Tom Kresnak was one of the top offensive linemen to ever come out of football-rich Muskegon County. The force up front for two of the first great teams at Muskegon Catholic Central, Kresnak helped lead Coach Ed Farhat’s Crusaders to consecutive 8-1 records in both 1958 and 1959. Named to the Detroit News, Detroit Free Press and Detroit Times All-State Dream Teams his senior year, he was referred to by Farhat as “the toughest and most talented football player I ever coached.”

Recruited by more than 30 major-college football programs, Kresnak eventually chose to enroll at the University of Colorado over Michigan and Michigan State, among others. He was just as dominating in Rocky Mountain country as he was in Muskegon, starting both ways for three years for the Buffalos, as a guard on offense and noseguard on defense. Kresnak was named team captain in 1964 as a senior and received the Zack Jordan Award that same year as the squad’s most valuable player.

He continued his success in the business world, serving a variety of leadership positions in the computer field, including his final six working years as an IBM Global Account Manager.