sport: November/December 2011

sportLANSING.com

Ex-Spartan Center Mike Peplowski Takes Other Last-Second Shots Now

williamston

dewitt

HANNAH GRISCHKE

WOUNDED WARRIORS

Hits Her Stride For Hornets As A Runner, Singer, Dancer

Saluted At Portland-DeWitt Football For Selflessness

VO L •3 ISSUE 10 NOV/DEC

2 O 11 $5.OO US SPORT COMMUNITY PUBLISHING

The Only Way to Go Where ever you go, Dean offers the best service to meet your needs.

Whether traveling in comfort with Dean Trailways or reserving a Dean Black Car to travel in exclusive style, Dean provides a safe, professional and comfortable environment to get you where you need to go.

Call today or visit us online to book your next trip.

1-800-282-3326 | deantrailways.com | deanblackcar.com

M I C H I G A N

S T A T E

U N I V E R S I T Y

COMMEMORATIVE FOOTBALL BOOK H e a r t T

H

E

N

E

W

B

O f

A

S p a r t a n

O

B

J

O

K

Y

A

C

K

E

B

L

I

N

G

A book that captures the winningest back-to-back seasons in MSU football history. Relive the glory of the great victories and greatest moments of 2010-12. See how – and why – a team transformed from tribulations to trophies. Meet the players and coaches who've taken the program to a new level. + FULL-COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY FROM EVERY GAME + W E E K - B Y- W E E K C O L U M N S A N D C O M M E N T A R Y + PROFILES OF THE LEADERS ON AND OFF THE FIELD + A LO O K AT W H AT M A K E S T H E P R O G RA M U N I Q U E + R I C H M E M O R I E S F R O M PA ST S PA RTA N STA N D O U T S

RESERVE YOUR COPY TODAY! Visit HeartofaSpartanBook.com and instantly print a gift card to put under the tree for your favorite Spartan!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jack Ebling Jack has covered sports and 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.

Heart of a Spartan is his seventh book, following Spartan Champions, JUD: A Magical Journey, Magic Moments, Green Glory and Tales from the Detroit Tigers Dugout, volumes I and II. A two-time graduate of MSU, he has contributed more than 125 pieces for national publications and is the columnist for a top collegiate website (michiganstate.247sports.com). He is also the editor/columnist for Greater Lansing sport magazine. The former English teacher and coach spent nearly a quarter-century as a beat writer and columnist for the Lansing State Journal and has won 21 major writing awards.

Visit HeartofaSpartanBook.com to order now!

contents

FEATURES 06 AN EARLY THANKSGIVING

Spartans Get More Than They Give On Carrier

BY JACK EBLING

10 X-COUNTRY FACTOR

Hornets’ Hannah Grischke A Star On Any Stage

BY DAVID HARNS

12 BULLDOG MENTALITY

Tanner Hinkle, Mason High Champs Can’t Stop Running

BY DAVID HARNS

14 AT YOUR SERVICE

Portland, DeWitt Play For Wounded Warrior Project

BY DAVID HARNS

16 HAPPY TO ASSIST

Wallace, Lynch Gave Up Head Coaching Gigs, But Not Working With Kids

BY CHIP MUNDY

20 COLD FEET…THEN HOT!

24

Game-Winning Shot

Ex-MSU, NBA Center Mike Peplowski Still In The Hunt

BY ANDREA NELSON

05 Thanks-for-giving Year’s End A Time To Reflect, Repay, Replenish

BY JACK EBLING

MSU Sophomore Gets His Kicks, Wins GMC Acadia

BY ANDREA NELSON

30 ALWAYS SERVING

DEPARTMENTS eb-servation

spartans will

34 You Know That Voice!

Terry Braverman Still Talking Strong For Spartans, Lions

Todd Martin Develops Champs On, Off The Court

BY MARK MEYER

32 OH, DANNY BOY

Litwhiler Taught Us How To Play The Game

BY JIM HOUGH

BY ANDREA NELSON

finish line

36 Time To Go Green Not Too Late To Join Tom Izzo’s Program

BY DANE FIFE

Volume #3 • Issue #10

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

3

assists

EDITOR Jack Ebling Jack has covered sports and 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 contributed more than 125 pieces for national publications and is the columnist for a popular website (michiganstate.247sports.com). 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. A two-time graduate of MSU, he has lived in Greater Lansing for 37 years. With his wife, Robin, he has helped raise two remarkable young adults, Zach and Ali.

CONTRIBUTORS 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.

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 backto-back state titles in girls basketball in 2005-06. Today, she combines her love of basketball and football with caring for her two dogs and helping with her family’s prize-winning alpacas.

She is also an assistant editor of sport.

Publisher Camron Gnass Sport Community Publishing Editor Jack Ebling Assistant EditorS Andy Flanagan Andrea Nelson WRITING Jack Ebling Dane Fife David Harns Jim Hough Mark Meyer Chip Mundy Andrea Nelson COVER Photo Matthew Mitchell PhotographY David Harns Andrew Johnson Mike Major Bill Marklevits MSU Athletic Communications Matthew Mitchell Dane Robison MAGAZINE Design & LAYOUT Traction www.projecttraction.com Mailer ICS Editorial Office 617 East Michigan Avenue Lansing, Michigan 48912 (517) 455-7810 www.SportLansing.com

Greater Lansing Sport 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 the Greater Lansing Sport Magazine, is mailed complimentary to qualified business addresses in the Greater Lansing metropolitan area. Residential, promotional, out-of-area and additional subscriptions are available for $36 per year (a saving of 40% off the $5 cover price per issue) by mailing a check to Sport Community Publishing or paying online at www.

SportLansing.com. When available, back issues can be purchased online for $10 each.

Postmaster: Address changes should be sent to: Sport Community Publishing, 617 East Michigan Avenue, Lansing, Michigan 48912.

4 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

Copyright © 2011 Sport Community Publishing All rights reserved.

eb-servation

Thanks-for-giving Year’s End A Time To Reflect, Repay, Replenish

BY JACK EBLING

There’s a lot to be grateful for in Greater Lansing.

Somehow, it always comes back to great hearts.

As I looked around the room at Edmund’s Pastime, where close to 80 people had gathered Downtown to celebrate this magazine’s third birthday, I realized one important thing – one more than I do most months.

For every hero we honor and every championship we cherish, there’s a parent or a coach or 10 who helped that happen.

And with Thanksgiving much more than a time for parades, punts and pies, let’s talk turkey.

Very few problems in Mid-Michigan can’t be resolved if we commit to do that.

Very few programs can’t be saved or improved if we truly value them.

Very few people can’t feel better by giving back – or more accurately, giving hope.

Almost every conversation I’ve had with Archie Griffin, the only two-time Heisman winner, has led to a mention of Ohio State coaching legend Woody Hayes. And nearly every testimonial about Hayes has mentioned his life philosophy, Pay It Forward.

Locally, it’s known as Pass It Forward. But since Hayes viewed the pass as a form of the plague, a different name is understandable.

The plan is the same. Every day, try to help one person you don’t know, and don’t expect or accept a payback. Instead, ask that person to do the same for someone else who can’t help them. It’s the key to a better community.

It’s also par for the course in this area, the heart of Michigan. We see that again in our end-of-theyear issue, a tribute to those who give back.

No event exemplified that better than the Carrier Classic, a basketball game between two elite college programs on the USS Carl Vinson, a ship with a deck the length of three football fields.

Greater Lansing sport was there and saw the looks on servicemen’s faces. A lot of them were set for deployment at the end of November. None of them knew when they’d see another game. But they kept saying “Thank you!” to the players and

coaches, a message Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans returned like a give-and-go.

No one in Mid-Michigan history has had more sweet returns than Mr. Tennis, Todd Martin.

And to no one’s surprise, he continues to give, as he did this fall with a special celebration of the game he loves.

In his first piece for this magazine, former Lansing State Journal Sports Editor Mark Meyer takes us behind the scenes on a memorable Saturday at Court One East, a club where Martin continues to pass it forward.

We also visit a pair of football coaches with continuing contributions.

We learn why Michigan High School Hall of Famer Jack Wallace went from being the head man at Fowlerville to an assistant at East Lansing.

And we see how Eastern High Hall of Famer Jeff Lynch stepped back and helped kids move forward at Williamston.

Chip Mundy’s story captures their motivations and revisits the coaching memories for both men. Between Wallace and Lynch, the lessons handed down wouldn’t fit in their schools’ largest textbook.

The late, legendary Danny Litwhiler never went by the book in all his years in the MSU dugout and the third-base coaching box. But ask National League Manager of the Year Kirk Gibson about his influence on young people.

Longtime State Journal columnist Jim Hough comes out of retirement to write our tribute to Litwhiler, one of his closest friends. This area is so much better today for both men’s labors of love.

The same can be said for the Wounded Warriors tributes we saw this fall at Grand Ledge and DeWitt. David Harns helps us understand why saying thanks was so important to Panthers coach Rob Zimmerman and everyone else who made that happen.

Our cover story is about a different kind of marksman, outdoorsman extraordinaire Mike Peplowski, the former Spartan and NBA

center. Assistant Editor Andrea Nelson helps us understand one of the most colorful, interesting athletes we’ve seen in Mid-Michigan – unless you happen to be a deer.

Staying in Williamston, we also get to meet Hannah Grischke, a terrific performer in cross country and track for the Hornets – or on stage as a singer, dancer and actress for anyone lucky enough to see her, as Harns explains.

And we wrap up our look at area cross country with a story about Tanner Hinkle and the Mason Bulldogs, boys state champions for 2011 and a potential power for years to come.

