27th Annual Greater Flint Area Sports INDUCTION BANQUET Willam Brandt Steve Schmidt Marty Crane Dan Severn Courtney Hawkins Daryl Turner Dick Daly - Special Service Award Jack Doering - Special Service Award Flint Northern High School 1953 Track Team Powers Catholic High School 1974 Baseball Team Stroh’s Beer 1968 Softball Team December 2, 2006 Genesys Conference & Banquet Center, Grand Blanc, Michigan I Wish To Extend My Sincerest Congratulations 2006 Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame “Qualiy Service - Excellent Results” PauletteRealtor Chan® dnois 810 577-0958 E-mail [email protected] www.paulettechandnois.com Whether selling your present home or purchasing a new home, let my 16 years experience work for you. Mortgage Assistance • Free Market Analysis MEMBER OF PRESIDENTS CLUB the Alliance of premier hospital for children SPONSORED BY As a way to give back to my community, I donate a portion of my proceeds on every home I sell to the Children’s Miracle Network, 6005 Miller Rd., Ste.7 and to the Susan G. Koman Foundation for Breast Cancer. Swartz Creek, Michigan 48473 Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame 27th Annual Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors President induction banquet Fred Briggs th 1st Vice President Tonight we celebrate our 27 Annual Hall of Fame awards dinner as we welcome you to Tom Healey the Genesys Athletic and Banquet Center. Recording Secretary Jim Rutherford Our committee this year once again has selected an outstanding group of individual Treasurer inductees Dan Severn – Courtney Hawkins – Bill Brandt – Daryl Turner – Marty Crane - Jerry Topolinski Executive Secretary Steve Schmidt – are being honored for their dedication and commitment to the sports they Bob Root played. Duncan Beagle Bob Burek This year we have two recipients for the Special Service Award. Their commitment to Craig Coney quality and sportsmanship has had a positive impact on hundreds of Flint athletes. They Bill Haley are Dick Daly and Jack Doering. Len Jasinski Jim Massar Also tonight we are inducting the following teams: Booker Moore 1953 Northern High School Track Team Gerald Moore Nick Pappadakis 1968 Strohs Fast Pitch Softball Phil Pierson 1974 Powers Catholic High School Baseball Team Cathy Snyder Bill Troesken The board of directors would like to express our appreciation to the Flint Journal. The Bill Trosko Journal staff with their excellent articles, have all contributed to the success of the Greater Selection Committee Flint Sports Hall of Fame. Tim Bograkos - Chairperson Jim Bracy The Flint Journal’s commitment to quality is further demonstrated by their contributions of Jake Brisendine the hall of fame plaques which are on display tonight. These plaques will be permanently Lynn Chandnois enshrined in the Greater Flint Sports Hall of Fame Located at Genesys Athletic Club. Tom Cole Ray Collard Joe Forlenza A Special “THANKS” goes to the Genesys Conference & Banquet Center and the Genesys Fred Rademacher Athletic Club for providing the permanent home for all past, present and future plaques of Sue Reber our honorees. FRED BRIGGS President GREATER FLINT AREA SPORTS HALL OF FAME - PAGE 1 Carman-Ainsworth High School • 1300 N. Linden • Flint, MI 48532 • Phone 591-5510 www.gfashof.com Mott Community College salutes the winningest coach in MCC history. We are proud of the quality and integrity Coach Schmidt brings to our program. What a record (and he’s not done yet!): 1............National championship 3 ................National title games 4 ..........................Regional titles 5 ..............................State titles 8 ....................Conference titles Coach Steve Schmidt has the most wins in Mott College history with a 379-105 record (.783), including a 187-38 conference mark (.831) and a single season win record of 33-4 in 2001. (810) 762-0200 • www.mcc.edu GREATER FLINT AREA SPORTS HALL OF FAME - PAGE 2 TONIGHT’S PROGRAM SOCIAL HOUR AND CASH BAR 5:30 to 6:30 Welcome, Introduction of Guests and Officers.....Fred Briggs, President INTRODUCTION OF THE 2006 INDUCTEES Master of Ceremonies: Bill Troesken, Member Board of Directors Invocation: Rev. Roy Horning, Pastor of St. Robert Church-Flushing National Anthem: Macy Mortimer-March of Dimes Ambassador Child ENJOY YOUR DINNER Presentation of the Class of 2006.......................................Bill Troesken THE 2006 INDUCTEES Jack Doering-Special Service Award Dick Daly-Special Service Award Dan Severn Courtney Hawkins William Brandt-represented by his son, Steven Daryl Turner Marty Crane Steve Schmidt Flint Northern H.S. 1953 Track Team Powers Catholic H.S. 1974 Baseball Team Stroh’s Beer 1968 Softball Team Join us for Autographs and Afterglow by the Plaques GREATER FLINT AREA SPORTS HALL OF FAME - PAGE 3 Special Congratulations to “RaCe TRaCk JaCk” Doering GREATER FLINT AREA SPORTS HALL OF FAME - PAGE 4 Jack