Track & Field

Hal Madden played three years of varsity football at Central Michigan University from 1947 to 1949. Madden was a lineman. He was a center in basketball and a split end on offense and defensive end. He was the scholar athlete of the year as a senior. A native of Detroit, he graduated from Detroit Denby High School where he played football and basketball. After high school, he served four years in t ...Read More...

Ruben Gomez was one of the most loved and respected coaches and teachers in Mason County. He coached track and cross country for 37 years at Mason County Eastern and Ludington high schools where his team won many league titles. “One year in high school, I had Mr. Gomez for shop, for vocational agriculture, as a Future Farmers of America advisor and for Spanish. Then, to top it off, the following ...Read More...

On an unseasonably cold day in the spring of 1979, Mason County Central girls track and field coach Gerry Genter thought it would speed things along if the two-mile races for boys and girls were combined in their dual meet with North Muskegon. "Their (athletic director) came up to me and we were talking about doubling up because it was so cold. He said he didn't really want to do that because it w ...Read More...

A two-time all-state basketball player at Ludington High, Mike Larsen set records for the most points scored in a career (1,336) and in a game (45). He also set records for rebounds in a career (1,097), a season (460) and a game (30). Mike led the Orioles to a 19-4 finish and a berth in the Class B state semifinals in 1971. Averaging 23.7 points per game as a junior and 25 as a senior, he earned A ...Read More...

The oldest of three baseball-playing brothers from Free Soil who competed for Central Michigan University, Steve Papes earned All-America honors in 1970, when he was the most valuable player and captain on a 36-4 Chippewa squad. "A great deal of the success we had this season was due to Steve's leadership on and off the field," said his coach, Waldo Sauter. Papes set CMU single-season records for ...Read More...

At 165 pounds, Tim Quinn was well-muscled. At 6-foot-1, he was lean and angular with the kind of physique that would lend itself to any endeavor. Indeed, when he graduated from Ludington High in January 1932, the quick-to-smile, easy-going Quinn was the school's best football player, best basketball player and, oh, yes, its best track runner. His time of 1 minute, 57.2 seconds in the 880-yard run ...Read More...

Danielle Drewry earned twelve varsity letters in her four years of high school at Mason County Eastern - one in cross country, three in volleyball, four in basketball and four in track and field. She made the All-Western Michigan D League team in cross country once, in basketball twice, in volleyball twice and in track and field three times. The versatile Drewry was also the recipien ...Read More...

Jeff Barnett was the first area athlete to earn All-State honors in three sports: basketball, cross country and track. His performance in the 1986 Class C State Track and Field Finals at Bangor has never been equaled, let alone surpassed. On an unseasonably warm day, Barnett won the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter races and was the anchorman on the winning 3,200-meter relay team for Mason County Cent ...Read More...

As she enters the Mason County Sports Hall of Fame, Maria (Shoup) Holbrook has won more individual track and field state championships, ten, than any other female in Michigan. A 1981 Mason County Eastern High School graduate, Maria's high school career accomplishments went like this: 1978 - Won the 880-yard run in a state record time of 2 minutes, 20.1 seconds; won the 440 in 58.7 1979 - Won the 8 ...Read More...

George Michael Hankwitz made his mark in athletics as a participant at Mason County Central High School, as a member of the University of Michigan's football team and as a long-time assistant college football coach. In his 40 years of coaching, his teams have recorded 34 winning seasons. He has also coached in 25 bowl games, including every major New Year's Day bowl game including the Rose, Sugar, ...Read More...