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SPORT CONTENTS

12 A SHOW-ME GUY

Soccer, E.L. Can Thank Another St. Louis Arch

BY KEN GLICKMAN

16 ALL WITH SMITH

E.L Alums Return To Honor Beloved Leader COVER Photo TERRY SHAVER

BY SAM HOSEY JR.

20 CHIEF Surprise

Kebler Won’t Take No For Answer On Any Court

BY DAN KILBRIDGE

28 Duane’s world

Stoolmaker, Vernon Share Spartan Passion

BY MARK NIXON

32 6-SHOOTERS

Peterson, Green Prove Importance Of Super Subs

BY ANDREA NELSON

38 SAY WHAT?

24

Team Toth Sisters Draw Raves For Comic Books, Combat Titles

BY ANDREA NELSON

Liberia-To-Everett-To-MSU Path For Cyrus Saydee

BY Sam HOSEY JR.

06

EB-SERVATION

08

SPORTS AUTHORITY

HOT Bed For ICE

From Hockey To Figure Skating, The Capital City Is Cool

40

NEWS + NOTES

Hotshot Heroines

Cougars Top Cats In Girls Golf

44

FINISH LINE

The Gift Of Love

For Everyone Who Gave So Much, Time To Give Back

By CHIP MUNDY

By BRENDAN DWYER

SPORT COMMUNITY

Contribute To SPORT Magazine

Send us your News + Notes, story ideas and Last Shot photographs. www.SportLansing.com

By MUHSIN MUHAMMAD

18 Running Game

Mason’s Gardner And Geer Combine Football And Distance Feat

BY CHIP MUNDY

36 Baseball Fields

Former Lansing Great Still On The Ball

BY Chip Mundy

DECEMBER 2010

3

Assists

SPORT CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Andrea Nelson Andrea is a junior at Michigan State University, studying journalism with an emphasis in sports and public relations. She is a member of the Honors College and Tower Guard and has a true passion for sports. Andrea helped Frankfort High win back-toback state titles in girls basketball in 2005-06. Today, she helps produce “Ebling and You” on 1320 WILS.

Sam Hosey Jr. “Da Chairman” has been a fixture in the Mid-Michigan sports scene for more than a decade. He has covered MSU and LCC athletics, as well as high schools, for the Lansing State Journal, The Detroit News, WKAR radio and SPORT. Sam has also written and scouted for Prep Spotlight, Spartan magazine and Rivals. com. He has become a leading authority in grass-roots basketball and recruiting.

Chip Mundy Chip has spent his entire life in Mid-Michigan and always has had a passion for sports. He spent more than 25 years in the sports department at the Jackson Citizen Patriot and covered everything from Super Bowls and World Series to Little League Baseball and the rodeo. Chip’s first book, “Michigan Sports Trivia,” was published in November of 2010.

Mark Nixon Mark is the communications director for the Lansing Board of Water & Light. He spent 33 years at the Lansing State Journal as a reporter, columnist and editor. He was a member of the start-up team that created USA Today and helped create Lansing’s Adopt A River program. In 2005, he authored “Journal of our Times,” chronicling the LSJ’s 150-year history.

The Greater Lansing Sports Magazine

Volume #2 • Issue #10 December 2010

Publisher SPORT Community Publishing Editor Jack Ebling Assistant EditorS Andy Flanagan Andrea Nelson Contributing Writers Brendan Dwyer Jack Ebling Ken Glickman Hoffman Photography Sam Hosey Jr. Dan Kilbridge Muhsin Muhammad Chip Mundy Andrea Nelson Mark Nixon PhotographY Dan Mendik/Cleveland Indians Kim Gardner Al Goldis Ceil Heller Mike Major Kirsten Miller-Zisholz Matthew Mitchell MSU Athletic Communications Terri Shaver Team Toth MAGAZINE Design & LAYOUT Traction Printing Millbrook Printing, Co. Mailer ICS

SPORT, The Greater Lansing Sports Magazine is published monthly by SPORT Community Publishing with offices at 617 East Michigan Avenue, Lansing, Michigan 48912. Postage is paid under USPS Permit #407.

Subscriptions: One copy of SPORT, The Greater Lansing Sports Magazine, is mailed complimentary to qualified business addresses in the Greater Lansing metropolitan area.

Residential, household, promotional, out-of-area and additional subscriptions are available for $36 per year ($3 per issue). Subscribe at: www.SportLansing.com Postmaster: Address changes should be sent to: SPORT Magazine, 617 East Michigan Avenue, Lansing, Michigan 48912.

4 DECEMBER 2010

Editorial Office 617 East Michigan Avenue Lansing, Michigan 48912 (517) 455-7810 www.SportLansing.com Copyright © 2010 SPORT Community Publishing All rights reserved.

SPORT EB-SERVATION

A Little Seasoning

The Shift To Winter Won’t Slow Our Pursuit Of Excellence

BY JACK EBLING

PaSSion, With Two S’s Duane Vernon’s basement says it all.

The calendar says it isn’t officially winter till December 21. I know that because it’s Joe Paterno’s birthday. Mine, too.

But in a year when October felt like June and when November was warmer than May, is there any assurance that fall sports will give way to cold-weather activities in Mid-Michigan?

Only in SPORT, where we’ll make the pass from football and soccer to hoops and ice sports across Greater Lansing.

In a full buffet of offerings, we present stories about athletes and coaches in 10 different sports – our most diverse issue since last December’s double-edition

tribute to the area’s Top 150 performers of the past century.

Two young athletes who aren’t in that group just yet are profiled in our cover story.

Assistant Editor Andrea Nelson’s introduces the Fabulous Flying Toths, young taekwondo champs and comic-book producers “Insane Layne” and “Scary Peri” Toth.

Their talent is matched only by their manners, as I first discovered as a guest co-host on LCC-TV’s Every Spin on Sports in late October. One can only imagine Layne

and Peri saying, “I’m sorry, Sir,” before they’d kick a sick attacker into Dreamland.

Switching generations and getting our kicks a different way, we venture into barbering and fandom, bringing two area institutions together for the first time.

If there’s a greater Michigan State supporter than Lansing’s Duane Vernon (and Sports Illustrated picked him as one of the Top 11 fans in the country), it would be hard to imagine.

Unless, of course, you spent any time in Arkie’s Barber Shop with East Lansing’s Duane Stoolmaker, another septuagenarian Spartan and one who has cut more hair than U.S. Army shearers at basic training.

Amazingly, the two Duanes had never met till they were interviewed by one of the most talented writers this area has known, fellow Lansing State Journal alumnus Mark Nixon.

From their shared experiences with Biggie Munn to their near-worship of Tom Izzo, it was one of those get-togethers that may not have ended if the shop hadn’t closed. But Stoolmaker has a new customer these days – and not Nixon, an Arkie’s regular whose cuts should be discounted as much as mine.

Football is far from finished in MidMichigan, especially with the passion of a special season.

We revisit an unforgettable night for hundreds of former East Lansing players, check in with a pair of two-sports heroes from

Jack Ebling Jack has covered sports and much more as a writer and broadcaster in Mid-Michigan since 1978. A three-time Michigan Sportswriter of the Year, he was a 2006 inductee into the Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame. He has written five books–four on Michigan State and one on the Detroit Tigers– and has contributed more than 125 pieces for national publications. The former English teacher and coach spent nearly a quarter-century as a beat writer and columnist for the Lansing State Journal and won 21 major writing awards. He became a sports radio host in 2002 and branched into news talk in 2006. Currently, he hosts “Ebling and You” weekday afternoons and co-hosts “The Jack and Tom Show” Saturdays on 1320 WILS in Lansing. A two-time graduate of MSU, he has lived in the area for 37 years and has helped to raise two remarkable young adults.

6 DECEMBER 2010

Photography cEIL HELLER

SPORT EDITOR

Mason and touch base with the No. 12-rated athlete in area history.

When the Trojans announced they were naming their football field after Duffy Daugherty Memorial Award coaching legend Jeff Smith, the only question for former players from coast-to-coast was “When should we be there?” Former Smith player Sam Hosey Jr. captures the love for a demanding leader.

When high school players earn treasured triumphs, they celebrate in all sort of ways.

None have been more impressive than what Jon Geer and Chris Gardner did in completing the Detroit Free Press Marathon less than 40 hours after the Bulldogs’ win over co-champion Sexton, as Chip Mundy reports.

And if anyone has come any further in life than Muhsin Muhammad, I’d love to hear it. We reflect on the lessons of growing up in Greater Lansing in our back-page guest column with the huge-hearted ex-NFL star, a former Waverly High and MSU standout.

We also follow the path from St. Louis to a 35-year coaching career in East Lansing for soccer legend Nick Archer, who has helped

Mid-Michigan come to embrace his sport, as chronicled by Ken Glickman.

Later, we switch to another CAAC Blue school and another generation with Hosey’s profile of Cyrus Saydee, an Everett High product who was recently named Big Ten Soccer Player of the Week for his work with the Spartans.

In the return of our News + Notes feature, we salute one of most dominant performances in MHSAA annals, this fall’s state title romp by the Lansing Catholic girls golf team, and give credit to other unsung achievers.

Just for the record, we’re always looking for News + Notes items, crisp area photos and story ideas. Go to the website, www. sportlansing.com, or give us a call at 4871919, if you’d like to contribute to future issues. A lot of our best feature ideas have come through tips from you.

The Greater Lansing Sports Authority provides a lot of story leads while it chases and lands major athletic events for the area. Its latest success story is the booking of national figure skating and hockey competitions, as Brendan Dwyer explains.

And if it’s December, it must be basketball season, as we see from a couple of interesting pieces about a local guy-makes-good and an examination of the sixth-man role on the road to team titles.

The first of those pieces is Dan Kilbridge’s story on Michigan State walk-on guard Mike Kebler, who has gone from Okemos High to the Spartans’ playing group with little fanfare – and with a big fan in Izzo.

Finally, we look at the contributions of MSU do-it-all forward Draymond Green and the similarities to what Morris Peterson did as a sixth man more than decade earlier – and what a lot of others will do in the future to help their teams win.

That should be enough to help you through the holiday season. The beauty is that as the temperature drops, the passions of athletes all over the area could heat Breslin Center by themselves.

We’ll be back next month with more success stories, including a couple you can unwrap as belated gifts with a redesigned, bigger and better SPORT.

GREATER LANSING SPORTS AUTHORITY

HOT Bed For ICE

From Hockey To Figure Skating, The Capital City Is Cool

BY BRENDAN DWYER

If you ask the Greater Lansing Sports Authority, you’ll hear a resounding YES. Michigan’s Capital Region is a long-time, well-respected sports community overall.

And when it comes to ice sports, we’re truly among the best in the Midwest.

“Greater Lansing has a proud tradition as a strong skating community. From hockey to figure skating, the area boasts great venues, great community support and a lot of local passion,” said Meghan Carmody, manager of events for the GLSA and private figure skating coach at Suburban Ice in East Lansing.

“The key elements our region has had for so long provide a solid structure when the GLSA goes after big hockey or figure skating competitions. The tournament rights holders we meet with know this area understands and supports ice sports. They know when they bring a tournament here, we’ve got all the resources to help it run smoothly.”

Being equipped and well-suited for ice sports is a huge benefit for our region. The advantages we now enjoy began as seeds planted long ago by talented and dedicated individuals investing in ice sports and passing the love for them down the generations.

Another part of what makes the Greater Lansing skating community strong is our deep pool of strong local talent. Whose names do we find on the short list of local figure skaters with incredible talent, passion and Olympic aspirations? That’s no surprise. You can hardly mention Lansing and ice without adding the name of Miller.

