2025 MSHOF BALLOT

  • VOTING INSTRUCTIONS

    Each Finalist should be voted on a scale of 1-10 with “10” being the highest score and “1” being the lowest score allowed. The number “0” is NOT an option.

    If a voter leaves the line blank then that is considered as an abstention with no vote being cast. This action will result in this vote not being counted when calculating that Finalist’s total average score. Therefore, if a voter feels strongly that a particular Finalist is not worthy of election to the MSHOF they should give a score of “1”.

    Further, there are NO restrictions on any single voter as to how many Finalists they wish to give a particular score of 1-10. They may give as many 10’s, 9’s or any other number 1-10 etc. as they wish throughout each category. Also, there is no requirement to give any Finalist a 10, or a 9, etc. except NO “0”. It is entirely up to the voter to determine the worthiness of each Finalist’s election to the MSHOF.

  • PROFESSIONAL FINALISTS

  • Chris Chelios

    A Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman who played a decade for the Detroit Red Wings, Chelios helped lead the team to two of its Stanley Cup Championships. Named one of the NHL’s 100 all-time greatest players, Chelios played all of his seasons in Detroit after the age of 37, leading the league in plus/minus in the championship season of 2001-2002. He also won a Stanley Cup earlier in his career with the Montreal Canadiens.

  • Kevin Glover

    All-American offensive lineman at the University of Maryland, selected by the Detroit Lions in the 1985 NFL draft. Played 15 NFL seasons, 13 with Detroit. Four time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowl center instrumental in Detroit’s rushing attack alongside Barry Sanders. Named to the Lions’ 75th Season All-Time team in 2008 and the All-Time Team in 2019.

  • Lamar Gant

    A native of Flint, Gant’s career as a powerlifter included setting a world record in 1984 and then, the next year, becoming the first athlete in history to deadlift five times his own body weight. He competed throughout his career despite idiopathic scoliosis, a curvature of the spine. Gant was inducted into the International Powerlifting Hall of Fame in 1980.

  • Thomas “Pepper” Johnson

    Born in Detroit and had a standout football career at MacKenzie High School, earning a spot on the State of Michigan high school all-decade team for the 1980s. Played linebacker at Ohio State and earned All-American honors as a senior in 1985. From 1986-1992, won two Super Bowls as a key member of the vaunted Giants defense and earned first team All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowl accolades. Later played for his hometown Detroit Lions in 1996.

  • Connie Kalitta

    A native of Mount Clemens, Kalitta is known as “The Bounty Hunter” for his career in drag racing. The first driver of a top fuel dragster to reach 200 miles per hour in 1964, he raced from the 1950s through the 1990s. In 1989, he was the first to reach 290 miles per hour. He was inducted in the Motorsports of America Hall of Fame in 1992.

  • Milton McCrory

    Born in Detroit and trained by Emanuel Steward at the Kronk Gym, McCrory won half a dozen middleweight and welterweight titles during his eleven-year boxing career. As an amateur, he compiled a record of 105-15 and won the welterweight title at the 1979 World Junior Championships. As a pro, McCrory went 35-4-1 and earned national and international honors, including North American Junior Middleweight Champion and World Boxing Champion (WBC) in the Welterweight Division.

  • Ken Morrow

    Born in Flint and attended Davison High School. An integral member of the legendary Miracle on Ice team’s defense during their 1980 Winter Olympics run. Won the 1980 Stanley Cup Finals with the New York Islanders, becoming the first hockey player to win Olympic gold and the Cup in the same year. Contributed to three additional Islanders championships during a decade-long NHL career. 1996 Lester Patrick Trophy recipient for contributions to American hockey.

  • Sandra Jo Shiery

    Born in Coldwater. Winner of ten Professional Women’s Bowling Association National Titles and one of only five women to win the All-Events gold medal at the Women’s Tenpin Bowling Association World Championships. First ever amateur to win a Ladies Professional Bowling Tour National Tournament. Named to the Michigan State Bowling HOF in 1991 and the USBC HOF in 2021.

  • Mike Vernon

    A goaltender who played 19 years in the National Hockey League, Vernon won the 1997 Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings, when he also was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. A winner of more than 300 NHL games, Vernon also shared the 1996 Jennings trophy with teammate and Michigan Sports Hall of Famer Chris Osgood. Vernon also won a Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames.

  • Rasheed Wallace

    Traded to the Detroit Pistons in 2004, Wallace’s scoring and rebounding prowess proved to be the missing piece needed for the Pistons’ victory over the Lakers during the 2004 NBA Finals. Wallace cemented himself as part of a dominant core that would return to the Finals the following year and make four consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances. He made two All-Star teams with Detroit and is fourth all-time among three-pointers made as a Piston.