The November-December issue also introduces us to Andrew Johnson, who stepped out of the stands at Spartan Stadium to kick a 40-yard field goal in gusty conditions and win a GMC Acadia during the win over Michigan.

Our Spartans Will feature is on Terry Braverman, who came to campus as a student nearly 55 years ago and has served his school in countless capacities. You still hear his voice as the publicaddress announcer for MSU and the Detroit Lions.

Finally, our Finish Line guest column comes from Dane Fife, Izzo’s newest assistant coach and longest successful recruitment.

Fife explains why he’s all-Green now when he grew up Blue and played in Indiana Red. I’d be remiss if I didn’t say thank you, too, to everyone who has been so supportive during my matchup with cancer over the past 12 months.

Let’s just say we’re ahead on the scoreboard.

With books on the Detroit Tigers and Spartan football due out in early 2012, there’s no time to waste. Only to say thanks for three-plus years of fun with this magazine and for allowing us to tell some fascinating stories.

In fact, let’s do this! If you go online – www.heartofaspartanbook.com – you can pre-order before the holidays and get 33-percent off for a keepsake every MSU follower should have.

It’s one more way to say thanks to all of you. H

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

5

An Early Thanksgiving Spartans Get More Than They Give On Carrier

It was as close to a triumph as a 12-point defeat could ever be.

Cliches aside, there were no losers in Michigan State’s matchup with North Carolina in the Carrier Classic in Coronado, Calif.

Long after we forget the score of a 67-55 game against the top-ranked Tar Heels, the best basketball team you’ll see this month, college or pro, the Spartans will look back at the experience and smile.

They’ll remember their conversations with the troops aboard the USS Carl Vinson, an aircraft carrier that could have held three football fields.

They’ll understand that they were part of history, an event that none of the 8,111 people on the flight deck, including the nation’s First Fan, will soon forget.

And Tom Izzo’s players will be a better team for having tested themselves under strange conditions before strangers who now consider themselves friends.

6 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

“I thought it would be great, and it was better than that,” Izzo said. “The troops and the military were unbelievable. And North Carolina is a great team that will get better as the year goes on. We played the No. 1 team in the country before the No. 1 team in the world.

How can you beat that?”

Draymond Green knew the game would be special. He hadn’t played outdoors since he came to MSU four years ago. Those games at Vets Park in Saginaw paled in comparison to the memories he gave America’s vets and active servicemen.

“I’m don’t think I’m that mature,” Green said. “I don’t think I could do what they do.”

After hitting his head three times on a tour of the ship’s quarters, Green played 38 minutes

and had a career-high 18 rebounds, the same number as UNC’s towering threesome of John Henson, Harrison Barnes and Tyler Zeller, all future first-round draft picks.

Though he missed 16 of 22 shots and had five turnovers, Green was the glue that gave his team a chance to be competitive before fans who compete for their country every day.

“One of the guys, MC3 Bell, asked me where this stands on the list of things I’ve done in my life,” Green said. “I told him it’s definitely No. 1 – ahead of playing in two Final Fours.”

Maybe that’s part of the reason why he switched from No. 23 to No. 10 Friday in honor of should’ve-been-a-senior Delvon Roe, whose career ended prematurely.

“It’s always better when you do something for someone else,” Green said. “And I can’t believe the troops keep telling us, ‘Thank you.’

I always say, ‘Thank YOU! Thanks for all you do.’… We’re just here to play basketball. What they do is every day. It’s life or death.”

Photography BILL MARKLEVITS

BY JACK EBLING

No outcome in November is anything close to that. But there were several signs of new life for Tom Izzo’s program, starting with a 49-34 edge on the boards and a zest for the game we seldom saw last season.

Freshman Branden Dawson made his collegiate debut and played 35 minutes. He scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds, despite a scary knee twist that sent him to the sideline just before a 12-0 UNC run.

“I thought it was pretty bad,” Dawson said.

“I thought to myself, ‘I’m not going back in.’ I slipped on a logo and was hurting a lot. But the docs said I tweaked it. So I said, ‘I’m going back in for you guys.’”

Expect plenty of great moments from Dawson and former AAU teammate Travis Trice, who still looks like a 14-year-old but has the unmistakable look of a point guard.

Though Trice finished 1-for-8 from the field, he led the Spartans with three assists and three steals and committed just one turnover. If his transition 3 had fallen, a 21-point lead would’ve been sliced to seven with just under six minutes left and really made things interesting.

“I told Travis after the game, ‘If you’d hit that shot, you would’ve been a hero,’” Green said. “He probably should’ve slowed it down.

But that’s something he can learn from.”

Trice wasn’t the only one with a sense of awe Friday. Valparaiso transfer Brandon Wood didn’t score 30 points again, as he did in his first game against the Tar Heels. But he did enough to show he can play at the highest level. So did foul-plagued centers Adreian Payne (10 points in 11 minutes) and Derrick Nix (nine rebounds in 17).

“This was something none of us will ever forget,” Wood said. “To be able to play in front of the President and honor him was awesome.

And we all had ‘USA’ on the back of our uniform, so we’re all on the greatest team.”

There was one memory that will never fade, one that happened about 24 hours before Barack and Michelle Obama made their entrance and got a souvenir jersey from Izzo.

Otis Doddy, a 25-year-old Naval engineer from Pittsburgh, Texas, waited patiently behind the barricades during MSU’s first flightdeck shootaround Thursday.

He held a single green camouflage shoe, a replica of the Nike special-edition footwear the Spartans sported that week. And he wanted it signed as much as anyone could.

“I got it from the NEX, the Naval Exchange, sir,” Doddy said with a smile. “I was hoping to get it signed and auction it off to help fight cancer.”

Doddy’s wife, Shay Morgan, had been battling breast cancer for two months. Since he couldn’t be there to help her, he had to do the next-best thing.

“If I could get this signed by Tom Izzo…”

Doddy said, slowly shaking his head.

“Maybe I can help there, too. I joined the Navy four months ago to help protect my country. Now, I want to help fight cancer while I do that.”

Doddy didn’t have a lot of time. He’s moving from Coronado, just south of San Diego, to… places unknown very soon.

“We’re being deployed on Nov. 30,” Doddy said. “We’re not allowed to tell you where, sir. But for Michigan State and North Carolina to come here and do this before we leave, it’s a blessing.”

Before the Spartans were done shooting, word was beginning to circulate that there was one more autograph to sign. In that case for that cause, Izzo would’ve signed a hundred.

It would have been a great game to win. The next Tuesday’s test against Duke wouldn’t have been bad, either.

But sorry, Vince. Sometimes winning isn’t everything. Sometimes it’s more important to care. H

These are the stories you get each week from Jack Ebling on Spartan Tailgate Go to: www.michiganstate.247sports.com SUBSCRIBE NOW FOR THE BEST IN MSU FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL AND RECRUITING COVERAGE.

Authentic Mexican Restaurant

$1.99

East Lansing

KIDS MEAL ON SUNDAYS - NO REFILLS

$2.99 MARGARITAS SUNDAY–THURSDAY

OFFER MAY VARY AT SOME LOCATIONS

$1.49

SELECT 12oz

DRAFT BEER ALL DAY SUNDAY–THURSDAY

OFFER MAY VARY AT SOME LOCATIONS

South Lansing

1227 East Grand River Ave.

6405 South Cedar St.

517-853-5800

517-393-4100

West Lansing

Mason

5010 W Saginaw Hwy.

447 South Jefferson St.

517-327-0545

517-676-7701

Howell

Jackson

4184 East Grand River Ave.

1111 North West Ave.

517-545-8340

517-784-8400

Canton

West Jackson

6600 Canton Center Rd

1923 West Michigan Ave.

734-207-1920

517-990-0727

Michigan Center 328 5th Street

517-764-0600

WORK ON YOUR GOLF GAME ALL YEAR LONG AT FOREST AKERS COVERED AND HEATED PRACTICE RANGE • 18 stalls available • L ocated at Forest Akers East Golf Course • Range hours beginning November 1, 2011: • Monday – Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

• Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Hours vary during Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday weeks www.golf.msu.edu

DesignRides .com 954 E Saginaw • Grand Ledge

TEXT: STARTER TO 411669

COUNTRY FACTOR

Hornets’ Hannah Grischke A Star On Any Stage

Some teenagers are either really involved in athletics. Others are really into fine arts. Hannah Grischke is exceptional that way, too.

Grischke grew up competing in many sports and enjoying many other activities. When she entered middle school, her mother told her that she had to choose just one fine art and one sport and focus on those.

“I chose running and dancing/singing,” Grischke said.

It’s a good thing her mother tethered her to a couple of activities. The rewards from those commitments have been numerous: Grischke’s 3.86 GPA has her in the National Honor Society. She is a class representative on the student council. She has had lead roles in the drama club’s annual spring musical. She sings alto or soprano as part of the Madrigal choir. She sings and acts in local community theater. She runs cross country in the fall and track in the spring. She takes voice lessons.

She dances – both ballet & hip-hop. She plays 10 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

the piano and the guitar. She sings with church groups, in coffeehouse competitions and even for reality shows.

When asked what she would do if she was forced to choose between running and singing/ dancing, she answered, “I definitely couldn’t choose between them. They definitely balance each other. I like singing and dancing, but running keeps me healthy.”

Grischke’s two passions have been intersecting for some time now. She would sing the national anthem at a track meet and then go out and lead the Hornets to victory on the track.