A shining example of commitment to the local sports community, 10 members of this East Lansing family have played hockey for Michigan State University over the past six decades and have left an indelible mark on the sport. And in case you haven’t heard, they’re not done putting talent on the ice just yet.

Hannah and Ashton Miller, daughters of MSU hockey greats Kevin and Kelly Miller, 8 DECEMBER 2010

are top-talent figure skaters, as well as cousins, looking to carry the torch of skating supremacy and bring additional pride and national notoriety to Greater Lansing.

Greats On Skates Hannah Miller carries on the proud Miller family tradition of excellence on the ice.

For key insight on these up-and-coming stars, look no further than their coach and aunt, Kirsten Miller-Zisholz.

“Hannah and Ashton certainly have the Miller blood as it pertains to passion for sports,” Miller-Zisholz said. “They are on the ice before and after school every day perfecting their figure skating routines.

We’ve been so fortunate to be able to raise and train them in Greater Lansing’s tightknit skating community.”

Miller-Zisholz further stated that the

relationship between local skating families, dedicated local venues like Suburban Ice, institutional assets like Michigan State University and community sports advocates like the GLSA really shine through and make an impact when a tournament is held here.

“The Greater Lansing Skating community is a family,” she said. “We have a long history of dedication to ice sports in this area and it’s well known throughout the country. The more big events we host, the more people will see we’ve got something special here and our region’s impact on the sport will get even stronger.”

With full trust in the bonds of the local skating community and with faith in the ice sports environment that’s been built here, the GLSA has been working hard to leverage local assets to bring in notable events.

That hard work recently paid off. The GLSA is pleased to announce it has recently been selected as the host city for two major ice sports events: The 2012 USA Hockey Tier II 18 & Under National Championships (bringing in more than 48 teams from across the country) and the 2012 U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships (including the top 360 Juvenile and Intermediate figure skaters in the country).

“We’ve created a niche as a first-rate host city for ice sports,” said Mike Price, manager of sports development with the GLSA. “The events we’ve just been awarded were last held in locations like Lake Placid, N.Y., and Salt Lake City, Utah, so we’re playing with the big boys and holding our own. Plain and simple, Greater Lansing shines on the ice.”

The Greater Lansing Sports Authority is proud to announce Greater Lansing has been selected by the respective national governing bodies as the host city for the 2012 U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships and the 2012 USA Hockey Tier II 18 & Under National Championships.

Photography kirsten miller-zisholz

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An Area Gift

Meijer Holiday Hoops Invitational Returns For Year 11 BY tim weatherhead

The invitational, which annually pits marquee men’s high school basketball teams from across Michigan against Lansing-area teams, has assembled a talented field again.

“The field is pretty diverse,” Holiday Hoops organizer Mike Borek said. “Typically we try to get a good amount of local teams because it helps with attendance.”

Lansing Catholic, Waverly, East Lansing and Okemos will represent Mid-Michigan at this year’s invite.

As for the rest of the field, Borek stressed the emphasis each year to select teams from different regions of Michigan.

“As usual, we tried to spread (the selections) around the state,” Borek said.

“We have west-side state teams in the event with Holland and Rockford. We try to get schools up in the Flint-Saginaw area.

“The last few years we’ve been trying to get the upper (parts of the) Lower Peninsula.

This year we have Sutton’s Bay (with Michigan State signee Dwaun Anderson) coming down.”

Detroit Cass Tech will also play in the event, the first team from Detroit’s Public School League to play in the invitational in nearly 10 years.

“It’s the first year since 2001,” Borek said. “There has been resistance from those schools to travel to our event.

“Some of the reasons were political within the PSL. That has changed,” Borek said. “Then, there are some schools that can only travel to tournaments that can pay them to participate.”

On The Big Stage The Holt-Grand Ledge rivalry was showcased in December 2009 at Breslin Center.

10 DECEMBER 2010

Photography hoffman photography

In what is fast becoming a holiday tradition in East Lansing, the Meijer Holiday Hoops Invitational returns to Breslin Center on Dec. 28 for its 11th consecutive year.

All proceeds from the Holiday Hoops Invitational will go toward the Coaches, Athletes and Officials for Kids Funds to operate the new Granger Pediatric Emergency Room at Sparrow Hospital.

Beyond finding competitive teams from across Michigan, Borek said he tries to find highly touted, heavily recruited players that will help boost attendance.

In 2003, Grand Ledge played Flint Beecher in a game that matched future NBA star Al Horford against future MSU forward Marquise Gray.

Horford was dominant, scoring 29 points while grabbing 12 rebounds and blocking five shots as Grand Ledge won, 71-56. Gray was also impressive, scoring 17 points with 10 rebounds and six blocks.

Prior to that game, future MSU star Drew Neitzel played through the flu, scoring 22 points and notching 12 assists, to lead Wyoming Park past Clarkson, 50-43.

Horford was named the most outstanding player of the tournament, while Neitzel and Gray earned all-tournament recognition.

This year will not be without individual star power, as Anderson will try to lead Sutton’s Bay to a win over Saginaw Buena Vista.

Anderson, a senior, is the No. 23 ranked shooting guard in the country according to Rivals.com.

“We usually subscribe and keep in touch with prep sports magazines, “ Borek said.

“We follow what they may suggest.”

In the opening game of this year’s event, Lansing Catholic will take on Detroit Consortium at 11 a.m.

Next, Waverly faces Holland at 12:30 p.m.

In game three, East Lansing and Rockford play at 2 p.m.

Ann Arbor Huron and Cass Tech follow that contest at 4.

Sutton’s Bay plays Buena Vista at 6 and Flint Powers and Okemos will close out the holiday invite at 8.

Alexander The Great Alex Gauna from Eaton Rapids is a freshman at Michigan State this season.

A Show-Me Guy Soccer, E.L. Can Thank Another St. Louis Arch

By Ken glickman

12 DECEMBER 2010

Having A Ball St. Louis native Nick Archer has been a soccer ambassador in East Lansing for more than 45 years.

Photography TERRY SHAVER

When I met Nick Archer for coffee recently, he looked about the same as he did when we taught together at East Lansing’s MacDonald Middle School some 35 years ago.

Nick is still as lean as a high school sophomore and his craggy face, peppered gray hair and sly smile make him look a bit like Steve McQueen in “Bullitt.” Actually, Archer looks like what he is: a tremendously successful and confident high school soccer coach.

Today, soccer is a part of growing up in America. On any given afternoon, the dozens of soccer fields throughout Lansing are filled with armies of kids (both boys and girls) suited up with high socks, shin guards and cleats—with their dads and moms trying to keep up as coaches.

But it wasn’t always like that.

When Archer, 63, first came to East Lansing in 1966 from his native St. Louis, Mo., soccer was a weird European sport.

Frenchmen played soccer; Brazilians played soccer, not Americans.

Archer says, “That’s not what it was like in St. Louis. They had soccer in the schools there since the ‘30s. I played both baseball and track, but soccer was my favorite sport.

I went to a Catholic school and I played defense and back. I couldn’t put a ball in the net, but I could stop you.”

If you love watching your kids play soccer, to a large degree you can thank Nick Archer, who brought soccer to the midMichigan area. He has won dozens of awards, including the Michigan High School Soccer

Coach of the Year (1987), the National High School Coaches Associated Regional Coach of the year (1995), and the NSCAA Adidas Girls’ State Coach of the Year (2005).

And his boys’ teams at East Lansing High School have won three state championships.

One of seven children, Archer was a city kid. He playing soccer out on the street on asphalt and he learned to swim in the Mississippi River. “No one really knew how to play; we all learned by playing.

“I grew to love soccer because it was so fast.

I have a short attention span, so baseball was just too slow for me. Man, when you play soccer you run 4-8 miles per game. It’s an endurance game. If you can’t run, you can’t play. And I played with my brothers. It was great fun.

“And our high school team was excellent.

Two guys turned out to be professional players.”

With all those children going to Catholic school, Archer’s family lived a modest life.

Archer’s great field skills earned him a reputation and Michigan State came calling, giving him a full (books and tuition) scholarship. When he came to MSU as a freshman from St. Louis, he took the bus, by himself, with one suitcase. It was the first time he had ever seen Michigan State.

“I had to earn my own spending money, so I worked in the dorm and the physical plant, and I began as a criminal justice major.”

The Archer File 3 State Championships Boys 1987, 2002, 2005 2 State Runner Ups 11 Regional Championships 20 District Championships 31 Conference Championships MHSSCA Hall of Fame Inductee 6 Time State Coach of the Year 10 Time Regional Coach of the Year 9 Time Area Coach of the Year Over 500 Boys Varsity wins Over 300 Girls Varsity wins

A Show-Me Guy

Not Walking Away Archer will continue to coach the East Lansing boys soccer team, though this is his last year of teaching.

It didn’t take long for Archer to feel at home in East Lansing and Michigan State. And he felt comfortable on the soccer field as well.

MSU’s soccer team was well known, but it was only after Archer was on the team that it won its only national championships (1967-68).

Archer soon moved away from criminal justice and changed his major to history and education. As it turns out, all three of his brothers are also teachers.

Besides MSU and a league sponsored by Coral Gables Restaurant, there was virtually no soccer played in East Lansing. “I couldn’t believe it,” Archer said. “In St. Louis, everyone had a team.”

So when Archer graduated and began teaching at MacDonald Middle School in East 14 DECEMBER 2010

Lansing, he also began his lifelong pursuit of bringing soccer to kids everywhere. In 1973 he held his first afternoon soccer club—inside the school.

In 1976 there were small pockets of soccer popping up throughout the state, but none were located close to each other.

Archer didn’t limit himself to East Lansing.

The soccer missionary also went to Okemos to present a clinic, and 100 people showed up.

For three years in a row, the young, enthusiastic phys ed teacher approached the East Lansing Board of Education, asking them to grant permission to begin a varsity soccer team. Archer remembers, “They were scared to death. They thought this is the sport that was going to wreck football.”

After three years of taking that trip to the administration building, Archer finally got his dream approved in 1977. And 60 kids came out to play.

At the time, Michigan had about 20 varsity soccer teams—today there are over 400. Why did it mushroom so quickly?

“The game sold itself. The kids just loved playing it,” says a confident Archer, as if he predicted the whole soccer phenomenon.

Since there were so few teams, the East Lansing squad was like a group of traveling minstrels, going on the road and playing teams in Flint, Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills and private schools in Grand Rapids. And the structure of the games was also far-flung.

There were no high school soccer playing rules that were standardized back then.

Archer laughs when he remembers, “Before the games began, the coaches huddled and said, ‘Ok, what rules will we use today?’ We made it up as we went along.”

After East Lansing instituted varsity soccer, it was followed by Okemos, Waverly and Grand Ledge, and then all the dominos started to fall.

With his boys’ soccer program going strong, Archer did the same with the girls’ program. He started the club program in 1984 and in 1986 it became a varsity competitive team.

And as soccer spread throughout Michigan, Archer’s teams constantly were the winning leaders. As of spring 2009, with 34 years as a coach, Archer accumulated a record of 834 wins, 243 loses and 112 ties.

Through this period Archer was the consummate teacher—even more than a coach. He was teaching the community as well as his players the game of soccer. One of his pet peeves is dads who coach Little League and football for youngsters and don’t understand the physical development for young athletes and how fragile their undeveloped egos are.

“I hate seeing coaches ride young kids,” Archer said. “It has to be fun. I want to see a smile on their faces. For instance, I never cut kids from my freshman or JV squads. I want them playing from the heart.”

