2011 Inductees
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Bradley W. Brown, ’96
Brad Brown was a four-year letter winner in both football and baseball, but his accomplishments on the diamond are boosting him to induction into the Athletic Hall of Fame. He was an all-league first-team award winner for three seasons, honored as an outfielder in 1993 and as an infielder in 1994 and 1995.
He led the 1995 team with a .397 batting average and a 5-1 record as a starting pitcher to gain All-Mideast Region status from the American Baseball Coaches Association. He easily won the MIAA’s most valuable player award as he led the Britons to a league-best 14-4 record by hitting .424 with 10 doubles, four home runs, and 25 RBI in those 18 games. His 2.65 earned run average on the mound was the sixth-best in the league.
Brad graduated with MIAA career records for hits (88), home runs (nine), doubles (27), RBI (60), and total bases (144), and he held the top two places on the league’s season records for hits (28 in 1995 and 27 in 1994), RBI (25 in 1995 and 24 in 1994), and total bases (50 in 1995 and 46 in 1994).
An art education major at Albion, Brad has been teaching art at Genesee High School for 15 years. He has served as the head baseball coach at Genesee since 2000, and he was the head football coach there from 2007 to 2009. Brad became the head football coach at Flushing High School in 2010. He lives in Flint with his wife, Sarah, and their children, Lily, Emily, and Brady.
James H. Davis, Jr., ’95
Jim Davis turned in a spectacular senior season for Albion’s football team—he achieved distinction as the MIAA’s defensive most valuable player as well as an All-MIAA first-team player, after all—but former sports information director Robin Hartman credits Davis for saving his best performance for the final game of his collegiate career. A linebacker out of Grosse Ile, Jim wrapped up 15 tackles, including three for loss and a quarterback sack, as Albion earned the 1994 Division III national championship with a 38-15 victory over Washington & Jefferson.
He led a stingy defense that allowed just 13 points per game by collecting 96 tackles, including 15 for loss and six sacks, and an interception. The Britons never lost an MIAA game during his career, compiling a 20-0 record.
An economics and management major who graduated magna cum laude, Jim serves as a senior consultant with EDSI Consulting and as a member of the Grosse Ile Planning Commission. He and his wife, Stacey, are the parents of sons Garrett and Will.
David G. Egnatuk, ’71
Dave Egnatuk was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame for his athletic achievements in 2002. Tonight, he is being enshrined for his contribution as a coach for the football and men’s track and field programs.
The mentors Dave had when he was a student at Albion established the standard for the environment he wanted to create as he left military service in November 1974 to begin a career in teaching and coaching at the College.
Dave grew up in a Clinton Street house just a mile from campus, but he never expected an opportunity to open up at his alma mater and bring him back to his hometown. However, the College came calling, and he served as a mentor for generations of Britons during more than 37 years as professor of physical education and coach.
In track and field, he guided Tracy Garner, ’83, Dan Pekrul, ’87, Steve Gilbert, ’93, Tom Reason, ’94, and Nick Morgan, ’04, to individual NCAA Division III national championships and eight teams to MIAA titles while compiling a 142-32-1 record against league rivals in dual meets. His athletes achieved All-America status 31 times.
During his 24 seasons as an assistant football coach (Dave began his career with the 1971 team before joining the College staff permanently in 1975), he worked with the defensive linemen, and he was on staff for the 1994 national championship season.
Administrators and athletes alike leaned on Dave’s strength in the wake of tragedy such as the death of former football coach Pete Schmidt.
“Students felt good when he said, ‘It’s a great day to be alive!,’” notes Frank Joranko, ’52, an Athletic Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award winner. “He is what Albion is about when it comes to mentoring students.”
Dave and his wife, Mary Ann Stokes Egnatuk, ’76, reside in Albion. The Egnatuks have three daughters, Christie, Tracy, and Jessica.
Ronald L. Face, ’90
Ron Face’s name is still on the record board at the Dean Aquatic Center more than two decades after he made his final dive as a Briton.
