Class of 2015

Cathy Fitzpatrick
BORN:  NOVEMBER 29, 1963, MUSKEGON, MI

    Cathy Fitzpatrick was the dominant female sprinter in the Muskegon area in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and arguably the top female sprinter in the entire state at that time. She captured an amazing seven top-four state meet finishes in individual events during her three-year varsity career at Mona Shores High School, highlighted by winning the 1981 Class A state championship in the 100-yard dash in a then state-record time of 10.8 seconds.
    Fitzpatrick dominated the local city, Lake Michigan Athletic Conference and All-Star meets, but really turned the heads of college coaches with her consistent excellence at the state finals – placing third in the 200 and fourth in the 400 as a sophomore, first in the 100 and second in the 200 as a junior and second in the 200 and 400 and third in the 100 as a senior.
    After graduation in 1982, she was offered a full-ride track and field scholarship to the University of Michigan - the first for a woman in the college's history. Instead, Fitzpatrick accepted a similar offer at the University of Virginia, where she earned All-American honors in 1986 and ran in such prestigious events as the Penn Relays and the Millrose Games. Cathy joins her father, 1998 inductee Jerry Fitzpatrick, in the Hall of Fame. Cathy and her husband, Eric Nowak, have four children and live in Manassas, VA., where she is an elementary physical education teacher and coach.

Mike Holmes
BORN: FEBRUARY 24, 1953, KALAMAZOO, MI

    An outstanding high school athlete at Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic where he played football for coach Dick Soisson, Mike Holmes, like his mentor, racked up over 200 victories as varsity football coach on his way to a Hall of Fame career.
   
Fresh off a standout four-year career as a football and baseball player at Kalamazoo College, Holmes arrived at Muskegon Catholic Central in 1976. There, Holmes served as an assistant under five different coaches, including MASHF inductees Roger Chiaverini and Pete Kutches, before taking over the program in 1988.
    Over the next 25 years, his teams compiled a 212-75-1 record, with 18 playoff appearances and 13 semifinal berths. The Crusaders won six state titles during the span, earning championships in 1990, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2006 and 2008, with a lone loss in a state title game coming in 2001.  After 37 years as a coach and teacher at MCC, Holmes stepped down following the 2012 season.  At the time of his retirement, his 212 wins ranked second in Muskegon-area high school coaching history, behind only 2009 MASHF inductee Jack Schugars of Oakridge.

1977-78 and 1978-79
Muskegon Heights High School Basketball Teams

    Muskegon Heights High School is known statewide for its outstanding basketball tradition. One of the most memorable stretches in the Tigers’ storied history came in 1978 and 1979. The Tigers, under the direction of newly-minted head coach and former standout Heights player Lee Gilbert, ripped off back-to-back Class B state championships in those two seasons, ending both campaigns with 26-2 records.
    In 1978, Muskegon Heights won the Class B state title by beating Ecorse 67-52 at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor. Juniors Robert Kitchen and Cedric Scott were both named to the Associated Press All-State first team.
    Locals still talk about that team's regular-season matchup with Benton Harbor, played in front of an estimated crowd of 6,000 fans - one of the largest in the history of the L.C. Walker Arena. The Heights, top-ranked in Class B,  beat the Class A top-ranked Tigers from Harbor, 55-52, in a thriller.
    Muskegon Heights
defended their crown the following year with a 52-47 win against Saginaw Buena Vista in the title game. Scott and Kitchen were again awarded Class B All-State honors, while Donnell Plummer was special mention and Clayton Cochran and Doug Burse were honorable mention.

Members of the Muskegon Heights teams were: Calvin Brown. Doug Burse, Orlando Burt, Clayton Cochran, Thernell Davis, Jeff Doxey, Henry Henderson, Donny Houston, Jeff Johnson, Lenard Kelly, Robert Kitchen, Ronnie Mathews, Gene Miskel, Charles Patton, Donnell Plummer, Perry Riley, Cedric Scott, Michael Williams, Willie Wyrick, Chauncey Bryant (manager), Charles Penn (manager) and Lee Gilbert (coach).