic tandem in the state," said Tigers coach Keith Guy. "It's definitely nice to have a 1-2 punch like that."

In Thursday's second game,

Muskegon ran away from Mona Shores 70-55.

Both the Big Reds and the Tigers appear to have momentum heading into today's 7:30 p.m. showdown between the rivals.

Fremont and Mona Shores meet in today's first tilt at 6 p.m. Tickets go on sale at 5 p.m. at Reeths-Puffer's ticket booth.

Muskegon Heights 71, Fremont 61

Brewer and Parker's production, plus a game-high 19 points from Heights senior guard/forward Zolton Vines, secured the win against Fremont.

The Packers never threatened to win, but did hang around. They trailed by 12 points entering the fourth quarter and closed to within six with 29 seconds to play.

It wasn't until Vines went 4-for-4 from the foul line in the last 25 seconds that Heights could move on to thinking about Muskegon.

"We have a lot of guys who are still trying to figure out their roles," said Guy, whose team improved to 4-3. "We still lack that killer instinct we need to have to finish teams off, but we got the job done."

Fremont (3-3) was left wondering what could have been had it gotten off to a better start.

The Packers led 10-9 through two minutes of play, but could've scored more.

Muskegon Heights' transition defense did not match up well with the Packers four-guard offense and Fremont got loose for plenty of open 3-pointers and shots in the lane.

Fremont only shot 29 percent from the field in the opening half. Heights shot 60 percent to take a 33-26 halftime lead.

"We had a lot of close shots and open looks and we've got to put them away," said Packers coach Peter Zerfas. "I think instead of being aggressive we were pretty passive and that led to the missed shots.

"We still don't have the confidence that we can beat a team like that. I think we can."

Jeremy Gerth led Fremont with 17 points and three steals. Sean Hendon added 12 points and Dan Durham added a team-high seven rebounds and four steals.

Parker and Vines paced the Tigers with eight rebounds apiece. Heights had a 34-24 edge on the glass.

For the game, Muskegon Heights shot 29-of-50 from the field and just 1-for-3 from 3-point range. The Packers were 19-of-56 overall and 7-for-25 beyond the arc.

Muskegon 70, Mona Shores 55

The Big Reds continued their steady play early this season with the double-digit win over their former league rivals.

Muskegon built an 18-point lead behind aggressive play at both ends of the court and then turned to its long-range shooting to turn away a Sailors' rally in the second half.

The Big Reds improved to 5-1 heading into their rivalry game with the Tigers, who have beaten them each of the previous five meetings.

"I think one of the keys for us was being focused on Mona Shores," said Muskegon coach Bernard Loudermill. "The kids did a great of concentrating on what they needed to do this game. I'm sure they're glad they can turn their attention to Muskegon Heights now because they've been looking forward to it for a long time."

Shores (1-5) was led by Matt Heneveld and Tony Roof with 23 and 12 points, respectively.

The Sailors started the second half on an 11-2 run to get back in the game. Muskegon led 41-32 with 2:55 to play in the third quarter, but sank four three-pointers in the next five minutes to stem the tide.

Senior Chris Crawford drained four 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 20 points. Takarri Churchwell totaled 12 points, six assists and three steals and Corey Johnson added 11 points and seven rebounds for Muskegon.

After Michigan State career, North Muskegon's Naymick has mind set on pros

Thursday, December 27, 2007
By Dave LeMieux

Drew Naymick is smart enough to earn a Ph.D., but not at the expense of his basketball career.

"I'm in a position in my life and on this team that I wouldn't trade for anything," said Michigan State's 6-10, 245-pound senior center.

"I've had some success academically, but it's not why I'm here. I'm a basketball player. It's what I love to do. I'm going play as long as I can."

The former North Muskegon standout came of age last season, mastering Spartan coach Tom Izzo's intricate system.

He led the team with 55 blocked shots, the second-highest season total ever by a Spartan. He appeared in 35 games, starting the last 11. He averaged 3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in those starts.

Naymick has blocked 89 shots since his college career began in 2004 and needs just nine more to break Matt Steigenga's school record of 97 set from 1988-92.

Naymick earned his undergraduate degree in finance last spring and is currently taking master's and doctorate level courses.

Realistically, though, he says getting a Ph.D. is a long shot. Not because he couldn't, but because he hopes to have a long, successful pro hoops career.

"That's the goal of every player at a high Division I program. Of course, the air is very thin up at the top, but if the opportunity presents itself, I'd take it."

If that means playing overseas, so be it, Naymick says.

Naymick already has passed a major turning point in his life and has chosen a path which will determine his future.

Last summer, when Naymick's undergraduate classmates began building financial careers by working as interns in brokerages and investment firms on Wall Street or in Chicago, he was in the gym.

"(An internship) takes 100 percent of your time and you can't do that with basketball," he says. "But I love what I'm doing and I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Where will his choice leave him 10 years from now?

"You know what, I'd still like to be playing," he said. "But it's likely I'll have found a finance-related job somewhere."

As an undergrad, Naymick said he learned a basic knowledge of financial theory. In the graduate-level classes he's taken this year, he's learned about the real-world applications of financial theory on the corporate level.

He made the same transition from theory to practice on the basketball court.

"You can't play here unless you can defend. Defense is the cornerstone -- defense and rebounding. That comes through in everything we do and practice."

"There's definitely a learning curve. It's especially true when you're a freshman. You think you play defense in high school, but you really don't. It's not anywhere near the system we have here."

"The first couple years, I spent a lot of time learning the system and learning to function within the system," Naymick said.

After starting the first seven games of the 2005-06 season, Naymick suffered a shoulder injury and was red-shirted.

By last season, Naymick says he'd learned Izzo's system so well that shifting assignments on the fly became second nature.

By the end of this season, Naymick will earn his doctorate in Izzology.

"You can learn a lot of life-lessons from a guy like Izzo," Naymick said. "Lessons about competitiveness and desire and drive and what can separate you from the people you're competing with. Lessons that are very applicable to the business world. No one will ever outwork him or out-prepare him. That's something that not only applies in basketball, but in life as well."

"He's never satisfied -- it's one of things that makes him a good coach. Every year he pushes us further than we think we can go. Right now, of course, he's pushing me to be more of an offensive player."

Even the demanding Izzo was pleased after the Spartans handled Texas, 78-72, on Saturday, said Naymick.

The win pushed the Spartans from No. 9 up to No. 7 in the AP Top 25 poll.

The Spartans (11-1) are the only team in the poll to play four ranked teams, beating all but UCLA.

"That was a big-time win," Naymick said. "We checked their stuff and had some players step up on offense."

"I didn't put up the best numbers, but I did what I do -- played 30 minutes of solid defense."

Naymick finished with four points, one rebound and a block.

Through Saturday, Naymick's 15 blocks are second on the team only to starting center Goran Suton's 16. Naymick is averaging 3.6 rebounds and 3.5 points a game.

"Our confidence, team-wise, is at an all-time high right now," Naymick said on Monday. "As long as we take care of business against Wisconsin-Green Bay (on Saturday), then we can get back into the Big Ten season and do some damage there."

Anything less than the Big Ten title and a run deep into the NCAA tournament will be a disappointment, Naymick said.

Naymick made it back to North Muskegon for Christmas, fighting whiteouts and detouring around a pile-up on the drive from East Lansing on Sunday.

He planned a quiet break.

"I'm getting a little bug. Physically, I'm not feeling well, so I'm going to lay low and rest."


Terrance Taylor is

Michigan's Man In The

Middle

By Scott Brandenburg
Chronicle correspondent

Terrance Taylor is currently on a much-needed three-day break before he packs up and heads to Florida.

The last month for Taylor has pretty much been a blur to the University of Michigan junior defensive tackle.

Even though Taylor and the Michigan football team hasn't played a game since their gut-wrenching 14-3 home loss to rival Ohio State over a month ago, there's been plenty of activity to digest.

"It's been pretty hectic," agreed Taylor, the two-year starting nose tackle for the Maize and Blue. "I think I'm going to hang out here and relax."

All that Taylor's had to deal with is the post-OSU loss, announcement of veteran U-M head coach Lloyd Carr's retirement (effective after the bowl game), the waiting game before the Wolverines learned they're headed to the Capital One Bowl to play defending champion Florida, the naming of new head coach Rich Rodriguez, the firing of all of the Wolverine assistant coaches (also effective after the bowl game) and final exams.

It's enough to make even the most grounded and light-hearted athlete's head spin and Taylor is exactly that.

Despite all the distractions Taylor's focus is still on playing the game he loves at a high level and getting a win for his Wolverines.

The former all-stater and state champ at Muskegon has certainly got a lot to play for Jan. 1 -- an outgoing coach, outgoing senior friends and ... himself.

"I haven't won a bowl game since I've been here, so I really want to win this one," said Taylor, whose Wolverines lost to USC 32-18 in the 2007 Rose Bowl and lost 32-28 to Nebraska in his freshman season. "There are a lot of people who want to win this. Of course we'd like to make it a good game for Coach Carr in his last game here, but we just want to win, period."

Taylor feels a win on a New Year's Day Bowl against one of the hottest teams in the country will make a disappointing season measurably less so.

Besides the injuries to senior quarterback Chad Henne and senior running back Mike Hart, the Michigan defense has been under the most scrutiny.

Taylor, a 6-0, 308-pound nose tackle, has done his part to solidify the line and the 'D' and continues to look for ways to improve. He knows Florida and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow poses plenty of problems.

"We know they've got a pretty good offense," said Taylor. "We just need to take care of our responsibilities and try to disrupt their rhythm as much as possible.

Heading into the Capital One Bowl the 21-year-old Muskegon native's focus is on losing some weight so he can play lighter and quicker both in a week and in his upcoming senior season.

Taylor's always combined strength, he was the state's power lifting champion for three straight years, and quickness in his game. He's just looking for a little more.