But there was a time when she was almost

forced to choose. It was May 2011, and Hannah wanted to go to Chicago to audition for Simon Cowell’s new “American Idol”-like singing show, “The X Factor.” Hannah and her mom drove down down on Monday after school to audition for the show. When they arrived, they were told contestants would fill out their paperwork and get bracelets that would get them in line for the singing auditions – which wouldn’t begin until Wednesday morning.

Grischke knew she had a track meet Tuesday night and called her coach, Mitch Lutzke, on Tuesday morning, just after second hour, to see what the weather was like in mid-Michigan.

The weather was fine, and the track meet was on. So Hannah and her mom drove four-plus hours from Chicago to Williamston, where she taped her ‘X-Factor’ bracelet to her wrist and led her Hornets track team to victory by running the 800 and 1600 meters. Mother and daughter then turned around and made the long drive back to Chicago, where auditions started bright and early Wednesday morning.

Photography DANE ROBISON

BY DAVID HARNS

Grischke made it all the way to the fourth round and was eliminated one step short of singing for the judges on national television. She still believes that she would have advanced to the next round if she had sung a more modern song.

Instead, she sang what she loved: old jazz.

Lutzke knew he didn’t have to tell Grischke to come back to Williamston for the track meet.

“She’s a captain. She knew what she had to do,” he said. “There was never a complaint from Hannah. She’s a real high quality kid.”

Grischke could’ve skipped the meet and stayed in Chicago.

Williamston probably would have won the meet anyway. But Lutzke knows that many of the kids on the team saw how Hannah didn’t ask for special treatment.

Instead, she fulfilled her obligations without complaining. And her actions spoke volumes about honoring commitments.

In line to become a two-year captain for the Hornets, Grischke’s teams have won every Ingham County League title, every Division 2 MHSAA Regional title and every Division 2 MITCA Team State Title in that span. Her high school highlight occurred as a freshman, when she anchored the 4x800 relay and held off a strong Petoskey team for the win.

Paula Maurer-Westbrook, her cross-country coach for four years, believes that Grischke’s divergent interests – running and singing/ dancing/acting – actually strengthen and complement each other.

“A lot of what Hannah brings to the table stems from her talent with music and plays and acting,” Maurer-Westbrook said. “She brings the dedication that’s required. As soon as she knows what’s required of her, she is very disciplined and will do exactly as you lay it out for her. She’s not afraid of hard work. The calmness that she brings to competition – she’s so used to being on the stage and, really, athletics is just an extension of the stage.”

Grischke’s personal best in cross country 5k – 18 minutes, 37 seconds – ranks second in Williamston history, 9 ticks off the record.

She placed 28th at the Division 2 State Meet at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn with a time of 19:32.2. And Maurer-Westbrook insists that there’s a correlation between her stars success in athletics and on the stage.

“Whether you’re doing a production or you’re singing or dancing or acting, you practice, practice, practice, then perform for an audience,” Maurer-Westbrook said. “You have to put everything together. The meet is simply the performance.”

Grischke’s choir director and drama club director, Adam Boyce, agrees.

“She was very attentive and on task,” Boyce said. “She’s a great leader by example. You don’t have to ask her to be there or be on time or be diligent. It’s just something that’s she’s made a part of her life already. She sets a good standard as far as her work ethic.”

Boyce first saw her perform at the Howell Community Theater, where she had a role in the musical Grease. He made sure she brought those talents to the Williamston High School stage.

As a sophomore, she had the female lead in Little Women. As a junior, she had the lead female road in Oklahoma!. This year’s play is yet to be determined, but chances are she’ll be on stage.

Grischke knows that whether it’s sports or singing or acting or dancing, the formula for success is the same.

“You have to want to get better,” she said.

“If you don’t, there’s no drive or determination.

There always has to be that mental state of wanting to get better.”

Hannah is purposefully leaving her college opportunities open. She might not know where she’ll end up for college. But she definitely knows what she wants to do when she gets there.

She wants to run.

And sing.

And dance. H

Practice Makes Grischke Williamston’s Hannah Grischke has a passion for the fine arts, not just for the finish line.

A Luxurious Auto Salon CALL

33.SHINE

www.showroomshine.com 248 W. Grand River • East Lansing, MI

BUY CERTIFICATES ONLINE

™

Tanner Hinkle, Mason High Champs Can’t Stop Running

BY DAVID HARNS

Everyone is entitled to a day off. And Mason High boys cross country star Tanner Hinkle took one.

Singular.

One day in the last two-and-a-half years, according to Bulldogs coach Charles Miller.

“Tanner is relentless in his training,” Miller said. “He may have missed one day of running since he has been here. His work ethic has taken his natural talent to the next level.”

The same could be said for the entire Mason team in 2011. It recorded amazing times and won the Division 2 State Meet with 92 points, 37 less than runner-up St. Joseph.

As with all sports, those performances didn’t just happen. It took a lot of dedication and hard work in the off-season for the Bulldogs to get where they are today.

12 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

Hinkle finishes at or very near the top in nearly every race he enters. With Alex Whitmer, Mason VanDyke, Joe Cecil and Jacob Hansen, he has led Mason to a spectacular season.

In the State Meet, Hinkle placed fourth in 15:41.3. Whitmer was right behind, finishing fifth in 15:45. And Cecil was eighth in 16.05.9. VanDyke was 20th (16:18.1) and Hanson 55th (16:50.9).

For Hinkle, who has been running since seventh grade, the secret to success has been consistency in training. But there has been a gradual attitude change on the part of his teammates as well.

“Everyone expects to win now,” Hinkle said.

Hinkle achieved a personal goal, breaking the school record that was held by his dad. In 1981, David Hinkle ran a 5k in 15 minutes, 46 seconds. Thirty years later, his son smashed that record by 23 seconds.

“It was kind of a big deal, because it’s why I started running in the first place,” the younger Hinkle said. “To break it was a big accomplishment for me.”

“They push each other hard. Then, they are best friends afterward.”

CHARLES MILLER

Photography DANE ROBISON

BULLDOG MENTALITY

The Bulldogs’ biggest accomplishment would be a state title – or two. After finishing second in 2010, the best is still ahead.

For Cecil, the only senior of the group, 2011 is the last chance. For the program, it’s only the beginning.

“Our team was definitely not this competitive my first two years of high school,” Cecil said. “I didn’t have the same competitive mindset until these guys came up. In the past, we had a couple of competitive guys every once in awhile. Now, we got lucky enough to have five-to-seven guys within three years of each other who want to progress in the sport.”

Participating in cross country goes beyond the competing for Cecil.

“It has given me a nice, healthy lifestyle,” he said. “I don’t go out and party and stuff like that. If you do, you’ll have bad consequences with your running. The group of guys on our team are just a good set of fellas – my best friends.”

Charles Miller wore the Mason uniform in

high school. Having graduated in 1985, he’s in his sixth year as the program’s head coach and sees the value of hard work.

Today’s athletes arrived when Bulldogs standout Michael Stewart was a senior. He had a special work ethic. And the 2011 team saw what he had accomplished and took it to another level.

“I have a whole pile of them right now that are very, very strong and very, very good natural runners,” Miller said. “They’ve pushed each other since middle school. They want to beat each other. They push each other hard.

Then, they are best friends afterward.”

It’s already starting to rub off on the Mason program. The new runners coming into the program are buying into the hard work that this year’s team has shown.

“Joe Cecil has worked hard,” Miller said.

“When he came in as a freshman, he enjoyed the sport. He liked to race but didn’t necessarily like to train. But he learned what training hard can do for you.

“This is about as good as it gets.” H

Ahead Of The Pack Tanner Hinkle never lets up and inspires his teammates with dedication.

Portland, DeWitt Play For Wounded Warrior Project

BY DAVID HARNS

14 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

The Stars and Stripes were everywhere. So were the goose bumps.

Photography DAVID HARNS

Indeed, patriotism filled the air when the Portland and DeWitt High football teams ran onto the field on a cool October Friday.

It was a night for the Red, White and Blue at Memorial Stadium – from the enormous flag held tight by the armed forces during the national anthem to the red and blue camouflage fatigues specially designed for the two teams.

It was also a long time in the making.

The idea, a fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project, started months before when DeWitt coach Rob Zimmerman was trying to decide on a community project. Athletic Director Teri Reyburn said that the project is usually simple – recycling with Granger or raking yards for the elderly. But when Rob and his wife, Christina, approached the leadership of the Wounded Warrior charity, they immediately jumped on board.

“I wanted to do something that would give back,” Zimmerman said. “And 81% of the money raised goes directly to the soldiers in need. I feel that our military is sometimes underappreciated. So from my standpoint, I wanted to do something that was a thank you.”

Not only was raising funds for the military a natural fit for his team, Zimmerman made it even more personal for the players, allowing each of them to choose the word that would go on the back of their jersey for the game.

Loyalty. Honor. Integrity. These were the words that the players and the fans saw on every play. Discipline. Respect. Leadership.

These were the words that reminded them that there is so much more to life than football.

Service. Courage.

The message was clear to the team on the opposite sideline as well.

“The important thing for our kids to understand is that this is a football game, there is a war going on, and people lose their lives every day,” Portland coach John Novara said. “I think this was a good perspective thing for our kids.”

Novara was appreciative when Zimmerman asked his team to play in the inaugural DeWitt Panther Gridiron Warriors Game. It was personal for the visitors, as tragedy had struck their community a year earlier with a car crash. Bruce Hall was a two-way lineman who’d dreamed of being in the military. The emotional Red Raiders thought that Bruce was with them again, before, during and after the game.

