In the 10th varsity football season at Essexville Garber, the Dukes delivered a season to remember for all time. Coach Ed Harvey’s squad powered to the first 9-0 record in program history, capturing the Northern B Conference crown. The nine wins still stands as the program’s single-season record. The Dukes went unblemished while outscoring the opposition 266-31. The defense posted four shutouts and no team scored more than once against them. Jim Mackey led the offense with 1,427 rushing yards.

T.L. Handy baseball had a proud postseason history, and this was the team that started it all. The Wildcats of 1975 pulled off a miraculous comeback in the district semifinal, then rode the momentum all the way to a state runner-up finish. Handy won its first district and regional championships behind the likes of Paul Nelson and Jim Davidson. Handy captured the Saginaw Valley League crown and finished with a 28-5 record that season under coach Dave Petrosky.

A champion everywhere he roams, Vrable shattered records at Bay City Central then stood at the heart of one of the top college baseball teams in the nation at Coastal Carolina. The 2003 Central product set school records for hits and stolen bases in a career and finished among the leaders with 21 pitching wins. He batted .515 with 44 RBIs as a senior while leading the Wolves to their first Saginaw Valley League title in 19 years. The two-time all-stater also quarterbacked Central to two playoff berths in football. After leading Grand Rapids Junior College to the NJCAA World Series crown in 2004, he transferred to Coastal Carolina, helping the Chanticleers to the Big South Conference championship and a school record for wins. He led the team in batting average and stolen bases in 2006 and set program records for assists and putouts as a second baseman in 2007. He is now assistant coach at the University of Louisville, where he has helped the Cardinals win four ACC titles and make two World Series appearances.

An eight-time All-American -- the most possible for divers – Bach is one of the most-decorated performers in Oakland University swimming and diving history. The 1992 John Glenn graduate placed ninth in the state as a senior then blossomed at the next level. She won the GLIAC diving championship all four years on the 3-meter board and added a fifth title on the 1-meter board, setting Oakland records in each event. She placed among the top-10 in the nation in both dives each season, soaring to as high as third on two occasions. Bach helped her team capture two NCAA Division II national championships and post two national runner-up finishes. She was inducted into the Oakland University Hall of Fame in 2009.

Career Highlights

•  An eight-time All-American
• one of the most-decorated performers in Oakland University swimming and diving history
• 1992 John Glenn graduate placed ninth in the state as a senior
• won the GLIAC diving championship all four years on the 3-meter board
• placed among the top-10 in the nation in both dives each season
• Bach helped her team capture two NCAA Division II national championships and post two national runner-up finishes
• inducted into the Oakland University Hall of Fame in 2009

For 25 years, Beaver carried the torch and showed the way for youth wrestlers of Bay County. He served as president of the Bay County Road Runners youth wrestling club, introducing hundreds of kids to the sport and paving the way to spectacular careers. He helped launch the Mid-Michigan Wrestling Association and the Northeast Michigan Wrestling Association, expanding opportunities for kids across the state. Beaver died in 2020 at the age of 77.

An impact-maker on his community as a youth baseball, basketball and football coach, he carved a one-of-a-kind niche at Bay County Pony League. An iconic figure at Coryell Field for 25 seasons, he was chosen as head coach of the primary All-Star team most of those years. Bay County appeared in 22 North Zone tournaments and 12 World Series during his tenure. His 1998 team was the first Bay County team to qualify for the World Series in 15 years and his 2006 squad was the first to win at game at the ultimate level. He was presented the Joe E. Brown Fellowship Award for his dedication to youth last year. A longtime basketball and football coach at Bay City Western Middle School, he also served as the first head coach of the Delta College baseball program after helping launch the endeavor in 2009. A mentor to dozens of kids who went on to play college and professional baseball, Revette died in 2019 at the age of 66.

Rademacher went from playing quarterback at Western Michigan University in 1970 to teaching and coaching at T.L. Handy in 1971, and he’s been a fixture of the local football scene ever since. He spent 16 years on the sidelines at Handy, including as head coach from 1973-77, before joining the Central football staff for a 30-year run. He also assisted with basketball, baseball and track along the way, but Rademacher carved his niche on the gridiron. He was part of the 1994 staff that guided the Wolves to a state runner-up showing and was named Assistant Coach of the Year by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association in 2014. A St. Johns native, he was a three-year letterwinner in football at WMU. The longtime Bay City educator currently serves on the Bay City Public Schools board of education.

One of the winningest female athletes ever at Bay City Central, she rose to superstar status with the Ferris State University softball program. A two-time All-American and three-time all-Great Lakes Region first teamer, she led the Bulldogs to back-to-back World Series berths, including a third-place finish in 1998. The 1999 graduate rewrote the Ferris record book and still owns program highs with a .373 average, 277 hits, 193 RBIs, 19 triples and 31 home runs.

The two-time academic all-GLIAC honoree is now a teacher and varsity softball coach at Lapeer High School. As a prep star, she sparked Central to stunning success on the softball field and basketball court. She led the 1995 softball team to the state semifinals with a 37-4 record while earning all-Saginaw Valley League and all-state honors. She led the basketball team to a 45-4 record and two district titles in her final two varsity seasons.

The heart and soul of the Bay City Central volleyball teams that won back-to-back league, district and regional championships, she went on to become one of the all-time greats at Ferris State University. A four-year setter at FSU, she still ranks third in program history with 204 service aces and fifth with 3,443 assists. She was a two-time all-GLIAC honoree and earned all-Great Lakes Region honors in 1994, when she led the Bulldogs in assists and attack percentage.

Holder of her optometry degree, she twice earned academic all-GLIAC honors. She was one of the state’s premier players during her days as a four-year varsity setter and middle hitter at Central. She was named to the all-state Dream Team as a senior in 1991, when she was selected Saginaw Valley League MVP. She led the Wolves to a 101-15 record over her final two seasons. She now serves as head volleyball coach at Bay City Western.

A blazing fast athlete with the strength to match, he starred on the track and football field at Bay City Central before lettering for three seasons with the Northwestern University football team. He ranked among the Big Ten’s top kickoff returners in 1989 with 19 returns for a 19.3 average. A situational running back, he ran for 237 yards and caught eight passes in his Division I career. In 1991, he was named Player of the Game in Northwestern’s 16-13 win over Michigan State. He earned first-team all-Saginaw Valley League honors as a 1989 Central graduate, rushing for 1,409 yards and 10 TDs in two varsity seasons.

Smith was a rare talent on the track, winning the 1989 Class A state championship in the 100-meter dash. He also placed fifth in the state as a junior and led the 400 relay team to fifth as a senior. He set school records in the 400 and 3200 relays and broke the long jump record that was set 31 years earlier by his Hall of Fame father Namon Smith.

Few area players have taken their volleyball talents further than Morin, who starred at John Glenn and Western Michigan University then delivered a successful professional career. The 1996 Glenn grad was a three-time all-NEMC first-teamer and earned all-state as a senior.

The 6-foot-1 middle blocker left a legacy at WMU, where she still ranks among the program’s top-10 in seven career stats, including 3.38 kills per set, 4.39 points per set, 406 total blocks and a .345 attack percentage. She garnered all-MAC honors three times, including first-team accolades as a senior in 2000. She earned invites to join the U.S. Olympic Training Center and the Pan-Am Games training team. She went on to play professionally in Austria for two years before competing in the Midwest Professional Volleyball Association and on the Extreme Volleyball Professional Tour.