It didn't slow Taylor down much this season as he earned second-team all-Big 10 honors according to conference coaches. He racked up 27 solo tackles and 54 overall (6th on team), 3.5 sacks (4th), 8.5 tackles for loss (4th) and the only Michigan blocked kick of the season despite drawing plenty of attention.

As of yet Taylor is unsure of how things are going to work out under Rodriguez's regime.

"I haven't really spoken to him yet," said Taylor, who was the only returning starting defensive lineman this season. "I've heard some things but I don't know for sure what all we're going to do.

"So far I've just been waiting around wondering who the assistant coaches are going to be like everyone else. I know it's going to be different but I'm still going to be in the middle of the action. It could be even more hectic in there."

No. 67 has mixed feelings about Carr's retirement.

"I'm sad to see him go," said Taylor. "I wish he would've made next year his last one so he'd coach my last year. At the same time I'm happy for him. I'm happy he can relax and get away from all the stresses of recruiting and media and everything."

A psychology major with a 3.0 grade-point-average, Taylor is looking forward to some fun in the sun starting next week in Florida.

After the month he's had, he's earned it.

 


Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame - 2008

Friday, December 14, 2007
By Dave LeMieux

The Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame board got twice as much for its money when it selected its three 2008 inductees.

Muskegon Heights grad Ossie McCarty was the first in Michigan to win state basketball titles as both a player and coach.

Another group of Tigers, Shelby's boys basketball team, won back-to-back state Class C titles in 1971 and 1972.

And Dan Brink, the first Muskegon-area wrestler to win a state title, turned the wrestling programs at both Whitehall and Fruitport into powerhouses.

The hall's 22nd group of athletes will be inducted on Saturday, June 7 at the Muskegon Harbor Holiday Inn.

Each year, the hall's 11-member board of directors considers hundreds of nominees before naming a select group to be honored. Here's a thumbnail sketch of the "Class of 2008."

Ossie McCarty

"The Wizard of Oss" played guard on Heights' legendary 1956 and 1957 Class A state championship teams, then returned to coach the Tigers to the Class B title in 1974.

Although basketball was his sport of choice, McCarty attended Arizona State University on a football scholarship. And, according to Hall of Fame president Gene Young, baseball may have been McCarty's best sport.

"He had to be one of the best prep athletes ever from the Muskegon area," Young said. But it was what McCarty did after his college career was over that set him apart, Young said.

"He could have gone anywhere, but he spent 30-plus years as a teacher, mentor, coach and administrator with the Heights school system," Young said.

Brought up from the jayvee as a sophomore for the 1956 tournament run, McCarty earned a starting spot in the 20-1 Tigers' lineup for their 63-53 victory over Hamtramck in the title game.

McCarty began the next season as a starter. The Tigers went 20-0, beating archrival Benton Harbor three times, including 74-52 in the state semifinals, en route to a 61-49 victory over Detroit Austin and future Hall of Famer Dave DeBusschere in the title game.

He was named varsity basketball coach and athletic director in 1971. He compiled a 100-33 record in five seasons before the controversial hiring of 24-year-old former Heights' star Lee Gilbert in the fall of 1977.

McCarty's 1972 team reached the Class B title game before losing to River Rouge, 65-64, after leading by seven with under a minute to play.

McCarty has always called the 1974 team's run to the state title the highlight of his sports career. The '74 team overcame five losses in the regular season to win Heights' first Class B title 52-44 over Holt.

McCarty once said: "To be truthful, that team didn't have the talent of some of my other teams, but they just wanted it more."

Shelby basketball teams of 1971, 1972

Few towns have had a longer running love affair with the hometown team than Shelby and its 1971 and 1972 Tigers.

"They really captured the imagination of that town," said Young. "Still, to this day, when they're seen on the street, they're seen as heroes."

"Oh my goodness," said Mary Beckman, whose older brothers, Fred and Stan Sanford, played on those teams along with her husband, Bob Beckman.

"We're still talking about those teams. They had a chemistry and such a sense of pride. We haven't seen anything like it here since."

Few towns of any size ever have.

The Shelby boys team which won back-to-back Class C state titles was a close-knit squad that galvanized the whole town.

Outside of Shelby, the two most recognized names from those teams are Coach Ed Douma and center Paul Griffin. Douma recently retired following a 31-year coaching career spent mostly at the college level with a 561-295 record. Griffin played in the NBA for seven years.

For the folks in Shelby, the names Beckman, Sanford, Plummer, Van Duinen, Inglis, Danville, Raeth, Dawson, McDonald and Gosselin are just as legendary.

Both titles truly were team efforts, Beckman said. "Everybody on that team had a role to play," Beckman said.

The players were inseparable. "Everybody hung out together," Beckman said. "Not just the starting five."

Their win over previously unbeaten Stockbridge in the 1971 title game completed a perfect 24-0 season.

Despite three losses, including to Class B state finalist Muskegon Heights, and West Michigan Conference co-champ Scottville Mason County Central, the 1972 Tigers beat Saginaw St. Stephen 71-61 in the 1972 title game.

Members of the 1971 Shelby team were: Bob Gosselin, Jack Griffin, Brian McDonald, Bob Beckman, Brad Plummer, Tom Inglis, Scott Dawson, Stan Sanford, Dan VanDuinen, Curt Raeth, Kimm Griffin, Paul Griffin, Alan Griffin, Steve Danville, Fred Sanford, Steve Pearson and Tom Lipps.

Member of the 1972 Shelby team were: Jeff Near, Norm Donker, Syl Flores, Jim Hoekenga, Paul Byl, Bob Erickson, Blair Hutchinson, Jake Vandehoef, Paul Tate, Stan Sanford, Bob Beckman, Scott Dawson, Dave VanDuinen, Curt Raeth, Paul Griffin, Steve Danville, Dan VanDuinen, Jack Griffin and Bob Gosselin.

Dan Brink

A state champion at Orchard View and an All-American at both Muskegon Community College and the University of Michigan, Young says Brink's greatest accomplishment might be building powerhouse programs at both Whitehall and Fruitport.

"He turned Whitehall into a state wrestling power and then returned and rebuilt the Fruitport program," Young said.

Brink was the first Muskegon wrestler to win a state championship, going 37-7 and winning the Class B 148-pound title as a junior at Orchard View.

In 1976, Brink came far closer than any other local wrestler before him to reaching the Olympics, when he qualified for the team. But his Olympic dream was denied when he severely injured his neck en route to winning his finals match.

Under Brink from 1975-1982, Whitehall compiled a 94-16 dual meet record. Included among the 21 state medalists on Brink's Whitehall team were three individual state champions.

The Vikings won two regional titles, three conference championships, three district titles and won the city meet three times.

Brink resumed his coaching career in 1987, returning the Fruitport program to prominence. The Trojans posted a 110-89-1 record in 10 seasons under Brink. The Trojans' 10 state medalists included three state champions. Brink's teams won two district titles, two conference championships and two city meets.


Mark's the man

Tuesday, February 20, 2007
By Tom Kendra
tkendra@muskegonchronicle.com

Mark Jastrzembski knows exactly what he will do if he ever wins the lottery.

"I would put a 400-meter skating oval out at Muskegon State Park and get the whole place refrigerated," said Jastrzembski, 57, a lifelong resident of the Muskegon area.

"That would be my dream come true."

Jastrzembski's unselfish devotion to two groups -- the West Michigan Speedskating Club and the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex -- has earned him the 2007 Distinguished Service Award from the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame.

The Distinguished Service Award is presented annually to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to sports in the area, but not as an athlete -- a description which fits the high-energy Jastrzembski to a "T."

"Without Mark, it's highly unlikely that the Winter Sports Complex would still be running," said Jim Rudicil, the executive director of the Muskegon State Park facility, which features the luge, skating and cross-country skiing. "Mark is always there any time we need him and he has never asked for anything in return."

Jastrzembski will receive his award at this year's MASHF Induction Ceremony on June 2 at the Holiday Inn-Muskegon Harbor.

He will be joined by athletic inductees Karel Bailey, Jock Callander and Mark Konecny, along with a male and female high school student-athlete of the year, which will be announced in May.

Jastrzembski first got involved with the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex and the Muskegon Sports Council at the urging of complex founder Michael Knight, who knew of Jastrzembski's speedskating knowledge and wanted him to head up the council's "flat ice" activities.

That was 23 years ago, and Jastrzembski is still secretary of the Winter Sports Council board, the founder of the Michigan Winter Triathlon and was the guy cooking hamburgers and hot dogs at the facility's recent free family picnic.

While Jastrzembski is one of many individuals who have helped grow and develop the Winter Sports Complex, he has almost single-handedly run the West Michigan Speedskating Club for the past 19 years.

In 1988, Jastrzembski personally rented the ice at L.C. Walker Arena for six straight Saturdays. Six skaters showed up and the West Michigan Speedskating club was born.

 The club, which has included hundreds of skaters from around the state over the past 19 years, now meets on Monday and Tuesday nights in Grand Rapids and Wednesday and Thursday nights in Muskegon. Jastrzembski never misses a practice.

The local club has produced many top skaters, including the club's first national champion, Grand Haven's Kelly Anderson, in 1990 and 1995. Her brother, Todd, was a national champ in 1992.

Other big names who got their start here include Derek Gray, Eva Rodansky, Mike Kooreman, Tom Cole and Kimberly Derrick of Caledonia, who competed in the Olympics last year in Italy.

But those that know Jastrzembski will tell you that he takes just as much pride in helping a youngster learn to skate as he does in producing an Olympian.

"Every Saturday or Sunday during our open skates, I'm able to teach at least one or two kids how to skate," said Jastrzembski, who is a retired third-shift worker from the Muskegon Correctional Facility who also did quite a bit of substitute teaching. "That is my weekly dose of personal satisfaction. To me, that is equal to an Olympian."

