When the story of the 2000s is written, the list of Livingston County’s greatest athletes of the century will no doubt include the likes of Adam Coon, Cullen Finnerty and Miles Amine.
But in the last century, these were the greatest. Back in January of 2000, the Livingston County Press and Brighton Argus ranked the top 20 Livingston County athletes of the 1900s.
Here’s the article which ran in the paper on Jan. 2, 2000, which was written by me. In looking over the list 22 years later, the most egregious omission appears to be Bert Tooley, the Howell High School kid who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the early 1900s. I have no earthly explanation as to why he wasn’t on this list.
That aside, though, here’s the list that ran in the newspaper on Jan. 2, 200 – the 20 Greatest Livingston County Athletes of the Century:
1. Charlie Gehringer, Fowlerville
In 1921. he led Fowlerville High School to the state baseball championship. The next year, he was a star at the University of Michigan. A couple seasons later, he was playing second base for the Detroit Tigers. Charlie Gehringer grew up on a farm two miles south of Fowlerville, and he went on to become one of the greatest baseball players ever to play the game. Gehringer started at second base for the American League for the first six All-Star games, joining the likes of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in the lineup. Dubbed “The Mechanical Man” for the effortless way in which he scooped up grounders at second, Gehringer finished with a .320 career batting average, and was elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame on the first ballot. Baseball historians generally agree that Gehringer and Rogers Hornsby were the two greatest second basemen ever. And Sports Illustrated ranked Gehringer as the third-best athlete this state ever produced, trailing only Joe Louis and Magic Johnson.
2. Drew Henson, Brighton
He moved to Brighton with his family midway through his freshman year in high school. That spring, Drew Henson was starting at shortstop and batting third for the Bulldogs, an unheard-of situation for a freshman in Coach Mark Carrow’s powerhouse program. Carrow knew he had something special, though, and before long, the whole country knew about Drew Henson. Before graduating in 1998, Henson played three sports at Brighton – football, basketball and baseball – and he. was great In all three. He was All-State in basketball, and he was an Ail-American in baseball and football. He set state passing records In football, while In baseball, he ended his senior year holding national career records for home runs and grand slams. Henson was drafted by the New York Yankees, and he currently spends his summers playing in their farm system. In the fall, he plays football at the University of Michigan; next season, as a junior, he’ll be the starter at quarterback.
3. Mark Messner, Hartland
Messner went to Hartland High School his freshman year, but when budget cuts affected the school’s athletic program, he transferred to Detroit Catholic Central (while still living in Hartland). He ended up earning All-American honors in football for the Shamrocks, and then went on to become one of the greatest defensive players ever at the University of Michigan. A four-year starter in the mid-1980s, Messner ended his career as Michigan’s only four-time All-Big Ten selection. He- earned All-American honors his junior and senior years, and graduated as the Wolverines’ all-time leader in tackles for loss. Last year, he was voted to U-M’s All-Century team. Messner played one year (1989) in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams, before an injury ended his career.
4. Dick McMacken, Howell
In the 1940s and 1950s, the five McMacken boys ruled the roost in Livingston County sports. Bob was a star at EMU, Tub played at CMU, and many felt that older brother Bill was the best of them all. But of all the McMacken boys, none had more success than Dick, a star in both track and football who was later on the Detroit Lions’ roster. As a senior at Howell High in 1957, Dick set the school’s shot-put record, tossing it 54 feet, 6 inches. His record lasted into the 1990s. In football, he starred for the Highlanders and then went on to play center and tackle at Michigan State.
5. Pam Stanley, Brighton
The daughter of former Detroit Tigers star Mickey Stanley, Pam was a three-sport star at Brighton High in the mid-1980s. And there’s little doubt that she was Livingston County’s greatest all-around female athlete. Stanley earned honors in all three of her sports –basketball in the fall, volleyball in the winter and softball in the spring. In was in softball, though, where she found the greatest success. Stanley landed a scholarship to Central Michigan, and during her four years, she distinguished herself as one of the Chippewas’ all-time greats, earning All-American honors as an outfielder.
6. Dave Hibner, Howell
More than 20 years after he roamed the playing fields at Howell High, Dave Hibner is still a legend in his hometown. Playing for the Highlanders in the mid-1970s, Hibner starred in football, basketball and baseball. In football, he was a 1.000-yard rusher (the last to accomplish that feat at the school before Joe Carpenter came along). In basketball, he had a couple memorable games against Magic Johnson’s Lansing Everett team. And in baseball, Hibner’s best sport, he capped his senior year by becoming the ilrst-round draft pick of the Texas Rangers in 1977. After several years of pro baseball, Hibner went back to school In the mid-1980s. At the age of 27, he put on the pads again, playing football at Hillsdale College.
7. Peg Harte, Brighton
As a skinny sophomore guard at Brighton High. Peg Harte (a transfer from Livonia Ladywood) led the Bulldogs to the state finals in 1977. That followed an undefeated regular season in which Harte wowed fans across the state. Brighton lost the title game to Flint Northern (which starred twins Pamela and Paul McGee), but the Bulldogs knew they had a star on their hands. After graduating from high school, Harte went on to the University of Michigan, where she became one of the school’s all-time greatest basketball players. She set the school’s scoring record for freshmen (552 points), and Is still one of only 11 Wolverines to score 1,000 points in a career. And Harte did it faster than anyone, reaching the-milestone midway through her sophomore year.