An honorable mention All-American on the 1- and 3-meter boards, Face earned scores for 11 dives in both events that still stand as the school standards. Ron advanced to the NCAA championships three times, and he went on to finish fifteenth in 1-meter in 1989 and sixteenth in 3-meter in 1990. He achieved All-MIAA status after winning league titles in both diving events in 1990.
Ron remained active in the sport by coaching Elyse Lee to four Michigan High School Athletic Association Division II titles and the state record for all divisions. He was rewarded by being named the state’s Division II Girls’ Diving Coach of the Year four times and with receipt of the Bruce Harlan Award, the highest honor for diving coaches for their lifelong contribution to the sport, in 2005.
Ron is the controller for Dowding Industries. He lives in Marshall and has three children, Cameron, Brandon, and Kaitlyn.
Dennis R. Frost, ’77
Denny Frost was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame along with his teammates from the 1976 baseball team in 2003. His .458 batting average and nine RBI, which propelled the baseball team to the league championship, boosted him to individual recognition on the All-MIAA team and in the Athletic Hall of Fame tonight.
Denny won seven letters as a Briton, also gaining three awards with the basketball program. He was an honorable mention selection in the MIAA for the 1974-75 and 1975-76 basketball seasons. Denny averaged 11.5 points during the 1974-75 campaign, sinking 47 percent of his shots from the field and 76 percent from the free throw line. He was fifth in the MIAA in free throw shooting in 1975-76, knocking down nearly 80 percent of his chances in 12 league contests.
A program coordinator for the Michigan Department of Corrections, Denny and his wife, Barbara, reside in Lake Odessa. They are the parents of two grown children, Jeremy and Ashley, and they have a granddaughter, Taylor.
Keith S. King, ’87
Competing in a league that has the No. 1-ranked men’s tennis team in the nation isn’t easy, but Keith King overcame that to become the first Briton to blaze a trail to the NCAA championships.
After playing at No. 2 singles as a freshman, Keith moved up to No. 1, and he advanced to the NCAA draw his junior year when he finished 11-4 overall, 6-2 in the MIAA, and No. 34 in the nation. Keith was a three-time All-MIAA and team MVP selection, a two-time team captain, and the recipient of the MIAA’s Stowe Sportsmanship Award in 1987.
Off the court, Keith was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity.
A product of Cranbrook High School, Keith currently resides in Grosse Ile with his wife, Amy Shields King, ’88, and their daughters, Sydney, Abby, and Whitney. Holding an M.B.A. from Wayne State University and a J.D. from the Detroit College of Law, Keith is president of Flat Rock Metal.
Todd A. Morris, ’95
Todd Morris, a member of three MIAA champion football teams previously inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame, takes his place as an individual honoree for his accomplishments on the baseball diamond as well as the gridiron.
A product of Milford High School, Todd graduated as a member of six Briton teams that captured league titles. The football squads from 1991 to 1994 rolled to a 20-0 record against league rivals, and the baseball program lifted the championship trophies in 1993 and 1995.
Todd shared the MIAA’s offensive most valuable player award with 2009 Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Robinson as the Britons won the sixth in a string of eight consecutive league football titles and the national championship in 1994. In addition to opening holes for Robinson, who rolled up 1,708 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns, the 235-pound fullback posted a 4.3-yard average on his carries and scored seven touchdowns. Todd also hauled in 29 passes for 325 yards and a score.
He slugged five doubles to help the baseball team to a league-best 14-4 record in 1995.
Todd, a sales representative for BioMedix, lives in Leesburg, Virginia, with his wife, Jennifer, and their children, Anna, Julia, and Avery.
Melissa Hall Palmer, ’01
Melissa Hall Palmer was the top player on Albion’s league champion golf teams in 1999 and 2000.
Born in Brighton, the graduate of Harrison High School in Indiana was a four-time all-league performer. She turned in the second-lowest scoring average in the league in the championship campaigns, with an 84.3 mark in 1999 and 85.9 in 2000. Melissa started the 1999 season by sharing medalist honors with teammate Stacy Chapman Rich, ’03, with a round of 80 at Alma’s Pine River Country Club. She turned in the low score of the day again in 2000 with a round of 78 at The Medalist Golf Club.
