(All MBC Photos by Julie L. McCallum)
DoubleTree Hosts 18th Annual Bay County Sports Hall of Fame Banquet
Honoring Outstanding Athletes In Bay County
October 22, 2008
By: Julie McCallum,
Senior Staff
Each year new faces and new families join together to honor the Bay County sports heroes from past and present. This year's banquet was the 18th annual. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony is the culmination of the 12 month selective process which concludes on this festive night.
Local dignitaries present were The Honorable Judge Tim Kelly who sang the National Anthem and Bay City Mayor Charles Brunner.
Seven Outstanding Individual Inductees and The Pinconning 1992 Class "B" State Volleyball Champions and five decades of Bay City Americans Hockey Teams were inducted recently at the DoubleTree Hotel in Bay City. In addition, six (6) scholarships were awarded to area high school students.
Corporate Sponsor of the Bay County Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet is The Bay Regional Medical Center.
"Just another in a long line of wonderful Hall of Fame ceremonies," said President of The Bay County Sports Hall of Fame, O. J. Cunningham. Cunningham has been President of the organization for fifteen (15) years. "It just gets better every year."
To nominate an individual or to learn more on the history of The Bay County Sports Hall of Fame go to
BayCountySports.com
2008 Inductees pictured above are: (Top/Bottom. Left/Right) Irene Green, accepting award for Felix Zook was Richard Zook, Jack Beattie, accepting award for Paul Grein was Jane Grein, Don Felske, Mark Elzinga and Dean Lockwood!
Bay County Sports Hall of Fame Vice President, Bob Darbee introduces the 2008 High School Scholarship Recipients; (L/R) Jordan Snider (John Glenn), Austin Clarey (Western), Megan Gerulski (All Saints), Courtney Miller (Central), Elisa Neetz (Garber) and Ryan Kleinhans (Pinconning).
Inductee Dean Lockwood (Left) is shown here with his mother Lil and a long time friend Doug Bechler. Lockwood, an assistant basketball coach for Pat Summitt (University of Tennessee) flew in from Tennessee for the ceremony.
(Right) The 2008 Recipient of the President's Award was
Art Nixon. Nixon coached at St. Joseph for 5 years, was a Bay City Central Line Coach and Basketball Coach. Also the District Athletic Director, Elementary Principal, Director of Adult Education and Past President of Bay County Sports Hall of Fame.
Vaughn Begick,(Left) Hall of Fame, Board of Director member, called off silent auction winners, Master of Ceremonies Rod Adams is at the Right.
Close to 500 hundred attended the 18th Annual Bay County Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet in the Grand Ballroom at the DoubleTree Hotel in Downtown Bay City held on Sunday, October 19, 2008.
(Above) President of the Bay County Sports Hall of Fame O. J. Cunningham holds up a Bay City Americans' jersey and pronounces it "Hockey Night in Bay County." (Right) Cunningham named all eighty-seven (87) Bay City Americans Hockey Players.
Members of the Saginaw Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors are annual attendees at the Bay County Induction ceremony.