2023 Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony - - Overview 

2023 GREATER LANSING AREA SPORTS HALL OF FAME

INDUCTION CEREMONY

It's time for the annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Lansing Center.  We started out with a nice social hour where the inductees, their families and friends mingled as I played cocktail piano.  

After the invocation and a great chicken breast buffet dinner prepared really well by the Lansing Center Staff, it was time for the ceremony to begin.  

Bob Every, the Director of the Hall of Fame gave opening remarks thanking the Lansing State Journal for printing articles about the 2023 inductees.  He then cited Duane Vernon and Don Monette, who had served the hall as volunteers for many years and contributed much.

After this, he introduced the Hall's sponsors (including your Bleacher Denizen) and thanked them for their support.  

Every year, he invites previous inductees and winners of the Dick Letts volunteer award to come up and introduce themselves.  About 25 past inductees accepted the invitation and were honored by the audience.  

Bob Every then introduced the 2023 inductees.

Melanie Miller

https://lansingcivicevents.blogspot.com/2023/08/2023-greater-lansing-area-sports-hall.html

Bryan Smith

https://lansingcivicevents.blogspot.com/2023/08/2023-greater-lansing-area-sports-hall_14.html 

Christina Cleland-Hursey

https://lansingcivicevents.blogspot.com/2023/08/2023-greater-lansing-area-sports-hall_1.html 

Jennifer Smith-Topping

https://lansingcivicevents.blogspot.com/2023/08/2023-greater-lansing-area-sports-hall_63.html

Bob then took a moment to introduce Bob Steele, a fine track athlete and Mike Griffith, a former Lansing Area Sports Writer and Radio Personality who has achieved huge success covering Southeastern Conference football!

He then invited Henry Patino to the stage to accept his induction.

https://lansingcivicevents.blogspot.com/2023/08/2023-greater-lansing-area-sports-hall_50.html

Steve Schmidt

https://lansingcivicevents.blogspot.com/2023/08/2023-greater-lansing-area-sports-hall_25.html

Desmond Ferguson

https://lansingcivicevents.blogspot.com/2023/08/2023-greater-lansing-area-sports-hall_15.html

Lansing Sexton 1986 and 1987 Track Teams

https://lansingcivicevents.blogspot.com/2023/08/2023-greater-lansing-area-sports-hall_64.html

1985 Lansing Catholic Football Team

https://lansingcivicevents.blogspot.com/2023/08/2023-greater-lansing-area-sports-hall_37.html

At this point, the ceremony ended.  Let's see who will be inducted into the hall in 2024!!

2023 Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony - - 1985 Lansing Catholic Central Football

                               THE GREATER LANSING AREA SPORTS HALL OF FAME

INDUCTION CEREMONY

LANSING CATHOLIC CENTRAL 1985 FOOTBALL 

August 10, 2023

By Chuck Krafft

In 1985, the Lansing Catholic Central football team rolled to a 13-0 record and won the state Championship in Class C.  Many people thought that Catholic's team could have beaten the Class A Champion.

Phil Booth, the head coach gave the presentation.  He credited good, dedicated athletes and an excellent coaching staff for achieving the state title.

He was happy that the juniors and seniors worked together so well.  They were so good that a number of excellent sophomores had to play on the JV team most of the year because they were not going to beat out a junior or senior.

The team was extremely disciplined and had almost no bad practices. The players were quite resilient and would force things to go their way.  Coach Booth pointed out that the stars realized that they were stars because of whole team did its job.  The team set tough goals and fought to achieve them. 

Coach Booth cited assistant coaches Keith Schrauben, Randy Pertler and Lou Boyer for handling their assignments in a top notch fashion.  He also thanked his wife Mary Booth for accommodating him so he could devote the necessary time to his team.  Father Thomas Nenneau also earned some praise.

The team was successful because the players had great attitudes and subordinated their egos for the good of the team.

The players in attendance all introduced themselves at the end of the presentation.

For those of you who would like to read about all the acceptance speeches, here is a log of the whole ceremony!

https://lansingcivicevents.blogspot.com/2023/08/2023-greater-lansing-area-sports-hall_84.html

 

2023 Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony - - Lansing Sexton 1986 and 1987 Track Teams

THE GREATER LANSING AREA SPORTS HALL OF FAME

INDUCTION CEREMONY

LANSING SEXTON 1986 AND 1987 TRACK TEAMS

August 10, 2022

By Chuck Krafft

Lansing Sexton won the State Track Championship in 1986 and in 1987. 