Melissa won her first MIAA medalist award during the 1998 season when she shot 81 at the Marshall Country Club.
Outside the league, she was the medalist of the Kalamazoo College Invitational in 1997, and her 86.17-stroke average during the 1998 season was ninth-best in the Great Lakes District.
Melissa, who also served as captain of the tennis team and as social chair of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, was the finance chair of Students Together Raising Integrity, Values, and Excellence (STRIVE) and a member of the Investment Club and the Phi Beta Lambda and Omicron Delta Epsilon honor societies.
Melissa earned her M.B.A. from Babson College in 2006 and is now a senior analyst for supply chain management at DIRECTV. She and her husband, Matt, reside in Castle Rock, Colorado.
Tony M. Pokorzynski, ’85
Albion dominated its league rivals in the shot put during the years Tony Pokorzynski competed for the Britons. Albion throwers won the event six years in a row, with Tony claiming the gold medal from 1983 to 1985. He saved the best for last, popping a throw of 51’ 2 ¾” in 1985. A member of Albion’s MIAA champion track and field teams in 1982 and 1983, he was awarded All-MIAA status all three years.
Tony was a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity while on campus.
He has remained involved in sports, winning Macatawa Legends’ club championship in 2010.
Tony resides in Holland where he serves as the senior principal development engineer for Johnson Controls. He and his wife, Renee, have four children, Andrew, Jessica, Lauren, and Nicholas.
Erik L. Scollon, ’94
Erik Scollon’s swimming records didn’t come as a surprise. After all, the times he established at Rochester Adams High School were already faster than Albion’s school and pool standards. Erik, a four-time All-MIAA performer, still holds the school marks in the 200- and 400-yard individual medley events. He also held records in the 200 backstroke and five relay events when he graduated.
On the national level, Erik helped Albion finish among the top 30 teams in the 1993 and 1994 NCAA Division III championships. He achieved All-America status with a sixth-place finish in the 400 IM and honorable mention status in the 200 IM in 1993, and he joined the 800 freestyle relay team that finished fifteenth in 1994. He gained honorable mention All-America awards with a ninth-place performance in the 400 IMA and a fourteenth-place finish in the 200 IM in 1992.
Erik graduated cum laude, and he jumped into coaching as the head coach at East Grand Rapids High School and as the assistant coach at Miami (Ohio) University. He moved to California in 2001 and earned graduate degrees from the California College of the Arts in 2008. Erik currently serves as director of the Berkeley Art Studio and as a lecturer with the California College of the Arts.
Erik and his partner, Steven Czekala, reside in Oakland, Calif.
Mark A. Smith, ’91
Mark Smith holds the distinction of throwing the only perfect game in the history of the MIAA. Mark’s gem was part of an 11-0 victory over Adrian during the 1990 season. He went on to throw two no-hitters—against Beloit and Alma—during the 1991 season.
He led the MIAA with a 0.83 earned run average, and his 4-2 record was third-best as he gained his second career All-MIAA award in 1991.
Mark first achieved All-MIAA status in 1989 when he boosted Albion to the league championship by tying Hope’s Seth Parker for the most victories—four—on the mound. His 1.84 ERA was fifth-best in the league.
Off the field, Mark was a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.
An economics and management major at Albion, Mark owns Gus O’Connors Irish Pub in Novi. He lives in Lake Orion with his wife, Melisa DeWit, ’91, and children Megan, Allison, and Madison.
1951-55 Men’s Cross Country Teams
The 1955 Men's Cross Country TeamAlbion enjoyed an 11-year stretch in which in the Briton cross country team won the league championship outright eight times and shared the title twice. The 1947-50 squads were inducted in 1996, and the rest of the championship teams take their place in the hall tonight. The 1956 Albionian put it best in its recap of the 1955 campaign: “Whipping all league competition and copping the all-conference meet as well, the Britons ran their MIAA victory string to 53 out of the last 54 encounters, under the guidance of Coach Dale R. Sprankle and assistant coach J.W. Polk.”