The West Michigan Speedskating Club really came of age in 1995, when it hosted the National Short-Track Speedskating Championships at the Walker Arena, where Apolo Ohno, Shani Davis and other future Olympians competed for local fans.

Jastrzembski has also been heavily involved in in-line skating events, founding the Michigan 400 in 1992, which was run for eight years either in the Great Lakes Downs parking lot or at the back parking lot at Muskegon Community College.

A lifelong bachelor, Jastrzembski figures teaching people skating and introducing them to the Winter Sports Complex is his way of giving back to the community he loves.

"I'm a single guy and I have some time," said Jastrzembski, 57. "I guess I see helping kids as part of my calling in life. I'm not done yet."

The local sports hall was formed in 1986 to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of Muskegon-area sports figures. The hall is located on the concourse of the L.C. Walker Arena.

The MASHF currently includes 86 members, eight teams, 16 Distinguished Service Award winners and 22 student-athlete award winners.


Officiating the Super Bowl

By Mardi Suhs, Cadillac News
Saturday, February 3, 2007


Courtesy photo: Dick Dolack officiated his first NFL football game on his birthday in 1966. He picked jersey No. 31 to match his age when chosen for the coveted job.

They don’t get the fame, the glory, or the big bucks. No one knows them by name. But NFL officials suit up every weekend, run the field, and call the plays in front of millions of football fans.

Dick Dolack, whose brother Mike lives in Cadillac, always dreamed of refereeing with the “big guys” of the NFL. He pursued his goal by officiating high school and semi-pro games and sending in numerous letters of application. In addition, he officiated for the NBA from 1960 to 1966.

“I just enjoyed officiating,” Dolack confessed from his home in Muskegon. “I just kept at it.”

But when he got the call from the NFL in 1966, he became one of the youngest NFL officials in history after impressing scouts with his on-field conduct and passing a 25-page exam.

He beat out 500 other applicants and spent his career as a field judge, where he said, “I just have to watch the contact — you just have to see everything and all at the same time.”

One of his career highlights was being tapped to referee Super Bowl IX, considered an honor by the 45 officials who man the NFL games in any one season.

Dolack, who said he was “never afraid to throw the flag,” recalled what it was like to officiate in front of 80,000 fans and about 130 million viewers.

“To be honest,” he admitted, “Super Bowl IX wasn’t one of the big games that you see highlighted now. But working the Super Bowl was the epitome of everything. You had the gut feeling — what am I doing here working the Super Bowl?”

The 1975 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings, the last Super Bowl to be played in cold weather, was a match between two legendary quarterbacks — Terry Bradshaw and Fran Tarkenton. Dolack said the officials had meetings all day Thursday and Friday before the game to go over the mechanics and rule changes.

“We were supposed to open up the new Super Dome,” he remembered. “It was a big hoopla, the new indoor stadium, but it wasn’t ready. So they made the decision to go back out to Tulane stadium. It was a nasty day, with rain and sleet and snow.”

In the low-scoring game, the Steelers beat the Vikings 16 to 6.

Dolack retired in 1991 after a 25-year career with the NFL, but continued as an observer who scouts college officials, looking for the chosen few who make it to the ranks of the NFL.

Dolack observed that in his day the game was more “fun and games and not nasty — things were more relaxed. You made the call and you dreaded the Monday morning phone call from the office. The hassle you get about the call in today’s game — it seems so much more big business.”

He said calls were made not only by the rulebook, but also by “a lot of little intricacies — things discussed during meetings.”

Throughout his years with the NFL, Dolack kept his day job as a pharmacist in Norton Shores near Muskegon. In 1955 he married Patricia Smith, a cheerleader he crashed into while officiating a high school game, and together they raised three children. He’s been inducted into the Muskegon Area Hall of Fame and became the first official to join the Minor Pro Football League Hall of Fame. He is also in the U.P. Sports Hall of Fame.

Field Judge:

Dick Dolack spent 25 years as an NFL official in the position of Field Judge, the official that lines up 25 yards deep in the defensive backfield on the tight end side of the field. His duties include:

  • Keep track of the play clock and call delay of game if it expiries
  • Make sure the defensive team has no more than 11 players on the field
  • Rule on plays that cross the defense’s goal line
  • Watch all eligible receivers on his side of the field
  • Rule on the legality of catches and pass interference penalties on the strong side of the field
  • Mark the spot where a play goes out of bounds on his side of the field
  • Watch for illegal use of hands by the receivers and defensive back

    Source: www.football.about.com

     Highlights of Dick Dolack’s 25 year NFL Officiating Career:

  • 1966 — After being ‘scouted’ by the NFL while officiating a semi-pro game in Grand Rapids, Dolack got the call for an interview. After taking a 25-page exam, he became one of the youngest NFL officials at age 31.
  • 1968 — “Wiped out from behind” on a play by Mike Ditka, tight end, in a Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Philadelphia Eagles game. The hit resulted in knee surgery.
  • 1970 — Made the call on Tom Dempsey’s record 63-yard field goal, which gave the New Orleans Saints a victory over the Detroit Lions.
  • 1975 — Officiated at Super Bowl IX in New Orleans where Pittsburgh defeated Minnesota
  • 1983 —Miami Dolphin coach Don Shula played a practical joke on Dolack in the locker room before an NFL preseason game. Knowing that Dolack’s watch had been tampered with, he demanded to know the time and chewed Dolack out for ‘messing up the season’ before it even started.

    Football officials and their duties:

    Football officials are in charge of enforcing the rules of the game. Officials are responsible for monitoring the game clock and play clock and recording all rule infractions.

    The term referee is actually assigned to only one of the officials during a game. Each official has his own title and assigned responsibilities.

    news@cadillacnews.com

    • Tigers still undefeated in tourney

    Saturday, December 30, 2006
    By Scott Brandenburg
    CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT

    There would be no need for second-half heroics for Muskegon Heights' boys basketball team to beat rival Muskegon this time.

    The Tigers haven't been a first-half team this season -- and they didn't have a good first three quarters against the Big Reds last time they met-- but they clicked early and often Friday in their latest meeting.

    Muskegon Heights capped off the fifth annual Hall of Fame Basketball Classic in style by racing to a 20-8 first-quarter lead and coasting to a 65-46 win over the Big Reds in front of a sold-out Reeths-Puffer Gymnasium crowd.

    The tournament is sponsored by the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame and also featured Mona Shores defeating Grand Haven 49-36 in the first game of the doubleheader.

    "It was very nice to see us get after it right from the start," said Tigers coach Keith Guy. "I didn't have to do much motivating at all. If you can't get up for a game in front of 3,200 fans and playing Muskegon, than there's something wrong."

    The Muskegon Heights seniors took it upon themselves to make sure their team got off to a strong start.

    Forward Patrick Martin scored eight of his team's first 10 points, guard Stedman Briggs poured in 13 first-half points and guard David Fox chipped in some timely buckets as Heights opened up a 17-point lead in the second quarter. The Tigers would not let the lead slip below double-digits the rest of the way.

    Both Briggs and Fox were struggling before the big game, but both came up with key contributions.

    "It's always good to beat Muskegon," said Fox. "We knew we needed to come out and play hard.

    "Coach (Guy) told Stedman he wanted him to start and finish games better and he stepped up and scored early for us. Coach told me to just relax and not think too much and I think it helped me feel more comfortable out there."

    The hot Tiger start was fueled by energy and defense.

    Eight of Heights' first 12 points came off Muskegon turnovers.

    The Tigers forced eight Big Red turnovers in the opening eight minutes of action. The mistakes turned into Heights points as well as helped keep Muskegon off the scoreboard.

    The Big Reds were limited to eight first-quarter points on three baskets. They weren't able to score on back-to-back possessions until the middle of the third quarter thanks to the stingy Tiger defense.

    "We aren't very tall, so we need to play to our strengths," said Guy. "We need to use our quickness to create turnovers and turn our defense into offense. I thank God that we were able to control the tempo of the game and play to our strengths."

    Martin scored 16 points, Briggs totaled 15 points, Reuben McFadden added 12 points and Fox contributed 11 points for the Tigers, who are 10-0 in the Basketball Classic.

    Despite the early deficit, Muskegon hung around.

    Chris Crawford drained four first-half 3-pointers on his way to 16 points and Bobby Miller canned three 3-pointers and totaled 13 points for the Big Reds.

    Muskegon had a couple of chances to trim the deficit to nine points, but missed a couple easy shots and then watched Heights go on a 12-2 run to put it away.

    "I was a little surprised they stayed in it after we went up big on them early," said Fox. "They showed a lot of heart."

    Heights outshot Muskegon 49-34 percent and had a 36-28 rebounding advantage.

    "We played hard, but we still took too many bad shots and made too many turnovers, which of course we all know Heights takes advantage of very well," said Muskegon head coach Bernard Loudermill. "At this point' we're trying to lay some building blocks. I'm hoping that when people watch us play, they see a team that's turning it around and making improvements when they work as a unit."

    Briggs paced the Tigers on the boards with nine rebounds.

    Mona Shores 49, Grand Haven 36
     The Sailors and Bucs did not play inspiring basketball in the first half, but Shores picked it up in the final half to get the win.

    The Sailor defense had its way with Grand Haven's offense, limiting the Bucs to less than 10 points in each of the first three quarters.

    The final score proved to be misleading as Shores' lead ballooned to 24 points early in the fourth quarter before the Bucs rallied against the Sailor subs.

    "It was a sloppy game, but I'm glad we were able to play well enough to pull away," said Mona Shores coach Jeremy Andres. "It's good to get the win and give us some momentum heading into some key O-K Green games coming up."

    Junior forward Matt Heneveld led all scorers with 14 points.

    Senior guards Russ Amidon and David Farnquist each tallied eight points apiece to give the Sailors, who play Zeeland East and Holland Christian in their next two games, a boost on offense.