Scot Schlesinger, now an assistant athletic director at MSU, played on Archer’s teams at East Lansing High and was his phys ed student at MacDonald Middle School in the ‘80s. “He was a mentor—always available,” Schlesinger said. “He was really a teacher and developed relationships with the kids as a phys ed teacher during the day, and on the field after school. He was very cool and collected.

“Coach Archer was a great influence in soccer in the Lansing area. He believed in preparation and knowledge of the game. He was like your other parent. He made you feel comfortable with the game so you wouldn’t get nervous during a big game.

“In many ways, he reminds me of (head MSU football coach Mark) Dantonio: a leader, giving tremendous support but remains very cool and calm.”

As an adult, Archer continued to play in adult leagues. “I love playing with other people. After college I was with the Coral Gables team, made up of mostly MSU soccer guys, and then other ethnic teams became popular. There was a Croatian team and a Mexican team. It was fun.”

But that fun has taken a toll on Archer’s body. He has undergone six knee surgeries and recently added a seventh: an entire knee replacement. A second will follow soon.

Although Archer has had great success and great accolades as a soccer coach, he sees himself in a different light. With great sincerity and seriousness, Archer says, “I’m an educator. I teach at Pinecrest Elementary School (in East Lansing) now and I love it. I still have energy and enthusiasm.”

Archer indeed had no plans to retire, but with his knee replacement he opted for the early retirement offered to all Michigan teachers earlier this year. “I’m lucky to have a wonderful wife (Lyn) of 41 years who has supported me throughout my career and I also have three grandchildren who live here in town, and I plan to enjoy being close to them.”

So this, Nick Archer’s 35th year of teaching, will be his last year with East Lansing Schools. You may think that watching East Lansing soccer without Archer prowling the sidelines will seem strange. But in fact, Archer will still continue to coach the East Lansing boys’ soccer team, although he is retired from the school district. After all, Nick Archer invented soccer in East Lansing.

It would be almost impossible for him to leave the game.

All With Smith E.L. Alums Return To Honor Beloved Leader By sam hosey jr.

Jeff Smith never wanted attention on anything except the team as East Lansing’s head football coach. And he never allowed his players to think about anything but perfect execution.

Smith was the grand marshall of the East Lansing 2010 Homecoming parade.

Immediately afterward, a special ceremony was held to name the football field Jeff Smith Field at Lynn C. Adams Stadium.

“It’s fantastic. Well deserved,” said Jack Bamford, an 18-year assistant who later served as the school’s athletic director.

“There’s been more wins on this field because of Jeff Smith than (any other reason).”

Smith admits he didn’t think he was deserving of such an honor.

“They shouldn’t do it,” Smith said of his initial thought about the name change. “It’s 16 DECEMBER 2010

the kind of thing you do for somebody who does something (well) for a long time. I only coached a couple years. Time just flies.”

When Smith’s night came he was swarmed by dozens of former players from every era from seemingly every walk of life. They walked onto the field as one. They were with their coach and leader. They took the field during the pre-game ceremony at midfield to show their deep love and respect.

But in typical Jeff Smith fashion, he simply took the microphone, said thank you, and read a hand-written list of all of the coaches who worked for him.

Photography East Lansing players

On a brisk October night, Smith had no choice but to bend his rule.

“Jeff treated the coaches just like the kids,” Bamford said. “Jeff always put everybody before him. He always gave credit to the coaches. You don’t work for somebody for 18 years unless you enjoy what you’re doing.”

During the game, Smith stood like a proud father just beyond the end zone, watching the action. But players from every era – the 1970s, ‘80s, ‘90s and ’00s – still wanted more time with their mentor, coach and friend. So throughout the game there was a huge crowd huddled around the towering 6-foot-4 living legend.

Nothing but hugging, laughing, shaking hands and the telling of old war stories.

“There’s nothing like it. The smell of the grass, the lights, with the kids, there’s the band. …There’s nothing like East Lansing football,” said B.J. Rycus, an E.L. alum, a former Trojan assistant coach and the current Vice President of Rycus Flooring in Lansing.

“Besides my dad, I don’t think there’s anyone in my life who has had more of an influence. The lessons that I’ve learned from him have carried me throughout my life. I use them every single day in business. I use

them when I coach. I use them with my daughter. It’s really neat to be here and see all these former players who share the same kinds of memories I do.”

Smith, who also coached varsity track and taught mathematics, had a profound impact on the thousands of students that came through East Lansing during his tenure.

“I learned kind of by his example more than his words,” said Randy Kinder, the star of Smith’s only state title team in ’91, a tailback at Notre Dame and an NFL player for Green Bay and Philadelphia. “From his example, at least for me, you learn really what it means to be a team. What loyalty means. We had an extremely good time doing what we did. But there was never a moment that we didn’t know we were on a mission.”

Kinder, now vice president and marketing director at AFL-CIO in Washington D.C., admits he’s still a team guy because of Smith’s lessons.

“In my line of work, it’s very important to be team-oriented,” he said. “I gravitate to bosses and coworkers that think, ‘Hey I’m only as good as the guy next to me.’ We’ll have fun, joke, but we’re going to get the most out of each other. Do it the right way.”

Those that know Smith best continue to be thrilled for the man who keeps piling up the honors for his successful career. And what better way than to celebrate that legacy on the field where he helped mold young people into men?

“I thought it was great,” longtime assistant Herb Gibbs said. “Jeff has worked so hard. He’s just an outstanding person, coach, whatever you want to say. I thought they might do that, but I didn’t know.”

While Smith, 70, doesn’t spend time around the game any more, he still likes competition. In retirement he has tried his hand at gardening. But that didn’t quench his thirst for competition. Instead, he has found a new calling – competitive cycling.

“He used to always have a garden at my house for years and years,” Gibbs said, who coached with Smith from 1973-98. “Then, about three years ago he started riding bikes so much he hasn’t been coming, and I haven’t seen much of him.

“You realize he’s gotten four gold medals?

I told someone to go over and congratulate him. He just said, ‘How’d you find that out?’”

“I like to get on my bike and ride,” Smith said. “I like to compete. And to be real honest, there aren’t many people my age that like to do that, so it’s a little easier to do than if I was 30.”

Never one to do anything passively, Smith enters events and competitions throughout the state and beyond.

“I do a lot of different junk,” Smith said,

jokingly. “There’s the Senior Olympics, and they have a 40k and a 30k. There are a couple of time trials – a 10k and a 5k. “ “There’s a 100-mile race up north. And the neatest thing is I set a state record in the 40k for my age. “ Winning medals, setting records. None of that is surprising. Then again, Smith was never one to be concerned with the glamorous things in life. He never bothered with the ugly things in life, either. He kept things simple. Maybe that’s why his night was one where men and women of all ages, races and religions came to celebrate him.

“You don’t really pay attention because if you do you’re paying attention to the wrong stuff,” Smith said.

“I’ve been to the top and I’ve been to the bottom, and I’ve been somewhere in between…I tried to treat everybody the way I would want to be treated.”

The Smith File Overall career record of 293-91-2 (.755) Coached East Lansing to a football state title in 1991 Finished runner-up three times 1973, ’83 and ‘00 Coached East Lansing to a track state title in 1998 Went to the state football semifinals eight times Won 17 league titles Played outside linebacker, University of Michigan, Class of ‘63 Received Bachelor’s in math with a minor in education Jim Crowley Award Winner 1999 Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame Inductee Class of 2004 Duffy Daugherty Memorial Award Winner in 2006

SPORT QUICK HIT

Running Game

Mason’s Gardner And Geer Combine Football And Distance Feat

Mason High football coach Jerry VanHavel hasn’t had to worry about his players going the extra mile.

Two of his seniors, Chris Gardner and Jon Geer, are willing to give much more. They proved it in October when they joined high school gym teacher Andrew Chapin in the 26.2-mile Detroit Free Press Marathon.

It was the first marathon for all three.

And it came just two days after Mason knocked off previously unbeaten Sexton 24-13 on a Homecoming Friday night for the Bulldogs.

“Those are just two great kids,” VanHavel said of Gardner and Geer. “They offer everything you would want.”

Even so, VanHavel was a little skeptical

when he was approached by Gardner and Geer. And it didn’t necessarily have to do with football.

“I encourage all the kids to experience everything they can in high school,” VanHavel said. “But at first I didn’t think they’d be able to pull it off because they hadn’t been training for a marathon.”

Chapin had been an assistant football

Team J-A-C Mason Bulldogs Jon Geer (left) and Chris Gardner flank Mason High gym teacher and running partner Andrew Chapin after the Detroit Free Press Marathon.

18 DECEMBER 2010

coach under VanHavel and a player at Hope College. So he knew that football had to be the first priority for Gardner and Geer.

“When I mentioned it to Jerry, he said, ‘You’re crazy, but be sure football remains the first priority,’ ” Chapin said.

The interest in the Detroit Marathon began last spring when Chapin mentioned that he was going to participate. Chapin had been the girls basketball coach at Mason before his wife, Camy, gave birth to their first son, Caleb, on Sept. 23, 2009 – right around the time of the Detroit Marathon.

“Running in the Detroit Marathon had always been on my bucket list, and as long as I wasn’t coaching anymore, I had the time,” Chapin said.

Chapin, a gym teacher at Mason, was a football player and not a distance runner at Midland High School. But he became interested in distance running after moving to Mason. After he announced his intentions, Gardner and Geer became interested. Gardner entered the Heart of a Spartan 6K race in May and enjoyed the experience.

“Chris began bringing it up. Once I knew he was going to do it, I decided that I wanted to do it,” said Geer, who has been close friends with Gardner since sixth grade.

However, the boys knew this was something that could not be taken lightly, so they joined Chapin in training over the summer. Though they never ran a full 26.2 miles, they often hit the 20-mile mark.

Both were members of the Mason track and field team. Geer ran the 400 and 800.

And Gardner tackled the 1,600 – less than 1/26 the length of a marathon.

“I didn’t expect anyone to come up to me and offer to run with me,” Chapin said.

“But Chris and Jon are such great kids. If anybody was going to do it, it was going to be kids like Chris and Jon. “I’ve been coaching and teaching for a while, and Chris and Jon are right at the top of the list of the best kids I’ve been around.”

Photography kim gardner

By chip mundy

Bulldog Mentality Geer and Gardner were important players this fall on Jerry VanHavel’s CAAC Red football champions.

As the trio trained and became closer, they decided they wanted a team name and chose J-A-C., the first initials of Jon, Andrew and Chris. They were Team J-A-C, and Chapin said they developed some goals.

“We weren’t going to walk or stop at any point, we wanted to average less than a 9-minute mile, and we wanted to be the most charismatic group out there,” Chapin said. “The last goal was to run the entire marathon together.”

They accomplished all four. The third was realized because the runners wore neon yellow shirts and made a point to comment on all of the signs put up by spectators and give out high-fives whenever possible. The fourth was capped when they crossed the finish line with hands held high.

The marathon wound through the streets of Detroit, over the Ambassador Bridge to Canada and back to the United States through the tunnel.

“Everything seemed pretty good for the first 20 miles, and then it got tough,” Gardner said. “It was a huge adrenalin rush.”

Gardner was 809th in 3 hours, 54.37 seconds, while Geer was 810th in 3:54.38 seconds and Chapin was 811th, also in 3:54.38. Gardner noted that he was slightly

faster because the timing chip in his leg was on the leg that crossed the line first, while Geer’s was on his other leg.

They averaged less than nine minutes per mile in what Gardner called “a conversational pace.”

Chapin got his reward around the 25th mile when the group encountered a hill.

