THE GREATER LANSING AREA SPORTS HALL
OF FAME
INDUCTION CEREMONY
July 26, 2018
1970 Lansing All-Stars Football Team
By Chuck Krafft
In 1969 and
1970, the Lansing All-Stars Football Team compiled a 28-0 record. In 1970, the team won the Midwest Football League
championship and scored 35 points per game while holding their opponents to 8
points per game.
All the
players who came to the ceremony introduced themselves and then Coach Robert “Turf”
Kauffman gave the acceptance speech. He
thanked Colleen Mattson for helping to put the team together and congratulated
the players. He also thanked Lucy Wedemeyer,
who came all the way from California to represent Charlie Wedemeyer.
During the
season, the team ranked as high as second in the nation. Coach Kauffman compared the team’s level of
play to that of a AAA baseball team.
He joked
about some of the innovative ways they needed to surmount some problems caused
by a tight budget. To practice at night
a local field with insufficient light, he had the players circle car headlights
around the perimeter to light the field.
There was another situation that involved trying to outfit an entire
team with only thirteen pairs of socks.
The best story was about a flight to New York on a battered old DC3 plane. One player who refused to board the plane drove and beat the DC3 to New York. Coach Kauffman joked that they watched an entire quarter of a Michigan State Football Team as the crossed the field.
The best story was about a flight to New York on a battered old DC3 plane. One player who refused to board the plane drove and beat the DC3 to New York. Coach Kauffman joked that they watched an entire quarter of a Michigan State Football Team as the crossed the field.
These men
played mostly because they enjoyed playing football. Many of them had college experience. Congratulations to them on their accomplishment
and their induction into the Hall of Fame!!
For those
who wish to read about the entire induction ceremony, here is a link.
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