    Riley Hall and Kent Viening scored nine points each to lead the Bucs.

    "We're just not executing on offense at all," said Grand Haven coach Steve Hewitt. "We're getting decent outside shots, but we're not making any of them, and we're not getting any movement inside at all."

    Viening grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Bucs and Adam Dickerson paced the Sailors on the boards with six rebounds.

    Muskegon, Heights ride victories into matchup

    Friday, December 29, 2006
    By Scott Brandenburg
    CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT

    Muskegon basketball players are glad it is Christmas break and it has nothing to do with a rest from schoolwork.

    The Big Reds have an opportunity to completely forget about the first fifth of the season with a good showing at the fifth annual Basketball Classic sponsored by the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame.

    The first phase of the operation was successful for the Big Reds, who showed flashes of putting it together with teamwork in a 56-46 win over Grand Haven Thursday at Reeths-Puffer High School.

    "It's great to be coming off a win," said junior guard Bobby Miller, whose team improved to 2-3. "We feel so much better than we did last week. We played more like a team instead of playing selfish and not sharing the ball."

    If the Big Reds think this win feels good, then topping Muskegon Heights, which handled Mona Shores 63-50 in Thursday's nightcap, in tonight's prime-time matchup would put them over the rainbow. Tonight's games are Mona Shores vs. Grand Haven at 6 p.m., followed by Heights vs. Muskegon. Tickets are available for both games.

    The Tigers have owned Muskegon the last four years, but a Big Reds' win tonight would help erase the memory of their collapse at the hands of their rivals a year ago.

    To do that, Muskegon will have to improve even more on the improvements they made on both ends of the court against Grand Haven (2-4).

    "I saw some good things at times," said Muskegon coach Bernard Loudermill. "We played much better than against Zeeland East, when we just shot it up without thinking of anyone else.

    "There were still times when we were undisciplined, but we were able to get into our transition offense and scored out of our halfcourt offense, something we haven't done at all."

    No one would have guessed things would get better for the Big Reds after they went through an eight-minute stretch in the first half getting outscored 18-3 by the Bucs.

    Trailing 18-7, the Big Reds suddenly found their patience in the halfcourt, their energy on the boards and their tenacity on defense to close the half on a 14-6 run. Muskegon trailed 24-23 at the half.

    Behind Miller's 14 points and nine points apiece from Takarri Churchwell and Larry Davis, Muskegon finally took the lead in the fourth quarter. The Bucs and Big Reds went back and forth for the next few minutes before the Big Reds ended the game on a 10-0 run, the difference in the game.

    "I was pleased with our overall effort," said Loudermill. "Bobby is one of those players who is very explosive offensively and defensively and Larry Davis had a solid overall performance."

    Grand Haven didn't get the break-out game it was looking for.

    The Bucs were given a boost by the return of sophomore guard Austin Harper, who scored a game-high 16 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Bucs' lack of attack in the second half.

    "We didn't execute offensively," said Grand Haven coach Steve Hewitt. "It looked like five games of 1-on-1 out there. We've got to do a better job of running the offense and hitting the shots that are there."

    Aaron Johnson and Kent Viening added 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Bucs, who lost the rebounding (37-28) and turnover (19-12) battles to the Big Reds. Viening grabbed a game-high 13 boards.

    Muskegon shot 50 percent from inside the 3-point arc and just 12 percent (2-of-17) beyond it. Still Loudermill was encouraged by the Big Reds' shot selection.

    "We are starting to be more patient and more selective," said Loudermill. "We're identifying who can shoot the 3-pointer and who has no business hoisting it from out there."

    Muskegon Heights 63, Mona Shores 50
    When Muskegon Heights' offense is on, it's a thing of beauty.

    Unfortunately for Tigers' coach Keith Guy, he's rarely seen it anywhere near the start of the game.

    So far it hasn't hurt the Tigers much. It didn't Thursday against Mona Shores. Heights spotted the Sailors a 14-12 lead midway through the second quarter before turning it on for a 63-50 win in the nightcap.

    The win continues Heights' dominance in the Classic and improves the Tigers' record to 3-1 this season.

    "In that first half we were just one pass and let it fly," said Guy. "It wasn't pretty. When we executed our offense we were able to get the shots we wanted rather than taking shots the (Mona Shores) defense wanted."

    The numbers speak for themselves.

    Before halftime, the Tigers shot 39 percent. In the second half they scorched the nets at a 61 percent clip.

    The hot shooting couldn't help the Tigers run away from Mona Shores (3-2), but it did help them to gradually pull away.

    "I'm proud of the execution by our players," said Mona Shores coach Jeremy Andres. "Defensively, I think we did fine and the press didn't hurt us much, which is goal No. 1 when you play Muskegon Heights. They just shot great.

    "When you have athletes like that and can shoot, it's tough to stop."

    Five Tigers sank 3-pointers and three reached double figures in points, led by senior guard Andre Evans with 18 points. David Fox slashed his way to the basket for 12 points and Stedman Briggs added 11 points.

    Muskegon Heights scored eight points in the first quarter, but averaged over 18 points the final three quarters.

    The Sailors, who shot 35 percent, got big-time production from reserve David Farnquist, who sank 4-of-5 3-pointers for a team-high 14 points. Tony Roof added 11, but Shores' firepower was limited when do-everything forward Matt Heneveld was forced to sit for almost all of the second quarter with two fouls.

    "Shores played great defense, they were well prepared for us," said Guy. "We knew they would come out strong. Getting Heneveld into foul trouble was huge for us. It was a big bonus."

    Fox grabbed nine rebounds for Heights and Roof snagged eight boards for Shores.

    Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame
     Class of 2007

    Thursday, December 7, 2006
    By Tom Kendra
    CHRONICLE ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

    Wait a minute, is Muskegon a football town or a hockey town? Maybe it's both.

    And in case you haven't noticed, in addition to its well-earned reputation as a football and hockey hotbed, the Muskegon area is gaining a reputation around the state as a top area and one particular girls high school sport-volleyball.

    The Muskegon Area Sports Hall of fame will induct a giant in each of those sports-Karel Bailey (volleyball), Jock Callander (hockey) and Mark Konecny (football) at its 21st induction ceremony on June 2nd at the Holiday Inn-Muskegon Harbor in downtown Muskegon.

    "All I can say is that when you look at a class like this, of being our 21st year, for a small town were doing very, very well," said Gene Young the president of the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame "Its a balanced class with a little bit of everything. "

    Each year the Hall of Fame's 13 member board of directors considers hundreds of potential candidates, before holding a vote each November to determine the next group of inductees. Young said he is consistently amazed that the list of quality candidates never seems to diminish.

    "There are still all kinds of outstanding people out there and that's one of the things that makes this job so exciting and so difficult," said Young, a retired Fruitport school administrator and local radio personality.

    The three inductees will be the main event of the hall's annual June induction ceremony. The MASHF will have two more announcements leading up to the big day.

    A Distinguished Service Award winner presented to an individual who made an outstanding contribution to sports in the area, but not as an athlete, will be announced in February. A male and female high-school student-athlete of the year will be named in May.

    The local sports hall was formed in 1986 to recognize outstanding achievements of Muskegon-area sports figures. The hall is located on the concourse of the L. C. Walker Arena.

    The MASHF currently includes 86 members, eight teams, 16 Distinguished Service Award winners and 22 student-athlete award winners.

    The hall also hosts an annual holiday basketball tournament during Christmas break, which is set for December 28-29 at Reeths-Puffer High School. Participating schools this year are Grand Haven, Mona Shores, Muskegon and Muskegon Heights.

    Here's a thumbnail sketch of the Class of 2006 inductees.

    Karel Bailey
    Karel Bailey was a true pioneer of girls high school sports in the Muskegon area.

    Bailey, a Pontiac native and a three-sport star at Western Michigan University, began teaching and coaching at North Muskegon in 1975 and she's still doing it today.

    Bailey first made her mark outdoors in track and field, leading the North Muskegon girls team for 13 years, winning five West Michigan Conference titles, two regional titles and state championships in 1977, 1979 and 1980.

    She is perhaps best known locally for turning the Norse into a state volleyball powerhouse during her tenure as head coach from 1984 to 2003.

    During that 19-year run, NM won 18 WMC titles, 15 district, six regionals, made it to the Final Four four times and the state finals once. Her overall varsity volleyball coaching record was 386-225-31.

    Bailey's influence has been felt far outside the village of North Muskegon. She has been a mentor for many area female coaches with sought her advice for making it and a male-dominated profession. Bailey has also worked as a state volleyball official and as a major college field hockey official as well as serving on a number of volleyball committees for the Michigan High School Athletic Association.

    Bailey and her husband, Tony, live in North Muskegon, where she is still an active teacher and coach in the middle school level.

    Jock Callander
    The name Jock Callander still brings a smile to the face of Muskegon area hockey fans, who remember him as a dominant center on some of the great Muskegon Lumberjack teams of the late to 1980's.

    Callander, a native of Regina, Saskatchewan, first came to Muskegon in 1984 and helped ignite a golden era of Muskegon hockey during his eight years here, where he was a local hero along with likes of Scott Gruhl and David Michayluk.

    He top the 100-point mark during his first three years in town, highlighted by the 1986 Turner Cup title. The Lumberjacks parent club, the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League, took notice of his talent and Callander split time between Muskegon over the next five years. Callander led the Lumberjacks to another Turner Cup championship trophy in 1989 and then as part of the Penguins' Stanley Cup championship team in 1992 which was coached by Scotty Bowman and included greats like Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Paul Coffey, Kevin Stevens and Rick Tocchet.

    After the Lumberjacks moved to Cleveland in 1992, Callander continued to be a force for the team long after most of his contemporaries had retired.