“Of the three of us, I was the one who thought it was a really tough hill,” Chapin said. “I started to slow down, and Chris and Jon said to me, ‘Hey, let’s go – you got this.’

That was the moment – the whole story of the thing came around at that point.

“That was all that I needed to hear right there.”

The accomplishment drew attention from their classmates and the Mason community.

“Probably the week before, the whole week everybody was telling us good luck,” Gardner said.

“It was a really good experience,” Geer said.

For Gardner, the marathon had an added significance. He had mononucleosis in his junior year and played in only one football game.

“To me, to be able to come back and play football and run in the marathon was an incredible experience,” Gardner

said. “It made me feel like I came all the way back.”

While Gardner and Geer are not the type to seek attention, it was nice that two football players – solid starters but not the star players – also were getting some recognition. Both are starting ends on offense, and both see action in the backfield on defense, depending on the game situation.

In the first playoff game – a 55-13 victory over Fowlerville – Geer returned an interception 18 yards for a touchdown. It was his second defensive touchdown of the game and his third overall of the season.

In an 8-1 regular season, Mason outscored its opponents 382-113, breaking the school record of 362 points set in 2008. The Bulldogs became the first Mason to score more than 417 points, including the playoffs.

No doubt, the football season will be a major memory for all the Mason football players. Gardner and Geer are no exception.

But when they reflect on their senior year, it will be impossible for them not to remember Homecoming weekend and the Detroit Free Press Marathon.

“It was perfect,” Gardner said. “One of the best weekends you could possibly have.”

DECEMBER 2010

19

Chief Surprise Kebler Won’t Take No For Answer On Any Court

Growing up 10 minutes outside Michigan State’s campus, it’s fair to say Mike Kebler was as big a Spartan fan as they come. The Okemos native attended countless games at Breslin Center, Spartan Stadium and even Munn Ice Arena throughout his childhood, sparking an affinity for athletics that has stayed with him.

Somewhat remarkably, it’s the Spartans who have since become a fan of Kebler. The former walk-on, now in his senior season, has averaged only three minutes per game throughout his career. He has never made a 3-pointer or started a game in an MSU uniform, while his career-high point total is two. None of that really matters to Kebler, who has proved himself a reliable option at guard for MSU coach Tom Izzo.

20 DECEMBER 2010

Kebler played 22 minutes during the Spartans’ first exhibition game against Saginaw Valley State in November and looked more than comfortable running the offense. He grabbed five rebounds and made the only shot he took, opting to help create for his teammates. See, that’s what Kebler has done over the course of his four years at MSU – help those around him and seize the opportunity when it arrives.

Kebler got his opportunity when star point guard Kalin Lucas went down with an ankle injury against Wisconsin, a makeor-break moment for the hometown kid.

Suddenly thrust into the middle of a Big Ten championship race, Kebler knew he was capable of getting the job done. The hard part was actually proving it.

“It always is gonna take a while to convince people, but the first time I went out there against Illinois and against Penn State, I knew in order to convince the general population I had to do something,” Kebler said. “If you go out there and you make a fool of yourself, then they’re just gonna tell you that you’re never gonna be able to play and I probably would never have gotten another chance if I wouldn’t have done well. So I went out and did what I needed to do, what I knew how to do – play defense – and it all worked out for me.”

Strangely enough, it all started exactly the same way for Kebler back at Okemos High. A very good athlete who didn’t have the talent to play varsity basketball as an underclassman, he cracked the Chieftains’ starting lineup his junior year with standout defense. So while he wasn’t always a natural on one court, the same can’t be said for other sports.

Following in the footsteps of his older sister, Stephanie, Kebler enjoyed a storied career in tennis and won a pair of Division II singles state championships his freshman and junior years of high school. Stephanie, meanwhile, played tennis at MSU and was the team’s top performer as a senior in 2008.

Kebler also had another passion, one which would ultimately worry Okemos basketball coach Dan Stolz. It wasn’t a girl or any of the usual issues high school coaches deal with on a daily basis. This one involved flying through the air at a high rate of speed, which obviously carries a serious injuryrisk. Ever since he was young, Kebler raced competitively in the sport of motocross.

“That was something my dad and his brothers used to do when they were younger,” Kebler said. “When I was about 8 or 9 years old my dad got me into it, and I probably never had a coach that liked me doing it. It’s pretty dangerous, but it was something I enjoyed doing, and I’m sure I’ll do it once I’m done (at MSU).”

Having listened to Stolz and understanding what he had to lose, Kebler ultimately conceded and put the bike away at the end of his senior year.

“I just know later in his high school career it was like ‘Hey, Mike?’” Stolz said. “He kind of knew it was time to not be taking risks with that because of what he had at stake with basketball and tennis.”

By that time, Kebler had become much more than just a defensive specialist. He averaged 15.6 points and 5.5 rebounds his senior season, during which he served as team captain and eventually earned MVP honors. Kebler led the Chieftains to a Class A district and CAAC Blue championship that

Photography matthew mitchell, MSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

By dan kilbridge

DECEMBER 2010

21

Chief Surprise year alongside Anthony Ianni, who teamed with Kebler again at MSU in 2009 after transferring from Grand Valley State.

Statistics don’t always matter with Kebler though, as certain intangibles can’t be measured. What often resonates most with teammates and coaches are games or moments when a player proves himself in convincing fashion. Such was the case Kebler’s senior year at Okemos, when a seemingly innocent breakfast led to a case of food poisoning one day before a game against Jackson High.

“I think it was Dunkin Donuts,” Kebler recalled. “I had some doughnuts and milk and got to school and had to come right back home. I didn’t practice that day obviously, but I came to school the next day for the minimum three hours or whatever I had to do to play in a game.

I was pretty sick, I’m pretty sure I threw up during and after the game.”

Stolz initially told Kebler he wouldn’t play many minutes, but the ailing captain doesn’t remember coming out of the game once. The Chieftains trailed by as many as 20 in the third quarter, according to Ianni, before putting on the press. Okemos

eventually won by two points, while Kebler contributed close to 20.

“That’s where his leadership came into play. He just wanted to win,” Ianni said.

“He’ll battle through anything. And he proved to me that night how tough he was.”

It shouldn’t come as a surprise considering defense often translates to toughness, and Kebler could always defend, no matter what.

It’s a mentality that Stolz says was able to help Kebler through more than just one game against Jackson.

“He’ll give you everything he’s got, you don’t question that,” Stolz said. “Mike’s gonna give you his best effort every night.

He’s not gonna hold anything back.”

Unfortunately, effort and toughness don’t equal Division 1 scholarship offers for a then-undersized guard. There were some offers at the Div. 2-3 levels, and that was about it. Kebler was intent on playing college basketball, though, and not for just any team. He had his heart set on the hometown Spartans, figuring he was good enough to walk-on at one of the top programs in college basketball.

So Kebler took charge and sent MSU all his information and some game film,

though he now jokes “I’m sure they didn’t watch that.”

What they did do was send former MSU assistant and current Utah head coach Jim Boylen to some of Kebler’s practices.

Boylen liked what he saw, as the Spartans eventually offered Kebler preferred walk-on status. With the dream fulfilled, Kebler went off to MSU and didn’t marvel in his status as a member of his favorite team for very long.

“Only a few practices, really,” Kebler said.

“I had heard how intense coach (Izzo) is during practice, and it really only took one or two times for him to get on me to realize this is the real deal. You gotta get serious. It didn’t take long to snap out of that.”

Having to defend a pair of all-Big Ten guards will help one snap out of it as well, as Kebler found himself checking then-senior Drew Neitzel and Lucas each day in practice on the scout team. It was a challenge that helped him in several ways. Not only did Kebler improve immensely on defense, he also had to think about how he wanted to spend the rest of his time at MSU. There’s nothing wrong with being a four-year scout team player, an admirable

THE FINAL FIX FOR THE SPORTS JUNKIE

Jack Ebling Tom Crawford SATURDAYS

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8-11AM

1320-WILS

If it happens in mid-Michigan, we get you the full story first.

22 DECEMBER 2010

asset whose contributions are known only to those closest to the team. But Kebler sensed he was capable of more. Following a rigorous summer, Kebler met with Izzo at the beginning of his junior season to tell coach he was ready to go when the time comes. Izzo told Kebler it wasn’t his time right then, but the point was made.

“It was pretty much just to get the signal across that I’m not happy just sitting on the bench,” Kebler said. “I am working hard, I’ve been working more. That was the main point of the meeting.”

That meeting, coupled with Kebler’s work in practice, gave Izzo enough confidence to put him in at Illinois with Lucas out.

Though he played just five minutes, Kebler adequately defended one of the Big Ten’s best guards in Demitri McCamey. Sure enough, he played 13 minutes the very next week at Penn State and impressed everyone with his defense on two-time all-Big Ten guard Talor Battle.

While Lucas and his teammates were well aware of Kebler’s skills, many outside the program took notice of the former walk-on for the first time that week.

Even Izzo admits his surprise when asked

what type of player he expected Kebler to be at MSU. “I didn’t know, but I didn’t think he would contribute as much,” Izzo said.

“When we had an injury or two, he really came off the bench and did a good job where he was. What he is, is a very good athlete.

He has some toughness. He’s a pretty smart kid basketball-wise and otherwise. What he turned out to be that we didn’t know was a great defender.”

Kebler has been associated with defense his entire career at MSU. But lately there’s some additional chatter. Ianni raves about Kebler’s improved jump shot and says he’s been throwing down some wicked dunks in practice. Izzo calls Kebler a “pretty good” shooter who just needs a little more confidence. Considering the way Kebler is able to set his goals high and meet them, don’t be surprised if he has one more to reach before the end of his playing days.

“Senior year I want to be more of a force on the offensive end,” Kebler said.

“I’ve been working hard on my game and I know if I get some open shots I’ll be able to knock them down. I’ve got a lot more confidence in that.”

Key Contributor Kebler has earned Tom Izzo’s praise as an important piece of the MSU puzzle.

DECEMBER 2010

23

Sisters Draw Raves For Comic Books, Combat Titles

“Insane Layne” and “Scary Peri” don’t sound like typical nicknames for 14- and 10-yearold girls. But they’re perfect for the Toth sisters.

The girls’ martial arts moves are advanced enough to scare anyone, and the amount of success they’ve had at such a young age is truly insane. Layne and Peri have founded a comic book publishing company, produced multiple comic books of their own and won several taekwondo championships. And they’re not slowing down any time soon.

24 DECEMBER 2010

The girls’ success began before they can even remember. Joe “Tornado” Toth, Layne and Peri’s father, said Layne began drawing when she was only 10 months old. He said his daughter’s drawings weren’t complex at such a young age, but she would rather spend time with a pen in her hand than anything else.

“I do remember a few times vaguely coming home from school and drawing,” Layne said. “My dad asked me if I wanted to watch TV and I said, ‘No.’” After quickly developing her artistic skills, Joe showed Layne his comic books and her love for comics took off from there. Joe took Layne to the Motor City Convention when she was 6 years old, and she loved it so much he decided to buy her half of a table at the Wizard World Comic Con in Chicago. Layne sold prints of her work for 25 cents and handed out business cards that said, “Please hire me in 15 years.”

She didn’t have to wait that long. By the end of the convention Layne had already landed her first comic book job.

The oldest Toth then became the youngest student at Lansing Community College, taking third-year art classes when she was 7 years old. Her younger sister Peri picked up the hobby as well, with a

style of her own. While Layne has a very conventional style of drawing, Peri describes her technique as underground or punk rock.

Peri’s favorite character she’s created is SeeThru-Baby!, an idea she is working on with her art mentor.

