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UNIVERSITY LIGGETT SCHOOL \ ALUMNI

\ ALUMNI

Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame

The Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame was created to honor and celebrate our many wonderful alumni athletes and the rich athletic history at University Liggett School.

2022 Athletic Hall of Fame inductees

Our 2022 Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame inductees were reviewed and selected by our Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame Committee which is comprised of inductees, past and current coaches, our athletic department staff, and our alumni relations manager.

The Class of 2022

Bruce Birgbauer '60 GPUS

Bruce Birgbauer
1960 GPUS

Bruce Birgbauer

1960 GPUS

Sports Achievements at GPUS

  • Football: JV freshman and sophomore years; Varsity junior and senior years
  • Basketball: JV freshman and sophomore years; Varsity junior and senior years (co-captain senior year)
  • Varsity Tennis: all four years; state champion teams in ‘57-‘59 (co-captain and finalist in state doubles senior year)
  • In senior year, he lettered in four sports and was a finalist in the Detroit Junior District golf championship
  • U-Club: all four years
  • Sports Editor for the Periscope junior and senior years

Other Achievements at GPUS

  • Class President (senior year)
  • Class Vice President (junior year)
  • Class Treasurer (sophomore year)

Sports Achievements after GPUS

  • Williams College: 1960-64
    • Freshman and Varsity Tennis
    • Freshman and Varsity Squash
  • Harvard Law School: 1964-67
    • Played on Law School squash team in A league competition
    • Won Massachusetts Class B State singles Championship

Additional Sports Achievements

  • Competitive Squash: 1968-82
    • Nationally ranked singles and doubles player
    • Won five City of Detroit championships, plus doubles championships with squash partner George Haggarty ’59 GPUS
    • Won 16 State of Michigan and Western Championships, eight singles and eight doubles
      (seven with George Haggarty)
    • Nationally ranked in the top twenty-three times for singles and several times in doubles (with George Haggarty)
    • Won several matches for the United States in Laptham-Grant competition with Canada and on trips to England, Rhodesia and South Africa
    • Former President of Michigan and of Western Squash Racquets Associations 
  • Tennis
    • Won Men’s doubles tournament at the Grosse Pointe Club and at the Neighborhood Club
    • Nationally ranked doubles player with partner Peter Monroe ’60 GPUS in the 65 and older category for one year

  • Golf

    • 1983 Country Club of Detroit Club Champion
    • 1975 Belvedere Golf Club Club Champion
    • Six holes in one: including one at Stream Song on his Honeymoon in 2021
    • Two days after his eightieth birthday, Bruce shot 74 from senior tees in Florida; also shot age his age at Country Club of Detroit
Kevin Whitfield '91

Kevin Whitfield 
1991

Kevin Whitfield

1991

  • Sports Achievements at ULS:

    • Varsity Football: 3 years all State (1988, 1989, 1990); 1st Team 1990; 3 Years all East (Detroit Metro); 3 years All-Conference MIAC; 1990 Team MVP
    • Varsity Basketball: 3-year letter winner (2-year starter); All-State Honorable Mention 1990-91
    • 1990 U Club Inductee

    Sports Achievements after ULS:

    • Wayne State Varsity Football: 1991 started at Free Safety (the season was cut short due to back injury); 1992 moved from Free Safety to Slot Receiver, starter; 1993 All conference Receiver GLIAC (Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference);
    • Semi-Pro:
      • Pontiac Chargers - Pro Receiver 3 Seasons (1997, 1998, 1999); played in All-Star game held at the Pontiac Silverdome; played in All-Star game held in Orlando;
      • Michigan Bearcats (2 seasons)
      • Detroit Buccaneers (1 season);
    • Pro Football:
      • CFL - Camp participant with the Hamilton Tigercats (1996)
      • Tried out for the Atlanta Falcons (2000) tore a hamstring and called it a career

    Additional Information:

    • Member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity: Director of membership, parliamentarian, historian, VP, Secretary, Sargent at Arms, Projects: Focus Hope, Forgotten Harvest, Big Bros/Big Sis;
    • Member Prince Hall Affiliated Free and Accepted Masons
    • He is a Shriner
    • Works for Lear Corporation in Ft. Wayne, IN
Tripp Tracy '92

Emmet “Tripp” Tracy III 
1992

Emmet “Tripp” Tracy III ‘92

1992

Sports Achievements at ULS:

  • ULS Hockey: Goaltender on the 1989-1990 State Championship team; Named all-state that year; played travel hockey Junior/Senior year
  • ULS Lacrosse: played varsity Attack for three years; was all-state in lacrosse and "fun to coach and he scored a ton" according to John Fowler who also described him as "unique and dynamic"
  • Was on the academic Honor Roll (Junior/Senior Year) and Latin Honor Society
  • A Liggett Lifer - having attended ULS from K-12th (but went to Milton Academy his freshman year)

Sports Achievements afterward:

  • 1992-1996 Harvard University Hockey Team:
    • Four years varsity
    • Shared goaltending minutes his first two years
    • Lone/starting Goaltender last two years
    • All were ECAC Championship-winning seasons
    • He was nominated to the All-ECAC Hockey Rookie Team 1992-1993
    • Drafted in the 9th round (218th overall) by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft
    • Played Professional Hockey from 1996-1998:
      • Carolina Hurricanes NHL
      • Springfield AHL
      • New Haven AHL
      • Richmond ECHL

Additional Information:

  • After retiring from hockey in 1998, Tracy worked for CNN before rejoining the Hurricanes organization as an announcer for the 1998-1999 Season
  • NHL Color Analyst NBC 2014/2015
  • He has been with the Hurricanes broadcasting team ever since and is part of one of the most popular NHL Broadcast duos in the country
  • Currently is a sports (Hockey) radio commentator and podcast host
Monte B&W

Monte Squiers
2007

Monte Squiers ‘07

Sports Achievements at ULS:

  • Varsity soccer – 4 years
    • Four-year varsity soccer player as an “instrumental” defender
    • Started and played full 80 minutes in 81 of 83 matches over four years
    • A major contributor to State Championship match win 1 – 0 sophomore year, helping to shutdown Kalamazoo Hackett’s high-powered offense
    • Helped the team to the Regional Championship games in both junior and senior years, only to lose both games in shootouts. Volunteered to shoot and scored a goal in both games
    • Co-captain junior and senior years
    • All-district, all-regional, and all-state first team both junior and senior years (as chosen by the coaches association)
    • 4-point grade point average helped the team to All-Academic Honors
  • Varsity basketball – 3 years, JV – 1 year
    • Captain senior year
  • Varsity ice hockey – 4 years
    • Co-captain
    • All-conference, all-district, all-regional first team

Other Achievements at ULS

  • Student council class officer 2006, 2007
  • Summa cum laude
  • Terrill Newnan Scholar every year
  • Salutatorian 
  • Elected 2007 commencement speaker by class popular vote

Sports Achievements after ULS

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2007 – 2011
    • Varsity soccer – 4 years
      • 2007 - Started in 14 out of the 16 games (had an injury early in season)
      • 2008 – Started 18 of 18 games, played every minute of entire season
      • 2009 – Season-ending ACL injury in first game
      • 2010 – Co-captain
      • Academic All-Conference Team sophomore and senior year
    • Varsity ice hockey – 2 years (No varsity program junior/senior years)
      • Elected team captain sophomore year
      • Club hockey – senior year
    • Varsity lacrosse - 1 year (freshman year)
      • Started 13 out of 13 games
    • Varsity crew – 1 year (senior year)
      • First boat – Varsity 8 in all regattas
      • Boathouse record in the 2000m erg sprint
    • Student Advisory Athlete Committee: 2008-2011
      • Chair of Health and Wellness Committee
  • University of Vermont 2011 – 2015
    • Club ice hockey – 2 years

Additional Information:

  • Undergraduate: MIT (Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering), 2007-2011
  • Medical School: the University of Vermont, 2011-2015
  • Residency: Orthopaedic surgery in Grand Rapids, MI Spectrum Health/Michigan State University 2015-2020
  • Fellowship: Pediatric orthopedic surgery in Palo Alto, CA Stanford University 2020-2021
  • Fellowship: Orthopaedic oncology surgery in Salt Lake City, UT University of Utah/Huntsman Cancer Institute

Class of 2022 Ceremony Photos

Past Recipients

Class of 2020
Richard Trim, Coach/Teacher
Brian Bruenton '98
Kirk Haggarty '86
Tomasine Polizzi Marx '78
Michael C. Ware '69 GPUS

Class of 2019
Heidi Henkel McGarry ‘82
JT Parks ‘83
Chris Ford ‘96
Leython Williams ’03
Jim Schmidt, Faculty/Coach Emeritus (posthumous)

Class of 2018
Susie Mascarin Keane '82
Katherine Riddle Miller '96
CR Moultry '99
David Backhurst, Faculty/Coach Emeritus

Class of 2017
Glynn Conley ‘59 GPUS, Faculty/Coach Emeritus
Jimmy Carson ‘86
Martina Jerant ‘91
Michael Fox ‘93

Class of 2016
John Welchli ‘46 DUS
Megan Brady Hishmeh ‘89
Jennifer Miller ‘92
Romilly Brigid McMahon Stackpoole, Faculty/Coach Emerita

Class of 2015
Neil “Shorty” McMillan ‘08 DUS (posthumous)
Jack Foster ‘48 DUS
Peter Monroe ‘61 GPUS
William Hummel ‘78
Paula Mighion Cornwall ‘84

Class of 2014
George Haggarty ‘59 GPUS
Harris Brown ‘66 GPUS
Marty Wittmer ‘83
Monica Paul Dennis ‘92

Class of 2013
John Neil Patterson ‘06 DUS (posthumous)
David Rentschler ’52 DUS (posthumous)
George Perrin ’64 GPUS
Laura Khelokian Byron ‘87
Gene Overton, Faculty Emeritus

Class of 2012
Bob Wood ’59 GPUS
Art Getz ’67 GPUS
Allen Taber ‘80
Heather Heidel Petty ’93
Kevin Crociata ’90
Lauren Ealba Harris ’02
Muriel Brock, Faculty/Coach Emerita

Class of 2011 – Inaugural Class
Bruce Garbutt '53 DUS
Chuck Wright '66 GPUS
Onnie Killifer '74
Andrea Kincannon '83
Mike Coello ‘90
Doug Wood ‘90

 

To nominate

To nominate someone for the Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame - click here

2021, University Liggett School.
All Rights Reserved.

University Liggett School is a private preschool and kindergarten through 12th grade college preparatory school in Metro Detroit that is nationally recognized for its innovative curriculum and arts and athletics offerings.

1045 Cook Road,
Grosse Pointe Woods, Mi 48236

313-884-4444

313-884-1775

2021, University Liggett School. All Rights Reserved.

University Liggett School is a private preschool and kindergarten through 12th grade college preparatory school in Metro Detroit that is nationally recognized for its innovative curriculum and arts and athletics offerings.