    Callander played seven years in Cleveland and 18 years of professional hockey overall. He is the all-time leading scorer in International Hockey League history with 1,402 points, second all-time with 848 assists and third in league history with 554 goals.

    Callander went on to be an assistant coach for Cleveland and then Houston of the AHL. He is now retired from hockey and living in suburban Cleveland.

    Mark Konecny
    Mark Konecny was the first player from the academic-rich Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association to make it to the National Football League. In doing so, the 1981 Mona Shores graduate broke through the glass ceiling and proved that talent and desire are more important than planning for a big-name college team.

    Konecny first made his mark locally as one of the top quarterbacks in Mona Shores school history. He chose to attend Alma College where he was quickly converted to running back and wasted no time making his mark, rushing for 941 yards in the 1982 season.

    In his senior year of 1984, Konecny became the first Alma rusher to top 1,000 yards in a season, finishing with a 1,058 yards, which placed him eighth in the nation in Division III.

    He also led the MIAA in scoring and punt returns, earning him first-team all-conference honors an honorable mention on the Division III All-American team, the first MIAA player to receive that honor. Konecny started his pro career with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, but got his break into the NFL turning the strike season of 1987.

    He joined Miami as a punt returner and averaged 7.7 yds per return. His best professional season was 1988 when, ironically, he replaced the recently-retired Bobby Morse from Muskegon Catholic as Philadelphia's punt returner. Konecny returned 17 kickoffs for 276 yards and 32 punts for 226 yards.

    Konecny, who now lives in Colorado, suffered a career-ending injury in the first exhibition game of the 1989 season while playing for the New York Jets.

     


    Finally, a place to call home

    Friday, December 01, 2006
     
    By Tom Kendra
    CHRONICLE ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

     

    Kenny Lane was asked how he liked the new Muskegon Recreational Center in the heart of the Jackson Hill area, which is the first true home for the Muskegon Area Boxing Club in more than 30 years.

    "Oh, it will be fine," said Lane, 74, the great southpaw who fought for the lightweight championship of the world in the 1960s and has spent the rest of his life teaching Muskegon kids his craft.

    "It'll keep me off the streets."

    It's a good thing that 'ol Kenny has a sense of humor.

    The Muskegon Area Boxing Club has been jerked around like a snagged salmon for the last quarter of a century, moving from one bombed-out building to another all over town as Lane and other dedicated coaches like Jack Crowell and Terry Markowski tried to teach kids how to box, how to work hard and how to listen (not necessarily in that order).

    Inevitably, as soon as the club got comfortable and established in one place, they would get booted for fire code violations or because the building had been sold.

    The past few years, the club's coaches and top fighters were forced to drive to Grand Rapids a couple of times a week to train in a facility there.

    Knowing the club's tough-luck history helped explain the euphoria of Thursday night, when the Muskegon Recreational Center at Smith Ryerson Playground at 550 Wood Street -- the new home of the Muskegon Area Boxing Club and several other youth organizations -- had a grand opening celebration for the public.

    While about 20 area kids were boxing on the north side of the building, a quick tour of the previously underutilized building showed city leaders and business owners that the new rec center is much more than a boxing gym.

    The main room is a meeting area for the Webster House Outreach program and other community organizations, with a separate game room and even a study room with five computers with Internet access. The facility will serve as a "drop-in center" for youths and young adults in the 14- to 24-year-old age group, according to building managers Matt Kolkema and Emilio Trejo, who are both City of Muskegon police officers.

    For Kolkema, who has been working for the past two years to make the rec center a reality, the motivation was more personal.

    "Kenny is the inspiration for this whole thing," said Kolkema, who trained under Lane as a kid and now has two children who are members of the Muskegon Area Boxing Club.

    "He has donated his time and talent to this town for 30 years. The least we can do is give him a place to teach kids."

    Lane, as is his nature, tried to avoid the spotlight on Thursday night. He is known as something of an eccentric for his training methods and he relishes the underdog role, from the day he fought Joe Brown for the world lightweight championship to the past 30 years, when he regularly brought fighters from makeshift gyms to big boxing shows all over the state.

    I'll never forget two years ago, when Lane brought Rocky Smith out to California to fight unbeaten Nick Cook from Indiana.

    No one from ESPN2, which was airing the bout to a national audience on "Friday Night Fights," knew that the Muskegon Area Boxing Club had just been ordered out of its corner of the old Muskegon Piston Ring factory off of Laketon by the fire department. Lane was literally training Smith in the streets leading up to the biggest fight of his life.

    That's what made it so exciting when Smith, a huge underdog, feeding off the sage advice of the legendary Lane in his corner, knocked out Cook on national TV.

    I remember thinking at the time: "I wonder what Kenny Lane could do if he actually had a decent gym to work in."

    Now we'll find out.

    In addition to a facility with a permanent ring and a nice array of heavy bags, speed bags and other boxing equipment, Lane and the other coaches also have a group of outstanding boxers, led by young brothers Fred and Joel Flores of Hart, Raeese Aleem of Ravenna and Johnny Garcia of Muskegon.

    "Now the pressure is on," conceded Lane, pulling on a pair of training gloves as he worked with a young fighter about 12 years old.

    "I better start turning out champions now or they'll run me out of town."

    That will never happen, Kenny.

    Especially now that you've got a home.

    'Ike' was hard-hitting on field, in air

     
    Saturday, October 07, 2006
    By Dave LeMieux
    CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER

    Muskegon's Ira C. "Ike" Kepford was the highest-scoring ace in the Navy's best fighter squadron of World War II.

    "He was the lead ace in our squadron, but he was just one of the guys," said fellow Navy flyer Hal Jackson from his home in Denton, Tex.

    "We were all real close to one another," said Jackson, who served with Kepford in VF-17.

    Kepford, a Muskegon High School and college football star who died in 1987, will be enshrined in the Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame tonight at the Kalamazoo Air Zoo.

    Kepford's "Jolly Rogers" squadron shot down 156 Japanese planes and sank five ships during five months of combat in the South Pacific.

    Kepford flew more than 200 combat missions between Nov. 11, 1943, and Feb. 19, 1944, shooting down 16 planes during six of those sorties.

    From the start, Kepford always was a guy who stood out from the crowd.

    He was captain of Muskegon High's state championship football team in 1937 and captain of Northwestern's nationally ranked football team from 1939 to 1941.

    Kepford cut short his playing career and joined the Naval Reserve during halftime of the Illinois game in the fall of 1941, before the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.

    After the war, Kepford rose through the business ranks, ending his career as president of Liggett-Rexall Drug Co.

    Kepford weighed 135 pounds soaking wet when he reported to Hackley Stadium in 1935 to try out for a spot on legendary Coach C. Leo Redmond's powerhouse Big Red football team, former Northwestern teammate Ade Schummacher remembered in a 1967 Chicago Tribune obituary.

    Despite his size, Kepford hit like a ton of bricks, Schummacher said.

    The aggressive, competitive spirit was shared by the other pilots in the Jolly Rogers, Jackson said.

    "We had a good leader in Tommy Blackburn. We didn't mind mixing it up. The main thing was to hit (the enemy) hard."

    Kepford told of Lt. Cdr. John T. "Tommy" Blackburn's combat philosophy in a wartime interview in the Chicago Daily News -- "Don't walk a wire! Do something! Do it quickly! Make up your minds!"

    The crusty Blackburn insisted on teamwork from his pilots, Kepford said, and wouldn't stand for any "Lone Ranger" tactics.

    "He had the right idea, too," Kepford told the Daily News. "I don't know of a single guy in our outfit who hasn't picked some (enemy fighter) off a pal's tail before a battle was over."

    Although Blackburn gave Kepford and the rest of VF-17's pilots free reign on the ground, the skipper was a tyrant in the air.

    Blackburn gave his top ace a good chewing out for the "recklessness and over-confidence" that earned Kepford the Navy's Gold Star on a Jan. 29, 1944, mission to Rabaul.

    Kepford and Howard "Teeth" Burriss were flying high cover on the mission.

    Although their wingmen had turned back with engine trouble, Kepford and Burriss dove on a dozen enemy planes that were setting up an attack on the low-flying U.S. bombers and fighters.

    Kepford and Burriss shot down four enemy planes each with a perfectly executed series of diving and climbing attacks.

    Kepford had earned his first Navy Cross in the Battle of the Solomon Sea, on Nov. 11, 1943, just 10 days after the squadron entered combat.

    Kepford's land-based squadron was patrolling over the aircraft carrier Bunker Hill, when it was attacked by Japanese bombers.

    Kepford flew through the Bunker Hill's anti-aircraft fire and shot down a torpedo plane less than 1,000 yards from the ship.

    Kepford escaped from the friendly fire unscathed and shot down three other dive bombers. Nearly out of fuel, he was forced to land his large 12,000-pound Corsair on the Bunker Hill.

    While the crew refueled and re-armed Kepford's plane, the Bunker Hill's captain served him a cup of coffee.

    Although the Marines of Maj. Gregory "Pappy" Boyington's VMF-214 "Black Sheep" Squadron earned an enduring reputation as hellions, the "Jolly Rogers" were every bit as rambunctious, according to reports.

    Kepford was no exception, running afoul of the Navy's brass even before the squadron left the States.

    Kepford spent 10 days confined to his barracks after a mock dogfight with an Army P-51 over downtown Norfolk.

    Kepford often was praised for his teamwork and never seemed to lack self-confidence on the football field.

    Training for war was something else again. After two of Kepford's roommates were killed in training accidents less than two weeks apart, he wrote a note to Schummacher on the back of a laundry slip, "I don't know whether I'll ever be able to get used to this."

    Later, in the Pacific, the rigors of flying two combat missions a day for weeks at a time took a toll.

    "You never shake off the feeling of insecurity," Kepford said in 1944. "It's like knowing you're being watched all the time."

    Kepford recalled the day Ensign Thad "Jug" Bell was shot down.