“I was drawing random things and then I came up with the character called SeeThru-Baby!,” Peri said. “My art mentor, Levi Krause, shares the creation, so he helps me draw it a lot. He’s really nice, and it’s really fun just to work with him because he’s also a really goofy artist like me.”

Layne said she enjoys drawing people, but her favorite character she’s created is Lucky: The One-Eyed Stray Dog! The Toth sisters have created seven comic books of their own, and their work has been published in many others. Layne’s drawings have been in Time Magazine and 26 comic books.

Peri’s work has been published in 17 comic books. Both girls have also had television appearances and have met celebrities such as David Faustino and Robin Williams.

Layne and Peri’s love for comic books eventually led to their involvement with taekwondo. At a convention last summer, the girls were invited to a martial arts panel in Pittsburgh with Taimak Guarriello of Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon. Layne

Photography TERRY SHAVER/TEAM TOTH

By andrea nelson

and Peri didn’t want to be inexperienced at the event, so their father took them to Ron Burch’s ATA Black Belt Leadership Academy in Haslett.

“It was originally just to get them a little bit acclimated to doing some martial art moves and not being embarrassed by it,” Joe said. “And then they just took off.”

The girls have only been taking taekwondo lessons for 14 months, but have already won multiple championships. Layne is a state champion in four categories: forms, sparring, extreme forms and creative forms. Peri follows close behind as a state champion in two categories: forms and weapons. The Toth sisters won these championships in less than three months on the tournament circuit.

The amount of success Layne and Peri have had in such a short period of time might come as a surprise to some people, but not their instructor.

“They went into it with a very open mind with competition, and they were very humble about the way they were competing,” Burch said. “I know they had the right kind of attitude.”

Layne and Peri take taekwondo lessons five days a week. They also take boxing lessons from former pro-contender and three-time Michigan Amateur Boxing Coach DECEMBER 2010

25

Team Toth

Drawing Attention Peri (left) and Layne Toth have honed their talents to become comic book prodigies and martial arts champions.

of the Year Jamie Stevenson. With so many opportunities in both comics and martial arts, Joe and the sisters’ mother Shelly decided to home-school their girls. Joe said they felt it was necessary to teach their daughters themselves because they would never dream letting standard school slow the girls down.

“Going at the same pace as your peers just didn’t work for us because we had some real exceptional situations,” Joe said. “So we had to opt out…we had to. There was no choice. Otherwise, we’d be stagnant. These kids would much rather be doing these adventures and going all over the United States and Canada.”

A typical day for the girls includes schoolwork in the morning, comic projects after lunch and taekwondo lessons in the evening. Joe said they teach their girls year-round because they have to take time off for competitions and conventions. Even though the girls spend most of their time together, Layne never gets tired of having her little sister by her side.

26 DECEMBER 2010

“I love taking her along everywhere,” Layne said. “She’s a really awesome thing.

She does her own thing, it’s awesome. The way she draws and creates stuff, she’s a thing of her own, that’s for sure.”

Among all the championships Layne has won, one of her trophies stands out from the rest. And it’s not a first-place honor.

Her favorite award is a second-place trophy.

Layne said it serves as a constant reminder that she can always work to make herself a better athlete.

“My second place from Terre Haute, Ind., is the only time I’ve ever taken less than a first place in traditional forms,” Layne said. “I don’t really agree with the judging on that. But professionally, I have no comment. Every time I look at that, it reminds me to try extra hard because all my other trophies have proved that I earned first place.”

With an attitude like that, it’s hard for the girls’ parents not to be proud of the daughters they raised. Joe said being able

to watch Layne and Peri’s lives unfold makes every day an adventure.

“I can’t even put it into words how excited I am for their success and the fact that they’re having so much fun doing it,” Joe said. “It’s kind of like getting to live again.

Everything as a kid that I wished I could do, as a parent I know I have the opportunity to try to put my kids in a position to accomplish what they want to accomplish.”

Layne said she never expected to win so many championships in just over a year. But the sisters’ success might be due to a little bit of luck as well. Both girls carry items with them to all of their competitions. The girls carry “Mr. Splinterman,” a splintery wooden doll their uncle made them for Christmas, in their taekwondo bag. Peri also has a keepsake of her own, a stuffed animal duck she’s had since she was 2 years old.

She said her duck is very special to her, and she sleeps with it every night.

“We have a sparring equipment bag, and I put her in one of the pouches,” Peri said.

“When it’s time to compete, I take her out and I hug her. Then, I put her back in and I go compete.”

Whether it’s skill or a little bit of luck, whatever is helping the girls win championships seems to be working. But it’s not going to get any easier. Layne and Peri are working to get their black belts and are hoping to compete for a World Championship

She knows they pick up on her techniques and wants to make sure she does them correctly. After working with the girls since last August, Burch said he believes they can accomplish anything they set their minds to and would be very happy to see them contend for a World Championship.

“I’d be very excited for them,” Burch said. “I’m excited for all my students

“My parents have taken me to all these different places… without them, I never would’ve been able to travel that far.”

- Layne Toth

in the future. Layne also wants to become a taekwondo instructor eventually. Both girls are part of Burch’s leadership program, where they help instruct younger and older taekwondo students.

Layne said she enjoys working with other students and the responsibility makes her feel important. But Layne also gets nervous.

that accomplish their goals, but when I see two kids that are really focused and dedicated such as Layne and Peri…I would be really excited.”

The girls wouldn’t be as successful without their parents with them every step of the way. Joe was a successful boxer in MidMichigan and has been a writer and publicist

for the sport. Both Joe and Shelly enjoy taking their girls to comic conventions and watching them compete for championships.

“My parents have taken me to all these different places,” Layne said. “Without them, I never would’ve been able to travel that far. My dad knows a bit about taekwondo and boxing, so he’ll give me little tips. And my mom takes me to a lot of classes, so they’re very supportive.”

Even though their first love was comic books, both girls admitted that taekwondo has become their favorite hobby. It’s one thing to be a fan of a movie, TV show or comic book. But these girls are living a life where they can meet the people behind those projects.

Some day they might be in that position themselves. For now, they’ll continue to create comic books and win state championships. Now and always, these girls want more. And at the rate they’re going, they’ll achieve whatever they set out to accomplish. Next stop: World Champions.

Duane’s World Stoolmaker, Vernon Share Spartan Passion

By Mark nixon

28 DECEMBER 2010

Green Giants Duane Stoolmaker provides a quick trim, while fellow Spartan Duane Vernon swaps stories and reads his favorite magazine.

Meet Duane and Duane.

They’ve lived in the Universe of Sparty all of their lives. They had “gone green” when Michigan State University was still Michigan State College.

Both were born in the Great Depression and reared in farm country less than an hour from Spartan Stadium.

Taken together, Duane Stoolmaker and Duane Vernon are walking, talking Wikipedias of Spartan lore.

Now, wouldn’t you think these two guys – living nearly all of their 70-plus years practically in the shadow of Beaumont Tower – might have bumped into one another?

Nope. They never met.

Until now.

Stray leaves whip past the window of Arkie’s Barbershop on this blustery October day.

In walks Duane Vernon, wearing his customary green sports coat, Sparty-splayed tie and belt with an S-shaped buckle.

Here, for the first time, he shakes hands with Duane Stoolmaker, a barbering fixture in East Lansing.

Duane, meet Duane. In longevity and loyalty, they surely count as two of the truest Spartan fans in all of Spartanland.

And, hey, being a Spartan in late October, 2010 can’t get much better. Just days before the calendar flips to November, Mark Dantonio’s team has a perfect 8-0 record. They’re ranked

No. 5 in the country, and they’ve never been higher in BCS rankings. It’s the Spartans’ best start since their fabled 1966 championship year.

All of which punctuates the spirit of the two Duanes: They are hopelessly, incurably, optimistic about their Spartans.

Stoolmaker asks Vernon: “Do you think we can handle being national champions in football AND basketball?”

Within minutes, you can tell these guys are destined to be good friends.

Turns out they have many things in common, some quirky. Both have a penchant for carrying $2 bills in their wallets. Both have a mild disdain for computers.

Both enjoy the current misery that is the Michigan football program. Vernon: “I heard they renamed the Big House. It’s now called The Whinery.”

Here’s something else they have in common: Each of them owns a keepsake that once belonged to the legendary Biggie Munn.

Stoolmaker has Biggie’s slide rule. Paired with a miniature version of Spartan Stadium,

Munn used the slide rule to quickly measure the distance of a real-life kick.

Vernon owns the “Game Day” vest that Munn wore at each game. It was a gift to Vernon from Munn’s widow.

As Indiana Jones might say: “Those things belong in a museum!”

Actually, an entire wall in Arkie’s is a museum-in-the-making. There’s a healthy smattering of autographed photos from past and present MSU coaches. There’s a threedimensional replica of Spartan Stadium, and an aerial photo of the 1988 Rose Bowl game.

Oh, and this plaque: Arkie’s Local, national, world news, weather and sports.

Stimulating conversation, counseling, support – oh yeah, and great haircuts.

Yep, for a Spartan fan, this is as good as it gets.

Duane Stoolmaker Many of Duane Stoolmaker’s regulars drop by to talk about the Spartans. As a side benefit, there’s usually a haircut involved.

“This is sort of a clearinghouse for information about MSU sports,” says Stoolmaker, a fixture in Arkie’s Barbershop in East Lansing since 1972. “I have several DECEMBER 2010

29

World-Class Superfan Vernon’s home is a virtual shrine to his favorite university. customers who are MSU administrators or faculty members. We like to tease each other. I say, ‘So, what’s going on at MSU these days?’ And they say: ‘That’s why we come here, to find out!’”

Stoolmaker, 75, has barbered since 1952.

His first place of business was called (what else?) The Spartan Barbershop, located across from the Brody Complex on the campus’ east side.

Its proximity to MSU made it a natural to be “Spartan Central” for scores of students, athletes, coaches and fans.

Stoolmaker’s customers included several players on the legendary Spartan football team that won the 1966 national championship. Among his customers in those days: Fullback Bob Apisa and the Spartan’s barefoot kicker, Dick Kenney. Some members of that team are still customers.

It’s fair to call Stoolmaker “barber to the stars” – at least in MSU’s constellation. Just a few of his past present customers include: Football coaches Clarence “Biggie” Munn, Muddy Waters, and George Perles; basketball coach Gus Ganakas; former MSU President Peter McPherson, and three directors of the MSU Spartan Marching Band, including current director John Madden.

In 1972, Stoolmaker packed his scissors and comb and moved about two miles eastward to Arkie’s. His loyal clientele followed.

Just how loyal? Several customers will drive from other parts of the state for a haircut and the latest scoop on the Spartans. One customer, a former aide to McPherson, still regularly flies in from Washington, D.C. for a trim and a chat.

30 DECEMBER 2010

Stoolmaker was hooked on the Spartans by the mid-1950s. Two things stand out from those early days: Johnny Green’s prowess on the basketball court, and watching Biggie prowl the sidelines of Spartan Stadium, transforming MSU into a football powerhouse. That sealed the deal for Stoolmaker. He was a Spartan forever.

Munn was a fierce competitor, and that was borne out in a “Biggie-ism” Stoolmaker remembers. “He used to say, ‘If I lose one game, I consider it a losing season.’ ” But the Best of Biggie, Stoolmaker says, could be this one: “The secret of coaching is knowing which player to kick and which one to hug.”

Like most Spartan fans, Stoolmaker can recite a few Duffy-isms or Jud-isms. They were, of course, masters of the quip.