The football game was the highlight of that season-long fundraising effort to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project – a national

organization whose purpose is to raise awareness and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured serviceman.

The goal is to assist American troops wounded in action and their families and to help the transition from active duty to civilian life. With an extremely aggressive goal of raising $15,000, the DeWitt and Portland communities were nearly 2/3 of the way there after the football game.

Each of the players was responsible for selling his game jersey, and those proceeds will go towards the Wounded Warrior Project as well.

Kurt Grost of DeWitt, a six-year Marine Corps reservist, was watching the game near the Army cannons that were brought on to the plaza specifically for this game.

“It’s a very beneficial project, and I’m glad to see participation at the high school level,” Grost said. “As a veteran, the Wounded Warrior Project is pretty meaningful.”

Staff Sgt. Joseph Garvie, a recruiter for the Michigan Army National Guard, said the evening’s events were personal for him.

“Being overseas, I had a couple guys who were wounded with me,” Garvie said, remembering his time on the battlefield. “We were out on patrol in Iraq and hit a roadside bomb. Unfortunately, (one of his friends) lost both of his legs and (another friend) in the vehicle was an amputee. They’re now doing well, doing motivational speaking. One is a little kids’ basketball coach now.”

Zimmerman’s wife, Christina, was an integral part of the project coming together. While she and her husband don’t have a specific, personal connection to the Wounded Warrior Project, it’s something they both care about deeply.

She was thrilled when the National Guard and the Army came behind them full-strength, bringing a gigantic inflatable G.I. to the stadium plaza, as well as the National Guard Video Gaming Experience Trailer.

While the weather didn’t permit the rock walls or the inflatable obstacle course that

On The Same Team Portland High’s players joined host DeWitt’s in special commemorative jerseys. they had scheduled, and the flyover didn’t come together as planned, Christina knows that this project will only get bigger and better in the future.

“The community came behind us in a big way,” she said.

The game itself was just as eventful, with once-beaten Portland handing DeWitt its first loss of the season, a 22-20 overtime thriller.

And while only one team could win, it was very clear on the faces of the players, the coaches, the fans and the military present that the real winners were the Wounded Warriors among us.

“Portland played a great game,” DeWitt quarterback Ryan Wieber said. “And it was a good event for the wounded warriors. We wanted to do a little something to support the soldiers that are supporting the United States over there.” H

DONATIONS FOR THE WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT are still being accepted. If you’d like to be a part of the Portland/DeWitt donation this year, you can contact Christina Zimmerman via email: panthergridironwarriors@gmail.com.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

15

HAPP Wallace, Lynch Gave Up Head

BY CHIP MUNDY

Jack Wallace knew what he could give up when he resigned in January after 31 years as head football coach at Fowlerville High.

The notoriety of being a head football coach and the challenge of running his own program no longer were something he felt compelled to do.

Wallace also knew what he could not give up: coaching high school football players.

So, after some thought, Wallace joined the staff at East Lansing as a running backs coach. It has breathed new life into a 55-yearold and the Trojans, co-champs in the CAAC Blue and a winner of two playoff games.

Contrasting Images East Lansing assistant Jack Wallace (frames 4, 3 and 2) and Williamston aide Jeff Lynch (4A, 3A and 2A) stepped back but didn’t walk away from coaching.

16 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

PY TO ASSIST Coaching Gigs, But Not Working With Kids

“It’s unbelievable,” Wallace said after the first week of the season. “I’m excited now, I have that blood flowing again – not that I ever lost it. Last year, we had a great year at Fowlerville and made the playoffs, and all that was good.

But right now I feel like a different person, no doubt about it. I just love it.”

Wallace isn’t the first area coach to make such a move.

Ten years ago, Jeff Lynch, who a few years earlier had stepped down from his duties as the head coach at Williamston to become the athletic director, hired Steve Kersten to be the head coach and joined the staff as the defensive coordinator.

Both coaches are pleased with the results.

Kersten has the unique viewpoint of serving on a staff under Wallace at Fowlerville and Lynch at Williamston.

“Jack was into everything at Fowlerville, and every little detail was very important to him. But he told me he’s really enjoying just coaching now,” Kersten said.

“Jeff has been a great mentor for me. I had to make some tough decisions with personnel and parents and all sorts of things in the last 10 years. He has been a tremendous resource as a guy I can sit down with and say, ‘Hey, give me some background on this. And what are the ramifications going to be?’”

Still, no two coaches ever think alike on everything. It was inevitable that Kersten and Lynch would bang heads on some ideas.

“Jeff has strong opinions and has been very successful. And there have been some decisions I made that he didn’t think were very good decisions,” Kersten said. “Some have worked out. And some haven’t worked out. The great

thing is Jeff has been very loyal. Whether we agree or disagree, we’ve been together, and we both have the same goal.”

The Kersten-Lynch pairing was much different than Wallace’s situation because it happened at the same school, and Kersten was in fact taking over a program that had been started by Lynch.

“Jeff took a chance and hired a young guy who didn’t know very much, and the first thing he said to me was, ‘I’m going to hire you, and you’re going to hire me as the defensive coordinator,’ ” Kersten said. “I welcomed it.

I’m a guy who thinks, ‘Let’s surround ourselves with great people and great coaches, and that will make our team better.”

It worked, and last season Williamston advanced to the Division 4 state championship game at Ford Field before losing to Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 27-23.

Lynch concedes that turning his program over to another coach and joining the staff as an assistant was trying at times. He also recognizes that it turned out well.

“It was tough,” said Lynch, who gave up the position as head coach because he believed his job as athletic director would become a full-time position, which it did not. “I had certain things that I did. And this was a program that I had built for several years. But over the years he has formed a great program, so it has been good.

“I just run the defense, and he runs the offense. I have my input in it, but he calls the plays. It’s just a discipline of kids, and it’s different when you’re an assistant coach instead of a head coach. I always am the heavy guy. He’s the pat-them-on-the-back guy. So it has worked out well.”

Lynch said he enjoys having more time off in the summer to spend with his family. And, of course, the stress level is much lower. The thing that keeps him coming back is coaching the kids – something he plans to continue to do, either as an assistant coach or possibly as a head coach somewhere else.

“That’s not out of the realm,” Lynch said.

“I’m pretty committed here in Williamston, though, so it would have to be the right spot at the right time.”

For Wallace, East Lansing was the right spot at the right time. It was the right spot because of the location, with his home in Okemos. It was right because of the Trojans staff. And it was right in terms of timing. After all the years with Fowlerville – and he stresses that those were great years - Wallace wanted to leave on his terms.

“Every December for the last five years, I’ve evaluated whether I wanted to continue at Fowlerville. When I got done this past year, it just came to me that I’d had enough and needed a change,” Wallace said.

“There was no pressure. There was nothing about the parents. It was nothing about the administration. They’ve been outstanding and supported me for 31 years. I could not ask more out of them. It really came down to me wanting something different.”

Different, perhaps, but not a total change, either. What Wallace did not want to relinquish was his connection coaching the kids. The rest of the stuff that goes with being a high school head football coach sounds exhausting.

“There was never a moment as a head coach when I wasn’t thinking about football,” he said. “What did I have to do? How could we get better? Having to deal with kids that were NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 17

How will you deal with the cost of long term care?

happy to assist

75% of people 65 and older will eventually need long term care?

The national average yearly cost of nursing home care is $83,585 per person?

About 75% of all single people and 50% of all couples spend their entire savings within one year of entering a nursing home?

I CAN SHOW YOU HOW:

To generate TAX-FREE long term care benefits.

To cover both spouses using one contract.

Use an IRA to obtain TAX-FREE long term care benefits and TAX-FREE death benefit.

This is the BEST STRATEGY in the industry.

R ETIREMENT P ROTECTION S ERVICES

Jack W. Voegler, LUTCF C

517.339.4777 517.230.3595

E

j.voegler@comcast.net

P

Life goes on after retirement... why shouldn’t your income?

DI489-D2353

Secure your financial future today with a fixed index annuity.1 BENEFITS OF A FIXED INDEX ANNUITY: Stock market linked returns without the downside risk Tax-deferred2 Guaranteed income for life3 Customize features based on your terms

1. Fixed Index Annuities are not a direct investment in the stock market or indices. They are insurance products that provide an enhanced growth potential without experiencing loss of premium from market loss or fluctuation in the market and may not be appropriate for all clients.

2. Under current law, annuities grow tax deferred. Annuities may be subject to taxation during the income or withdrawal phase.

3. Guaranteed income for life is guaranteed when contract is annuitized using a life income option.

Annuities may seem complex and confusing but they’re not. I can educate and show you annuity plans with competitive interest rates, payout options, and other features.

R ETIREMENT P ROTECTION S ERVICES

Jack W. Voegler, LUTCF C

517.339.4777 517.230.3595

E

j.voegler@comcast.net

P

vs. purple-and-gold and not having the responsibilities that I had as a head coach.

“I never was second-guessing anything. I was happy. Once the game started, it was just football and coaching kids. We have some great kids here, and I love coaching them. They’re no different.

They work hard and do what is asked of them.”

A.D. And Aide Lynch (center) named Steve Kersten (right) to succeed him as head coach of the Hornets, then became the team’s top assistant.

For Wallace, like the majority of coaches, it all goes back to the kids. The game of football is the draw. But the kids are the ingredient that makes it special.

Wallace hates the fact that he left some kids behind in Fowlerville, where he remains a teacher. In fact, those kids are probably the biggest reason why he stayed for 31 years.