    Bell was under attack by eight enemy planes when he radioed Kepford for help.

    Kepford shot down two planes, then banked to see Bell's plane plunging straight down, another fighter on his tail.

    "I got close enough to give the (enemy) the guns and he blew up like a firecracker," Kepford said. "I could see Bell down below and I kept waiting for him to pull out. He never did. He disappeared straight into the sea.

    "I wanted to cry out loud."

    Following the war, Kepford rose quickly through the business ranks. By the time he was 30 he was vice president of Liggett Drug Co. with a swank office in New York City.

    At 37, he was named president of Liggett and later retired as president of Liggett-Rexall Drug Co. in the late 1960s.

    He was involved in several plastics firms in New Jersey and Connecticut for a decade following his retirement.

    He and his wife, Esther, retired to Harbor Springs in 1978.

    Twenty years of memories
    for local Hall

    Thursday, June 03, 2006
    By Tom Kendra
    CHRONICLE ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

    The Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame has come a long way in the past 20 years.

    Actually, the idea of honoring and remembering the area's athletic greats is a few years older than that.

    It was a ex-Chronicle sports writer Dick Hedges who pushed for the idea of a local Hall of Fame and beamed with pride as the original seven inductees joined the organization on May 24, 1987.

    If only he could see it now.

    Hedges died in 1994, but the current 14-member Hall of Fame board of directors says continued his vision and taken the organization to new heights.

    Tonight, the local sports hall will induct basketball great kelp a.m. and the Muskegon Heights football teams of 1945, 1946 and 1947 as it's 20th class of inductees in a ceremony at the Holiday Inn-Muskegon Harbor. Joining them will be Distinguished Service Award winners Jerry Porter and student-athlete honorees Rickey Anderson of Muskegon Heights and Vanessa King of Spring Lake.

    The non-profit MASHF, launched with the support of the Muskegon Chronicle and Muskegon County Museum, has stayed true to the mission of recognizing and remembering outstanding athletic accomplishments of Muskegon-area sports figures.

    "We are all so proud of this organization," said MASHF President Gene Young, who succeeded Hedges as the head of the hall in 1994.

    "It's a lot of great people with a lot of great skills that really care about this town. That's what makes this Hall of Fame continue to stay alive and evolve. "

    Past and Present
    At first, it was just seven plaques on a hallway.

    Today, the MASHF is a seemingly endless string of display cases packed with memorabilia on the otherwise plain walls of the concourse encircling the L.C. Walker Arena in downtown Muskegon-the hub of the area's sports scene.

    Observing the contents of the eight display cases is a walk down memory lane for sports nuts.

    There is a football from Super Bowl IX, which was officiated by 1994 inductee Dick Dolack. In another case is a program from a Muskegon Lassies baseball game from 1947, a team which featured Donna and Doris Cook. Look further and see an original Snurfer board, invented by 2001 inductee Sherman Poppen.

    The list goes on and on.

    It was the accumulation of that memorabilia, as the of hall ' s numbers increased, which forced the MASHF to move in from its original home in the Muskegon County Museum to the downtown arena.

    The Walker Arena Manager Tony Lisman has said the addition of the Hall of Fame has been a "win-win" situation for both the arena and the MASHF, and he has noted large groups of fans checking out the exhibits during intermissions at Muskegon hockey games and other arena events.

    The displays and plaques for each inductees are meticulously maintained, updated and dusted by a group that Young calls the "Gang of Five" - MASHF board members Bill Duplissis and Bob Page along with Matt Duplissis, Bob Ludwig and Mark Okkonen.

    Young said the key to the success of the local hall is having those types of board members, people who give tirelessly in their own area of expertise.

    Perhaps the most visible is treasurer Jim Moyes, who spends months preparing for his yearly duty as the irrepressible emcee of the induction banquet.

    No one works harder on behalf of the MASHF then Secretary Ron Pesch whose has been instrumental in the development and updating of the organization's web site-www.mashf.com-and researching potential inductees.

    Vice-President John Arter, with a big assist from board member Tom Kampenga coordinates the tickets for the banquet, which this year could top the 400 mark.

    Mike Mack coordinates the annual Hall of Fame Basketball Classic in December, Cindy Fairfield is in charge of the 16-page program for the banquet and Kampenga and Page organize the hall's "Party in the Park".

    Other active board members are Duplissis Floyd Cook Jr., Al Nichols, Tom Stribley, Jack VanSchelven and Steve Hoffman, who recently replaced longtime member Mary Ullmer

    "I'm the guy who gets quoted in the paper,but it's all of these people with all of their unique talents, which make this thing work, " said Young, 64, a retired administrator from Fruitport schools and a longtime sports radio personality.

    The future
     A major concern when the MASHF was launched in 1986 was running out of quality candidates to induct.

    However, board members say that even after 20 years they still have a list of 40-50 "strong nominees"- with more being added every year.

    "There are still some real heavy hitters out there that will eventually be inducted," said Moyes, who has attended all 19 ceremonies, "but they have to be worthy, that's one thing I will say. This board will not put someone in just because they're a friend or a nice guy. "

    The MASHF currently includes 85 members, five teams, 15 Distinguished Service Award winners and 20 student-athlete award winners.

    The hall began honoring a Distinguished Service Award winner in 1991, for someone who made a major contribution to sports in the area, but not as an athlete. In 1996, the Hall began honoring the area's top male and female high-school senior student-athletes.

    The local hall gained national attention in 1998, when it hosted the annual convention of the International Association of Sports Museums and Halls of Fame.

    Young said three of the ongoing concerns for the future of the MASHF are funding, technology and access.

    The hall is funded by sponsorship from area businesses and small earnings from the annual banquet and the annual holiday basketball tournament - in which more than the $10,000 is returned to the four competing schools each year.

    One major fund raiser is the MASHF's upcoming " Party in the Park" on June 16th at Hackley Park in downtown Muskegon.

    The hall took a major step into the future with the launch of its own Web site last year, allowing the world to access Muskegon sports history.

    Young said a goal of the Hall is to add technology to displays at the Walker Arena, perhaps with video clips of great plays or short shows on the area's best players and teams.

    In terms the public access to the MASHF, Young acknowledges that the move to the Walker Arena concourse has been a double edged sword.

    On one hand, having the displays visible at hockey games, graduation ceremonies and other community events provides a captive audience of people that might not have visited a separate Hall of Fame storefront. On the other hand, the Walker Arena is closed for long stretches, particularly in the summer months when many tourists are in town, preventing people from seeing the exhibits.

    "We are working to get a number of set dates for public viewing, when board members will be there to give tours," said Young.

    "We have great things down here and we want everyone to see it, enjoy it, talk about it and remember it. That's what this organization is all about."

    Tatum: Muskegon-Heights rivalry was special

    Thursday, June 01, 2006
    By Tom Kendra
    CHRONICLE ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

    One of Cal Tatum's earliest memories is shoveling the snow off the driveway of his family's home in the Jackson Hill area of Muskegon so that he could play basketball.

    Tatum was one of nine children, and his family would have some terrific battles in the freezing conditions for nothing more than bragging rights.

    "We just wanted a chance to play," recalled Tatum, 55, who now lives in the Bay area of California in San Pablo. "Snow, ice and cold -- none of that stuff ever bothered us much back then."

    Of all the Tatums who have starred in sports in the Muskegon area, Cal Tatum soared the highest, earning all-state basketball honors at Muskegon High School in 1969 and then All-American honors at Southern Colorado in 1972 and 1973.

    Tatum will soar into the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday at the hall's 20th annual induction ceremony at the Holiday Inn-Muskegon Harbor.

    A hot topic of conversation on Saturday night surely will be the long and storied rivalry between Muskegon and Muskegon Heights, with Tatum representing the Big Reds and the three undefeated football teams of 1945, 1946 and 1947 representing the Tigers.

    In addition, Distinguished Service Award winner Jerry Porter is a Muskegon High graduate and male student-athlete honoree Ricky Anderson is from Muskegon Heights.

    The only one of Saturday's inductees without a direct connection to either Muskegon or Muskegon Heights is female student-athlete winner Vanessa King of Spring Lake, but her father, David King, was a standout pitcher at Muskegon.

    "What sticks out the most in my mind is the great rivalry we had with Muskegon Heights," said Tatum, who graduated in 1969 as the Big Reds' all-time leading scorer with 1,250 points, an average of 22.7 points per game. "Great games, but I think we got the better of them in my years there."

    Tatum, a 6-1 guard, was a three-year varsity standout who improved each year for Muskegon basketball coach Mike Murphy.

    He was fourth team all-state as a sophomore, second team all-state as a junior and first team all-state as a senior, when he averaged 22.4 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals.

    Tatum took his all-around basketball skills -- a rare mix of speed, ball-handling, jumping and long-range shooting -- to Southern Colorado in Pueblo, Colo., where he was a four-year starter for the Indians.

    Despite playing in an era before the 3-point shot, he is still Southern Colorado's all-time leading scorer with 2,143 points. He is also the sixth-leading rebounder in school history with 805.

    After graduation, Tatum played with a traveling basketball team all over the world, eventually settling in California in 1975, where he has remained ever since.

    Tatum is retired from the U.S. Department of Defense and currently works for the U.S. Postal Service. He is also involved with his church, running basketball camps for children and Men of Vison, a real estate investment company.

    One thing he doesn't do any more is play basketball.

    "Oh no, I run and exercise a little bit, but I don't play any basketball," said Tatum, who was one of the first inductees into the Southern Colorado Basketball Hall of Fame.

    "I love to teach the game to kids, especially to underprivileged kids who may not have a chance to learn it anywhere else. The game taught me so much. Passing it on to kids is my way of giving something back."

    Tatum, who will attend Saturday's ceremony with his wife, Marilyn, has one daughter and one stepson.

