Powerful Voice for High School Sports
December 19, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Paul Carey was home from the U.S. Army only a few months and just shy of 25 years old when Beal City embarked on its first trip deep into the MHSAA boys basketball tournament.
On the call for local radio station WCEN from gyms at Saginaw Arthur Hill and Lansing Sexton, Carey served as the voice of the previously “laughable” Aggies as they reached the Class D Semifinals before falling just six points short of playing for the title.
“All of Beal City emptied out. They’d never had anything before,” Carey recalled during his annual Thanksgiving weekend visit to the MHSAA Football Finals at Ford Field. “When I got home, within the next two weeks I got a letter from every citizen of Beal City thanking me for broadcasting their games. That’s the kind of appreciation that meant so much.”
During 42 years on the airwaves, Carey was best known as a voice of the Detroit Tigers bounding out of transistor radios all over Michigan, thanks to WJR’s powerful signal.
But for the state’s high school sports community, his legacy is similarly memorable as the voice of the longtime football and basketball scoreboard show and a voter for various all-state teams and wire polls over the decades.
Now 86 and retired since 1991, Carey remains a regular during the first day of the Football Finals, taking in games he broadcast for the MHSAA during the late 1970s and that continue to hold his eye as they have for more than a half-century.
“It was a passion of mine. High school sports always has been,” Carey said. “I think because my dad was a high school coach, and teacher initially, and my brother was a high school coach and teacher, I just grew up in families that appreciated coaching and athletics. I was not a great athlete, but it kept my hand in following sports that way.”
Now, the scores
Carey partnered with Ernie Harwell for Tigers radio broadcasts from 1973-91, including during the march to the 1984 World Series championship. He was named Michigan Sportscaster of the Year six times and to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.
But Carey’s early career included sitting on top of a car, plugged into a phone pole, for a Sacred Heart football game at old Fancher Field just a few blocks from his family’s Mount Pleasant home. Among many more accolades are a Distinguished Service Award from the Michigan High School Coaches Association and a place in the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan Hall of Fame.
In fact, the start of his weekly announcing of statewide football and basketball scores preceded his baseball career by 16 years and ended two months after he announced his final professional out.
The Michigan High School Scoreboard show was a staple of WJR’s late Friday nights from 1957-91. Carey would read every score he could collect from a variety of sources, often organized by league and with state rankings and context mixed in.
His idea came from something similar read by Len Colby for Kalamazoo’s WKZO. Carey’s brother Terry was coaching at Niles during the second half of the 1950s, and he and other coaches would get together to listen to the Friday night scores from the southwestern part of the state.
Carey, who left WKNX in Saginaw for WJR in 1956, explained to then-sports director Bob Reynolds that the station’s strong signal could provide for a truly statewide scoreboard experience.
Carey then connected with Edgar Hayes of the former Detroit Times, who gave the OK for Carey to call the paper on Friday nights to get scores from the Detroit metro area. For the rest, Carey relied on wire services – there were three at the time – who relied on newspapers from all over Michigan to call in scores over the course of an evening.
Before every Friday during high school football season – and later Tuesdays and Fridays during boys basketball season – Carey typed up lists of games based on schedules in the newspaper, with spaces to add scores. More than a few times, Carey raced down a back ramp at Tiger Stadium after a Friday night game, back to the WJR studio, with 15 minutes to prep for the show’s 11:30 p.m. start.
“If the Flint Journal, the Grand Rapids Press, the Traverse City paper didn’t call in scores to the AP, then I was out of luck too. And that happened all the time,” Carey said. “I would call back occasionally, say, ‘Did you get anything more?’ It was a rat race.”
The show originally was set for 10 minutes and then extended to 15. American Airlines sponsored a record show that followed, and Carey’s scoreboard show had a sponsor only once in 35 years. Finishing up on time was expected, even with more than 200 scores to read.
But Carey said he always went 20 minutes, sometimes 25.
“Because I wasn’t done. I just kept right on going,” Carey said. “Jay Roberts did the all-night show most of the time, and he was patient with me. He didn’t say too much on the air about ‘that guy ahead of me took all of my time.’”
Carey continued the “rat race” until his final scoreboard show, Dec. 20, 1991. He retired from WJR at the end of that calendar year. And it's important to note: Carey was never paid a dime extra for doing the program. .
“I think Paul is really just a sports fan, and that came across to the listener on his broadcasts,” MHSAA historian Ron Pesch said. “Paul would gather as much as possible off the wire. He'd interject if scores were missing from sections of the state. Press polls from the Free Press, News, AP and UPI were big, so he could point out close calls and upsets.
“He provided immediacy, or the closest thing to it in the days before cable TV and the Internet, and because of his scoreboard show, you could get the results before the morning paper. For listeners, he brought life to something as simple as game scores.”
