BAY CITY, MI -- The Bay County Sports Hall of Fame has turned the big 3-0.

And its still going strong.

The local organization unveiled its 30th induction class Sunday on a Facebook Live event, revealing the eight individuals and two teams joining the hallowed hall in 2020. More than 700 Life Members are eligible to vote for the induction class each year.

The induction banquet is set for Nov. 8 at the DoubleTree hotel and conference center in downtown Bay City. Visit baycountysports.com for more information on the banquet, how to nominate a candidate or how to become a voting Life Member.

Jim Davidson circles the bases after hitting a home run for Handy in the district semifinal in 1975.

1975 BAY CITY HANDY BASEBALL

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.

1974 ESSEXVILLE GARBER FOOTBALL

In the 10th varsity football season at Essexville Garber, the Dukes delivered a season to remember for all time.

Coach Ed Harveys squad powered to the first 9-0 record in program history, capturing the Northern B Conference crown. The nine wins still stands as the programs 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.

Dan Revette laughs with his players after practice at Coryell Field in Bay City during preparations for the Pony League World Series.

DAN REVETTE

For a quarter-century worth of ballplayers, Revette was the face of Bay County Pony League.

A 25-year volunteer for the age 13-14 baseball organization, he taught the game to wave after wave of ballplayers and gave them the foundation for success on the diamond and beyond.

"If you talk to any of the boys who played for him over the years, they would all tell you they had the utmost respect for him," said Gary Stefaniak, the longtime Pony League official in 2019. "But many of them would simply say they loved him -- because they know how much he cared for them."

Revette was frequently chosen as head coach of the primary All-Star team, and he guided them to success at the state, zone and World Series level. Bay County competed in the World Series 12 times during his tenure. His 1998 team was the first in 15 years to qualify for the grand stage and his 2006 team was the first to score a World Series victory.

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 last September at the age of 66.

REBECCA BACH SIMMONS

After a solid prep career, Bach erupted at the college level, becoming one of the most accomplished performers in the history of the Oakland University swimming and diving program.

She garnered eight all-American honors, the most possible for collegiate divers, while becoming a fixture at the NCAA Division II championships.

Bach captured the GLIAC diving championship all four years on the 3-meter board and added a fifth title on the 1-meter board, establishing school records in each event. She placed among the top-10 in the nation four years in a row, finishing as high as third on two occasions.

She helped Oakland capture two NCAA national championships and two national runner-up finishes and was inducted into the schools Hall of Fame in 2009.

A 1992 graduate of John Glenn, she placed ninth in the state as a senior before going on to bigger and better things.

JODY GIFFORD MARKWART

Some two decades since her last game, Gifford remains the biggest name in Ferris State University softball history.

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.

Gifford powered her Bay City Central squads to great heights as a 1995 graduate. She led the softball team to the state semifinals with a 37-4 record while earning all-Saginaw Valley League and all-state honors as a senior. She sparked the basketball team to a 45-4 record and two district titles in her final two varsity seasons.

She is now the varsity softball coach at Lapeer High School.

TRACI MORIN

From humble beginnings with the John Glenn volleyball team, Morin rose to greatness as a Division I collegiate star and beyond.

A 6-foot-1 force at the net, she put her leaping skills and powerful arm to potent use as a four-year standout at Western Michigan University.

When we recruited her, she had a very whippy arm, WMU coach Cathy George said in a 1997 story. With how fast her arm was and the right set of circumstances, she could be something special.

That would loom true as the 1996 Glenn graduate became a three-time all-Mid-American Conference honoree at WMU. She still ranks among Western Michigans 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.

Morin 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.

She was a three-time all-NEMC first-teamer, earning all-state her senior year at Glenn.

MELISSA PETTY DAVID

After leading Bay City Central to great heights, Petty went on to duplicate that feat at Ferris State University, making her one of the most accomplished volleyball players in Bay County history.

A versatile player who played setter and middle hitter, the 1992 Central graduate emerged as one of the states top prep players. She led the Wolves to league, district and regional championships in back-to-back seasons and a 101-15 record. She garnered Saginaw Valley League MVP and all-state Dream Team honors as a senior in 1991.

Petty kept delivering big things at the Division II college level, becoming one of the all-time greats at Ferris State. The four-year setter 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.

She currently serves as Bay City Westerns varsity volleyball coach.

Bay City Central assistant Gene Rademacher gives Jeff Mackey instruction on the sideline.THE BAY CITY TIMES

GENE RADEMACHER

A fixture on the local football scene since 1971, Rademacher has been a driving force and a guiding influence for nearly 50 years worth of athletes at Bay City Handy and Bay City Central.

A quarterback at Western Michigan University, he put his playing experience into action as an offensive mastermind. He was part of the staff that led Central to the state title game in 1994 and was one of five 30-year BCC coaches named Assistant Coach of the Year by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association in 2014.

"To stick around that long, that tells you a lot about the character of these guys," said Morley Fraser, the former Central head coach, in a 2014 story. "Their time and dedication and their loyalty to the kids and to the program, you can't put a value on all of that."

Rademacher spent 16 years coaching at Handy, serving as head coach from 1973-77. He made the move to Central in 1987 and has been entrenched in the program ever since. He also assisted with basketball, baseball and track during his tenure.

TERRY SMITH

Smith joins his father, Namon Smith, in the Bay County Sports Hall of Fame after a dazzling career in football and track.

The 1989 Bay City Central graduate roared to the Class A state championship in the 100-meter dash. He also notched a pair of fifth-place finishes at the state meet and shattered school records in the 400 relay and 3200 relay, as well as the long jump standard once held by his father.

A first-team all-Saginaw Valley League performer on the football field, he rushed for 1,409 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Wolves over two varsity seasons. He took those skills to the Division I college level, lettering for three seasons at Northwestern University.

Smith ranked among the Big Tens 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 collegiate career. In 1991, he was named Player of the Game in Northwesterns 16-13 win over Michigan State.

ADAM VRABLE

A natural born leader, hes taken the reins and driven his team to success at every turn along a whirlwind sports adventure.

The 2003 Bay City Central graduate led the Wolves to their first Saginaw Valley League baseball championship in 19 years, setting school records for hits and stolen bases in a career and ranking among the all-time leaders with 21 wins on the mound. He batted .515 with 44 RBIs as a senior and was named first-team all-state for the second time.

In the 11 years Ive coached, hes the best leader Ive yet to meet, then-Central coach Mark Krzysiak said in 2003. People want to follow him. Theres just something in his nature that brings that out.

Vrable led Grand Rapids Junior College to the NJCAA World Series crown in 2004 then went Division I at Coastal Carolina. He helped the Chanticleers to the Big South Conference title and a program record for wins, leading the team in batting average and stolen bases in 2006 and setting records for assists and putouts as a second baseman in 2007.

Vrable currently serves as assistant coach at the University of Louisville, where he has helped the Cardinals to a pair of World Series berths.

Charlie Beaver was head of the Bay County Roadrunners youth wrestling club for 25 years.

CHARLIE BEAVER

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 May 7 at the age of 77.

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