But one of his favorite Spartan quips was uttered by another Spartan coach, Frank “Muddy” Waters.

“Muddy hated golf, but he agreed to play in a charity golf outing one time,” Stoolmaker recalled. “At one point he swung and missed the ball. A woman told him to keep his head down.

“Muddy shot back: ‘I always keep my head down when I play golf. I’m too ashamed to look up.’ ” Every fan has a top list of most memorable plays, athletes, and quotes…Stoolmaker is hard-pressed to name his all-time most memorable “Spartan Moment.”

Let’s see…for high drama, how can you top MSU’s 1979 basketball game against Ohio State? MSU was losing, and Magic

Johnson had been injured in the first half.

Then, in a Hollywood-esque moment, Magic hobbled back onto the court in the second half. Applause shook the rafters of Jenison Field House.

Battered but not beaten, the Spartans defeated the Buckeyes. And, of course, Magic & Co. went on to win MSU’s first-ever NCAA basketball championship.

Then there was the time in 1999 Stoolmaker got a special pass to be a “sideline worker” in Spartan Stadium. He walked alongside the marching band, and was allowed to stand near the team for the entire game. At one point he was run over by a Michigan linebacker. Sorry, no personal foul. “I was standing too close to the sidelines,” he laughed.

The icing on the cake: MSU won, 34-31.

“But I have to say, at the top of my Spartan memories is seeing my son suit up for the 1988 football season.”

Bob Stoolmaker played linebacker and tight end for George Perles. “He only played one year, but it was a great year, a great experience and, hey, he got a Gator Bowl ring out of it!”

Stoolmaker attends as many MSU football and basketball games as he can.

(By Oct. 23, he had attended every MSU football game to date – a perfect 8-0, just like the Spartans).

But if every home game isn’t in the cards, there are consolations. “From my home, when the wind is right, you can hear the marching band.”

Stoolmaker says he feels sorry for anyone who can’t get into the MSU-U-M rivalry. “I not only relish our victories over U of M, I have the bonus of reliving them from time to time with (Wolverine fan) Tom Crawford.”

Crawford, a regular at Arkie’s, co-hosts the sports talk “Jack and Tom Show” on Saturdays with Jack Ebling on WILS-AM radio.

While rivalries are fun, Stoolmaker keeps it all in perspective. He is “old school” about sportsmanship. “Sure, I might feel bad inside at times, but I don’t boo,” he said. “I smile and cheer for my team. As a Spartan, you really are representing MSU. You’re an ambassador.”

Day in, day out, news and views about MSU are rehashed in Arkie’s. The same post-game post-mortems are pronounced; the best plays and biggest mistakes are replayed mentally and verbally by a steady parade of customers.

So, we just had to ask: Do you ever get tired of talking about MSU sports?

It took a nano-second for Stoolmaker to reply emphatically: “No.” Then a smile creeps into his voice. “That’s why my job is so much fun.”

Photography cEIL HELLER

Duane’s World

Duane Vernon The thing you have to know about Duane Vernon is, the green never comes off.

That’s figuratively speaking, of course, but it’s almost literally true.

There is his ever-present green sport coat to complement Spartan-themed ties… to complement his specialty license plate (MSU DV)…

He wanted a green car, too, but “I couldn’t get the right color.”

And let no one forget the famous Spartan Room in Vernon’s Lansing home. Spartan memorabilia consume every inch of available space. All that’s missing is a life-size statue of Sparty. But almost as good is the greenand-white, S-shaped bar.

We said the room is “famous,” and famous it has been. In 1979, the Spartan Room shared 15 minutes of fame with its owner. “When MSU played in the 1979 NCAA title game, a TV crew from NBC’s ‘Today Show’ was in my home during the game. The next morning, they ran a segment about being a Spartan fan.”

Some may surmise that all of Vernon’s Go Greenery is over the top…that it’s an act.

Well, then, you don’t know Duane Vernon.

This is a metaphor for life, he says. It’s pride and passion and hard work – and staying optimistic.

“It’s kind of simple,” Vernon explains.

“Life has ups and downs. Sometimes, things

Vernon had a stellar sports career at Ithaca High School. He was the school’s first athlete to letter in tennis. He ran on the school’s first cross-country team, which in 1948 won Ithaca’s first state title. He also played varsity basketball.

Around that time, Vernon was smitten. “I was chosen to go to the Boys State at MSU, and we stayed that week in those Quonset huts they used to have. That’s when I fell in love with Michigan State.”

In the mid-1950s, Vernon served in the Army for two years. Afterward, he flirted with a job offer in Chicago.

But the siren call of East Lansing was too strong. He turned down the job, stayed in town and in 1959, joined the Lansing Credit Bureau. Eventually, he owned it. Though he sold the business in 1982, Vernon remains with the firm (now called CBCS) – more than 50 years after he started.

It was the Biggie Munn Era that made Spartan sports a life-long passion. “I was there when Biggie Munn beat the heck out of everybody,” he recalls of those glory years, 1951-53. Biggie went 28-1 during that stretch, including two consecutive undefeated seasons.

In those days, he remembers when hundreds of MSU students were recruited to shovel snow off the stadium’s bleachers and field before the game.

Known by many in the Lansing area as “Mr. Spartan,” Vernon claims a lengthy list

“When MSU played in the 1979 NCAA title game, a TV crew from NBC’s ‘Today Show’ was in my home during the game.”

- Duane Vernon

change. Sometimes, they HAVE to change.

“It may take a coach time to build a program, which is no different than anything else in life. Do you give up on your business because you’ve had a bad year? No. The same applies in sports. You always support your school.”

His kinship with the Spartans notwithstanding, Vernon has life’s priorities in order. A tragic lesson on that score was learned early in life.

It was a winter night in 1949. Duane, his high school coach and several buddies were headed back to Ithaca from an MSU basketball game. North of St. Johns, the car hit a patch of ice, and crashed into an oil tanker. Three of his friends were killed that night. Vernon was severely injured, to the point that he was initially diagnosed as D.O.A. at the hospital.

His recovery was long and slow, but he moved to East Lansing to attend college.

“Four years later, when I graduated from Michigan State College, I was still picking windshield glass out of my head,” he remembers.

of accolades connected to MSU sports.

He’s modest about the honors. But, let the facts speak for themselves.

In 1974, Vernon was one of the behind-thescene players who lobbied successfully to have MSU’s ice arena named after Biggie Munn.

He’s a past president of the Downtown Coaches Club, an honorary member of the MSU Varsity “S” Club and the proud father of three Spartan alums.

In 1979, Vernon and TV sportscaster Tim Staudt came up with the idea of having a parade for the MSU men’s basketball team after its NCAA title run. “Jud (Heathcote) said ‘OK, but only if we win.’”

They did – and the parade took place.

In 2000, he helped orchestrate the victory parade for MSU’s championship basketball team. “We had to work fast, since the parade took place just a few days after they won the NCAA title,” Vernon recalls.

“But, we got it done. The estimated crowd was 450,000 people lined up along Michigan

Avenue from the Capitol to MSU. We even got the Iron Mountain Marching Band to come down (Iron Mountain being Coach Tom Izzo’s U.P. home).”

When MSU won the NCAA hockey title in 2007, Vernon was called on again to help organize a parade. He did.

Vernon was inducted into the Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.

That same year, he was honored nationally for his Spartan spirit. Sports Illustrated named him to its “America’s Sports Fans Hall of Fame.” He was nominated by Jack Ebling.

The article said Vernon “has loved the Spartans with a passion worthy of Spartacus.”

Indeed, Vernon has saved ticket stubs from EVERY Spartan game he’s attended.

He’s been to 28 NCAA Final Fours, and owns memorabilia spanning several Spartan generations. Among them: A football autographed by Duffy Daugherty, and basketballs autographed by both the 1979 and 2000 championship teams.

If that isn’t enough, Vernon has co-hosted radio shows before Spartan football and men’s basketball games for the past 17 years.

At 79, Vernon – like his new friend, Duane Stoolmaker – is decidedly “old school” when it comes to sports. “About the only thing that gets me mad is when fans get mad,” he said.

“I mean, college sports is all about fun. Some take it too seriously. Sometimes, there are other things in life that are more important.”

Speaking of fun, Vernon has added a relatively new element of fun to his Spartan repertoire.

He and his wife, Judy, host something they call Spartan Country North. It’s a place, it’s an event, it’s, well, something you have to see to believe.

Let’s start at their cottage near Pentwater, overlooking Lake Michigan. The driveway is curved so that from a bird’s eye view, it’s shaped like a curved S. The deck leading to the beach? Yep, another S. The kitchen counter? Inlaid tile to form a block S. Are we detecting a pattern here?

Every August, the Vernons help the Mason-Oceana MSU Alumni Club throw a Spartan tailgate party in Pentwater. It’s a warm up to the real football season.

Last August, the Pentwater Homecoming Parade had 30 MSU-themed units including Sparty, MSU cheerleaders and Zeke the Wonder Dog. More than a thousand people turned out for the tailgate party. More than 12,000 watched the parade!

As SPORT magazine’s interview with Vernon was winding down, his cell phone rang. If you guessed the ring tone was anything other than the MSU Fight Song, you haven’t been paying attention.

DECEMBER 2010

31

6-Shooters Peterson, Green Prove Importance Of Super Subs

He doesn’t start, even though he probably could. He may even deserve it. He may be just as good as or even better than the five players who take the court at the beginning of the game. But that’s not his role.

He’s the sixth man.

The sixth man has one of the most important responsibilities on a basketball team. That is, if he’s used in the right system. He’s the player who comes off the bench a few minutes into play and can be used in a number of different situations. Some coaches prefer to bring shooters off the bench to give their teams a boost. Others don’t even use their first substitute as an integral part of their game plan. Teams like Michigan State use their sixth men a little differently.

“Having a guy come off the bench, he has to be able to do probably more than one thing to give you a lift,” MSU coach Tom Izzo said.

“I think you need someone to come off the bench who can give you some versatility, can do some different things and help you in different ways because you never know the flow of the game. I think he’s got to be a jack of all trades.”

If you look at past and present Spartan sixth men, they were and are just that.

Forwards Morris Peterson and Draymond Green played in East Lansing a few years apart, but they have more in common than not. Neither were on the list of MSU’s elite recruits. Both received national awards.

Neither had a permanent starting position.

Both were tested as starters. “Everyone in the nation wants to start,” junior Draymond Green said. “That’s just the nature of basketball. But you know, I like to do whatever is best for the team. And if that’s Mo Pete, Mo’ Points Morris Peterson went from a sixth man to an NCAA Final Four MVP as a senior.

32 DECEMBER 2010

what’s best for the team, then of course I’d love to do it.”

Green said his role as a sixth man allows him to get a feel for the tempo of the game before he runs on the court. He also gets to see how the other team is playing, what strategies might work against them and how much energy he should bring with him off the bench. And for Green, energy never seemed to be a problem.

“I think it’s really important,” Green said. “The first man off the bench, you’re usually going in either because somebody got tired or somebody did something wrong, or something to that nature. So I think it’s important to bring a lot of energy off in that role because there’s a reason you’re coming in at that moment.”

Izzo said Green bought into his role as the sixth man early on in his career. Since Peterson had such a successful career in that position several years ago, Izzo had the veteran talk to Green about the importance of being the first man off the bench.

Peterson was the 2000 Big Ten Co-MVP and first-team All-American as a nonstarter during his Spartan days. When Peterson came off the bench as a junior, Izzo said he could rebound, defend and put points on the board. Those are characteristics that many compare to Green’s versatility.

