BAY CITY, MI — The Bay County Sports Hall of Fame is making plans for its 33rd induction class.
And the final decisions are about to be made.
Ballots went out this week to the more than 700 Lifetime Voting Members who cast votes on each year’s induction class. The 2024 ballot features 17 candidates, including first-time nominees Jonn Mathews, Angie Rosich Johnson, Dave Schwartz and Roger Szafranski.
Voters have until April 19 to submit their ballots. Anybody can become a Lifetime Voting Member and can still sign up to vote for this year’s class. Cost is $30 for one membership or $50 for two. PayPal baycountysportshalloffame@gmail.com or email for more information.
The 2024 Hall of Fame induction banquet is set for Sunday, Nov. 10 at the DoubleTree hotel and conference center in downtown Bay City.
Here is a look at the 2024 ballot for the Bay County Sports Hall of Fame.
JEFF BOKS – Track and field
The first state champion in T.L. Handy track and field history in 1987, Boks went on to earn NAIA All-American honors and win multiple GLIAC championships at Saginaw Valley State University. The cross country team’s pacesetter for much of his career, he earned first-team all-GLIAC in 1989 for the league champion Cardinals. He led the two-mile relay that was NAIA indoor national runner-up and won GLIAC indoor titles in the 1500 meters in 1989 and 1992. Boks claimed GLIAC outdoor titles in the 800 in 1988 and steeplechase in 1992. A two-time Bay County cross country champ for Handy, he placed third in the state in 1986. He captured the 800 state title in 1987, joining Hall of Famer Joe Garrett in becoming Handy’s first state champions. He capped his prep career by anchoring Team Michigan’s 3200 relay to victory in the Midwest Meet of Champions, going from third to first on the final leg.
PAT CORCORAN — Football
The first Handy-turned-Central football star, he helped make the 1990 consolidation go better by earning all-state honors as an offensive and defensive lineman that first season. A 6-foot-3, 275-pound bulldog who benched 430 pounds, he corralled nine sacks on defense and was chosen for the MHSFCA All-Star Game. He spent three seasons with the Colorado University football program. He also delivered a stellar wrestling career. He won a national title at the youth level and went 102-21 at the varsity level. He won two Bay County titles and a Saginaw Valley League crown and qualified for states as a senior.
WILLIS JOHNSTON – Football
One of the area’s great football minds, his impact has been felt in high school programs at Bay City Handy and Bay City Western. But he carved his niche as a next-level strategist at Northwood University, where he served as defensive coordinator under three different head coaches, Jack Finn, Tom Danna and Pat Riepma. He had four different stints with Northwood, each time getting called back to shore up the defense. During his final run from 1996-2001, he helped the Timberwolves to a historic NCAA Division II playoff berth and a 10-2 record in 2000. A teacher in the Bay City school system for 27 years, he was an assistant at Handy from 1969-72 as the Wildcats claimed back-to-back Saginaw Valley League West titles. As defensive coordinator at Bay City Western from 2005-08, he saw the Warriors claim two SVL crowns and the program’s only regional championship. Johnston also worked as a basketball referee with the Bay City Officials Association for 20 years.
ALAN KENNEDY – Boxing
One of the winningest professional boxers ever to come out of Bay County, he went 26-14-1 and rose to as high as No. 3 in the welterweight rankings. A four-time regional Golden Gloves champion from 1951-54, he was a member of the U.S. National team in 1952, represented Michigan in the Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions in 1953 and won the first Ray Karpus Trophy as Bay City’s outstanding fighter in 1954. He won 11 straight bouts early in his professional career before suffering his first loss to Ralph Capone, nephew of the Chicago gangland boss. The T.L. Handy product went on to box in Madison Square Garden before closing out his career with a win in his hometown in 1960. He finished with nine professional knockouts and never lost by KO.
JUSTIN LASKOWSKI – Diving
A four-time high school all-American, Laskowski became the first state champion in Bay City Western swimming and diving history when he won the 2001 diving crown. He went undefeated as a senior, winning his third Tri-Cities Championship title and fourth Saginaw Valley League title. He went on to letter for four seasons at Michigan State University from 2002-05, serving as team captain. Laskowski was twice named Big Ten Diver of the Week and qualified for the NCAA Zone Championship three times.