8. Debra Ochs, Howell
Livingston County got its first Olympian and its first Olympic medal-winner in 1988, when Howell’s Debra Ochs traveled to Seoul. South Korea, for the Summer Olympics. A world-class archer throughout the 1980s, Ochs had already won a Pam-Am Games medal and several national titles. But the highlight came in Seoul, when Ochs and the U.S. women did battle in the team competition. After all the arrows had landed, the Americans were in third place. And Debra Ochs was heading home to Howell with an Olympic bronze medal.
9. Ron Hollis, Brighton
This is an amazing statistic: In the 1990s. Brighton High School produced two players who earned Gatorade National Player of the Year honors. Two players from one state would be noteworthy. Two players from the same high school is mind-boggling. The second winner was Drew Henson. The first was Ron Hollis, who starred at Brighton High in the early 1990s. He went on to have a great career as a pitcher at the University of Michigan, earning All-Big Ten and All-American honors along the way. He was drafted in the 10th .round by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and spent time in the minors playing for the Dodgers and Boston Red Sox.
10. Clint Copenhaver, Brighton
Livingston County’s first big-time football recruit was Clint Copenhaver, who earned All-State and All-American honors at Brighton High in the mid-1990s. The University of Michigan eventually landed Copenhaver’s services, and by his sophomore season, he was starting at linebacker for the Wolverines. As a junior, he helped lead U-M to an undefeated season, a Rose Bowl win and a national championship. After redshirting his first year, Copenhaver ended up starting at least one game during each of the next four seasons.
11. Nicole Cushing, Pinckney
In the early 1990s, Cushing put Pinckney on the state’s basketball map. The highlight came in the fall of 1992, when the big center led the Pirates to an undefeated regular season and finished high in the voting for Miss Basketball. Her stellar play landed her a scholarship to Michigan State University, where she landed a starting job as a freshman. After averaging 13.3 points per game for the Spartans, Cushing was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. After one more year playing for MSU, though, Cushing decided to give up basketball to spend more time with her family.
12, Tammy Mika, Brighton
As a Bulldog in the mid-1990s, Mika was named the state’s Miss Softball, the top honor for a senior high school player in the state, Mika then left for the University of Michigan, where she became a four-year starter during some glory years for the Wolverines. A centerflelder, Mika concluded her U-M career this past spring, serving as the team’s captain. Her best season at the plate came as a sophomore, when she hit .320. Mika graduated with a .300 career average.
13. Leo Rancour, Howell
As a star for Howell High in the early 1930s. Rancour was a standout in three sports – football, basketball and baseball. Statewide recognition was hard to come by in those days, but Rancour’s reputation spread far and wide. The best accolade, though, came from Paul Bennett, the legendary Howell coach, who called Rancour, “The best athlete I ever coached.”
14. Andy Hilbert, Howell
An NHL star In the making, Hilbert ranks as Livingston County’s best hockey prospect ever. Currently a freshman at the University of Michigan (where he’s one of the offensive stars for the nationally ranked Wolverines), Hilbert spent the last couple seasons playing for the USA Olympic Developmental Team. Before signing with the Wolverines, Hilbert was one of the country’s most sought-after recruits last year. Hockey scouts say he has all the tools to become a future star in the NHL.
15. Erica Strutz, Hartland
Another player in the prime of her career, Strutz has to be considered the greatest strikeout artist in Michigan high school softball history. A four-year starter in softball for the Eagles, Strutz led Hartland to the Class A state championship in 1996. She headed to Michigan State after that, where she’s made her mark as one of the top pitchers in the Big Ten and the nation.
16. Jon Mack, Howell
A multi-sport star for the Highlanders In the late 1970s, Mack went on to become an All-American punter at Northwood Institute. Upon graduation, he landed a job In professional football, punting for the hometown Michigan Panthers of the USFL in 1983. He spent the next few seasons bouncing around the USFL (and getting several try-outs in the NFL) before his football career came to an end.
17. Bob Parker, Howell
Back in the days before there was an NFL, Bob Parker was a football star at Howell High. In the early 1930s, Parker patrolled the line for some great Highlander teams. Upon graduation, he landed at Michigan State, where he spent several seasons playing guard for the Spartans.
18. Amber Berendowsky, Brighton
We’ve produced a lot of great soccer players in this soccer-mad county, but none greater than Berendowsky. After earning all-everything honors at Brighton High in the mid-1990s, Berendowky headed to the University of Michigan, where she became one of the school’s all-time soccer greats. Her four-year career (which concluded this fall as Michigan made the NCAA tournament) saw Berendowsky set the Big Ten record for career assists.
19. Shawn Koch, Howell
The best golfer ever to come out of Livingston County, Koch was the medalist at the Class A state meet his senior year in high school. The last couple years, though, Koch’s career has really taken off. In 1998, he won the Michigan Amateur. This year, he finished second in the event before turning pro and making his PGA debut in the Buick Open.
20. John Steiger, Fowlerville
The state career record for strikeouts by a pitcher had been standing for 48 years before John Steiger came along. The Fowlerville fireballer set a new record in 1997, ending his four years with the Glads with a whopping 492 strikeouts, That earned him a spot on the state’s Dream Team. The next year, he took his fastball to Michigan State, where he started eight games as a freshman and posted a winning record as a sophomore. This year, the junior hurler will be expected to be one of the leaders for the Spartans.
