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Hall Of Fame Inductees Announced |
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by Dan Veaner
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Thursday, 20 November 2008 |
 Lansing Athletic Hall of Fame Selection Committee Chairman Marty Christopher announced the 2008 inductees who will be inducted into the Hall Of Fame at a January 31 ceremony. Christopher says the committee is breaking from tradition this year by inducting three football teams. "We are inducting the untied, undefeated teams coached by deceased Hall of Fame Coach Stan Sobus from 1956, 1957, & 1958," says Christopher. "They combined to win eighteen consecutive games over the three seasons, each sporting 6 & 0 records."
Individual inductees are Jason I. Eade, Ronald "Ron" Eastman, and Beverly {Longhouse} Hartz. Eade is a former Cross Country, Indoor Track & Field, and Outdoor Track & Field Coach. Eastman was a former athlete from the 1950s. He was a prominent sports contributor to boys & girls programs for more than 20 years. He graduated from Lansing High School in 1959. Hartz was a star in multiple sports who graduated in 1979.
Inductees and their families view their plaques in the
Lansing Athletic Hall Of Fame
"Sobus' winning streak was snapped in the first game of the 1959 season, when the Bobcats were held to a 6 to 6 tie by Port Byron," Christopher says. "The unbeaten string lasted through 23 games before the Bobcats dropped a 13 to 0 decision to Groton, in Groton. The 1959 squad finished the year with a respectable 5 wins- 2 losses - 1 tie."
The induction ceremony is traditionally sandwiched between Lansing Bobcats varsity and junior varsity basketball games in January of each year. The Athletic Hall Of Fame committee accepts nominations year 'round. Nominees must have excelled in sports while at Lansing. Former athletes and teams must have graduated a minimum of ten years before they may be nominated. Coaches and administrators must have left the district at least two years prior to being nominated. The committee has information and nomination forms on their Web page on the Lansing School District Web site.
Football, track & field,
wrestling star Kevin Kessler (left)
is inducted into the Class of 2007 by Marty Christopher last January
The Hall Of Fame is an actual hallway behind the gymnasium in Lansing High School. Plaques commemorate each inductee with a picture taken while they were active athletes and a biography. Recipients return to Lansing for a reception and the ceremony, where they are given a copy of the plaque that is mounted on the wall. The ceremony is typically well attended, with popular local sports announcer Geoff Wright reading inductees biographies while Christopher presents the plaques.
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