“It was hard to talk to my seniors and tell them I was leaving,” he said. “It was tough, especially with four of my seniors who were going to be three-year players. We shed a few tears and a few hugs. I could almost shed a tear right now talking about it.”

After it was announced that Wallace was retiring as the Fowlerville head football coach, a party was held, and it was something that made a huge impression on Wallace.

“Fortunately I’ve had an impact on some kids, and that’s been great to know,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot more in the last year about my impact than I learned in 30 years with kids coming back and e-mails and letters. They had a little goingaway party, and about 100 kids showed up. I had a kid fly in from Florida. It was so overwhelming, I didn’t realize the gravity of it all.”

Wallace and Lynch are just two of many men who coach football for all the right reasons.

Those reasons are the ones who wear the jerseys on Friday nights. Their desire to take lesser positions to remain as coaches for those kids is all the proof we need. H

Photography MIKE MAJOR

DID YOU KNOW THAT:

injured or not injured, kids who were eligible or not eligible, parents who were upset possibly.

What’s going on in school? What time does the bus leave? Is it going to be on time? Are we going to have a driver? Your freshman team has a problem, your JV team has a problem, your assistant has an issue. You have to deal with that, and it never stops.

“Now, for me, when practice is over, I get in my car and go home. I love to work with kids, and I love the sport of football and what it represents and stands for.”

East Lansing head coach Bill Feraco heard about Wallace’s potential resignation in the winter and admits he was interested in the veteran coach’s future. He had no qualms about a potential power struggle.

“That was never a question,” Feraco said. “I called him in late January or early February and said, ‘Listen, I’m not expecting an answer.

But I want you to know that I heard this, and no matter what your decision is, I want to wish you the best of luck. I want to say congratulations. If you’re going to stop, good for you and congratulations. If you’re not going to stop, good for you and congratulations.’

“The conversation went from there to Jack saying that he still wanted to coach. And he said this would be a place that he would be interested in if we were interested in him.”

Wallace had one other reason to stay in coaching: He is the president of the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association and must be an active coach as he fulfills his term. So, Wallace turned in his purple-and-gold Fowlerville gear for the blue-and-white of East Lansing.

Wallace laughed and said, despite his experience, at times he feels like a rookie coach at East Lansing. He said he even has a cheat sheet with the plays on it, something he didn’t have to do at Fowlerville because, obviously, he knew all the plays.

“The biggest thing for me has been learning the system,” he said. “When you spend 31 years running a certain play a certain way and come to a new system, it’s different. It’s the same concept but different terminology. I’ve had to go home and study it. That has been the biggest challenge, making sure I can communicate with the kids on the terminology aspect.”

In late August, Wallace experienced his first official game away from Fowlerville and took the field at East Lansing on opening night. He let out a long sigh when asked how it felt to take the field for the Trojans for the first time.

“It was different,” he said. “At 6 o’clock, when we went out there to the field for the pre-game warm-up, a lot of thoughts went through my head, wearing blue-and-white

you...

AL!VE IS

Nothing is more special than to (EMPOWER) others to reach their full potential. Are you seeking a place focused on recovery and dedicated to helping individuals (EMERGE) from challenging circumstances? Let’s work together in the pursuit of wellness and (BRIDGE) the gap to what makes you feel truly AL!VE.

AL!VE is an experience-based, destination health park designed to enhance the overall health and vitality of our community.

sm

Find more information about rehabilitation services at myalive.com.

(517) 541-5800 • 800 W. Lawrence Avenue, Charlotte, MI 48813

Sport Magazine half-page (8.5 in x 5.125 in) Empower Operations Ad 01

GREAT FOOD. GREAT DRINKS. FROM THE GREATEST GENERATION.

SERVING BREAKFAST HOT AND FAST on Saturdays and Sundays from 9-4 pm.

25% OFF your entire breakfast bill when you mention sport Magazine.

Expires September 30, 2011. Not valid with other specials or promotions.

DOWNTOWN LANSING, MICH. C O R N E R O F WA S H I N G TO N S QUA R E & M I C H I G A N AV E N U E

MSU Sophomore Gets His Kicks, Wins GMC Acadia

BY ANDREA NELSON

Andrew Johnson never planned on attending this year’s Michigan-Michigan State football game. The MSU sophomore sold his student ticket to a friend when he found out he had to go to a wedding on Oct. 15.

But one phone call two weeks before the game changed those plans quickly. Through a GMCsponsored booth outside Spartan Stadium, Johnson’s name was drawn for a chance to win a 2012 GMC Acadia.

“I was just originally trying to get a free T-shirt,” Johnson said. “I do it almost every game. I mean, why not get a free T-shirt?”

All he had to do was make a 40-yard field goal between the third and fourth quarters of the intrastate rivalry. The only problem was that Johnson was a soccer player. He had never kicked a football in his life.

“I think he had to settle in and realize he had to go out there and kick the thing,” Johnson’s roommate, Drew Sturgeon, said. “He was just so excited about getting the chance to win a new a car. I told him that maybe he should go on YouTube and look up how to kick a football.”

20 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

So that’s exactly what Johnson did. He watched a field goal kicking tutorial that the Tennessee Titans’ Rob Bironas had posted and put those tips to the test. Johnson and his friends practiced the kick at East Lansing High during the days leading up to the big game. That’s where he accidentally ran into a few people who taught him a thing or two about field goals.

“When we were there, there were these two kids kicking field goals,” Johnson said. “And the kid that kicked when I got there tried a 40-yarder and made it pretty easily. I thought maybe he could help me.”

The kicker was Erick Yang, a former walk-on at MSU. Yang and his friend helped fine-tune Johnson’s kick, showing him the football’s sweet spot and explaining the importance of a kicker’s follow-through.

With two fourth-row tickets to the game, a parking pass and the chance to win a new car, Johnson arrived ready for the challenge. He wasn’t the only fan trying to stay calm during the game. But nobody else was trying to make a long-yard field goal in 50-degree weather and 24-mph winds.

“That was probably the one thing that made me the most nervous,” Johnson said. “I was wearing shorts and a T-shirt for the kick, and I was pretty cold. I think more than anything that’s why I got nervous, because I was shaking.”

Johnson warmed his muscles by jogging down the Spartan Stadium tunnel and stretching.

When his body loosened from the cold, he was more than ready to take the field.

“My first thought was, ‘It’s so windy and he’s going to be so nervous that there’s no way he makes this,’” Sturgeon said. “We were trying to get everybody fired up in the crowd, but they thought we were crazy for cheering during the quarter break.”

Nobody in Spartan Stadium that afternoon thought Johnson had a chance. But that didn’t matter to him.

cold feet…then hot!

“I was feeling confident,” Johnson said.

“The wind was blowing in my face, and then I took my steps back and lined up. The wind died down a little bit right as I was about to kick. and I didn’t hesitate for a second.”

His memory kicked in just in time to see the football split the uprights. Johnson, who shares a 2001 Ford Taurus with his brother back home in Hudsonville, had just joined the new-car crowd.

It was his one chance, and he took it.

“I remember I looked at the ball and almost blacked out,” Johnson said. “If someone asked me what I was thinking when I kicked the ball, I couldn’t tell you. I honestly don’t remember anything. From when I took my steps back to the time that I looked up to see the football is totally erased from my memory.”

“I jumped for joy a couple times, ran and slid on the ground and dove 2 or 3 yards,” Johnson said. “I just remember being so overwhelmed at that point. As soon as I got off the sidelines, people were high-fiving me. Nobody thought I was going to make it.

Everybody was freaking out.”

Fans asked for Johnson’s autograph and

congratulated him as he made his way off the field. But he came down from cloud nine pretty quickly.

He had a wedding reception to attend.

Johnson watched the end of the game at home where he celebrated a Spartan victory and one of his own. Winning a brand new car isn’t something that happens every day. He enjoyed the moment, then decided that owning a 2012 Acadia in college just wasn’t necessary.

“I think, if anything, I would sell the Acadia and buy a moped or something for convenience,” Johnson said. “You don’t have to find a parking spot, and you can literally just turn it off and park it by the bike racks.”

Most people would probably choose the Acadia, but most people wouldn’t have been able to make the field goal. Who knows?

Maybe we’ll see Johnson on the sidelines in a Spartan uniform in the future.

Watch out Dan Conroy. You may be a returning All-Big Ten kicker. But the kid on the moped has a pretty strong leg, too. H

Graff Collision Center We Want To Be Your Full Service Dealer

517-349-8300

660 E. Grand River Ave. • Williamston, MI 48895

www.graffokemos.com

For Sales, Call Steve Peckham at Graff Chevrolet Okemos

517-827-5024

Ex-MSU, NBA Center Mike Peplowski Still In The Hunt

BY ANDREA NELSON

Growing up, Mike Peplowski was used to dominating on the basketball court with his 6-foot-10 aircraft-carrier frame. After his professional career was over, he took his competitiveness to the wilderness.

“Honestly, I never lost that little-kid fascination of a gun,” Peplowski said. “We all had cap guns, back when cap guns actually looked like guns, and I was just fascinated by it.”

Those were the days.

24 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

Peplowski was raised in Detroit and came to Michigan State in 1988 to play for Jud Heathcote. With longtime friends Matt Steigenga and Mark Montgomery as teammates, it was an experience he would love to have back.

“If you came to me today and you said, ‘I’ll let you run out of the tunnel one more time, but you have to cut off your little finger before I do it,’ I’d ask you, ‘Which hand, and where’s the knife?’” Peplowski said.

“And I’m not joking. Fun only scratches the surface of it.”