Doering Special Service Award By Greg Tunnicliff besides keeping the fans happy, he Jack Doering didn’t tolerate drivers also had to give the drivers a reason getting nasty with one another at Auto to come back. City Speedway. He did this by doing whatever he With as competitive as short-track- could to help them out and increasing ing can be, tempers sometimes flare. the track’s weekly purse. When they did, such activity was Auto City’s purse was initially $300. always grounds for getting time off. That figured swelled to $3,000 in 1961 However, if a couple guys wanted to and then to $25,000 in Doering’s final duke it out, the former Auto City owner season of 1999. preferred they do it on the track’s front “He was fair with everybody,’ said stretch, not in the pits. Clio’s Darrell McManus, who raced “He had a little bit of Barnum & super late models at Auto City. “He Bailey and a little bit of the WWE treated everybody the same and he (World Wrestling Entertainment) in made every racer feel needed.” him, maybe a lot,” said Dixie Motor Doering was also big into the Speedway owner Mike Kern, who big-time traveling acts. He booked used to race at Auto City. “Jack had such notable shows as the American the knack of knowing what people Speed Association, Main Event Rac- wanted to see.” ing Series and the Auto Value Super Doering was a pioneer in the sense Sprints. that he realized early on that oval-track ship of the track when Grabenhorst His biggest show was undoubtedly racing was more than just cars going died in 1985. the Colonel’s Firecracker 150, which around the track. It was entertainment, During his tenure he added a half- took place every year on July 4. The too. mile track in 1960. Both ovals were winner of the super late-models fea- It was partly because of his fore- paved in 1986. ture took home a new pickup truck. sight into this concept that enabled What set him aside from the typical “He was a promoters’ promoter,” him to take a bankrupt facility and promoter was he wasn’t afraid to oc- former Auto Value Motorsports Direc- turn it into one of the top local sports casionally veer away from traditional tor Dan Scheuerlein said. “He could attractions. racing. Various “Hollywood” acts and not do enough for his sponsors. It was That foresight and skill has earned personalities would make appear- a little bit of Las Vegas.” Doering, 72, the Special Services ances at Auto City during Doering’s Doering’s innovativeness and his Award from the GFASHF. watch. passion for the sport earned him an “Any short track is in the show Joey Chitwood’s Thrill show, Speed- enormous amount of respect in the business, not the racing business,” O the Clown, Robbie Knievel and racing industry. Doering said. “The No. 1 person at Burt Reynolds all went through Auto He helped found the Michigan the track is the race fan.” City’s gates. Speedway Promoters Association in Doering had always been an avid Doering instituted one-on-one 1972 and he was inducted into the racing fan and in 1958 he took a job spectator drag races, had skydivers Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame as the track’s people counter. parachute into the track and put on in 1987. Auto City went bankrupt during motorcycle demolition derbies and Doering is always quick to point the summer of ‘58 before reopening fireworks displays. out the success of Auto City was not a year later under then-owner Joe When he owned Dixie, he once entirely his doing. Grabenhorst. staged a professional wrestling match He attributes the vast majority of Doering was elevated to the between Dick ‘The Brusier’ and ‘Gor- it to his family – wife, Bonnie, and promoter’s position on July 4, 1959 geous George’. sons John Jr. and Jason - his friends by Grabenhorst when then-promoter And boy did his tricks work. Auto Grabenhorst, Scheuerlein, Don Wil- Bob George failed to show up. City’s seating capacity leaped from liamson former Journal Sports Editor Over the course of the next 41 3,000 to 7,000. Doug Mintline and his many employ- years, the Clio resident would trans- “Who wouldn’t want to go to a car- ees. form Auto City from a dirt quarter-mile nival,” said John Doering Jr., Jack’s “I always felt like the luckiest man track into the premier racing facility on son. “Who wouldn’t want to go to a in the world,” Doering said. “Every the east side of the state. big show? Anything he could think of day was fun. I never dreaded going He became partners with Grabenhorst to put on a show he would do.” to the race track. Maybe I did put a in 1962 before taking over sole owner- Gimmicks aside, Doering knew that little mark on this town.” GREATER FLINT AREA SPORTS HALL OF FAME - PAGE 5 The Daly Family Congratulates All 2006 Inductees into the Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame and especially Father & Son Dick Daly Chris (Rooster) Daly Special Service Award *Member 1974 Powers Catholic H.S.