    Tatum will have another connection at Saturday's event as his nephew, Ricky Anderson of Muskegon Heights, will receive the male student-athlete award early in the evening.


    HollandSentinel.com

    Sonny day for parade

    Thursday, May 11, 2006
    By LEO MARTONOSI
    Senior Correspondent

    MARCHING: Former Michigan State football standout
    Sonny Grandelius marched in the Volksparade Wednesday
    as a guest of The Sentinel.     Sentinel/Dennis R.J. Geppert
    Sonny Grandelius, The Sentinel's guest for Wednesday's Volksparade, brought smiles to several local residents and Volksparade tourists.

    Grandelius, a former Michigan State great in football, is a member of the 2006 Michigan Sports Hall of Fame class.

    "He was a great player at Michigan State," said Tim McAuliffe of Holland.

    McAuliffe surprised Grandelius by greeting him by his "real" first name, Everett.

    "No one calls me that," Grandelius said. "Not even my mother or any of my teachers when I was in school."

    McAuliffe surprised Grandelius when Tim McAuliffe told him he was the son of Don McAuliffe, one of his former MSU teammates

    "He was the featured back after (Grandelius) graduated and went on to the pros," McAuliffe said.

    Grandelius, an all-state running back at Muskegon Heights, played in high school against some of Holland's better-known players, including Don Piersma, Ken Bauman and Lawrence McCormick.

    The former MSU All-American running back led Muskegon Heights to two of their three straight state championships.

    "That was before they had playoffs," Grandelius said.

    "I had a great time in high school and in college.

    Grandelius said being part of Muskegon Heights amazing 28 consecutive winning streak and beating both Michigan and Notre Dame during the 1950 season were two of his many athletic playing highlights.

    Muskegon Heights was a football power when Grandelius played under legendary coach Okie Johnson. Everyone of those games was played at Muskegon's Hackley Stadium and before crowds up to 15,000 people, Grandelius said.

    "Basketball is now the No. 1 sport at Heights, but football was the No. 1 sport for many, many years," he said.

    Grandelius went on to a successful coaching career after his playing days. He led the University of Colorado to a 1961 Orange Bowl victory. He was also named Big 8 Coach of the Year that season.

    "I had a very good time at Colorado," Grandelius said. "I really liked all the places I coached."

    Grandelius also spent some time in the National Football League as an assistant coach with Philadelphia and Detroit. He played one NFL season with the 1956 league champion New York Giants.

    "That was before they had the Super Bowl," said Grandelius, who became a popular color analyst with the Mutual Broadcasting System.

    Grandelius said he enjoyed working as a color analyst and had an opportunity this fall to team up in the Spartans radio booth with George Blaha.

    "I thought about it, but I'm just busy (owning Spalding Auto) to make that kind of time commitment," Grandelius said.

    All about teams, Tatum

    Tuesday, January 10, 2006
    By Tom Kendra
    CHRONICLE ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

    Muskegon Heights is now known across the state as a basketball powerhouse.

    But that wasn't always the case.

    Before the basketball state championships started piling up in the 1950s, Heights was a high school football juggernaut -- particularly in the mid-1940s, when the Tigers went undefeated three years in a row and won mythical state championships in 1945, 1946 and 1947.

    A Distinguished Service Award winner, presented to an individual who made an outstanding contribution to sports in the area but not as an athlete, will be announced in February. A male and female Student-Athlete of the Year will be named in May.

    The local sports hall was formed in 1986 to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of Muskegon-area sports figures. The hall is located on the concourse of the L.C. Walker Arena.

    The MASHF currently includes 85 members, five teams, 15 Distinguished Service Award winners and 20 Student-Athlete award winners.

    The hall started honoring the area's top high school student athletes in 1996 and bridged the gap to the younger generation the past three years by hosting the Hall of Fame Classic high school basketball tournament during Christmas break.

    Here's a thumbnail sketch of the Class of 2006 inductees.

    Cal Tatum
         Cal Tatum came from a family of basketball players, but he proved to be the best and most successful of all.

    Tatum made his mark at Muskegon High School in the late 1960s at the height of the Vietnam War, amazing fans with his combination of speed, ball-handling, jumping and amazing long-range shooting.

    "For his size, I've never seen an athlete who is so proficient in so many phases of the game," said then-Muskegon coach Mike Murphy after Tatum earned Class A all-state honors in 1969.

    Tatum, a 6-1 guard, averaged 22.4 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals per game in his senior year to earn first team all-state honors. He was fourth team all-state as a sophomore and second team all-state as a junior.

     The two most recognizable figures off those great Heights teams -- star running back Everett "Sonny" Grandelius and innovative and legendary coach Oscar "Okie" Johnson -- were two of the original seven inductees into the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame back in 1987.

    Since then, fellow team members Tom Johnson, Frank Howell, John Nedeau and James Dodson (who served Heights for years as an unpaid trainer and equipment manager) also haven been enshrined into the local sports hall.

    Now, the MASHF will enshrine the entire Heights teams from 1945, 1946 and 1947 at the 20th induction ceremony on June 3 at the Holiday Inn-Muskegon Harbor in downtown Muskegon.

    "Heights was good at everything in those days, but they were known by most people as a football power," said Hall of Fame President Gene Young, who heads up a 14-member board of directors.

    "We've had some great teams in the area, but I don't know if the three-year stretch that those Heights teams had has ever been matched."

    Cal Tatum, a basketball star at Muskegon High School in the late 1960s who was an All-American at Southern Colorado, will join the three great Heights teams in the MASHF's "Class of 2006."

    "Cal was one of the greatest high school basketball players ever around here," said Young. "But then he went on to be the first player inducted into the Southern Colorado hall of fame, and that's saying something."

    He graduated as the Big Reds' all-time leading scorer with 1,250 points and a career average of 22.7 points per game.

    Tatum was heavily recruited and eventually decided to get away from home a little bit and play his college basketball at the University of Southern Colorado in Pueblo, Colo.

    He was a four-year starter for the Indians and, despite playing in an era before the 3-point shot, is still the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,143 points. He is also the sixth-leading rebounder in school history with 805.

    While at Southern Colorado, he made all-conference all four years and was a two-time small college All-American.

    Tatum was one of the first inductees into the Southern Colorado Basketball Hall of Fame and is considered by many as the finest basketball player in school history.

    Muskegon Heights football teams of 1945, 1946 and 1947
    Muskegon Heights football ruled the area -- and the state -- for an unforgettable 27-game stretch from Sept. 22, 1945 to Nov. 15, 1947.

    During that magical run, no team, not even the might and hated Muskegon Big Reds, could match the Tigers' wrecking crew under Okie Johnson.

    The Tigers of that era were known for defense, especially the 1945 team, which outscored its nine opponents by a combined score of 189-44 -- allowing an average of less than five points per game, including four shutouts.

    The most memorable game of the 1945 season, which is still considered the greatest high school football game in area history, was the Tigers' 7-6 victory over Muskegon in the season finale in front of an estimated crowd of 13,500 fans.

    Led by bruising fullback Ed Petrongelli and backfield mate Paul Hulka, the Tigers kept the Big Reds on their toes. Jim Howell scored the game's first touchdown and Dorr Grover booted what proved to be the game-winning point.

    Heights won the game with a memorable goal-line stand, as the Tigers' defensive front of Jim Dotson, Sonny Grandelius, Dick Ghezzi and Gene Hilliard stopped Muskegon's Howard Peterson on fourth-and-inches near the goal-line to preserve the victory and the first of three consecutive state titles.

    Grandelius, who quarterbacked the 1945 team, moved to fullback in 1946 and the Tigers kept rolling in front of big crowd at Phillips Field.

    The 1946 team had more close calls, outscoring its opponents 162-68, with the scores captured on the school's new electric scoreboard. The season was capped by a 7-0 victory over Muskegon in a sea of mud in game nine. The key play of that game was a pass from Grandelius to Frank Howell, with Howell then scoring the game's only touchdown.

    As legend has it, when Grandelius was a young waterboy for Coach Johnson in the late 1930s, he told the coach that when he made it to varsity that the Tigers "wouldn't lose a game."

    He was right.

    Grandelius and his Tiger teammates completed three years of perfection in 1947, outscoring its nine opponents, 147-54, with many more close calls along the way. Howell was the breakaway specialist for Johnson's team that fall.

    The season ended with a 6-0 victory over the rival Big Reds.

    Grandelius (Michigan State) and Howell and Tom Johnson (Michigan) both went on to memorable college careers, as did many of the other linemen and defensive contributors on the teams -- but none of them would ever again enjoy the level of perfection of those three magical falls on the gridiron.

    Those teams played long before the state football playoffs began, so the Tigers had to settle for back-to-back-to-back "mythical" state championships, as voted on by sportswriters from around the state.

    Team members from those Heights' team are now in their mid- to late-70s, but early indications are that a good number of them are expected to attend the induction banquet, Young said.

    Young said the Hall of Fame board is still trying to make contact with the following team members: John Campbell, Arthur Craymer, William Hotham, Bert Johnson, Joe Koteles, Robert Taylor and Wilmer Williams.

    The board is also trying to reach the following reserves: Harold Hansen, Eugene Fisher, Olis Hunter, William McGahee, Robert Mitchell, Rudolph Shepherd, Jack Venne, Carl Wright and Charles Zorn.

    In addition, the hall hopes to reach family members of the following deceased team members: Shelly Baldwin, Don Bartels, John Bollenbach, William Caughey, William Cook, James Dotson, Dorr Grover, Paul Hulka, Bob Johnson, Tom Johnson, George Jurkas, Ronald Kinsman, Richard Kreifeldt, Douglas Premo, Bill Wansten, Clayton Borgman, Herman Ivory, John Dudzik, Robert Blackmer and Kenneth Benson.