Despite the similarities, Green draws the line when comparing himself to the legendary “Mo Pete.”

“I do look at the things that he did and say, ‘I want to do those things,’” Green said.

“But I don’t compare myself to him because I have a long way to go before I get to Morris Peterson level.”

Not all players coming off the bench have as many accolades as Green and Peterson.

Dr. John Braccio, director of Regional Psychological Services, said being a sixth man can have both positive and negative effects on players. If the first player off the

Photography matthew mitchell, MSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

By andrea nelson

DECEMBER 2010

33

6-Shooters person can’t adapt to that. I think a lot of it is psychological and depends on who it is.”

Green admitted coming off the bench isn’t easy. There’s a lot of pressure to bring a spark onto the court when a team isn’t doing well. Many thought Green earned a starting spot last year. This year, he started the first few games before taking his traditional role when the team traveled to Maui without sophomore Derrick Nix. Izzo said there’s no argument whether Green deserves or has the capability to start, but decided to keep him on the bench for those first few minutes.

The first minutes that Green said make being the sixth man difficult.

“It was kind of tough because I’m itching to get in the game,” Green said. “But I knew what it was and I knew what role I needed to play to help our team out and help us win. So I took on the role, and I took it with open arms.”

Braccio said athletes who are confident in themselves and have a fairly cool kind of personality are the ideal sixth men. Selfconfidence eases any anxiety these players Sneaky Pete Peterson proved he could score might have because they aren’t worried in the low post, complete alley-oop plays and about their ability to come off the bench and make plays. They know they can be drill 3- point shots.

bench plays as many minutes as the starters, being the sixth man can be very rewarding.

But being in a role where you’re counted on to bring a spark off the bench is an important responsibility not all players can handle.

Some athletes could experience anxiety and tension if they aren’t in a starting position. The player may not be mentally or physically ready to play 3-4 minutes into the game. Braccio said in a psychological sense, being a sixth man could make certain players feel inferior to their starting teammates. This could lead to a downward spiral and cause players to start off cold and have poor performances, hurting the player and the entire team.

But Izzo seems to be having some luck in choosing the right men for the job.

“I think it depends on the person, it depends on the situation,” Braccio said. “A lot of it has to do with the effectiveness of the coach to read the person and pick the right one. You could pick the sixth man and the

effective. Their teammates know they can count on them. Their coaches know they can be trusted.

“It takes a special kind of person to be the sixth man and an important sixth man,” Braccio said. “If you’re just the sixth person based on ability and you just go in every now and then, that would not be a big thing. But if you’re talking about an important sixth player, it definitely takes the best personality, the right situation and the person, when the calls come, is ready to go.”

Izzo said when Green comes off the bench he has the most important role on the team.

But no matter who is put at that position, Izzo knows he has proof that sixth men can be very successful on his team. And just like Peterson helped Green ease into a non-starter role, Green said he’d be happy to return the favor to the next sixth man.

“It’s always something that you can help someone else out with that they’re going through,” Green said. “Not that it’s a tough thing to go through. It was actually pretty fun for me. So I could just share my experience with somebody else and try to have them embrace the role the way I did.”

In a game’s final minutes, Green knows

that it doesn’t matter whether he began the game on the bench or on the court. The only thing he worries about is how it’s going to end. And in the last few years, they’ve ended pretty well.

“I think it’s more important to finish the game,” Green said.

Enough said.

For teams like MSU, choosing a sixth man who will carry the workload with the five starters is just as difficult as the role itself.

It’s not easy to predict whether or not a young college athlete will be able to lead your team or crack under pressure. But if a coach makes the right choice, the rewards are unlimited.

And the Spartans’ success is proof of that.

“You’re all a team,” Braccio said. “You’re all working together. You really don’t want a team with just five playing and the sixth one just doesn’t count. You have to have a team. So a lot of who the sixth person is depends a lot on what the overall team is.

“One for all, all for one.”

All Day-Day Draymond Green plays the game with amazing court sense and unmistakable passion at both ends of the court.

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SPORT QUICK HIT

Baseball Fields Former Lansing Great Still On The Ball

Bruce Fields is a baseball guy. He has been in the game for more than 30 years, and he has played and coached in the major leagues. Yet today, as minor league hitting coordinator for the Cleveland Indians, Fields sounds like he has as much enthusiasm for the game as he did when he was in the big leagues.

Baseball

Bruce Lansing native Bruce Fields shares his wisdom with prospects in the Cleveland Indians organization.

36 DECEMBER 2010

“I love the game, and I love my job,” said Fields, a graduate of Everett High who also attended Lansing Community College.

As minor league hitting coordinator, Fields spends five days a month with each of Cleveland’s four farm teams. That totals 20 days, and he gets the other 10 days off.

“I can pretty much pick and rotate my schedule however I want,” he said.

While the game itself has not changed much, Fields said the instructing part is drastically different from when he was a player.

“We have a pitching machine that I can program to throw curveballs, sliders and fastballs, both right-handed and lefthanded,” Fields said. “And there is so much more video than before. Guys today can watch themselves on video.”

Fields said that the players, too, are different from when he was on the learning side of baseball instruction.

“You have to explain things more now and give reasons why they need to do things a certain way,” Fields said. “You have to be prepared to explain everything to them.

“In my day, when someone asked you to run through a wall for them, you did it, and then when you were dizzy from running through the wall, you might ask why you did it.”

Fields, recently voted No. 25 in a list of the top 150 athletes of the last 150 years in Greater Lansing by SPORT, was a two-sport star at Everett. He played on the Class A state championship basketball team with Magic Johnson in 1977, starting roughly half the games and averaging 5.1 points per game, and he batted .500 (35-for-70) in baseball in his senior year.

Fields was selected in the seventh round of the 1978 draft by the Tigers, and he reported to Bristol of the Appalachian League at age 17. After almost 1,000 games and eight-plus seasons in the minors, Fields got his shot.

He was called up to the big leagues by the Detroit Tigers in September of 1986. He appeared in 16 games and hit .279 (12-for43) with no home runs and six RBIs. The following season he was returned to the Toledo Mud Hens.

After the 1987 season, Fields was traded to the Seattle Mariners. He spent parts of the 1988 and 1989 seasons with the Mariners, totaling 70 at-bats, and finished his bigleague career with a .274 average (31-for113) with one home run and 11 RBIs. “Playing in the big leagues was a thrill, but I wish it had lasted longer,” Fields said.

His minor league resume would suggest that he should have played longer, too. Fields led the Southern League in hitting in 1985 (.323), he led the American Association in hitting in 1986 (.368), and he led the Pacific Coast League in hitting in 1989 (.351).

Fields returned to the Detroit organization in 1992 to serve as a hitting coach of the London Tigers, and in 1995 he started an eight-year run as a manager in the Tigers’ minor league system. Twice he was named the Midwest League Manager of the Year while managing the West Michigan Whitecaps.

That got him back to the big leagues in 2003 when he was named hitting coach for the Tigers after being a finalist for the job of manager, which went to Alan Trammell.

In 2005, Fields spent time between hitting coach and bench coach with the Tigers, who let him go after that season.

“I wouldn’t say being let go was a traumatic experience, but I didn’t want to leave Detroit,” Fields said. “And the next year they went to the World Series.”

If there is any bitterness toward the Detroit organization, it is minimal. Fields

Photography dan mendik

BY chip MUNDY

said he stays in touch with Willie Horton and Rod Allen, among others, and his son, Daniel, is an outfielder in the Tigers’ minor league system.

“I’m a Daniel Fields fan,” Fields said.

Daniel Fields batted .240 with eight home runs, 47 RBIs and eight stolen bases at age 19 in the Florida State League, a high Class A league. He was one of the youngest players in the league this summer.

“That’s a great showing for a 19-yearold,” Fields said. “We were kind of hoping he would go to West Michigan (a lower-level Class A team).”

Fields is confident that his son is getting the same type of instruction as those in the Cleveland Indians organization.

“You know, I don’t have any prize pupils they’re all my prize pupils,” Fields said. “It’s nice to work with the young men at a lower level and watch them progress, and then you see them at Triple A or in the major leagues, and that’s such a good feeling.

“That’s when you get your reward. It’s a wonderful job.”

He Ought To Know Fields applies the knowledge he gained as a player to help minor-leaguers work on their weaknesses.

Say What?

Liberia-To-Everett-To-MSU Path For Cyrus Saydee

Watching Cyrus Saydee zigzag through defenses is a remarkable sight. Michigan State’s dynamic midfielder is a 5-foot-6 dynamo with speed to burn. Small in stature, Saydee has become a big headache for Big Ten defenders.

“He’s not big, but he is exceptionally, exceptionally quick,” MSU men’s soccer coach Damon Rensing said. “First step, sideto-side, he’s similar maybe to a Kalin Lucas.

And you put a ball on his feet, he’s very gifted with it.”

Saydee’s skill has been on display during three seasons as a Spartan. Through 16 matches, he has 12 points this year, good for fourth on the team. Saydee has three goals this year, including two game-winners.

In September he scored the deciding goal against Marquette and earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors.

But much more compelling than Saydee’s dynamic soccer talent is his unique journey to Michigan State.

“I was born in Liberia,” said Saydee, who graduated from Lansing Everett High in 2008. “I came here when I was 7. I don’t remember anything. I just know what my parents told me. They told me a civil war was going on and we came here to seek refuge.”

Wanting the best for their children, Saydee’s parents, James and Rebecca, pushed them to excel academically. And it didn’t take long for Saydee’s brilliance to shine through in the classroom.

The soft-spoken Saydee is now an 18-yearold college junior. His rapid academic advancement through grade school came the old-fashioned way – he skipped not one, but two grades.

“I didn’t go to first grade,” Saydee explained. “I went from kindergarten to second. And I was in third grade for a 38 DECEMBER 2010

couple months before my parents moved me to fourth. Then, I was in fifth, and it was regular after that.”

Two years younger than his classmates, Saydee was able to keep up and actually be a banner student. He graduated high school with a 3.9 grade-point average as a 16-year-old.

“Both of my parents are pretty smart, especially my mom,” Saydee said with a chuckle. “My mom and dad are both pretty smart, so I take after them, I guess.”

Back on the soccer field, Saydee was just 12 years old when he started competing against high school players. As with the

for Saydee, a four-time all-conference selection and the Lansing State Journal’s Player of the Year as a senior.

“It made me feel good inside,” Saydee said of his early success. “I always stayed humble.”

Stepping up and playing at the collegiate level at such a young age was nothing new for an every-day overachiever. Beating the odds and proving the doubters wrong had become routine.

“When you’re faced with a challenge you just have to face it,” Saydee said. “That’s my mentality. It wasn’t the pressure to keep up. It was just that you’ve got to step up your game.”

Through all his success, Saydee has remained close to his family. In fact, he still lives at home. It was that unique living arrangement that helped assure Rensing and the Saydees that attending MSU on a scholarship would work well.

“When you’re faced with a challenge you just have to face it…That’s my mentality.”

- Cyrus Saydee

academic adjustment, it was a challenge going against bigger, stronger athletes.

Fortunately for Saydee, he got the advice he needed from the home front to make the transition much smoother than he thought it would be.

“The high school level is easier than where I play now,’’ Saydee said. “Coming into high school, I was nervous. But I have an older brother who would help me, and my dad would tell me what to do.”

Saydee’s older brother, Denny, is in his senior season of soccer at Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne, Ind. But success came quickly

Saydee’s talent was obvious. But the adjustment to college life was a question.

“Yeah, (his age) was a concern, but he lives in Lansing,” Rensing said. “He lives with his family. He has commuted all those years.

