In Memoriam: Tony Coggins (1971-2023)
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 24, 2023
The MHSAA and Holly school communities are grieving this week after the sudden loss of Tony Coggins, a shining light in his educational community and an enthusiastic supporter of school sports as a public address announcer for several of our largest championship events.
But while that cheerful tone has been quieted, it surely will not be forgotten by the many fortunate to enjoy an event in the presence of that voice and the joyfulness he brought into every arena, press box and classroom.
Coggins, 51, died Saturday. He is survived by his wife Kristy and children Emma and Bradlee, among several family and friends from his local and greater sports communities.
His career as a PA announcer began during his freshman year of high school in 1985, when his father Dale Coggins – Flushing’s athletic director at the time – couldn’t find anyone else to announce middle school football games. That was 39 years ago, and this fall Tony Coggins was in his 24th announcing at Holly, where he taught and served as an administrator in addition to his role as “Voice of the Holly Bronchos” for football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, competitive cheer and swimming & diving over the years.
Coggins has been a mainstay among MHSAA Finals PA announcers over the last decade in football, basketball, softball and most recently volleyball. He lent his voice to college sports at University of Michigan as well. “Tony was a huge part of our Finals events. It’s hard to imagine it being the same without him,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said.
As part of the run-up to the MHSAA public address announcers clinic in 2018, Coggins said this about what drew him to the microphone:
“I have zero athletic ability whatsoever, which is interesting because my father was an all-state running back. But I enjoy being involved, and I've always been the one for history and statistics and knowing what's going on,” Coggins said. “This is a way for me to be involved. It's a way for me to use a talent I've been given; public speaking has always come pretty naturally for me.
“So I worked at my craft to get better. I got better from watching the people around me, from studying the people I like, and the people – if I saw someone I didn’t care for – I'd make a note and say to myself, ‘Don't do that.’ I take feedback from people very personally, and I mean that in a good way. If somebody takes the time to come up and say, ‘You did this well; I think you should change this,’ that means they care about the program also. We all have the same goal in mind, and that's to make the experience good for the high school student and the parents, the fans, that come there.”
Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, at St. John Vianney, 2415 Bagley Street in Flint. There will be visitation from 2-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, at the Swartz Funeral Home, 1225 West Hill Road, and at the church from 10 a.m. Saturday until the time of the Mass.
The Holly volleyball team played for something bigger tonight
Beloved PA announcer Anthony Coggins died on Friday night from a heart attack
Tonight v. Carman-Ainsworth, the Broncho community wore his favorite colors: maize & blue🟡🔵@HollyHighSchool|@BronchosAD
⬇️⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/lPCRjjdmyL— Brandon Green🍀 (@BGreenReports) October 24, 2023
Kingsford's Sights Set on Postseason Success After 4th-Straight League Sweep
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
October 30, 2026
MARQUETTE — After earning the Great Northern Conference volleyball championship Oct. 22 with a sweep at Marquette, Kingsford is looking for more as it prepares for the Division 2 District Tournament next week in Escanaba.
The Flivvers’ 3-0 defeat of the Sentinels 3-0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-15) in their regular-season finale earned Kingsford its fourth-consecutive undefeated GNC finish.
“There was a little pressure coming into this match,” 11th-year coach Jaclynn Kreider said. “We wanted to be four-time undefeated conference champions. The kids take a lot of pride in the work that we do.”
Kreider says the Flivvers had to do things differently from the past to achieve their success this fall.
“We had to run a different offense, which can be extremely challenging, but the girls have found a way to win” she added. “This is something I haven’t seen in all the years I’ve been coaching. We’ve had success. We have a pretty strong coaching staff that works with the girls, and they bought into that.”
As is the case with most teams, the Flivvers hit a few bumps in the road during the season.
They bowed to Calumet in four sets at home Sept. 10 and dropped a pair of matches at the Cadillac Invitational on Oct. 10.
Kingsford, however, defeated Calumet in three sets at Crystal Falls Forest Park on Oct. 17. The Flivvers also defeated the host Trojans in three and Marquette in two sets that day at the “Clash of the Divisions” quad.
“We had beaten Marquette twice before the meet at Forest Park,” sophomore Mckynzee Kreider said. “It’s hard beating the same team three times. Calumet is pretty young this year, and Forest Park is pretty good. We’ve been working on defense and serve-receives, which is probably the hardest thing to master in volleyball.”
“We brought a few kids we used in a different tournament to Forest Park,” Coach Kreider added. “We went with a different lineup. We’re trying to find the best lineup. It’s nice to know we have different options.”
The Flivvers, who are off this week, are 22-3 going into the postseason. They will host the winner of Monday's District-opening match between Negaunee (20-13-1) and Gladstone (15-13-3) at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
“Winning the GNC was a very good accomplishment. That was a starting point, knowing we have the potential to go far if we do our part,” Kingsford senior Mylee Kreider said. “Our shot selection has improved. We’re playing as a team.”
Escanaba (6-16-3) hosts Houghton (12-8) on the opposite side of the bracket Wednesday at 6 p.m. The championship match will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday. The Escanaba District champion will meet the winner of the Sault Ste. Marie District in a Regional opener Nov. 10 at Manistique.
Kingsford won its District last season before falling to Ogemaw Heights in a Regional Semifinal to finish 22-3.
John Vrancic has covered high school sports in the Upper Peninsula since joining the Escanaba Daily Press staff in 1985. He is known most prominently across the peninsula for his extensive coverage of cross country and track & field that frequently appears in newspapers from the Wisconsin border to Lake Huron. He received the James Trethewey Award for Distinguished Service in 2015 from the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
(Photo courtesy of Breitung Township Schools.)