MCSHOF Inductee

Thirty years ago, Bud Dodson became involved in Special Olympics. In the span of 10 years, he became the Area 24 Special Olympics Director. In that span, and beyond, he guided the group from a $6,000 a year budget to one that has $34,000 for more than 115 athletes. Dodson's teams played in three seasons in a variety of sports: cycling, poly hockey, cross country skiing, basketball, aquatics, track ...Read More...

One game. The first for the University of Notre Dame. Ludington native George Cartier was the quarterback for the Fighting Irish on Nov. 23, 1887 in the school's very first football game and it happened to be against Michigan. The Fighting Irish lost the game, 8-0, but Cartier went on to be involved in sports in one fashion or another later on in his life.His brother, Warren Cartier, was a Notre D ...Read More...

Jenny (Irwin) Every set several Ferris State University track records after an outstanding high school career at Mason County Central. At MCC, she qualified for the state meet four times running in the 800-meter and 1,600 as well as the 1,600 and 3,200 relays. Irwin set six Ferris State records and made appearances three consecutive years at the NCAA Division II meet, was named the 2006 GLIAC Most ...Read More...

The 1986 Mason County Central Boys Track and Field Team won the MHSAA Class C state championship, defeating Detroit St. Martin dePorres by two points in the state meet. The Spartans started the season after finishing as the state runner-up in 1985. MCC went on to win the 17-team Fremont Invitational, the East Grand Rapids Invitational, the Traverse City Relays and the West Michigan Conference titl ...Read More...

Mike Benedict ran to the 1981 Class B state cross country championship in his senior year at Ludington High School. It was set up by a 19th place finish the year before. In both seasons, Benedict was all-region and all-Seaway Conference. In track, Benedict was a three-time all-Seaway Conference athlete and was the conference champion in the two-mile his senior year. Benedict eventually ran for Sag ...Read More...

Ross Donley coached the Ludington High School track teams for 37 years and cross country for 26 years. His track teams won 16 league titles, four regional titles and three times were in the top 10 at the state meet. Donley's cross country teams won six league titles and four regional titles. He is a four-time regional cross country coach of the year and the 1983 track coach of the year. Donley is ...Read More...

Carl Mayhand was a record-setting runner at Mason County Eastern, leaving the school with seven records in tow. He went on to be an All-American during his junior college days and had to turn down a full scholarship to Auburn University because of family commitments. But in high school, he was tough to beat in cross country and track. He owned state titles in the 1980 state cross country meet and ...Read More...

Greg Melchert was an outstanding baseball and football player as well as wrestler at Mason County Central, and he found his greatest success in baseball. He played at Western Michigan and went on to pitch in the Detroit Tigers farm system for Lakeland and Utica. He was an All-State special mention in baseball. He was a three-time state qualifier in wrestling, finishing fourth as an individual and ...Read More...

Lee T. Snyder was a one-man wrecking crew one fine spring day at the 1954 Class B state track meet. The Ludington Oriole single handedly gave his school the state runner-up trophy as he won state titles in the pole vault and high jump while taking second in the low hurdles and third in the long jump. Snyder's prowess wasn't limited to the track as he was a member of the boys basketball teams and f ...Read More...

Although Matt Urka saw his playing days with baseball cut short by an accident, his love for the stick-and-ball game never subsided. He helped to sponsor fastpitch softball teams and he organized what was one of the premier fastpitch softball tournaments in the country over the Memorial Day weekend, turning MacPhail's field in Scottville into a fastpitch paradise with a who's who of players and te ...Read More...