But the fun came to an end when he was drafted 52nd by the Sacramento Kings in 1993 and the real work began.

“The jump between high school and college, it was significant but it was manageable,” Peplowski said. “The difference between college and the pros, it’s like coming out of preschool and going right into AP Calculus, that’s how fast that game is. It was everything I could do to keep up.”

The center was traded to Sacramento before he had the chance to board the plane for the Bucks’ first road game. It was in California

where he rekindled his passion for hunting.

“It’s the best-kept secret in the world,” Peplowski said. “The areas around Sacramento are the most wildlife-rich areas in the entire country for Hungarian partridge, quail, turkeys, antelope, black-tailed deer, whitetailed deer, mule deer, wild boar, bears, trout fishing up in the mountains. Everything was an hour and a half away.”

The young hunter had struck gold.

Peplowski went on several hunts, including a trip to the Hollywood Club in Northern California. The Club was a hunting lodge

complete with its own airstrip, pictures of John Wayne and Clark Gable lining its walls and enough ducks to black out the sky – a duck hunter’s dream.

Over the next few years, Peplowski played for the Detroit Pistons, Washington Bullets, Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors before an ACL injury ended his career. He said the next year was the hardest of his life as he struggled to find his identity.

“You go from being in a position that no one you have ever met has had the ability to do,” Peplowski said. “You’re a pro athlete.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 25

The Buck Stops Here Peplowski takes a break with one of the visitors to his property in Williamston.

Where do you go from there? Down. It’s the only place to go.”

Hunting brought him back. Alongside jobs in the mortgage, advertising sales and commercial real estate businesses, Peplowski found time to make hunting a priority in his life.

But he isn’t your everyday hunter.

Peplowski’s competitive sports nature led him to pay top dollar to go on guided excursions from Alaska to New Mexico to hunt America’s most exquisite wildlife.

“Nobody in their right mind would pay thousands of dollars to go on a vacation to not shower, sleep on a cot and clean yourself up in a frigid cold river or lake,” Peplowski said.

He clearly knows he’s one of the few who will.

“But I had the time of my life, and that’s when I got hooked.”

Hooked is an understatement.

“He’s incredibly passionate,” Peplowski’s good friend Steve Utrup said. “Not about a lot of stuff, but the stuff that he likes he’s doggedly determined to do and do well. He’s a good guy; he’s a guy’s guy.”

Determined seems like an understatement.

Peplowski is a hunter. It’s as simple as that.

When his basketball life ended, he found another way to challenge himself physically and mentally and hasn’t looked back since.

“It’s cleansing,” Peplowski said with a smile. “It boils everything down to just a few basics. You’re in some strange places where you have to rely upon yourself, your wits.

Of course they have an emergency satellite 26 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

phone but help is hours away by airplane.

It’s great, it’s absolutely great.”

Peplowski’s favorite place to hunt is in Canada’s MacKenzie Mountains. It’s where he hunted caribou, one of which is mounted on the wall of his study.

“Hunting caribou on the barren ground in the mountains, you’ve never seen anything like it,” Peplowski said. “It’s the most beautiful place on the planet and no one is there.”

His voice lowered.

“It’s so quiet it’s actually loud. It’s weird. Not a lot of people get a chance to experience that kind of quiet, where you can actually hear the blood coursing through your ears. That’s how quiet it is.”

Peplowski welcomes the challenge of living for days in the barren wilderness.

“You can’t make a phone call, you can’t answer email,” Peplowski said. “You can’t drive anywhere, you can’t make an appointment, and you can’t go to the bank. You can’t. And you better pray that the plane comes in to come and get you.”

So far, the planes haven’t been an issue.

Weather, on the other hand, is a different story.

“There have been trips where I’ve had to spend the night away from camp,” Peplowski said. “But everybody knew where you were, you weren’t completely out of reach. You knew how to get back to where everybody else was.

When you’re up in the arctic, it’s kind of cool sleeping on the tundra overnight. The rifle is sitting right next to you, too!”

Peplowski’s rifle is never too far out of reach. He predicts his weapons have helped

him harvest hundreds of animals. One of his favorite shots came when he was hunting caribou mountainside.

“That one,” he said pointing to the caribou mounted on the wall. “That one was interesting.”

Riding horseback, Peplowski’s horse spotted a group of caribou right below the mountain’s cloud line. When asked if he could make the shot, Peplowski was doubtful.

The caribou were moving faster.

His guide told him to start running.

“Run?” Peplowski yelled, “It’s not a hill.

It’s a mountain.”

He thought his running days were over.

“You realize when you’re at about 10,000foot elevation, the air is pretty thin,” Peplowski said. “I thought my heart was going to fly right out of my mouth. I’m trying to calm myself down, and I can’t. The crosshairs are bouncing the scope. My heart’s beating fast.”

Peplowski couldn’t control his breathing.

He pulled the trigger.

And the caribou fell.

“Oh my god I can’t believe I hit it,” Peplowski said.

He hasn’t made any 600-yard or trick shots, but Peplowski prides himself on his accuracy.

He hasn’t bought ammunition in six years.

For those who think Peplowski is a gun fanatic, well, he is.

“This may be a little bit shocking but dead is dead to me,” Peplowski said. “If I can figure out a way to efficiently wrestle it to the ground, I would hunt that way. If I could kill it and resuscitate it, I’d shoot it again. Bow, rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, pistol, spear, rock, it makes no difference to me.”

Shocking? Probably.

But you have to dig a little further into his hunting lifestyle to understand how much he respects wildlife and a hunter’s abilities.

Peplowski invites many friends to hunt on his property, but there are certain rules. If they shoot a buck, they have to call his taxidermist before they leave to have it mounted. He wants to keep the deer population healthy. By adding a $400 price to a buck, his friends will think twice about pulling the trigger.

Then, there’s the arctic wolf.

“It was the most majestic thing I’ve ever seen in nature,” Peplowski said. “I see this wolf…huge, big, ghost white. I’m getting ready, and I’m all set. It was the only time I’ve ever hesitated before I pulled the trigger. This little thought came into my head, and it was the only time I’ve ever thought of this. I said, ‘Why are you shooting that thing?’”

He pulled the trigger.

And he missed.

The guide encouraged Peplowski to shoot again.

“I looked at him and I said, ‘I can’t do it,’”

Photography Matthew mitchell/mSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

game-winning shot

Follow Wilda on Facebook

game-winning shot

Place Of Honor Peplowski’s favorite trophies are the ones he has shot in the wild.

Peplowski said. “He said, ‘Why?’ I said, ‘That animal keeps everything around here in check.

I’m not going to eat it. Therefore, all I’m doing is shooting it to shoot it. That’s not really me.’”

The hunt was over, and he hasn’t purchased another wolf tag since – part of his unique viewpoint on the sport.

“It’s clearly a dichotomy because you’re out there with a weapon to end an animal’s life,” Peplowski explained. “But I think most of the people who go out hunting and who do it on a regular basis have a truer appreciation for the natural things of the world. They wouldn’t trade their ability or their right to hunt that animal for anything.”

Even though he’s a serious hunter, Peplowski always makes sure to have fun with it as well.

He built a tree stand large enough to hold five grown men and takes every opportunity to take his friends out for a hunt.

“I usually go once a year with him, and we go out and sit in the tree stand and stare at leaves,” Utrup said. “We’ve never seen anything out there. I don’t know if he just wants to go out and talk or what, but we haven’t ever seen a thing. After a while I just want to shoot trees. I’m a classic bored hunter.”

Peplowski doesn’t mind. He just loves spending time in the woods with those closest to him, including his daughters who have been hunting with him for years.

“I make it fun for them,” Peplowski said.

“They get to make the rules. When they want to go, we go. When they want to leave, we leave. We don’t maintain the silent rule, we whisper. And they have a really good time.”

Peplowski hasn’t been on a hunting excursion in a few years. His work at 60 North, a company that specializes in the acquisition of historic properties, has kept him and his partner, MSU basketball radio analyst and ex-Spartan forward Matt Steigenga, extremely busy.

But “Pep” already knows what his next move will be.

“I want a moose,” he said. “That’s the next trip, just because it’s the largest North American mammal out there. And then I really, really want to shoot a grizzly. A coastal grizzly, a big, giant thing bigger than me.”

There are few things bigger than the former NBA player, but he’s not afraid of those that are.

It’s just another challenge that he’ll welcome with open arms – and his rifle. H

Play in our indoor leagues all winter long, and be ready when the snow melts to melt up your score card.

INDOOR VIRTUAL GOLF | GOLF LESSONS | PRO SHOP DRIVING RANGE | JR. GOLF | CLUB FITTING AND REPAIR

(517) 669-3075

11890 US 27 DeWitt, MI 48820

www.dewittgolfcenter.com

Always Serv

Todd Martin Develops Champs On, Off The Court Jordan O’Neill raised his racket to the Court One ceiling in a brief fit of frustration and shook his fists a couple of times.

Then, he realized to whom he and his partner had just given up a hard-fought point.

On the other side of the net, having just unleashed an unreturnable backhand, was a player who at one point had led Andre Agassi two sets to one in the finals of the 1999 U.S. Open men’s singles championship.

30 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

But on this day, like most any other when he rekindles friendships and makes new ones in the Lansing area, Todd Martin was more concerned with reaching out to help rather than ramming a shot past a helpless opponent. So at the end of his match with O’Neill, Martin spent a couple of minutes with the 2005 state singles champion from Lansing Catholic High and shared some advice on the proper release point for serves.

