FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 24, 1997
Contact: John Johnson or Mike Clifford 517.332.5046

The only school in the history of the Michigan High School Athletic Association's Girls Basketball Tournament to win four consecutive titles, Flint Northern High School, was honored through the Association's "Legends Of The Games" program at halftime of the 1998 Class A Girls Basketball Final on Dec. 5 at Rose Arena in Mt. Pleasant. In its second year, the Legends program promotes educational athletics by showcasing some of the great teams of past years. Flint Northern won MHSAA Class A crowns in 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981. Thirteen members of those four teams were in attendance to receive commemorative plaques and a banner to display at the school during the ceremony.

Many in attendance for the 1978 MHSAA Class A Final between Flint Northern and Detroit Mumford understood they had witnessed something special. A crowd of 3,576 turned out for the game in East Lansing-a record for the girls tournament at the time. Flint Journal sports writer Phil Pierson pointed out to the readers back home that this was a dynasty in the making. "There is every reason to believe that the Vikings' victory celebration following the 60-48 triumph over Detroit Mumford in Jenison Fieldhouse Saturday will be repeated in 1979," wrote Pierson. "With three members of the starting five back, the Vikings figure to have as good or better nucleus than anyone next season.

Not only are the numbers good, but the quality is outstanding with Pamela and Paula McGee having a year of eligibility left and Leteia Hughley owning two more campaigns." It was the ninth MHSAA basketball title in the school's history, but the first girls cage crown. Indeed, destiny could not be denied. The 6-3 McGee twins were the stars of the tourney.

Pamela had scored 16 points in the Final, while her sister added 15. Combined, they pulled down 38 rebounds in the championship contest. Hughley, an outstanding talent in her own right, quietly did her job, feeding the ball inside to the pair of budding All-Americans.
Finally and most importantly was Coach Dorothy Kukulka, who had guided the team to a 23-0 mark and was just beginning to establish herself as one of the premier coaches in the state. As predicted, Northern earned another title in 1979. This time the team rolled to a spotless 25-0 mark, capped by overwhelming Harper Woods Regina, 62-34, in the title game. The 28-point margin equaled the Finals game record.

The McGee twins again dominated, this time with Paula leading the team with 25 points, 24 rebounds, three blocked shots and four steals. Pamela added 15 points and nine rebounds. Northern had posted 48 consecutive victories over two seasons, and had posted an incredible 59-4 mark during the "McGee Era." Kukulka was awarded "Coach of the Year" honors by the Detroit Free Press and the Associated Press.

Kukulka certainly had depth returning for the 1980 season, as Tucker, Leteia and Lawanna Hughley were coming back. But the days of dominating an opponent by outrebounding and outshooting them were gone. Coach K responded by building a team around speed and defense, with Hughley controlling the game's tempo. With a pair of MHSAA titles and a long winning streak, the pressure was immense entering the 1980 season.

The Vikings responded to the challenges by finishing the regular season undefeated. Then came the playoffs, where the Vikings disposed of a taller squad from Farmington Hills Mercy in the quarterfinals and previously unbeaten Detroit Murray Wright in the semifinals, thanks to a 37-point effort by Hughley. The Final presented a rematch of the 1979 semifinal vs. Jackson. Jackson trailed 48-43, but pulled to within two, 48-46, with 49 seconds left. However, free throws by Felicia Cooper and Hughley sealed the victory for the Vikings, 52-46. It was the 74th consecutive win for Northern.

Again Kukulka was named "Coach of the Year." Seven players graduated from the team following the season. It was expected that 1981 would be a rebuilding year. The 14-member squad featured nine underclassmen, and Cooper was the only senior starter. Still the team set out with the goal of winning a fourth championship.

Tears fell as the long winning streak ended at 75 games with a 59-51 loss to the Grand Blanc Bobcats in the second contest of the 1981 season. Kukulka tried a number of personnel combinations during the year, with as many as 11 individuals scoring in some contests. Cooper and juniors Evette Ott and Monica Hughes led the team.

Two of Northern's six losses in 1981 had come vs. conference rival Saginaw. The Vikings avenged the defeats by ousting the heavily favored Trojans from the tournament in the first round of regionals, 52-43. Yvonne Thompson, a sophomore who was brought up earlier in the year from the JV squad to shore up the teams weakness in rebounding, led the team with 13 points and 22 boards in the contest. Davison was knocked off in the regional finals, while Farmington Hills Mercy was the victim for the second straight year in the quarterfinals. Northern defeated Grand Haven in the semifinals and then, for second time in three years, the Vikings defeated Harper Woods Regina in the Final.

The 37-32 win marked 32 consecutive tournament victories and an unprecedented four consecutive crowns for Kukulka's Vikings, no small feat considering the program was less than 10 years old when it captured the 1981 crown. After years of trying, Kukulka was able to convince administrators to start a girls sports program at Northern in 1973.

"Establishing and cultivating the program required the ardent support of the players, parents, administration, staff, community, and a rich athletic tradition enhanced through the media," Kukulka said. A graduate of Michigan State University and St. Clair Shores St. Gertrude, Kukulka compiled a 189-37 mark in 11 years behind the bench.

Incredibly, her squad would return for the Class A final for a fifth consecutive appearance in 1982. This time, the Vikings fell to Farmington Hills Mercy, 61-58, built upon a stunning fourth-quarter rally at University of Detroit's Calihan Hall. Ironically, Mercy was the last Class A team to own the crown before Northern's long reign. Following a 17-5 campaign in 1983, Kukulka took a leave of absence from the world of basketball. She chose not to return.
"No one represents girls basketball better than Kukulka," wrote Free Press sportswriter Mick McCabe in naming her "Coach of the Year" in 1980. "She exudes class, a fact reflected in the way her players act on and off the court."
(Copy by Ron Pesch, MHSAA Historian)