“The things I felt good about…having a big family and having the support was important. But he looks after his younger sisters and helps them get to and from school and things like that. When it comes to his soccer ability, there was no doubt.”

Interestingly enough, Saydee prefers living at home – yet another example that he’s not a typical college kid.

Photography matthew mitchell, MSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

By SAM HOSEY JR.

Cy Of Relief From Liberia to Lansing to East Lansing, Cyrus Saydee has shown his adaptability and his ability.

“It’s more convenient for me,” Saydee said of living at home. “I don’t like to be around too many people. I don’t like to get too social because it’s a distraction. But I still bond with my teammates, and we still spend time away from soccer.”

Saydee isn’t a superstar there, either.

He’s just big brother and son with regular household duties.

“I still have to mow the lawn and shovel snow,” said Saydee, who has three younger sisters – a set of 15-year-old twins, Michal and Michaiah, and baby sister Precious, 7.

“It’s always good to be around your

family. I enjoy taking care of them. I like to mess with them.”

Still, there’s nothing like lacing up the cleats. Saydee is reserved off of the field but a bundle of enthusiasm on it. He has even developed into a go-to player for the Spartans.

“He has such good balance,” Rensing said.

“When he’s running and cutting, it’s fun to sit back and watch. Sometimes you just say, ‘Wow, this is something special!’”

Saydee has scored several game-winning goals in his career. Last season, he performed that feat in back-to-back games against

Michigan and Notre Dame. One of them still stands out.

“The goal he scored against Notre Dame was as good as I’ve seen in 12 years,” Rensing said. “He got the ball in Notre D’s attacking half. He cut right and beat one defender, who grabbed Cyrus’s shirt. As he pulled away, another defender came, and Cyrus cut left.

A third guy came, and Cyrus beat him, too.

“To make a long story short, he beat three guys. And two of them were fouling him.

The best part is, if you see his face, he just has this huge smile. Cyrus loves being on that soccer field. He just loves playing.”

DECEMBER 2010

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SPORT NEWS + NOTES

Hotshot Heroines Cougars Top Cats In Girls Golf

By CHIP MUNDY

Lansing Catholic left little doubt it had the best high school girls golf team in Division 4 when it won the state championship by an impressive 38 strokes at The Meadows on the campus of Grand Valley State University.

Lansing Catholic had five of the top eight individuals and finished with a 649 total, including a sizzling 317 on the second day of competition. Defending champion Grosse Ile was second with 687, while Jackson Lumen Christi was third with 717.

“We were OK on Friday, maybe a little nervous, but 317 is just an incredible score,” Lansing Catholic coach Mary Schafer said.

“We had five really solid girls, and our No. 5 girl shot 78 on the second day.”

Incredibly, Lansing Catholic not only did not lose a meet the entire season, it did not finish lower than first in any invitational.

Junior Danni Crilley led the championship

LANSING

Eastern High School sophomore Cha Cha Tucker took part in the USA Basketball’s Developmental National Team mini-camp in Colorado Springs, Colo., in October. Tucker hopes to be selected to the USA’s 16-and-under FIBA team for 2011. Tucker was featured in a cover story in the July 2009 issue of SPORT. Paul Heeder of Lansing Catholic, the No. 3 seed at No. 1 singles in the Division 4 state boys tennis tournament, won the championship by defeating fourth-seeded Michael Sienko of Williamston 6-4, 6-2. In the semifinals, Sienko defeated No. 1 seed Paul Reed, while Heeder knocked off No. 2 seed Chance Conley of Portland. Lansing Catholic also ruled at No. 1 doubles, where third-seeded Greg Waddell and Peter Murray earned the title with a 7-5, 6-1 victory. Heeder’s sister, Megan, was third individually in the Division 3 state girls cross country meet with a time of 18 minutes, 11.4 seconds.

effort, shooting 79 and 83 for a 162 total and a third-place finish. Sophomore Alyssa Albright and freshman Jacqueline Setas each had 84 on Friday and 79 on Saturday for a 163 total and tied for fourth.

Sophomore Janie Fineis shot 86 and 78 for a 164 to finish seventh. And senior Mackenzie Johnson chipped in with 85 on Friday and 81 on Saturday for a 166 and eighth place.

“When you play in the state meet, you have to keep it straight off the tee, and we were able to do that,” Schafer said.

Johnson, Albright and Crilley each played on the 2009 Lansing Catholic team that finished third in the Division 4 state meet.

Ron Antes of Lansing bowled the secondhighest three-game series in Lansing history on Oct. 13 when he had games of 300, 300 and 279 for an 879 series - second only to the Lansing record of 886 set by Pat Landry in 1988. Antes, 63, had 35 strikes out of 36 deliveries. He left the 10 pin in the fifth frame of his third game for his only non-strike during the Senior Individual Classic League at Royal Scot Lanes. Antes is a retiree from General Motors.

Joe Cooper, former hockey coach at Lansing Catholic, is the new leader of the Norfolk Admirals of the United States Hockey League. The Admirals are part of the Tampa Bay Lightning organization.

Cooper previously coached the Green Bay Gamblers to a 84-27-9 record for two seasons in the USHL. The Gamblers won two consecutive Anderson Cups (regular-season champion) under Cooper

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Please send them to news@SportLansing.com 40 DECEMBER 2010

and last season captured the Clark Cup championship (playoff champ) - the first for the Gamblers since 2000. Cooper twice has been named the USHL General Manager of the Year and last season was named the USHL Coach of the Year.

Many Lansing-area high school football teams won conference championships this season. They are: Grand Ledge (CAAC Blue), DeWitt (CAAC Gold), Sexton, Mason and St. Johns (CAAC Red), Lansing Catholic (CAAC White) and Fowler (CMAC). DeWitt (Division 3), Sexton and Williamston (Division 4), Ithaca (Division 6) and Fulton (Division 8) won regional championships with 2-0 starts in the state playoffs.

Terry Carella of Lansing finished the New York Marathon in 3 hours, 46 minutes and 53 seconds on Nov. 7. She averaged the mile in 9 minutes, 9 seconds, in the 26.2-mile race in New York City, and she finished 151st for women 50-54. Meanwhile, Brian Bess of Laingsburg was 1,844th for men 50-54 as he finished in 4:04.25.

The Lansing Community College men’s basketball team opened the season ranked No. 22 in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II poll. Coming off a 22-7 season, Mike Ingram’s Stars opened the season with a 103-89 victory over Henry Ford Community College.

MASON

Mason High graduate Colleen Leonard was named to the All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association first team in volleyball. Leonard, a 6-foot-2 junior outside hitter for Kalamazoo College, was fifth in the MIAA in kills per game with 3.15. She was a second-team All-MIAA selection last year.

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SPORT LAST SHOT

Best In The Long Run Celebrating a new personal record and a league meet victory.

Alex Whitmer nudges Mason team mate Tanner Hinkle at the CAAC Red League Championship meet. The Bulldog harriers went on to win their regional and placed as runner-up at the state meet, with both Whitmer and Hinkle earning all state honors.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY Ann Whitmer

SPORT FINISH LINE

The Gift Of Love

For Everyone Who Gave So Much, Time To Give Back

After 14 years in Charlotte, N.C., there’s still a lot of MidMichigan in me. From key influences at Waverly High to important people at Michigan State, in many ways I’m still a Lansing guy whose blood runs green.

One of the things I quickly learned with the Warriors and the Spartans was how to be an underdog. There was a lot of characterbuilding in those programs. I learned how to fight and how to win with the smallest school in the conference.

Two of the people I really have to thank are my freshman football coaches at Waverly, Bill Prahler and Dick Evans – great people and great role models. Bill was also my social studies teacher. You

Moose On The Loose Muhsin Muhammad took lessons from Lansing Waverly and MSU with him to Carolina, where he starred on and off the field.

44 DECEMBER 2010

didn’t have to like the material to enjoy having Bill in class. Dick taught phys ed and was our neighbor. He’d pop up at our house.

It’s just after Thanksgiving, and I’m thankful for having had two other coaches there, Phil Odlum in basketball and Kevin Byrnes in football. I was a pretty spirited kid, I guess you could say a rebel. But Phil wouldn’t take my mess.

He made me accountable. And Kevin, he just believed in me.

Phil actually got ticked off when I didn’t go to Miami to play football. I came pretty close. But Dennis Erickson wanted me to play linebacker and redshirt. At Michigan State George Perles said I could play whatever I wanted to play. And I wanted to score touchdowns.

Miami was the top program in those days.

I don’t know how my life would’ve been different if I’d been a Hurricane. But I know I made the right decision. I loved “G.P.” We were cut from the same cloth – tough, aggressive guys who liked to hit.

When I had some tough times, George stayed faithful. He was with me the whole time. But I never had the chance to show everything I could do till Nick Saban took over and brought Gary Tranquill in as offensive coordinator. Gary and I really hit it off well. I wasn’t about to let that opportunity slip away.

I was still learning the position my senior year and maturing when I reached the NFL. I was learning on the run, so to speak. But we beat Michigan twice in three years. And I had some memorable games that got me a lot of exposure. I had my best game against LSU in the bowl in ’95, though my favorite was the win over U-M in the snow that year. That was my first meeting with Charles Woodson, and it went really well.

College football is all about rivalries.

There’s a lot more hate than there is in the NFL. When I first got to the Panthers, I was a second-round pick, and Tim Biakabutuka, the U-M tailback, was the first-rounder. Our lockers were side-by-side. The first year, we never even spoke.

Eventually, we made it to the NFC Championship Game as rookies.

And Carolina liked the fact I was grounded. It liked my hard work and physical play. It was almost unheard of in those days for a wide receiver to play as physically as I did.

I didn’t know how to take a play off. A lot of that was Lansing.

I had a great career with the Panthers and played with the Bears for a few years.

I caught a lot of passes for a lot of yards and a lot of TDs, including one in each of my two Super Bowls. But last spring, right after the Big Ten Network taped a special on me for The Next Level, I knew it was time.

I was back with Carolina and didn’t want to go through a rebuilding phase. I wanted to play for championships. But I didn’t want to leave again to do that. I had a lot of things going in Charlotte with the school we started and some business interests (axum-partners.com). I had to take care of my foundation and my family.

My wife, Christa, and I had four kids when we finally made the decision three years ago to adopt two more from Ethiopia – an 8-year-old girl, Journey, and a 5-year-old boy, Maddon. Everyone told me adoption comes with a lot of baggage and you should never adopt out of birth order.

But as I started reading more about these older kids that no one wanted, how they’d get kicked out of orphanages at 14 and go into prostitution or be sexually abused, I stopped resisting.

I said I’d have to pray on it. My wife and I are both Christians. And I went into deep prayer to God, asking for clarity. That’s exactly what I got. The whole experience was enriching. We benefited in ways you can’t imagine. They’ve brought more to my life than I have to theirs. It’s total unconditional love – 100 percent, the best way to approach football and family.

Photography matthew mitchell, MSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

By MUHSIN MUHAMMAD

PLAYING SPORTS CAN MAKE YOUR KID FEEL LIKE A SUPER HERO - BUT WHAT ABOUT YOU? When big youth sports events are held in Greater Lansing it’s a classic winwin. The local economy gets a boost and youth sports heroes are made.

Do you or someone in your family play a tournament sport that could be a good fit for the area? Need a hand growing your local sports event? The Greater Lansing Sports Authority offers free support to develop athletic tournaments and events in the Capital region.

Help us develop a strong sports community and we can keep those event dollars local. Your kid will feel like a hero on the field and you can feel like a hero for your home town. Contact us today to learn more.

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