THE GREATER LANSING AREA SPORTS HALL
OF FAME
INDUCTION CEREMONY
RUPERT (ROCKY) SHAFT
July 28, 2022
By Chuck Krafft
Rocky Shaft
was the Holt High School wrestling coach for 47 years. He compiled a 624-108 record.
His teams won
25 league titles, 35 district championships, 15 regional titles and three state
titles!
He was twice
nominated for National Coach of the Year and is a member of both the Michigan
and National Wrestling Halls of Fame!
Mr. Shaft is
deceased, so his widow, Liz Shaft and his former assistant coach, Stan Granger,
(who is now Holt’s varsity wrestling coach) accepted the Induction Plaque. Stan Granger made the acceptance speech as
well; he had also been coached by Rocky Shaft when he was in high school.
Stan Granger
pointed out that Coach Shaft had a gruff exterior, but a really warm
heart. He never yelled at his
wrestlers. He always was positive and
encouraging, even to the students who were not top wrestlers. He always tried to find ways to make sure
that everyone got chances to wrestle. He
never cut anyone from the wrestling team.
(At a school as large as Holt, that means a lot!)
What Stan
remembered most about Coach Shaft was his humility and his phenomenal memory
for sports facts and detailed accounts of wrestling meets from years past.
Stan Granger
showed some emotion during his speech.
His favorite quote from Coach Shaft was, “The fun is in the memories.” This sums up both Stan’s respect for his
former coach as well as Coach Shaft’s humility, spirit and all he brought to
several generations of wrestlers!
For those
who wish to read about the entire event, here is a link to the Overview page!
https://lansingcivicevents.blogspot.com/2022/07/2022-greater-lansing-area-sports-hall.html
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