Assistant Coach Pat Murray gave the presentation.  He cited Head Coach Paul Pozega as being a huge motivator who kept a lot of talented athletes pointed in the right direction.

The teams were extremely deep and likely to earn points in just about every event.

The relay teams 4 x 100, 4 x 200 and 4 x 400 all won championships.  Al four relay teams finished well enough to score in 1987.

Michigan State University Athletic Director Alan Haller was one of the many excellent athletes on this team.  More than one person cited Roget Ware as being one of the finest athletes ever in the Lansing Area.

The athletes who were able to make it to the ceremony introduced themselves at the end.  

For those of you who would like to read about all the acceptance speeches, here is a log of the whole ceremony!

https://lansingcivicevents.blogspot.com/2023/08/2023-greater-lansing-area-sports-hall_84.html

2023 Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony - - Desmond Ferguson

 

THE GREATER LANSING AREA SPORTS HALL OF FAME

INDUCTION CEREMONY

DESMOND FERGUSON

August 10, 2023

By Chuck Krafft

I write this speech recap with great enthusiasm because I covered a number of Desmond Ferguson's events - - both in the summer Moneyball League that he created and when he coached Lansing Everett's Viking basketball team to two final four berths!  

Here are two of his biggest wins as an Everett Coach.  

The 2015 Quarterfinal where his team led by Trevor Manuel, Jamyrin Jackson and Deshae Doll (with solid contributions from everyone on the roster) was huge; the Vikings beat a team from Muskegon that featured Deyonta Davis, who played a season at Michigan State and moved on to the NBA.

https://thebleacherdenizen.blogspot.com/2015/03/lansing-everett-vs-muskegon-boys.html

In 2016, after Trevor Manuel and Deshae Doll graduated, Jamyrin Jackson, the team led by hot-shooting Jamyrin Jackson as well as defensive demons LeAndre Wright and Nyreel Powell got back to the quarterfinals and beat Hudsonville to earn another trip to the Breslin Center.

https://thebleacherdenizen.blogspot.com/2016/03/lansing-everett-vs-hudsonville-boys.html

It was so much fun to follow these Viking teams where everyone bought into defending fiercely and playing for the team!  Kudos to the coach!!

Coach Ferguson also played for Lansing Everett, where he was All-State as a senior.  He also played on a really successful University of Detroit team where his stellar three point shooting helped lead the Titans to two berths in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

He played professional basketball in a number of different countries and played in the NBA with the Portland Trailblazers.  

He started the popular Moneyball ProAm Basketball League which has entertained Lansing residents for well over ten years.  He runs a free basketball clinic for Lansing's young athletes.  He runs the successful Moneyball Sportswear Company as well.

Mr. Ferguson thanked the Hall of Fame Committee for his induction and proceeded to tell about his basketball journey that was supported by his mother, who encouraged all his dreams and goals.  His mom was a single parent, but he had a lot of coaches who stepped into the father role and helped guide him to be the man he is today.  He specifically mentioned Coaches Lonnie Marshal and Johnny Jones, who coached him at Everett.

He came back to his Alma Mater to coach.  Everett had been down in basketball with a 10-72 record during the previous five years.  He was able to get some talented players to buy into playing for the team and playing ferocious defense at all times.  

He thanked Diego Robinson, who was a four year varsity player when he coached the Vikings.  He also gave a shout out to his wife, Cece.

His final point was that it is important for us all to encourage young people and support them as they pursue their dreams (and to stop by Moneyball Sportwear to pick up some athletic gear!)

For those of you who would like to read about all the acceptance speeches, here is a log of the whole ceremony!

https://lansingcivicevents.blogspot.com/2023/08/2023-greater-lansing-area-sports-hall_84.html

2023 Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony - - Steve Schmidt

 

THE GREATER LANSING AREA SPORTS HALL OF FAME

INDUCTION CEREMONY

Steve Schmidt

August 10, 2023

By Chuck Krafft

Steve Schmidt is an exceptional basketball coach who has won four National Championships at Flint's Mott Community College.  

He is in the Basketball Coaches of Michigan Hall of Fame as well as the Greater Fline Area Sports Hall of Fame.

