Rivaling for a Cause
January 25, 2013
It’s impossible to include all the perspective we gain from every “Battle of the Fans” visit.
But this anecdote, although it didn't make Tuesday’s story about our Frankenmuth trip, tells of another great example for what student cheering sections can accomplish.
Frankenmuth and Millington are heated rivals, to say the least, separated by 13 miles and made more competitive by plenty of championship-deciding matchups over the years.
But for their boys basketball game Jan. 10 at Frankenmuth, student section leaders from both schools almost completely on their own set up the game as a cancer awareness night, complete with Frankenmuth students in black shirts and Millington’s wearing pink.
The idea was the brainchild of a of Frankenmuth section leader, who then received help from a local bank and contacted Millington to get the ball rolling.
Battle of the Fans has shown us the obvious – these student sections need strong leaders – but also the special things they can accomplish with additional initiative.
“Never Forgotten”
Two more rivals, Fennville and Saugatuck, met late last month for their second “Never Forgotten” boys and girls basketball games with proceeds going to the Wes Leonard Heart Team for the purchase of AEDs.
Players wore jerseys with names on the backs of friends and family members who had died, and those jerseys were then given to family members after the games. Officials Ace Cover, Chris Dennie and Kyle Bowen also donated their game checks to the Heart Team, as did the winner of that night’s 50-50 raffle.
Leonard died from sudden cardiac arrest after making the game-winning shot in a basketball game March 3, 2011. The two schools played their first “Never Forgotten” games last season.
More support for less specialization
I’m asked once a year at least about sport specialization – that is, athletes focusing on just one sport, often from an early age, and if it pays off some way down the road.
Most of my evidence to support my belief in the well-rounded athlete has been anecdotal, based on conversations with people at the high school and college levels over the years. But a British study published this fall in the Journal of Sport Sciences by University of Birmingham researchers provides some interesting empirical findings.
The study of 1,006 people from the United Kingdom showed that those who participated in three sports at ages 11, 13 and 15 were “significantly more likely to compete at a national rather than club standard” between ages 16-18 than those who had practiced only one sport.
In other words, the study found that those who played more sports at earlier ages played at a higher level during their high school-age years, which seems to contradict the one-sport focus philosophy.
Click for more perspective on the study from Chris Kennedy, the Superintendent of Schools in West Vancouver, British Columbia.
PHOTO: The boys and girls teams for Fennville and Saugatuck pose together after their "Never Forgotten" games Dec. 21 at Fennville High. (Photo courtesy of Al LaShell.)
Flashback 100: Future Hall of Famers Face Off First in MHSAA Class A Final
January 24, 2025
Between them, Dave DeBusschere and Chet Walker spent 25 seasons in the NBA, won three championships, scored more than 32,000 points, and both earned induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
However, their first encounter on the court came much earlier — during the 1958 Class A MHSAA Final. In a battle of future Hall of Famers, DeBusschere led Detroit Austin Catholic to a 71-68 victory over Walker’s Benton Harbor.
Walker, originally from Mississippi, moved to Benton Harbor, where he attended high school. He guided the Tigers to the Class A Semifinals in 1957, where they fell to eventual champion Muskegon Heights. The following year, despite scoring 25 points in the championship game, his team came up short against Detroit Austin.
After high school, Walker starred at Bradley University, earning All-America honors twice. He was selected by the Syracuse Nationals in the 1962 NBA Draft and made an immediate impact, earning a spot on the league’s first All-Rookie Team in 1963. When the Nationals relocated and became the Philadelphia 76ers, Walker remained with the team, later joining the Chicago Bulls. He played a key role in the 76ers’ championship run in 1966-67 and was a seven-time all-star, averaging more than 18 points per game during his career. His was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
On the other side of that 1958 championship showdown, DeBusschere delivered a dominant 32-point performance. Interestingly, his Detroit Austin Catholic team also had suffered a loss to Muskegon Heights in the 1957 Class A title game, falling 61-49. DeBusschere went on to play both basketball and baseball at the University of Detroit before being selected by the Detroit Pistons in the 1962 NBA Draft.
Like Walker, he was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie Team. In just his third year with the Pistons, he was appointed player-coach, though he eventually returned to a full-time playing role before being traded to the New York Knicks. In New York, DeBusschere won two NBA titles playing alongside legends like Willis Reed, Bill Bradley, and Walt Frazier. Over his career, he averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds per game, earning Hall of Fame induction in 1983.
DeBusschere’s athletic prowess extended beyond basketball—he also played professional baseball, pitching for the Chicago White Sox for two seasons. He remains one of just 13 athletes to have played in both the NBA and Major League Baseball, a rare testament to his versatility and talent.
As part of the MHSAA’s "Legends of the Game" series, historian Ron Pesch wrote more about that 1958 Class A Final – you can read that here.
Previous "Flashback 100" Features
Jan. 17: First-Ever WNBA Draft Pick Rocked at Salem, Won Titles at Tennessee - Read
Jan. 10: Despite Launching Before 3-Point Line, Smith Still Tops Scoring List - Read
Jan. 3: Edison's Jackson Earns Place Among State's All-Time Elite - Read
Dec. 20: Future Olympian Piper Leads Grosse Pointe North to Historic Heights - Read
Dec. 13: The Other Mr. Forsythe in Michigan School Sports - Read
Dec. 6: Coleman's Legendary Heroics Carry Harrison Through Repeat - Read
Nov. 29: Harbaugh Brothers' Football Roots Planted in Part at Pioneer - Read
Nov. 22: 8-Player Football Finals Right at Home at Superior Dome - Read
Nov. 15: Leland Career Helps Set Stage for Glass' International Stardom - Read
Nov. 8: Future Baseball Pro Led Escanaba's Legendary Football Title Run - Read
Nov. 1: Michigan High School Baseball Trio Provide World Series Voices - Read
Oct. 25: Before Leading Free World, Ford Starred for Champion GR South - Read
Oct. 18: Mercy Links Legend Becomes World Golf Hall of Famer - Read
Oct. 11: Fisher Races to Finals Stardom on Way to U.S. Olympic First - Read
Oct. 4: Lalas Leaves High School Legacies on Ice & Pitch - Read
Sept. 27: Tamer's History-Making Run Starts in Dexter, Continues to Paris - Read
Sept. 20: Todd Martin’s Road to Greatness Starts at East Lansing - Read
Sept. 13: James Earl Jones, Dickson High Hoops to Hollywood Legend - Read
Sept. 6: Pioneers' Unstoppable Streak Stretches 9 Seasons - Read
Aug. 30: Detroit dePorres Rushes to 1995 Class CC Football Championship - Read
PHOTOS Benton Harbor's Chet Walker, left, and Austin Catholic's Dave DeBusschere led their teams in a 1958 Class A championship matchup. (MHSAA archives)