It was the type of one-on-one mentoring that has endeared the 6-foot-6 Martin to hundreds of young athletes through his Leadership Development Fund summer tennis camps and one-day fall exhibitions and clinics.

Photography DANE ROBISON

BY MARK MEYER

ving

who played No. 1 singles for four years at Aquinas College and is now in his first year as co-head coach of the women’s program. He’s also an adjunct instructor in communications at Aquinas and is pursuing his master’s degree at Grand Valley State.

“What really helped me, even though I had the scholarship, was that Todd was such a good role model as to how to do things right and to take advantage of opportunities when they’re given to you. I was fortunate enough to use it (scholarship) to springboard into more opportunities for myself.”

Henry Brunnschweiler, tennis coach at Haslett High for the past 10 years, has seen

said Martin, who won an MHSAA state singles title as a junior at East Lansing High, then went on to star at Northwestern University for two years. “As I matriculated my way through tennis, I found myself wanting to teach the game. “(Aside from tennis) knowing that some kids who have struggled with the proper guidance, proper environment…have a place to go and people to advise them and get to do things in a safe and constructive environment is a ‘win’ in its own right.

“I was just 23 when we initially discussed the notion and had no idea what a program like this

“I’d be lying if I said the skinny guy in the back of the van was going to turn out to be in the top five in the world.”

O’Neill, for one, knows how lucky he was to have been given the opportunity to observe and absorb the life skills that play a central role in Martin’s message. O’Neill and his family moved to Lansing from Charleston, W. Va., when he was 7, and when his mother went looking for things to do in the summer, she saw an ad for a reasonably priced week of tennis. After several summers of participation, O’Neill earned a development fund scholarship in seventh grade that he was able to renew through high school and into college.

“It meant a lot to me because it gave me a chance to grow in tennis and develop something that would help me get into school,” said O’Neill,

firsthand the kind of effect that Martin, 41, has had on young people, especially those who didn’t have parents always willing and able to take them wherever or whenever they wanted to go somewhere or do something.

Brunnschweiler joined the camp team as a counselor when he was a student at Michigan State. More than 15 years later, he’s the summer program director.

“I’ve seen multiple decades of high school tennis in this area,” he said. “The one thing I’ve seen since 1994 (when Todd became involved) is that tennis has grown as a sport among many schools that would not have been exposed to the sport to the degree that they are now.”

Brunnschweiler has seen Lansing schools grow from having a few players to being able to field a full team.

“I’ve also seen, over the past 10 years, a ton of our summer kids playing high school tennis,” he said. “And a lot of those kids normally would have never played or never would have been exposed to it. So it has really increased the popularity and the involvement of the sport around Lansing, Mid-Michigan, everywhere. It has affected the suburban communities, the urban communities, the rural communities.

“We’ve found that it has become a positive, word-of-mouth program that has helped increase the numbers of kids competing in this area.”

Almost everyone who attended the day-long Court One event had a chance to interact with Martin, a married father of three who makes his home in Florida but never forgets where he spent some of his most formative years.

Or how he was able to pursue his dreams.

“I grew up wanting to be a schoolteacher,”

PAUL TORRICELLI

would be, could be. I was apprehensive because I didn’t necessarily feel like my career or name was prepared to do something like this. But at the same time, I felt if a handful of kids got a tennis racket in their hands who would not normally have done it, then it would have been worth it.”

Nancy Danhof has been the executive director of the Todd Martin Development Fund since 2004 and has helped it develop into a year-long effort that not only works with Lansing area youths during the summer but also during the school year. Danhof said this summer’s camp had more than 425 participants, while typical fall, winter and spring sessions at Court One serve between 60 and 100 kids in the National Junior Tennis and Learning and Local Excellence (for high school players) programs.

“We’ve also expanded our after-school programs at Wainwright Elementary,” Danhof said. “We’re to the point where we’ve been working with seventh- and eighth-graders for the past three years, and now we’re in our second year with fourth- and fifth-graders.”

In an interview earlier this year with InsideTennis.com, former Northwestern coach Paul Torricelli had this to say of Martin, his one-time No. 1-ranked Wildcat: “I’d be lying if I said the skinny guy in the back of the van was going to turn out to be in the top five in the world. But you knew there was something special there. An agent told me he could be top 30, and I was floored.”

“I thought he could be top 100, but Todd knew where he was headed.…He never verbalized it, but he proved it right. As good a player as he was, he’s a better human being. He’s a very giving person.”

O’Neill, even in defeat, could attest to that. H NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

31

Oh, Danny Boy Litwhiler Taught Us How To Play The Game

BY JIM HOUGH

For 30 years I wrote “The Onlooker” for the Lansing State Journal. I’ve been in retirement for 24 years. Through all that time, my wife, Darl, and I were close friends with Danny and his wife, Pat. When Danny died recently at age 95, the media paid a lot of attention to his baseball accomplishments but missed a couple of very special things: Yes, they told of his nearly 30 years at MSU and all the great Major League players that he mentored – the Steve Garveys and Kirk Gibsons.

Dispensing Wisdom Litwhiler talks with his catcher in the midst of an MSU pitching change.

32 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

And yes, they talked about his long career with the Phillies, Reds and Cardinals.

The obits told how he first used the radar gun to measure the speed of baseball pitches and invented Diamond Dust, still used today, to dry the infield after a hard rain.

And they talked about his glove being on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame for the record number of consecutive games he played without committing an error in the outfield.

For me, however, a big thing about Danny was left out – his special dignity as a man of fairness.

When Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier as the first African-American in the game in 1947, there was strong sentiment among Reds fans to boycott the games when Jackie got there, with Cincinnati considered the Deep South for pro baseball.

Danny was a very popular player in Cincinnati and the only college graduate in Major League Baseball. So he asked Reds management to call a press conference where he could make a personal appeal to the fans.

Danny also arranged to get Jackie to the stadium well ahead of the game. When pictures showed the pair hugging and holding one baseball bat, the fans bought it all and filled Crosley Field for the series.

On several occasions years later, Jackie came to East Lansing to visit Danny. A large framed photo of two men of different colors hung in Danny’s home. Two great men, indeed.

When Danny retired from coaching, Athletic Director Doug Weaver and I ran the retirement party. Everyone was there, all the MSU presidents from John Hannah on and many former players.

Typical was one of Danny’s old teammates, Enos “Country” Slaughter. I called Enos at his home in the Carolinas and told him all about the event. I said that we didn’t have a big budget but could pay for his travel to East Lansing.

Keen Eye For Talent Litwhiler helped mold MSU players into Major League standouts.

“Jim, I’ll be there,” Enos said. “And it won’t cost you anything. Will you pick me up at the airport?”

I could fill this magazine with Danny stories.

But I’ll end this piece with a couple of examples of Danny’s sense of humor.

Once, when Danny had named me an honorary captain and asked me to sit in the MSU dugout, he put a baseball helmet on my head. Of course, I asked him why.

“Jim, I have a player in center field named Kirk Gibson,” Danny said. “I’m teaching him the game. But I never know where the ball will go when he throws it. I can’t take a chance on you getting hurt.”

Thirty-three years later, “Gibby” is as good a manager as there is in the National League.

He and the Arizona Diamondbacks owe an awful lot to Danny. They wouldn’t be the same without “Skip”.

But the story Danny most liked to tell about himself was a true one. It occurred the year after Gibson was gone. With the Big Ten championship on the line, the score was tied in MSU’s last at-bat. With two out and nobody on, a Spartan player drew a walk.

Danny’s steal sign was always to touch his right ear. But when a mosquito landed just inside it, he stuck his finger in there to get rid of it. Oops.

The runner saw Danny’s hand on his ear, took off for second and was hit by the catcher’s throw. On the next pitch, the batter singled, and the winning run came home.

Championship, Spartans.

“I got praise for a great coaching move,” Danny said with self-deprecation. “But I had to tell the truth – baseball involves a lot of luck.”

There’s nothing lucky about being a great person, a great innovator or a great friend.

We’ll miss you, Danny. H

Photography mSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

The recent death of Danny Litwhiler, Michigan State’s longtime baseball coach and one of the sport’s great innovators and people, made me wish I still had a column to write.

L

A

K

E

T

R

U

S

T

S

o

S

M

A

R

T®

C

H

E

Some folks want you to pay for using your debit card, we pay you to use it!

With our SoSMART® Checking, not only do you get a free debit card, we’ll put money in your pocket to use it! You’ll earn a great interest rate and free ATMs nationwide*.

Just call 888.267.7200, visit laketrust.org or stop by your local ® branch to find out about SoSMART – it’s redefining checking! *Simple requirements must be met per cycle to earn great interest rate and ATM fee refunds up to $25 per cycle. Available to personal accounts only.

laketrust.org

C

K

I

N

G

spartans will

You Know That Voice!

Terry Braverman Still Talking Strong For Spartans, Lions

If you’ve ever heard “It’s a beautiful day for football!” at Spartan Stadium, you’ve heard Terry Braverman.

“He would come to my room, and we would practice with my tape recorder,” Braverman said. “I practiced interviewing him, and he’d practice being interviewed and try to get better at being a good interview. We would critique each other.”

But he never thought both of them would see their dreams come true. Green was a firstround draft pick of the New York Knicks in 1959.

After working in Hawaii, Indiana and Nebraska, Braverman came back to East Lansing to begin his first of many years working at MSU. Braverman was the second man for WKAR radio and television for 10 years. He was then named the director of the Ralph Young Fund, an athletic fund-raising position he held for 28 years. But he never gave up broadcasting, hosting the weekly coaches shows.