He has won four NJCAA National Coach of the Year Awards to go along with nine regional Coach of the Year awards.  He has won nine regional, ten state and fifteen conference titles.  He also has won more collegiate basketball games than any other coach at any level in Michigan.

I have been doing these blogs, so it is rare that someone I have met or written about in the past is inducted, but I ran across Mr. Schmidt and his Mott team when the played at Lansing Community College a couple years ago.

Here is a recap of the Bears' win over Lansing Community College that day!

https://thebleacherdenizen.com/2021/12/12/mott-community-college-at-lansing-community-college-mens-basketball-the-bleacher-denizen-december-11-2021-by-chuck-krafft/

Coach Schmidt thanked all his Lansing Family and his Mott Family for all the support he has gotten over the years.  The volunteer coaches who helped him through his playing days went above and beyond basketball in their support of Coach Schmidt.  Some of them even gave him money so he could attend basketball camps for the exposure needed to get a basketball scholarship.  

Lansing Community College and Waverly High, his Alma Mater, gave him opportunities to get started and he is very appreciative of that.

He said it was important to be flexible with coaching styles, but to always have integrity when you deal with players.  

Having met him, I can say that he is a positive gentleman, even to people who only have a small play by play blog in the basketball scheme of things.  It was great to see him get recognized for his achievements!!

For those of you who would like to read about all the acceptance speeches, here is a log of the whole ceremony!

https://lansingcivicevents.blogspot.com/2023/08/2023-greater-lansing-area-sports-hall_84.html

2023 Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony - - Henry Patino

THE GREATER LANSING AREA SPORTS HALL OF FAME

INDUCTION CEREMONY

HENRY PATINO

August 10, 2023

By Chuck Krafft

Henry Patino was a hurdler and runner for Lansing Everett High School and Eastern Kentucky State University.  

He was the 1964 State Champion in high hurdles, low hurdles and the 880 yard relay.  He was named to the All-American team and given an outstanding athlete award.  He still holds the city record in high and low hurdles.  (It will not be broken as they now use metric distances for track events.)

Mr. Patino noted that he had actually run a race against Bob Steele, who was recently introduced.  

He then thanked the Hall of Fame for inducting him and saluted his coach for their help in developing his talent.  He particularly mentioned Dave Patterson.  

He considers running hurdles a "metaphor for life" as you will fall down, but have to keep getting back up.  

He is thankful that his athletic experience gave him the foundation to succeed in life. 

For those of you who would like to read about all the acceptance speeches, here is a log of the whole ceremony!

https://lansingcivicevents.blogspot.com/2023/08/2023-greater-lansing-area-sports-hall_84.html

2023 Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony - - Jennifer Smith-Topping

 THE GREATER LANSING AREA SPORTS HALL OF FAME

INDUCTION CEREMONY

JENNIFER SMITH-TOPPING

August 10, 2023

By Chuck Krafft

Jennifer Smith-Topping was a first team All-State basketball payer at DeWitt High School.  She went on to play at the University of Michigan, in the WNBA and in a professional Slovakian league.

She set the University of Michigan single-season scoring record in 2004 with 659 points.  She was also first team All Big Ten and won the "M" Zone leadership award as well.

She thanked her family who supported her in basketball, which she started in fifth grade.  Her father built a pole barn so she would have a regular place to play and practice.  She had a lot of tall brothers and cousins who were able to give her great competition for practices and pickup games.  This helped her develop her game.  

She thanked long-time DeWitt basketball Coach Bill McCullen and all the other coaches that supported her as she developed her skills.  They helped to shape her both as an athlete and as a person.  

She was not able to make the WNBA the first time she tried, so she went to the Euro League to build her skills and was able to play in the WNBA for the New York Liberty.

She took a break from basketball to find a purpose and discovered that coaching was fulfilling.  She has really enjoyed coaching her son.  

Jennifer said she learned the most from the "daily grind" necessary to build her skills so she could compete at the top levels.

Her advice to young people is to surround yourself with positive people who are able to give encouragement.  She hopes her players will remember her for a positive impact on their games and lives.

For those of you who would like to read about all the acceptance speeches, here is a log of the whole ceremony!

https://lansingcivicevents.blogspot.com/2023/08/2023-greater-lansing-area-sports-hall_84.html