JOHN MACIEJEWSKI – Football
A three-sport standout at Bay City St. Stans, “Big John” was one of his hometown’s most recognizable athletes of the 1950s. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder played four seasons of Division I football at the University of Detroit. He played as a blocking end for the Titans, serving as a regular as a junior and catching one touchdown. A member of the Bay City Catholic Hall of Fame, he earned all-City and all-Valley Parochial League honors as a fullback as a senior in 1953. He also lettered all four seasons in baseball and was one of the town’s top basketball players, earning unanimous all-City selection. He led the Stags in scoring as a junior and senior and finished with 655 career points. He died in 2021 at the age of 84.
JOHN MARTIN – Track and field
One of the first standout athletes to come out of Essexville Garber, he went on to a stellar career with the Albion College track and field program. He was a three-year letterwinner, serving as team captain as a senior. The all-MIAA performer went undefeated in the high hurdles and triple jump that season, qualifying for the NCAA Division III nationals and earning team MVP honors. The 1971 Garber graduate was a four-year varsity player in football, including his freshman campaign at St. Johns. He led the league in rushing as a sophomore and led Bay County at 167 yards per game as a senior when he garnered first-team all-state and Class B Golden Helmet Player of the Year. He also set Garber records in the high jump and high hurdles during track season.
JONN MATHEWS — Football
Mathews delivered success at the high school, collegiate and professional levels in a whirlwind football career. He played five seasons in the Danish American Football League, leading his team to Denmark’s equivalent of the Super Bowl and finishing second in league MVP voting in 2014. He also served as a coach for the Danish national team. The 2004 Essexville Garber graduate earned All-State when he helped the Dukes to their first district title, catching 48 receptions for 814 yards and 11 touchdowns. He earned Bay City Times Dream Team honors in basketball, scoring a school-record 545 points in a season, including 42 in one game. He went on to star at Grand Valley State University, helping the Lakers win four straight GLIAC championships and NCAA Division II national championships in 2005 and 2006. As a senior, he led GVSU with 40 receptions for 624 yards and 12 TDs. He returned home for one season and coached All Saints to its first winning record and playoff berth in five years in 2015.
PERRY MIDDLETON – Basketball
A fixture on the Essexville Garber basketball scene for 33 seasons, few Bay County coaches can say they won as many games as Middleton. A longtime assistant and sub-varsity coach for the Dukes, he pulled double duty as varsity boys and girls head coach for a stretch, leading both to 20-win campaigns. He guided the boys program for 14 seasons over two stints, compiling a 145-151 record. He led Garber to back-to-back Tri-Valley Conference crowns in 1986 and 1987, going 39-5. He directed the girls program from 1980-85, posting an 80-51 record. His 1983 squad went 20-2 and his 1984 team captured a regional championship. He was named Regional Coach of the Year in 1983.
SCOTT PETERSON – Boxing
In the history of Michigan Golden Gloves Boxing, no fighter has stood atop the podium as often as Peterson. His feat of six consecutive Golden Gloves state championships has never been matched. He won the Open Division 147-pound title each year from 1993-97 then claimed the 156 crown in 1998. In the national tournament, he reached the semifinals twice and the quarterfinals four times. He also claimed three ABF state titles, finishing as regional runner-up in 1993. He participated in Olympic Trials box-offs in 1996 and 1998, was the Ohio State Fair champion and most outstanding fighter and won his division in the 1989 U.S. vs. Puerto Rico showcase. He lost by decision to Olympic medalists Chris Byrd and Rhoshii Wells and national champion Jesse Briseno and posted more than 200 victories in his 30-year amateur career. The 1986 T.L. Handy graduate was a standout runner in cross country and track. He is forever on Handy’s school record board as part of the 3200 relay team.
BILL PRZYGOCKI – Baseball
Not too many players can match Przygocki’s claim of being selected three times in the Major League Baseball draft. The 1972 Bay City Central graduate was taken by the San Francisco Giants in the 38th round out of high school. He was drafted again by the Giants in the fifth round of the 1973 January draft and by the Montreal Expos in the third round of the 1974 January draft. He played two seasons at St. Clair County Community College and two at Aquinas College. He went 8-0 as a junior at Aquinas, then garnered NAIA all-American accolades as a senior in 1977. He still ranks eighth in program history for innings pitched that season. He pitched Detroit ITM to the national title in summer ball in 1975. He was inducted into the NEM Hall of Fame in 2021.