Then, on the eve of the 2001 Michigan-MSU football game, Braverman was given an opportunity by Mark Hollis, then the director of marketing and promotions.

“He said, ‘Terry, I need you to do the game tomorrow at the stadium,’” Braverman explained. “I said, ‘What do you mean, do the game?’”

The previous p.a. announcer had laryngitis and was unavailable for the nationally televised matchup.

“You know what? I did it,” Braverman said.

Maybe it was Braverman’s voice; maybe it was the crowd; maybe it was Jeff Smoker’s touchdown pass to T.J. Duckett as time expired that gave MSU the win. Whatever the reason, Braverman was Dreams Do Come True Longtime broadcaster and fundraiser hired as the full-time p.a.

Terry Braverman is the p.a. voice of the Spartans and Lions. voice the next season.

“There’s only one place you say that,” Braverman said. “There’s only one day a week you say that: Saturday at Spartan Stadium.

You want to hear it? Go to the game.”

As the public-address announcer for Michigan State football and basketball and the Detroit Lions, Braverman has come a long way since his days as a high school football broadcaster.

“Two hours before the game, getting prepared and looking over notes, I might think back – this is a long way from Muskegon when I was doing JV football and there were 100 people in the stands,” Braverman said.

One thing he never lost was his passion.

Braverman took advantage of every opportunity to improve his broadcasting skills, even practicing in his dorm room with MSU basketball legend Johnny Green.

34 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

It was a beautiful day for Spartan football.

In Hollis we trust.

“We were playing Northwestern, it was a very gray, overcast, rainy day, and I could just sense that the crowd was blah,” Braverman said. “So I’m reading the weather forecast, and it’s 50 degrees, partly cloudy with a 40% chance of rain. The wind is out of the west at 50 MPH. So I said, ‘The heck with it! It’s a beautiful day for football!’ I just blurted it out right before kickoff.”

The phrase stuck.

Braverman became the voice of MSU football and basketball before catching Detroit’s attention.

After announcing the Motor City Bowl and the Mid-American Conference Championship, Braverman received a call from the Detroit Lions.

“They said, ‘Have you ever considered doing p.a. in Detroit?’” Braverman said. “I said ‘Sure!’

It took me about three-tenths of a second. I said, ‘This is the NFL. It doesn’t get any better than this. How fun would this be?’”

Braverman has had plenty of fun. He enjoys doing his job well but knows he’s far from perfect. Braverman said everyone makes mistakes. He just tries to keep his to a minimum and learn from them.

“Public address is a different art form,” Braverman said. “It really is. It’s almost like being an official at the game. If you don’t call attention to yourself, if no one is aware of the officiating, it must’ve been a good game. So try to give the fans what they want and shut up.”

This year in Detroit has been a little more fun for Braverman. Announcing for a winning Lions team has made the 2011 season that much sweeter. The Monday night match-up with the Bears was no exception.

“I have a spotter and a communicator, and we could not hear each other,” Braverman said.

“We’re right next to each other, and we’re on the seventh floor! The crowd from beginning to end was just bedlam. I was saying to myself, ‘What a great sports city! What a long time coming!’ And to be there and to be part of that was kind of neat.“ It was a beautiful day for football. H

Photography Matthew mitchell/mSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

BY ANDREA NELSON

BEING A SPARTAN MEANS

COACHING HOOPS WITHOUT HAVING TO

JUMP THROUGH THEM! April 30, 2007 marked an important day of transition for Suzy Merchant. That’s when she was hired as head coach for the MSU women’s basketball program — the day she began her career as a Spartan.

It wasn’t easy, but four years later, she still loves her job.

“Basketball has taken me all over the country, but my heart has always been here,” Merchant said.

No matter where they’re destined to go, there’s sure to be a network of Spartans ready to cheer them on to victory and help with the transition.

“At some point, our players will graduate and face the realities and challenges of life after college,” Merchant said. “Sure, they have the skills to dribble the ball down the court and score points, but will they succeed after graduation when it’s time to hoof the pavement, put their degree to work and find a job or place to live?

There’s real power in our worldwide network of alumni. They’re doctors, nurses, lawyers, bankers, teachers, parents ... friends. On the court, they make a deafening noise and go stark raving mad to distract our opponent at the free-throw line. Off the court, they give us job leads, provide a helping hand, and recommend places to go and places to live.

In the game of basketball, just as in the game of life, we all dream of winning. The MSU network of alumni and friends gives us the advantage we need to succeed.

Shouldn’t you be part of it?”

My name is Suzy Merchant, and the MSU Alumni Association is my personal network ... for life!”

Join the MSU Alumni Association — your personal network ... for life.

finish line

Time To Go Green Not Too Late To Join Tom Izzo’s Program

I wasn’t supposed to be saying “Go Green! Go White!” – not after being raised in such a true-Blue family and representing the Cream and Crimson in an NCAA title game.

But my University of Michigan and Indiana University roots couldn’t erase one irrefutable fact.

I was immediately and irreversibly drawn to Tom Izzo, first when he tried to recruit me to Michigan State, then when I nearly transferred to East Lansing and, finally, when I knew I had to work for the man, whatever it took.

It took a little time and a lot of faith. Coach Izzo didn’t have to hire me. But I’m really glad he did last spring. Now, all this green looks pretty good.

You have to understand that Michigan State was the absolute enemy, growing up. All I ever heard was “Michigan rules!…State sucks!”

My dad, Dan Fife, had been a basketball captain and assistant coach for the Wolverines.

My brother, Dugan, played basketball there, too.

And anyone I was ever around loved Michigan, especially in football. I’d never even been to East Lansing until Dugan was recruited.

As soon as that happened, I could tell that my parents loved Coach Izzo. They wouldn’t have had a problem with me coming to Michigan State because of the level of trust and respect they had for him.

I just always had a thing about playing for Indiana and Bob Knight. I remember a tape of an Indiana-Michigan game that Bill Frieder had sent my dad. That was the first time I noticed how the announcers talked about Coach Knight and Steve Alford.

My dad was my coach at Clarkston High and was very similar to Coach Knight in some ways.

When people say they got more out of less than anyone, I’d probably agree. My dad could’ve been a great collegiate head coach. And when Steve Fisher was fired at Michigan, a group pushed for my dad to be hired. He was never interested.

But Michigan State was definitely my second choice. Coach Izzo was just starting out. I knew so much more about Indiana. And I knew Mateen Cleaves and Charlie Bell a little bit, too.

I knew they were very good players. So even as Mr. Basketball, maybe some of the choice had to do with my own insecurities.

36 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

It was still incredibly hard to say no to Coach Izzo. Maybe that’s why it took so long that November to announce my decision. I still refer back to some of the letters he sent me.

I had a great experience at Indiana, too. But I almost left when Coach Knight was fired. I was coming here. I would’ve had to pay for two years of schooling. Lord knows, I would’ve had a chance to play for a National Champion. And I wouldn’t have had to wait 10 years to get a job here.

New Tie, New Ties Fife sees himself as a Spartan at long last.

I knew I wanted to be here as soon as I realized what kind of man Coach Izzo is. You know how he sits and watches warm-ups, rocking his heels? As a player, I’d always try to soften him up so he’d beat us by 15 instead of by 30. And he’d always ask about my family.

That stuff goes a long way with me. It’s not something everyone does.

The year I graduated and was getting ready to play pro ball, I sent him a letter to thank him. And what happens? He calls me back and

says, “Anything you ever need, let me know.”

I was always under the assumption a coach would be angry if you didn’t come to his school.

But Coach Izzo showed how the process should be. Your relationship with recruits doesn’t have to end when someone doesn’t commit to you.

And when I was a graduate assistant at Indiana, guess who had a half-hour phone conversation with the athletic director at IPFW? I’m 100-percent convinced that if not for Tom Izzo, I never would’ve gotten that job in Fort Wayne.

Then, he went one step further and played us.

I always said he did that because he wanted five more wins. But he came to our place, too. How many guys would give up a home game to do that?

He did that for me. And when we were up seven at our place, he could’ve wound up with a 12 seed.

Maybe the offer came because I harassed him. I told him how much I wanted to work for him and kept bugging Lori and Beth in the basketball office and Mike Garland, who’d played in the same backcourt with him at Northern Michigan.

Now, I’m finally part of that team. He recognized the fire inside and knew I wanted to be here for all the right reasons. How many guys would give up a D-I head coaching job when they’re not in trouble to become an assistant?

You would if you could work for Tom Izzo.

Obviously, I hope to be a head coach again some day. But that’s not what’s important to me now. What’s important is being at an unbelievable institution, in an unbelievable program, working for one of the best leaders ever to coach.

The community has been unbelievable to me.

The program is built on trust and hard work.

And it’s OK that there’s not as much time to play golf. It’s fun to come to work to win a championship – every day – and to do that with a great group of people.

I know there are a lot more eyes watching us. My family will be pulling for Michigan State now. And my wife, Blair, has been great about the move. She wouldn’t date me when I was a player at Indiana. She thought I was arrogant.

She hasn’t said that since I started to work here.

It’s a great place for our daughter, Quinnly, to grow up. All she’ll ever know is Green and White. H

Photography MSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

BY DANE FIFE MSU ASSISTANT BASKETBALL COACH

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.

51 7 - 3 7 7 - 1 41 1

www.lansingsports.org email: sports@lansing.org

Tournament Planning.

Event Development.

Free Services.

PRSRT STD U.S. Postage

PAID Lansing, MI Permit #407

617 East Michigan Avenue Lansing, MI 48912

sportLANSING.com