Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame is celebrating its 50th year as an organization.
It includes 175 athletes, teams, programs and contributors based on their influence in sports in the city and around the world.
Over the past 50 years, GRSHOF has become an integral part of the city's sports scene at all levels.
GRSHOF President Mark Kimball said the organization provides financial grants to community groups from funds raised during various events throughout the year. He said GRSHOF partners with the Grand Rapids Public School Foundation's Great Sports, Great Kids Youth Sports program.
“When you really dig into the fabric of the community, it’s a whole bunch of different things that create a quality of life,” he said. “I think West Michigan is a great place. I’ve spent my whole life here, my kids have grown up here, and I think one of the great qualities of our community is the strength of our sports events. Great youth program that includes just a few dozen and dozens of sports and every small community around us here. High school sports are fantastic. We have great collegiate sports in our community and we are blessed to have a professional team here, so the sport is really a great contribution to our community. ”
GRSHOF's mission is to recognize these contributors, and the list of participants is as diverse as it is brilliant.
Marion Ladewig was the first woman to be inducted into the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame in 1972. She was hailed as the "Queen of Bowling" as she topped the country's four-time high for a woman between 1949 and 1963.
In 1951, she won the WIBC City, State, and National All-Events titles, and was the only woman to achieve this feat. Grand Rapids Native was a five-time World Invitational Champion and an eight-time Titlelist in the All-Star Series. She was named National Women's Bowler of the Year nine times and was the all-time leader at the US Women's Open Championships eight times.
Gerald R. Ford was an All-City footballer from the now-defunct South High. He was a center, long snapper and linebacker on the University of Michigan football team, a three-time letter winner and a member of the undefeated team that won national championships in 1932 and '33. In 1934 he was named Wolverine's most valuable player. He also became the 38th President of the United States.
David Harris was a linebacker at Ottawa Hills High School, and he set school records for tackling 158. He played for the University of Michigan team that won two Big Ten titles and was drafted into the National Football League, where he played for the New York Jets and the New England Patriots.
Tia Brooks-Wannemacher was an inductee in the 2021 GRSHOF class. He competed in shot put and discus at East Kentwood High School and won the Michigan High School Athletic Association Championship in shot put.
Brooks-OneMacher went to the University of Oklahoma, where he was a four-time NCAA shot put champion and the school's indoor and outdoor record holder. He is an Olympic track and field athlete who competed in the 2012 London Olympics.
But it’s not just individuals who make up the members of the hall.
Some of the teams inducted into the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame are Caledonia Girls Cross Country, Class B State Championship winners 1993-96; Grand Rapids Chicks Baseball, winner of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Championship in 1947 and 1953; 2001 Winner of Grand Rapids Rampage, Indoor Football Arena Bowl XV; And Union High School's 1925 football squad, which was unbeaten and without a goal.
GRSHOF also includes people who have contributed to the development of sports in the city The late Peter Sekia was included and received the Warren Reynolds Lifetime Achievement Award. Sechia was a philanthropist and founder of the Western Michigan Sports Commission, a nonprofit focused solely on attracting and hosting youth and amateur sports events in western Michigan.