First team all the way
Carey, who resides in Rochester, also served as the engineer on Tigers broadcasts for 16 years, through 1990. He broadcast Pistons games on the radio for six seasons and did the first broadcast of a Central Michigan University football game, in 1949.
Harry Atkins, covering Detroit’s teams while with The Associated Press for 29 years including the last 21 as its sports editor for Detroit, took note of his colleague's hard work – and especially that Carey was one of few broadcasters who was a journalist in addition to a voice.
That made Carey's other major role in high school sports a natural fit.
Atkins split The Associated Press all-state selection panels for football and basketball into 11 regions, and Carey represented the Detroit area for a number of years. He also was a longtime voter in those sports' weekly polls.
“Paul is just that kind of guy. He thought it was important and he made time in his busy schedule to do it,” Atkins said “And it had an impact on the other 10 voters on the All-State panels, too.
“Some of them were from small out-state newspapers or radio or TV stations. Yet every one of them knew who Paul Carey was. And when he spoke, of course, with what often is called "The Voice of God," those voters paid attention.”
And he still does, as well.
At the end of each fall, Carey still puts together a compilation of the three high school all-state football teams – Associated Press, Detroit Free Press and Detroit News – and files them with years of research and results.
“It’s important to me. Nobody sees it but me, but I get a certain kick,” Carey said. “Once in a while I’ll see a kid playing at Central, Western or (Michigan) State or Michigan, and they’ll say he came from Clawson. I’ll go into my all-state collections, say that would’ve been 2009 he played, and I find a name.”
In addition to the Football Finals on WJR, Carey was part of the Baseball Finals broadcasts into the early 1990s, continuing to contribute even after his retirement from his fulltime gig.
He spent high school games over the years sitting next to legends like the Free Press’ Hal Schram and remembers when current Free Press longtime scribe Mick McCabe was just a rookie. One of Carey's final broadcasts was a 1992 Baseball Final with his nephew Mike Carey, who continues to broadcast MHSAA championship games to this day.
“I am eternally grateful to Paul Carey. His contribution to high school sports in Michigan has been great and significant,” Atkins said.
“We are lucky to have him.”
PHOTO: Paul Carey (left) and nephew Mike Carey broadcast the MHSAA 1992 Class D Baseball Final between Hillman and Athens for PASS.
2025 Scholar-Athlete Award Recipients Announced in Class C & D
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 4, 2025
The Michigan High School Athletic Association has selected 10 student-athletes from Class C and D member schools to receive scholarships through the MHSAA/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Award program.
Farm Bureau Insurance, in its 36th year of sponsoring the award, will give $2,000 college scholarships to 32 individuals who represent their member schools in at least one sport in which the Association sponsors a postseason tournament. The first 30 scholarships are awarded proportionately by school classification and the number of student-athletes involved in those classes; also, there are two at-large honorees who can come from any classification.
Students applying for the Scholar-Athlete Award must be carrying at least a 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) grade-point average and have previously won a letter in a varsity sport in which the Michigan High School Athletic Association sponsors a postseason tournament. Other requirements for the applicants were to show active participation in other school and community activities and produce an essay on the importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics.
The 32 scholarship recipients will be recognized March 15 during the MHSAA Boys Basketball Finals at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing.
The Class C Scholar-Athlete Award honorees are Dayne Behning, Munising; Kelcie Pung, Fowler; Isaiah Kabban, Harbor Beach; Trevor Nolan, Munising; and Wheatley Rodammer, Saginaw Valley Lutheran.
The Class D Scholar-Athlete Award recipients are Sarah Bradley, Clarkston Everest Collegiate; Ella Knudsen, Leland; Joshua Gaunt, Dollar Bay; and Dakota Malek, Fulton.
Overviews of the scholarship recipients of the Class C Scholar-Athlete Award follow. A quote from each recipient's essay also is included:
Dayne Behning, Munising
Played four seasons of varsity tennis and three of varsity volleyball, is playing her fourth of varsity basketball and will compete in her fourth of track & field this spring. Earned all-state in cross country, all-Upper Peninsula recognition in tennis and all-conference in volleyball and basketball; and earned academic all-state team and individual honors in cross country. Served as team captain of tennis and volleyball varsities. Serving in second year on student council with leadership roles as council vice president and also class vice president. Participating in fourth year of Key Club and as vice president. Participating in second year of National Honor Society, third in Youth in Government, third on yearbook staff and competing in first year of quiz bowl. Is considering attending Baker College to study veterinary technology.
Essay Quote: “The reality of high school athletics in the Upper Peninsula often means long bus rides and hours of travel for away games. This distance creates a unique dynamic among athletes, especially when you spend years competing against the same opponents. Over time, the girls on opposing teams become familiar faces – people you’ve grown up playing with. Through countless games and practices, rivalries evolve, and competition becomes a shared language. We end up being each other's biggest cheerleaders.”