  • AMATEUR FINALISTS

  • Morten Andersen

    Kicker for Michigan State University from 1978-1981, Andersen was a consensus All-American and All-Big Ten honors in 1981, holds record for longest field goal in Big Ten history. Twenty-five season NFL kicking career, NFL record holder for games played, second all-time in field goals and points scored. Elected to the Michigan State University Athletics HOF in 2011, and the Pro Football HOF in 2017.

  • Judi Brown Clarke

    Initially recruited to Michigan State for her prowess in volleyball and basketball, Brown embraced track & field, becoming a 12-time Big Ten champion, three-time All-American, and an NCAA champion. As a freshman, she led the Spartans to a Big Ten Indoor Championship in the 4×220-yard relay before clinching the 440-meter hurdle league title. As a senior, she earned Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year honors and dominated the 1983 Big Ten Championships, winning five of her 12 career conference titles. She won the silver medal in the 400-meter hurdles at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

  • Johnny Green

    Played college basketball for Michigan State University from 1956-1959. As a sophomore, Green set a school rebounding record with 14.6 per game enroute to a Big Ten championship and an NCAA tournament run. Remains second all-time in rebounds per game among Big Ten players. Green’s number 24 jersey was retired by Michigan State and was elected to the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992. Passed away in 2023.

  • Drew Henson

    Decorated multi-sport athlete at Brighton High School. Henson was second all-time among Michigan high school football players in passing yards and touchdowns. Named High School Baseball Player of the Year by USA Today, Baseball America and Gatorade as a senior. Henson played quarterback for the University of Michigan from 1998 to 2000. As a starter he led the Wolverines to the Big Ten Championship and a Citrus Bowl win in 2000. Played professionally for both the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees.

  • Mark Messner

    Earned All-State and All-American honors in football at Detroit Catholic Central High School. Started at defensive tackle at the University of Michigan from 1985-88, winning two Big Ten titles. Messner earned consensus All-American and Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year honors in 1988. One of three players to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors four seasons in a row. Messner was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the sixth round of the 1989 NFL draft, became a member of the Michigan Hall of Honor in 2014 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2022.

  • Connie Paraskevin-Young

    Born in Detroit, Paraskevin-Young competed in two Olympic sports: speed skating at the 1984 Winter Olympics and cycling in the Summer Olympics from 1988 to 1996. In the 1988 games, she won the bronze medal in sprint cycling. She won four World Championships and a total of eight World Championship medals in the event. She was also the U.S. champion in the cycling sprint 10 times, set a world record for the 200-meter in 1995, and won gold medals at the 1987 Pan American Games and the 1990 Goodwill Games.

  • Jason Richardson

    Was the 1999 Michigan Mr. Basketball and a McDonald’s All-American. Richardson led Arthur Hill High School in Saginaw to the 1999 Class A Championship and was named Second-Team Parade All-American. At Michigan State he was instrumental in back-to-back Big Ten titles, Final Four appearances, and in the 2000 NCAA Championship victory. He earned Consensus Second-Team All-American honors, First Team All-Big Ten, and led MSU in scoring with an average of 14.7 points per game. He was the fifth overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft.

  • Claressa Shields

    Born in Flint in 1995, Shields began boxing at the age of eleven after being inspired by her father, Bo Shields. She made history as the first American boxer, male or female, to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016. She was the first American woman to win the gold medal in boxing, and the first to win two. She also dominated the World Championships, winning gold in 2014 and 2016, and a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games. Her amateur record was 64-1. With a professional record of 15-0, Shields has earned multiple world championships in five weight classes.

  • Marty Turco

    Goaltender at the University of Michigan from 1994-98. Led Michigan to two NCAA titles (1996 and 1998) and four Frozen Four appearances. He holds U-M records for career wins (127, an NCAA record), career shutouts (15) and wins in a season (34 in 1995-96). He finished with a career record of 127-28-7. He was a first team All-American in 1997, the 1997 CCHA Goaltender of the Year and the 1995 CCHA Rookie of the Year. In 1998, he was named the NCAA Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player. Turco was drafted in the fifth round of the 1994 NHL Draft by the Dallas Stars and played 11 seasons in the NHL. He was a three-time NHL All-Star and represented Canada at the 2006 Olympics.

  • Peter Vanderkaay

    A three-time Olympian and four-time Olympic medalist, Vanderkaay won gold in the 4 x 200-meter relay (2004, 2008) and bronze (200-meter freestyle 2008, and 400-meter freestyle in 2012). A two-time Michigan state champion in the 500-yard freestyle (2001, 2002) at Rochester Adams High School and the 2001 state champion in the 200-yard freestyle. Vanderkaay competed for the Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving team and holds a total of six NCAA, and 14 Big Ten Conference titles.