ANGIE ROSICH JOHNSON — Softball
In the most storied and extraordinary high school softball state championship in Michigan history, Rosich was the undeniable hero. She fired an eye-popping 20-inning complete game shutout, allowing two hits while striking out a record 32 batters while leading Pinconning to the 1993 Class B state title with a 1-0 victory. The first-team All-Stater set Pinconning records with 31 wins, 369 strikeouts, nine no-hitters and a 0.42 ERA that season. She went on to serve as a four-year Division I starter at Western Michigan University from 1994-97, earning second-team all-Mid-American Conference and first-team academic all-MAC honors. She graduated with WMU records of 83 complete games and 669.2 innings pitched. Her 57 wins, 26 shutouts and 410 strikeouts all ranked second in WMU history. She led the Broncos to three Top-3 finishes in MAC play.
DAVE SCHWARTZ — Football
A fixture in Essexville Garber athletics for the past quarter-century, Schwartz guided the football program to its greatest heights during an 11-year head coaching tenure then stayed for the long haul as a 25th-year athletic director. He rejuvenated Garber football, guiding the Dukes to five Tri-Valley Conference crowns and nine consecutive playoff berths. The program had not won a league title nor qualified for the playoffs in 15 years before his 2001 team broke through. He’s a four-time TVC and three-time regional Coach of the Year, twice earning Associated Press honors. An eight-year assistant at Mount Pleasant and 11-year assistant at Saginaw Nouvel, he was inducted into the MHSFCA Hall of Fame in 2021. Schwartz was named the MIAAA Regional Athletic Director of the Year in 2017 and earned the Essexville-Hampton Humanitarian Award in 2021. The 1986 John Glenn graduate was an all-conference football player and team MVP in basketball.
JIM SKROCKI – Football
A three-sport standout at Bay City St. James, Skrocki was co-captain of the 1965 football team that captured the Valley Parochial League title. The hard-charging halfback earned all-conference and All-State recognition then joined Roy Kramer’s squad at Central Michigan University. In an era when freshmen weren’t eligible for varsity action, he scored a touchdown in every game for the freshman team. He played three varsity seasons at wide receiver, where he was regarded as devastating blocking in the Power-I offense. Skrocki served as one of the team captains as a senior in 1969. After serving in the U.S. Army, he had a stellar career on the touch football circuit, leading his Sempliner’s team to several national tournament bids. He was named All-American at the 1979 event and was inducted into the Michigan Amateur Football Hall of Fame for his touch football exploits in 2004.
BOB STEWART – Softball
Perhaps the most complete player in Bay City during the heyday of fastpitch softball, winning followed wherever Stewart went. A left-handed leadoff hitter and center fielder, he was the sparkplug behind four state championship teams. He helped powerhouse teams Roma’s Inn, Made Rite, Arrow TV and the Saginaw Bolters rule the fastpitch realm. In the 1978 Class A state tournament, he batted 9 for 13 and blasted a grand slam in the title game. The 1965 T.L. Handy graduate played two seasons in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He was inducted into the Michigan Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame in 2013. He remains active in sports as a local basketball official.
ROGER SZAFRANSKI — Football
The University of Michigan was a Big Ten power in the mid-1970s and Szafranski was part of the action for four seasons. He was part of three conference championships and took part in the 1976 Orange Bowl and 1977 Rose Bowl. A two-year letterwinner, he worked his way into the first string on the defensive line but was limited by injuries. He was twice named U-M’s Strongest Player for his bench-press exploits. Szafranski delivered a dominant prep career as a 1973 John Glenn graduate. He was a two-time Gridiron Magazine All-American and two-time All-Stater, garnering the most votes of any player in the 1972 UPI poll and earning unanimous selection on the AP poll. A two-time first-team all-White Pine Conference performer, he was named Bangor Optimist Club Athlete of the Year. After working for two decades in medical sales, he earned his master’s degree and enjoyed a career in psychology, serving as president of Cancer Patient Advocates, Inc. in New York. He recently moved back to his hometown.
MARK WITTBRODT – Basketball
Wittbrodt set a state record, broke virtually every school record and made Bay City Western a basketball winner for the first time ever during a whirlwind prep career. The 1993 graduate departed as the program’s all-time leader with 1,408 points, which still ranks fourth in Bay County history. He set the single-season record with 490 points and single-game record with 51, one of five times he eclipsed 40 points in a game. The high-energy guard led Western to its first district championship in 1991 and first winning season in 1993. He sank 70 consecutive free throws to set a state record that stood for 16 years. Western’s first first-team all-Saginaw Valley League honoree, he established school records with 296 assists, 266 steals, 192 3-pointers and an .842 free-throw percentage for his career. Now an engineer for Consumers Energy, he scored 570 points at Michigan Tech. He was named the team’s Most Improved Player in 1995 while helping the Huskies to their best season in 15 years.