Kelcie Pung, Fowler
Ran four years of varsity cross country, will compete in fourth season of track & field this spring and played varsity basketball as a sophomore and junior. Earned all-state in both cross country and track, the latter all of her first three seasons, and helped track team to Lower Peninsula Division 4 Finals championship last spring. Served as cross country team captain this past fall. Serving fourth year on school’s student athletic advisory council, and as president, and also serving as student council class secretary. Participating in fourth year with school’s LINKS program and serving as president for second year. Participating in third year of National Honor Society and fourth with school’s renaissance program for students with strong academics. Will attend Saginaw Valley State University and study upper elementary education.
Essay Quote: “Sportsmanship can be seen in the moments where adversity is overwhelming and where the outcome is far from expectation. In the depths of a difficult situation, there is a choice to make. The decision between sportsmanship or dwelling on defeat define one’s character. Just like other personal values, genuine sportsmanship is contagious and does not go unnoticed.”
Isaiah Kabban, Harbor Beach
Played two seasons of varsity football and will compete in fourth of track & field this spring; also played junior varsity basketball two seasons. Earned all-area in football and helped team to league and District championships. Earned all-state in powerlifting and twice qualified for state meet. Earned academic all-league in football and track. Served as football and track throws captain and coached middle school flag football and as varsity basketball student assistant. Will complete second associate degree before high school graduation. Serving on MHSAA Student Advisory Council and participated in student government throughout high school including as vice president. Served as representative for local district’s Congressional Youth Council. Serving as national director of ongoing legislation for American Youth Association and was a national spokesperson finalist for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Youth Leadership Council. Participated in American Legion Boys State and Boys Nation with leadership roles. Is undecided on which college he will attend, but intends to study public policy.
Essay Quote: “Sports only matter because we agree they do – and because of the relentless work we put into them. … (Sportsmanship is) what makes the game more than just a competition. It’s the foundation that gives sports their meaning, their stories, and their legacy.”
Trevor Nolan, Munising
Ran four years of varsity cross country, is playing his fourth of season of varsity basketball and will compete in fourth of track & field this spring; also played varsity football for the first time this past fall. Helped basketball team to 2023 Division 4 Finals championship and has earned all-state and academic all-state recognition in that sport. Won multiple league championships in cross country and earned all-Upper Peninsula honors, and was Finals relay champion in track. Earned all-conference honorable mention in football. Served as cross country and basketball team captain. Participating in second years of National Honor Society and Key Club and served on student council as a freshman as class president. Is undecided on which college he will attend, but intends to study physical therapy or kinesiology.
Essay Quote: “A coach once told me that the reason why high school sports are so successful is that they are great at teaching young kids how to mature into adults. There is no better way to teach kids how to develop great character than by teaching them the importance of sportsmanship. … Growing up, I was not always a good sport, but as I got older I learned the importance of sportsmanship through many important lessons.”
Wheatley Rodammer, Saginaw Valley Lutheran
Played four seasons of varsity soccer, is playing his second of varsity basketball and will compete in his fourth of track & field this spring. Earned all-league and all-District in soccer and contributed to academic all-state team. Qualified for MHSAA Track & Field Finals as part of relay. Served as captain of soccer and basketball teams. Participated two years in National Honor Society, four years in school’s Protect Life group and in STEM and Global Awareness clubs as a junior. Will serve as head timer for grade school track meets for fourth year this spring and head announcer for third year. Completed Great Lakes Area Leadership Camp. Will attend Saginaw Valley State University and study a business-related major.
Essay Quote: “Throughout my years in grade school and high school sports, I have often heard coaches repeat phrases like “practice makes perfect” and “you get out of it what you put into it.” These lessons have prepared me for life beyond sports. Having good sportsmanship is a personal choice that requires commitment. There is a significant difference between showing sportsmanship only when it feels convenient and displaying it consistently, no matter the circumstances. Educational athletics often throw curveballs your way, requiring you to remain composed and prepared at all times – not just when you feel like it.”
Other Class C girls finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were Baylee Goddard, Alcona; Kaylee Kranz, Clinton; Alexyn DuBois, Hanover-Horton; Grace Hayhurst, Harbor Springs; Allie Nowak, Johannesburg-Lewiston; Kate Mattson, Munising; Ashlyn Orr, New Lothrop; Tess Tillman, Royal Oak Shrine Catholic; and Makayla Zelinko, St Charles.
Other Class C boys finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were Lucas Hall, Bark River-Harris; Owen Heath, Bridgman; Jason Zarate, Brighton Charyl Stockwell Prep; Matthew Mellendorf, Cass City; Korbyn Russell, East Jordan; Carson Kienitz, Munising; Ian Weldon, Reese; Ben Denlinger, Roscommon; and Landon Pestrue, St Louis.