Winning championships didn’t come without drama, however. According to the Albionian, the 1954 squad overcame “an imposing injury list” as Phil Glotfelty was struck by a car during a practice run, ’53 captain Elmer Morehouse missed the season with an illness, and Gary Noble finished fifth in the all-conference meet despite running the entire course with shin splints. The 1953 team had to share the championship after being edged by Hope, 28-29, in a dual meet, but the Britons bounced back with a first-place performance in the MIAA championships.
Serving as captains during the period were Jim Holmes in 1951, Norm Keehn in ’52, Al Nichols (who served with Morehouse) in ’53, Dick Lawson in ’54, and Lawson and Dick Cooley in ’55. Achieving the team’s most valuable runner awards were Keehn in ’52 and Harry Gibson in ’53.
Other teammates included Charles Barton, George Benko, Ken Brog, Phil Burgess, John Campbell, Jim Chapman, Wayne Chapman, Dick Cooley, James Crandall, Bob DeVinney, Bob DiCarlo, John Ertell, Dick Fluke, Ken Grodevant, Ray Gudum, Harold Hall, Kirke Harrington, Larry Hepinstall, Richard Hilderly, Dick Hubbard, Bill Johns, Jim Kammert, Dick Kemp, Bill Kessel, Walter Lawrence, Jim Mahaney, Charles Nebel, Sam Neiberg, Don Otero, Ralph Parkinson, Glenn Powell, Don Priest, Bob Probst, Tom Rupp, Richard Rustad, Jack Sharp, Dick Simpson, Loren Smith, Stan Smith, Jack Stewart, Paul Stewart, Earle Stine, Jim Taup, James Timmons, John Williams, Jack Young, and David Youngs. Robert Short, Bob Luedeke, Norman MacDonald, and John Steverman served as managers during the era.
1957 Men’s Cross Country Team
The Albion runners were again at the top of the MIAA ladder as they split the title with Kalamazoo College. The Britons went 5-0 against league rivals in dual meets, 10-3 overall, but were edged by the Hornets, 38-41, in the MIAA championships. It was the eleventh time in Coach Sprankle’s 12 seasons that the team either won or shared the league championship.
Jim Taup, who served as captain, was voted the team’s most valuable runner for the second year in a row. Joining Taup as letter winners were Don Anderson, Gary Barnes, Bill Bright, Wayne Chapman, Stan Eaton, Terry Gallagher, Don Gaudard, Richard Hobe, Gail Hurst, Wilbur Hurst, Bill Johns, John Jones, Dennis Kevitt, Glen Krawiec, Bill Lynam, Glenn Powell, Don Priest, Dave Probst, Dick Rogers, Richard Simpson, Loren Smith, Paul Tarr, John Vydareny, Jim Westphal, Jack Young, and David Youngs.
1999-2000 Women’s Golf Teams
Albion captured its lone championships in the sport of women’s golf during the 1999 and 2000 seasons.
Boosted by rounds of 80 by Melissa Hall, an individual inductee tonight, and Stacy Chapman, Albion won the MIAA’s first jamboree of the 1999 season by 21 strokes and never looked back as it finished the season with a 113-stroke margin over the second-place team. Albion won six of the seven jamborees and placed Hall and Katie Pritchard on the all-league first team with 84.3 and 84.4-stroke averages, respectively. Chapman, who averaged 87.9 strokes, and Lindsey Franson, 91.5, achieved all-league second-team status.
Albion won five of the seven jamborees to win the 2000 title by 98 strokes. Hall turned in her low round of the season when her 78 boosted her to medalist honors in the jamboree played at The Medalist Golf Club. Lindsey Densmore, co-medalist of the round at Thornapple Point in Grand Rapids, and Chapman, medalist of the round at Alwyn Downs, joined Hall on the all-league first team. Franson and Pritchard, the medalist at Milham Park, were second-team performers.
Karen Baird coached the teams. Additional letter winners included Kathryn Bretz, Kariann Lopez Negrete Van Burgel, Jennifer Purucker, and Cortney Schaffer.
