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Introducing the Inaugural Inductees Into the
Saginaw County Sports Hall of Fame
It's been a long time coming, but the first class of the Saginaw
County Sports Hall of Fame was recently selected by a consensus vote of its
steering committee. The steering committee, which includes The Review's
Jack Tany and Richard Curry in its membership roster, selected a total of
11 individuals deemed "Saginaw County's greatest athletes of all time."
Additionally, one team was selected.
Beginning in 2003 and in future years, the Lifetime Voting Membership of
the Saginaw County Sports Hall of Fame will vote for the inductees. In
2003, ten individuals will be inducted. In future years a minimum of five
individuals will be inducted. The Hall of Fame steering committee may
induct a team on a yearly basis.
The following is the inaugural class (listed alphabetically) of the Saginaw
County Sports Hall of Fame.
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Robert R.
'Bob' Buhl |
Bob Buhl was born August 12, 1928 in Saginaw and attended
Saginaw High School, where he played football, basketball and
baseball. He was to graduate in June of 1946, but lacked credits to
earn a diploma. He finally received his diploma in June 1947, since
Saginaw did not stage mid-year commencement exercises.
It was on the baseball diamond where Buhl excelled because of his
strong right arm. The 6'2" 180-pounder signed his first professional
contract with the Chicago White Sox in August of 1946. In his first season
he won 19 games and lost 10 for Madisonville, KY, in the Class D Kitty
League.
On February 27, 1948, he was declared a free agent by then-Commissioner
A.B. 'Happy' Chandler, who ruled that Buhl had been signed illegally by
the White Sox before completing his high school education. One day later
Buhl signed with the Milwaukee Brewers, a Triple-A farm club of the Boston
Braves. The Brewers optioned Buhl to the Saginaw Bears of the Class A
Central League. The 19-year old became the workhorse on the Bears staff
with an 11-12 record. |
His first major league start with the Braves was May 12,1952, when he
allowed the New York Giants only two hits in an 8-1 victory. He had a
sparkling 13-8 record during his rookie campaign and a fine 2.98 ERA, third
best in the league.
Buhl had a strong career with the Milwaukee Braves as he formed a big
threesome with Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette. He helped pitch the Braves to
the 1957 World Series Championship, while also pitching in the 1960
All-star game.
In 1961, the eight-year veteran had the finest won-loss percentage of any
active pitcher in the National League, as he earned 100 major league wins
against 61 losses for a .621 winning percentage. Buhl finished his career
by hurling for both the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies.
He moved to the Mio area and then retired to Florida. Buhl died Feb. 16,
2001 at the age of 72 in Titusville, Florida.
Robert 'Bob' Devaney
Bob Devaney had a life-long love affair with the game of football. He
attended Arthur Hill High School where he excelled on the gridiron,
graduating in 1933. He went to Alma College where he was captain of the
football team in 1938.
Devaney gained experience the next 14 years coaching football in the high
school ranks. He began his journey at Big Beaver and shifted to Keego
Harbor. Devaney moved to Alpena where his teams won 52 and lost 9 in seven
seasons. Bob joined Biggie Mann's staff at Michigan State University in
1953.
He accepted the head coaching position at the University of Nebraska in
1962, putting the Cornhuskers on the map as they competed against the top
college powers in the country. His teams played in seven bowl games in nine
years, including the 1971 Orange Bowl game. Nebraska was ranked number one
in 1971 and Devaney was voted Coach of the Year.
The following year Nebraska spanked the Crimson Tide 38 to 6 to finish with
a perfect 12-0 record. The Cornhuskers had won 32 straight games without a
defeat and Devaney again received Coach-of-the-Year as his squad finished
top in the nation.
Devaney announced his retirement the following January after his team
polished off Notre Dame 40-6 in the Orange Bowl. He stepped down as the
winningest coach in the nation with a 101-20 record with two ties in 11
years and took Nebraska to nine bowl games in 11 years.
| Reggie Jones played football and basketball while at Saginaw
High School but his headlines came from his prowess as a track star.
As a junior in 1972, the speedy sprinter captured two state titles at
the Class A championship meet in the 100 and 220-yard dashes. He
duplicated those state titles a year later and added a third win to help
lead Saginaw High to the Class A state title - the Trojans first state
championship since 1954.
He signed a full-ride scholarship to the University of Tennessee and
went on to be named a nine-time All-American in the springs and spring
relays, along with winning two NCAA titles.
In July of 1974, Jones ran for the U.S. in a dual meet against the
Soviet Union and won the 200-meters against Soviet Olympic champion Valery
Borzov. |
Reggie Jones |
George H. 'Kid' Lavigne
|
G.H. Lavigne was born in Bay City in 1869 but raised in the
milltown of Melbourne (near Zilwaukee), downriver from Saginaw where he
learned the rudiments of boxing. The son of French-Canadian parents
who moved to the Saginaw Valley from Quebec, he and his brothers learned
to handle themselves in the Lavigne boarding house, which was inhabited by
lumber mill workers.