  • COACH FINALISTS

  • Mark Dantonio

    The all-time winningest coach in Michigan State history, Dantonio led the Spartans to three Big Ten championships, a Rose Bowl win and a berth in the 2015 College Football Playoff. He is one of seven Big Ten coaches to have at least six 10-win seasons (including Hall of Fame coaches Lloyd Carr, Joe Paterno, Bo Schembechler and Jim Tressel), and one of four Big Ten coaches to have at least five 11-win seasons. Dantonio made history by becoming the first Big Ten coach to record five 11-win seasons in a six-year span following MSU's 12-win campaign in 2015.

  • Vic Heyliger

    Played hockey at the University of Michigan from 1934-1937 and was head coach from 1944-1957. Compiled a record of 228-61-13, winning six NCAA National Championships and reaching the Frozen Four in ten consecutive seasons. No coach has since matched either feat. Heyliger was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1974 and the University of Michigan Athletics Hall of Honor in 1980. Passed away in 2006.

  • Garth Pleasant

    His 720 wins are the most of any college basketball coach in Michigan history. Pleasant coached men’s basketball at Rochester College from 1973-2011, where his teams won four United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) National Championships, were runners-up four seasons and qualified for the tournament 19 times. He was inducted into the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan Hall of Fame in 2008 and was their College Coach of the Year in 1989.

  • Bev Plocki

    Spent 35 seasons as the head coach of the University of Michigan women's gymnastics team and is one of the most successful coaches in college gymnastics history. Plocki led Michigan to its first-ever NCAA National Championship in 2021, an impressive 26 Big Ten championships (most by any coach in any sport in Big Ten history), and guided the team to 26 NCAA Championship appearances and 10 NCAA Super Six berths. Plocki has earned 11 Big Ten Coach of the Year awards and 10 NCAA Regional Coach of the Year honors. She was named NCAA Coach of the Year in 1994.

  • James (Jim) Reynolds

    The winningest coach in Detroit PSL history (253-112), guiding the Detroit King Crusaders to nine PSL titles and six runner-up finishes from 1974-2009. King was the first PSL school to reach the state football finals (1989 and 1990) and the first team to win the state title. King was struggling when Reynolds took over - he built his program by recruiting and changed the way PSL teams played. King players adored Reynolds because they knew football was a means to an end for him in that he worked hard to get his players into college. He passed away in 2020.

  • MEDIA FINALISTS

  • Jack Ebling

    Grew up in Redford Township and graduated from Michigan State University. Beat writer and sports columnist at the Lansing State Journal from 1978 to 2003. Three-time National Sports Media Association Michigan Sportswriter of the Year, two-time NSMA Sportscaster of the Year. Has received over twenty major state and national sports writing awards. Served as Michigan chairman for the Heisman Memorial Trophy for 36 years. 2006 Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame inductee.

  • Julian H. Gonzalez

    In 1990 he began a 25-year career as a sports photojournalist for the Detroit Free Press. Over the course of his career Gonzalez produced iconic photos from seven Olympic Games, one Pan-American Games, six NCAA Final Fours, five Stanley Cup Finals, three NBA Finals and two World Series and countless regular season games across professional leagues, college and high school. In 2016 he was inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame.

  • Gus Johnson

    Born in Detroit and a graduate of the University of Detroit Jesuit High School, Johnson has been the lead play-by-play announcer for college football on Fox Sports since 2011 and its college basketball voice since 2013. Johnson handled play-by-play for CBS Sports’ March Madness coverage for fifteen years and has also lent his voice to the NFL, NBA playoffs, MLS and UEFA Champions League. He is a member of the Detroit Jesuit High School HOF and Michigan Catholic High School HOF.

  • John Lowe

    Honored in 2023 at the Baseball Hall of Fame with a career achievement award, Lowe covered Major League Baseball and the Detroit Tigers for the Detroit Free Press from 1986 through the 2014 season. Named Michigan’s sportswriter of the year, Lowe covered a generation of baseball in Detroit from the 1987 Tigers playoff team to the 2012 Word Series and the playoff teams that followed. Earlier in his career, he was credited by his peers as developing the “quality start” metric for pitchers.

  • Tim Staudt

    A native of East Lansing and graduate of Michigan State University, Staudt has been the “Dean of Sports” in his hometown for more than 50 years. He has hosted the “Staudt on Sports” radio show daily since 1993 and worked as a sports anchor at WILX-TV since 1980. He previous anchored sports at the former WJIM-TV throughout the 1970s. This marks the longest tenure on television of any sportscaster in the State of Michigan. Staudt is a member of the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame and Michigan Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

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Vote for the Class of 2025 (Ends May 23rd)
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