Ludington High School

The Ludington gymnastics program in the late 1970s was dominant, and that was partly thanks to the work of Rae Jean, then known as Debbie Hineline. She was a three-time All-State selection in 1976, 1977 and 1978. She was the first Ludington gymnast to win an all-around state championship, doing so in 1978, as she won state titles in three individual events: vault, uneven bars and floor exercise. I ...Read More...

Brandy Thomas left her mark on the walls of Ludington's Hawley Gymnasium and all anyone had to do was look at the track record book. Thomas set new school records in the discus and shot put numerous times throughout her high school career while also participating in volleyball and basketball. She is a four-time Lakes 8 Activities Conference champion in the shot put and a four-time state qual ...Read More...

Don Stokely keeps a watchful eye of the baseball diamond at the corner of Gaylord and Lowell streets. That diamond bears his name after he oversaw the Ludington baseball program for 33 years. Stokely compiled a record of 452 wins and 288 losses and saw his teams win 11 league titles, six district titles and one regional crown. He was a regional coach of the year in 2001 and was the Class A & B Mus ...Read More...

Melissa (Thompson) Gross ran her way into what's seemingly a permanent place in the Ludington High record books. While an oriole, she set a school record in the 1,600-meter run and was a member of the school-record setting 1,600-meter relay team. She was also a state champion miler in 1982 while running to third in 1983 in the 800-meter run and third in 1981 in the 1,600-meter run. She also was a ...Read More...

The Orioles' gymnastics program was built by Patricia M. Jensen and under her guidance, Ludington went 143-3 in duals and won state championships in five consecutive seasons, from 1975 to 1979. That record included 111 consecutive victories, a national record. Sixteeen of her gymnasts were named all-state and 14 earned full college scholarships. She was named the Detroit News Michigan High School ...Read More...

Bob Wolff is a two-time world record holder in archery. Wolff, known as the "The Bow Bender" or the "Bull of the Woods", had one of the greatest years in 1969 in archery, scoring a state title with a record for the highest score and highest margin of victory. He set his two world records at Cobo Hall in Detroit, competing in the sport before the advent of the compound bow. And in that year, throug ...Read More...

Dick Dennis is one of the pioneers of softball in Mason County as he and good friend Ralph Wienert brought the windmill pitch to fast pitch softball here and perfected it for the ages. Dennis began to play softball at age eight, and he was on his first men's team at age 11 in 1935. He went on play on various teams during his service with the U.S. Army Air Corps and once he came back home, he joine ...Read More...

Fred Horstman began the Ludington High School soccer program from scratch and built it into a state powerhouse, including guiding the Orioles to the 2001 Division 3 state championship. In 15 years, Horstman had a record of 258-54-22 as Ludington won 11 conference, 10 district and six regional championships. Before the state title, Ludington was the 1994 and 1997 state runners-up. The 2001 Division ...Read More...

Jay Hansen was one of the most prolific swimmers to come through Ludington High School. Hansen, a 1988 graduate, won 11 individual Coastal Conference titles and set five league records while an Oriole. He set five school records and still owns four of them and he won three individual state championships and set one state record. He was at his best in the 100-yard butterfly, even recording the 34th ...Read More...

Paul Spencer Peterson used a great distance-running career at Ludington and propelled himself into a wonderful runner for Saginaw Valley State University. Peterson was the runner-up at the 1978 Class B state meet. But once he became a Cardinal, he earned NAIA All-American honors in several events. He is three-time All-American in the 10,000-meter run and a two-time All-American in the 5,000-meter ...Read More...