Lavigne turned pro in 1886 at the age of 16. Because of his age and
that many of his fights were in Saginaw, he earned the nickname, 'The
Saginaw Kid'. He went unbeaten in 46 fights and did not suffer his
first loss until 1899.
Lavigne stood 5' 3" and weighted 132 pounds. His arm span,
fingertip to fingertip, was four inches greater than his height. He was
known as a fearless boxer and devastating puncher whom would take on all
comers no matter their size.
His battles against Joe Walcott are among the classics of boxing
history, and many insist the first meeting of the two was the bloodiest
match of alltime. |
| The pride of Zilwaukee got his start at St. Andrew's High
School where he played football, basketball and baseball for the Bulldogs.
The stocky 5-10, 175-pound halfback earned all-state and All-American
honors in football in 1956. He racked up a whopping 27 touchdowns that
season and was tabbed as the Outstanding Player of the Year in '56.
He attended MSU and played both football and baseball. With only two
weekends left of baseball with the Spartans in 1959, Luplow left Michigan
State and signed a $35,000 bonus contract with the Cleveland Indians.
He had an outstanding rookie campaign with the Indians, flirting with a
.300 average most of the season. Always considered a solid outfielder
because of his speed and aggressive play, he made national headlines with
outstanding acrobatic catches. His seven-year major league career with the
Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets saw him club 33 home runs,
six triples and 34 doubles for a career average of .235. |
Alvin 'Al'
Luplow |
Terrence 'Terry' McDaniel
Terry McDaniel is one of the greatest athletes to attend Saginaw High
School. He lettered three years in basketball and track & field where he
captured the state title as junior in the 100 and 200-meter dashes. He
also captured the Most Valuable Athlete Award at the Herb Korf Track &
Field meet in 1982, where he had a hand in four first place finishes.
But it was on the gridiron where he received strong accolades, gaining
1,582 yards alternating between running back and receiver for an 0-9 Trojan
team his senior season.
He wound up at the University of Tennesee, who allowed him to play football
as well as run track. He wound up as an al-Southeast Conference cornerback
in '87 while also nabbing academic all-conference honors. He was the second
of three first round draft choices by the Oakland Raiders in the 1988
National Football League draft.
McDaniel went on to an illustrious 10-year professional career that saw him
named Pro Bowl five times. McDaniel has 34 career interceptions and ranks
third on the team's all-time interceptions list behind Willie Brown and
Lester Hayes, who have 39 each. His season high for thefts came in the 1994
season when he intercepted seven passes, including two for touchdowns.
He was selected to his first Pro Bowl in 1992 and in 1995 won the Mackey
Award, which goes to the top defensive back in the NFL as voted by fellow
players. He retired after the 1998 season.
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Fred L. 'Ted'
Petoskey |
Ted Petoskey played baseball as an 8th grader at St. Charles
High School in 1926 after being promoted by school officials. He
transferred to Saginaw High mid-year as a sophomore with four semesters of
sports already behind him.
He won several Silver Skates trophies for his speed skating ability and
during two years of football at Saginaw High was a unanimous choice as an
end on the all-state team. In his 1928 baseball season, Petoskey was
a star catcher and took up the pitching burden, hurling many sensational
games without a defeat.
He went to the University of Michigan where he was a two-time
all-American in football as a sure-handed receiver. Petoskey earned eight
varsity letters at U-M with three each in football and baseball and two in
basketball. He graduated from U-M in 1934 ranking with Bennie Oosterbaan,
Pete Elliott and Ron Kramer as one of the best all-around athletes to play
for the Wolverines. |
He had a brief pro baseball career with the Cincinnati Reds and wound up at
the University of S. Carolina as an assistant football coach, later
becoming athletic director.
Petoskey, who was also a scout for the New York Yankees, retired as a
recreational director for the S. Carolina Department of Corrections.
| Often called the greatest athlete Arthur Hill High School
ever produced, Dick was earned all-state honors in football, basketball,
and track for the Lumberjacks.
He went on to the University of Michigan to play football and in his
first collegiate game caught three passes for 122 yards and both
touchdowns in the Wolverines' 12-7 victory against Iowa.
He played for the U-M from 1946-48 and was a member of the 1947 team,
which won the Rose Bowl in a 49-0 whipping of Southern Cal. He led the
team in receptions & receiving yards in 1948 and captured All-American
honors.
He was the property of the NY Yankees in the All-American football
conference where he signed a two-year contract in 1949, but didn't play
due to a serious knee injury. In 1950 he was on the Detroit Lions' roster
but quit because of continued knee problems.
He later became sports director for radio station WBEN in Buffalo, New
York. |
Richard
'Dick' Rifenberg |
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