Submitted by Carl Agosta, Stahls’ DFC Sales Team
The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame was created in 1954 to honor sports people and athletes from Michigan. On Thursday, September 15th 2011, the 55th class was inducted.
This year’s inductees included:
– Carl Banks, a Michigan State All-American and NFL All-Pro linebacker from Flint Beecher.
– Jerome “The Bus” Bettis, an NFL All-Pro running back who attended Detroit Mackenzie and Notre Dame
– Lloyd Carr – Former Head Coach for the University of Michigan football team
– Carol Hutchins – Current coach for the University of Michigan women’s softball team
– Dick LeBeau, a former Detroit Lions All-Pro defensive back and NFL Hall of Famer
– Greg Meyer, a top U.S. distance runner and the last American to win the Boston Marathon
– John Spring, a fast-pitch softball legend and ASA Hall of Famer from Detroit
– Ron Thompson, a former Detroit DePorres football coach and youth sports mentor for more than four decades
It was an incredible night with wonderful acceptance speeches. What impressed me the most was the amazing character that each of these inductees held. Their messages each contained a similar theme:
– Always fight for what you believe in, even if you have to take a few steps back to get to your goal.
-No one gets to this level without a strong team behind them to help shape and mold them in to the person they are today, whether that be family, coaches, players, or friends.
– Family is the key to success. Whether it is immediate family or colleagues that help drive that success.
What really hit home to me was when Lloyd Carr shared a lesson he had learned as an assistant coach from Bo Schembechler who was the head coach at U-M at the time. Bo said, “Your goal right now should NOT be to be a head coach. It should be to listen, study, and work hard at your current position so you will have the tools you need and will be ready to succeed WHEN you become a head coach.”
What I took from this was that we (as individuals) should stop looking at how to get to the top. We should instead focus on learning as much as we can from the talented people who surround us, so that we can be prepared for success when it comes our way.
Each inductee was presented with a framed custom jersey. Special thanks to the team at Stahls’ DFC for providing the customization on the jerseys. They not only looked fantastic, but were completed in just a few days time.
I would also like to thank the Stahls’ ID Direct Marketing department for creating a sponsorship ad for the program and for the presentation.
Congratulations to this year’s Michigan Sports Hall of Fame Inductees!