Overviews of the scholarship recipients of the Class D Scholar-Athlete Award follow. A quote from each recipient's essay also is included:
Sarah Bradley, Clarkston Everest Collegiate
Played four seasons of varsity volleyball, playing fourth of varsity basketball and also played varsity softball as a sophomore. Led volleyball team to Division 4 championships the last two seasons, making the all-state first team after both and earning honorable mention as a sophomore. Helped basketball team to District titles her first three seasons, earning all-state as a junior and academic all-state in that sport as well. Served as volleyball team captain three seasons and basketball her final two. Earned AP Scholar recognition and is ranked first in her graduating class with a 4.3 weighted grade-point average. Serving second year on student government, as vice president, and participating in second year of National Honor Society. Served as ECyD youth group team leader throughout high school and two years as yearbook senior editor. Will attend Calvin University and study nursing.
Essay Quote: “To truly have this pivotal quality, it is necessary to not only be a good winner but also a good loser. It is easy to congratulate the other team on playing well when the outcome is in your favor. However, it is much harder to look into the eyes of your opponent who just ended your season and tell them they played well.”
Ella Knudsen, Leland
Played four years of varsity golf and ran four seasons of cross country, is playing her third of varsity basketball and will compete in her fourth season of track & field this spring; also played varsity soccer as a freshman and sophomore. Earned all-state three times in cross country, once in track and all-conference in basketball, and earned academic all-state in those three sports and golf. Served as captain of cross country, basketball and track teams. Earned AP Scholar recognition and Rural and Small Town Award from College Board. Serves on MHSAA Student Advisory Council and is participating in third years on Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation Youth Advisory Council and as part of student government. Participating in second year of National Honor Society and third of National Art Honor Society, serving as president of both chapters and student council. Will attend Hope College and study kinesiology.
Essay Quote: “Over the years sportsmanship has been the driving force for me to connect with other competitors in our area. … These relationships have allowed me to care for others and in return I have been encouraged and motivated because of these connections over the course of high school.”
Joshua Gaunt, Dollar Bay
Ran four years of varsity cross country, playing fourth season of varsity basketball and will play fourth season of golf and compete in fourth season of track & field this spring. Helped cross country team to two Upper Peninsula Division 3 Finals championships and earned all-UP in track and golf. Served as basketball and cross country team captain multiple seasons. Serving fourth year on student council and as vice president, and participating in second year of National Honor Society and serving as chapter president. Serving as director of leadership while participating in fourth year of Student Leadership Advisory Council of the Keweenaw. Playing fourth year in school band and contributed to multiple festival superior ratings. Will attend Michigan Technological University and study mechanical engineering.
Essay Quote: “In educational athletics, sportsmanship is much more than just treating others with respect. It is about being honest with yourself and the game. … By showing integrity and embracing honesty, athletes not only honor the spirit of competition but also create a foundation for success in life. True sportsmanship ensures that victories are meaningful, challenges are overcome, and every moment in sports becomes a stepping stone toward becoming a better person.”
Dakota Malek, Fulton
Played two seasons of varsity football, wrestled two seasons and competed on track & field team as freshman and junior. Earned individual and team academic all-state honors in football and served as team captain his final two seasons. Participating in third year of National Honor Society and second as chapter president. Competing in fourth year of Business Professionals of America and is a three-time state competition qualifier. Participating for fourth year in school’s Above the Influence group and serving second year as student representative to school district’s board of education. Serving fourth year as broadcaster of school sporting events. Will attend Central Michigan University and study meteorology and broadcasting.
Essay Quote: “After the final whistle, I fell to the ground. I wanted to rewind and redo the play, but that wasn't possible. Instead, I got up and helped the Kingston defender up. I pulled it together, managed my emotions, and got in my last line to shake the opponents' hands. It was hard to see it in that moment, but that loss prepared me for the future. Losing my last game in that fashion prepared me to better manage my emotions and take responsibility.”
Other Class D girls finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were Keira Jean Graham, Bessemer; Molly Coppens, Chesterfield Austin Catholic; Ella Grace Gasperich, Crystal Falls Forest Park; Leah Durfee, Fife Lake Forest Area; Mallory Rich, Muskegon Catholic Central; and Kaitlyn Miros, Saginaw Nouvel.
Other Class D boys finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were Seth Davis, Adrian Lenawee Christian; Owen Plum, Britton Deerfield; Andrew Spiegel, Hillsdale Academy; Carter Kosinski, Kinde North Huron; Alex Tyndall, Mason County Eastern; and Grady Pieratt, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart.
The Class B scholarship award recipients will be announced Feb. 11, and the Class A honorees will be announced Feb. 18.
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The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,500 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year.