    Anyone with contact information on those team members is encouraged to contact Ron Pesch by phone at 759-7253; by mail at 1317 Lakeshore Drive, Muskegon, 49441; or by e-mail at peschstats@comcast.net.

    Sanders helps Tigers edge fired-up Reds

    Saturday, December 31, 2005
    By Scott Brandenburg
    CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT

    One of the most memorable Muskegon vs. Muskegon Heights basketball games in history was played on Friday night.

    There were 3,216 lucky fans who packed the Reeths-Puffer gymnasium to see the fourth installment of the renewed series between the neighboring rivals go down to the wire in the final game of the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame Basketball Classic.

    Just when local basketball enthusiasts were wondering if the Big Reds would ever challenge the Tigers after three straight convincing wins for the orange-and-black, Muskegon reared up and nearly shocked everyone.

    The Big Reds controlled the game until the very end, when Muskegon Heights rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit for a thrilling 73-68 win to up their recent perfect mark over Muskegon to 4-0.

    "This was very intense," said Tigers senior center Edward Sanders, who pumped in 23 points to lead the comeback. "It was just like a state championship. This will be good for us to play in games like this to get us ready for the playoffs."

    Muskegon Heights improves to 5-2 and Muskegon drops to 1-6.

    Most felt the Tigers would easily dispatch of the Big Reds, who have struggled mightily at times this season and needed a 31-point fourth quarter to beat winless Grand Haven on Thursday.

    The Big Reds showed they are a very capable team, especially when cross-town bragging rights are on the line.

    "I think most people were pointing at their record and saying it wouldn't be a game but I knew it was going to be tough," said Heights coach Keith Guy. "You throw the records out in this game. (Muskegon coach) Bernard Loudermill does a great job of getting his kids ready to play and they made it very tough on us today.

    "I just thank God He gave us an opportunity to come back and win the game."

    The Big Reds had the Tigers on the ropes for most of the game.

    After Heights took a 7-4 lead starting guard Timothy Hood and reserves Tommie Tatum and Bobby Miller took control with their aggressive play.

    Hood poured in 23 points and Tatum and Miller added 15 points apiece for the Big Reds, who forced 23 Tiger turnovers.

    Muskegon sprinted to a 17-10 lead late in the first quarter it maintained through the third quarter, which ended with the maroon-and-white up 55-47.

    "They're starting to believe in themselves and each other," said Loudermill. "They played together as a team. One of the reasons why Muskegon Heights won today is they're an extremely battle-tested team. We're hoping we can take this loss and learn from it."

    With time running out and bragging rights slipping away the Tigers turned to ther big guns and they delivered.

    Seniors Ricky Anderson, David Fox and Sanders scored 13 of Heights' next 19 points as they rallied to retake the lead at 66-65 with 2:14 to play.

    "I looked at each one of the (three seniors) and told them 'It's time to step up, you've been here before'," said Guy. "That's why I pulled them up as sophomores two years ago, for situations like this now. It was time to get a return on my investment."

    It was a back-and-forth next couple minutes but the Tigers prevailed on free throws.

    Muskegon shot 3-for-9 from the line in the fourth quarter while the Tigers were 4-of-5 in the fourth quarter, including two from Fox which sealed the game with two seconds left.

    Anderson and Stedman Briggs each totaled 14 points, including all six of Heights' 3-pointers, and Sanders recorded 14 rebounds and seven blocks to lead the Tigers.

    "Muskegon came out hard, harder than us," said Sanders. "I think we were all trying to rush our shots, I was rushing my shots, in the hype of the game. At halftime coach told us to calm down, play defense and box out.

    "In the end Ricky caught fire, Stedman caught fire and I was just trying to get rebound after rebound until we got the win. We never lost faith."

    Reeths-Puffer 42, Grand Haven 38 -- Reeths-Puffer could have dwelled on Thursday night's embarrassing 40-point loss to Muskegon Heights in the opening round of the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame Basketball Classic.

    Instead, the Rockets brushed aside any possible ill affects Friday with a 42-38 win over Grand Haven in the consolation match.

    The hosts came out hot and never trailed in the contest against the Bucs, who are still searching for their first win of the season.

    "I didn't doubt for a second these kids would bounce back and play hard," said Reeths-Puffer coach Tim Mitchelson after his team improved to 2-4. "I told them in the shootaround that you have to get back up after getting pounded down, and they showed a lot of character in coming back."

    Several Rockets turned in key performances to help their team get back on the winning track.

    Reeths-Puffer's biggest quarter proved to be the second quarter, when reserve Ryan Hanson came in and demonstrated a smooth shooting stroke.

    Hanson made all four of his field goal attempts, including two 3-pointers, and scored all 10 of his points in the last four minutes of the second stanza to help the Rockets to a 25-16 halftime lead.

    "Ryan's a very good shooter," said Mitchelson. "As soon as he gets some defensive things figured out he's going to be a very good player for us. He hit some clutch shots to give us the spread we needed."

    The Rockets held on thanks in part to the tough inside defense of 6-4 junior Chris Fiebelkorn and 11 points from senior guard Sean Wright.

    Grand Haven (0-5) could not find its shooting touch all game, but still managed to pull within 40-37 with 33 seconds to left.

    D.J. Miller and Ricky Fleming were the only consistent offensive performers for the Bucs with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

    "We really got off to a poor start," said Bucs coach Steve Hewitt. "We didn't look very enthusiastic about playing. They did a good job of packing it in on defense, and we weren't patient enough to take advantage of it."

    Puffer shot 39 percent from the floor to Haven's 31-percent effort.

    Big Reds post first win; Heights rolls past R-P

    Friday, December 30, 2005
    By Scott Brandenburg
     CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT

    Grand Haven and Muskegon were both hoping to use the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame's Fourth Annual Basketball Classic as a springboard to the rest of the season.

    Neither team came into their matchup Thursday at Reeths-Puffer High School with a win. For three quarters, it looked like the Bucs would be the team to emerge with that elusive first victory.

    But the Big Reds ended up stealing the show.

    Down 38-27 entering the fourth quarter and struggling offensively, Muskegon suddenly found its rhythm to hit for 31 points and top the Bucs 58-48.

    Instead of being 0-6 and still searching for answers, the Big Reds are 1-5 and sensing a turnaround.

    They hope it continues tonight against Muskegon Heights, which spanked Reeths-Puffer 66-17 in Thursday's other game. Tickets for that much-awaited game and the Grand Haven-Reeths-Puffer contest to open the night will go on sale at 5 p.m. at the Reeths-Puffer ticket booth.

    "There are more games to focus on, but it feels good to get that monkey off our back," said sophomore guard Tovales Allaway, who struck for 12 of his game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter. "It was a long time waiting for this win. This should get us going."

    Grand Haven, meanwhile, finds itself 0-4 after coming within eight disastrous minutes of notching win No. 1.

    Having that snatched away by a 31-10 fourth-quarter deficit definitely left a bad taste for the Bucs.

    "Yeah, I think the way we lost makes this one hurt even more than the rest of them," said Haven forward D.J. Miller. "It was ours. It's tough to lose it the way we did at the end. We stopped defending, we let them get into their press and we turned the ball over."

    The Bucs committed 30 turnovers, with eight coming in the final quarter when the Big Reds made them pay.

    Allaway and senior guard led Muskegon's comeback, combining for 24 points in the quarter and leading the full-court pressure which eventually did in the Bucs.

    Muskegon looked like a completely different team in the final eight minutes.

    "I believe they were really thinking too much out there," said Muskegon coach Bernard Loudermill. "They were just dribbling twice and then looking to pass the ball. I told them you can still be aggressive and shoot and still be a team player and they were able to cut loose in the fourth quarter."

    Every time Allaway got the ball, he was able to penetrate and either make a basket, shooting 5-of-6 from the field, or get to the line, where he made 4-of-5 free throws in the final quarter.

    "I didn't feel like the guy that was guarding me could hold me," said Allaway. "He was a good player, but he was sagging down a little and I decided to take advantage of it."

    Muskegon caught the Bucs midway through the fourth quarter, then fell behind again before finally grabbing the lead for good with 2:23 to play.

    The Big Reds, who got 13 points from Hood and 10 points from senior Tommie Tatum, scored the last nine points of the game.

    Miller scored 12 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the field and the foul line and added eight rebounds to lead the Bucs. Ricky Fleming tallied 10 points and Jake Pimm recorded six rebounds for Haven, which shot 50 percent from the floor.

    "I think the guys panicked a little bit when they lost that double-digit lead and the wheels fell off," said Bucs' coach Steve Hewitt. "It was hard to regain that edge. We had a chance to extend our lead with some free throws, but missed. Those are huge when you're trying to finish a game."

    Muskegon Heights 66, Reeths-Puffer 17 -- In Game 2, Muskegon Heights led 10-7 late in the first quarter before exploding for the easy victory over the Rockets. The Tigers scored the last four points of the quarter before rolling to a 24-4 advantage in the second quarter and a 38-11 halftime lead.

    Contributions from the entire Heights lineup led to a 21-0 blanking in the third quarter and a running clock. "It's nice to be in a game like this once in a while," said Muskegon Heights coach Keith Guy, whose squad improved to 4-2.

    "We knew the first five games were going to be challenging and it's helped us find out where we're at. I love that we have 13 guys who can give us a lift and I thought everybody played with a lot of energy tonight."

    Eleven Tigers scored, including seven who had six or more points. Senior center Ed Sanders scored 11 points, Lou Williams grabbed 10 rebounds and David Fox added five steals to lead the Tigers, who shot 50 percent from the field. Reeths-Puffer shot 26 percent and was outrebounded 39-14.

    "In the first quarter, I thought we were doing a good job of controlling the tempo and not letting them get off to the races," said R-P coach Tim Mitchelson. "What happened is they grabbed 19 offensive rebounds and got over 30 points off second shots. You're not going to hang with a team like Heights doing that."