GPHS60 CELEBRATES 60 YEARS IN 2021         

The GPHS60 Class will be celebrating our 60 Year Reunion in September, 2021.  Hopefully, you will plan to attend!

LOCATION:  GROSSE POINTE YACHT CLUB                                                                       

DATE:           FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2021                                                                        

TIME:           3:00 PM - 9:00 PM

We will also have a Thursday evening gathering at Lauren and Jill Bowler's home in Bloomfield Hills on September 9, 2021. 

On the 3rd day of each of the coming months, you will continue to see on our website a special remembrance of the journey of each athletic team to its BCL championship starting with the football title we won on the last day of the season in 1959 . We hope these stories will spark happy memories for you and encourage you to share them on our website or even better make plans to attend our 60 year reunion and share them in person.

Celebrating the GPHS60

Athletic Accomplishment   

You have read how we won the league championship (or co-championship) in all six league sports during our senior year at GPHS. Now it is time to celebrate that accomplishment.

It was certainly celebrated in June of 1960. In the June 9th issue of the Grosse Pointe News, the story garnered front page coverage with an eye-catching headline: “Blue Devils Set Amazing New Record.” Calling it an “outstanding athletic achievement “ and “an unprecedented feat”, the article noted that “the other Border Cities League schools  are shaking their collective heads in wonderment “ and said “the Devils made shambles of the league.”

The All Sports Trophy had been awarded every year since 1933-34 except for 4 years during World War II (1942-45). During those 24 years GPHS had won the award 14 times including the last 7 consecutive years. But no one had ever won the championship or co-championshipe in all 6 sports before and none did it after 1960 either. GPHS had won the trophy more times than all the other 5 schools combined. Two of the five, Royal Oak and Highland Park, had never won the trophy. Monroe and Wyandotte each won it three times and Fordson won it five times  (once jointly with GPHS).

In summary, the six  GPHS major sports teams posted a 46-4 won-lost record in league competition (losing one football game, two basketball games and one baseball game) and a 59-11 overall mark . In addition, although golf was not recognized as a major sport in the BCL, our golf team coached by Paul Wheeler and captained by Phil Keim was also exceptional and captured the regional championship.

The article concluded with this glowing tribute:
“This has been the greatest sports year in Grosse Pointe’s history and probably will never be duplicated again either by the Devils or any other team in the BCL.”

The highlight of the sports year was the swimming team’s state championship which was only the second state championship in the history of GPHS, the first and only other state championship had been garnered by the 1954 football team coached by Ed Wernet, the senior member of the coaching staff our senior year. However, there were many other memorable moments during the year including the come from behind fourth quarter rally led by Bill Toth, a fifth string running back, to beat Wyandotte in football; the last second basket in overtime by Al Lang to win the rematch against Fordson after losing the first game; the two basketball victories over highly favored Highland Park including the first victory on their home court since 1948; the unexpected arrival of track speedster, Mike Towson, as a senior transfer student;  the tennis dominance  of future Michigan star Ron Linclau; and the last inning comeback to guarantee a co-championship in baseball.

To me, there were three factors that contributed to our extraordinary success. First, there was no "star mentality” on any of the teams. We were fortunate to have a lot of good athletes who were molded into team players. Second, we were coached and mentored by an extraordinary group of mostly young, ambitious and talented coaches. Most were early in their careers and determined to make a mark.  Sadly they have now all passed away with the last one (tennis coach Zysk) dying in 2014 but they will live in our memories of that unbelievable sports year. The senior coach, Ed Wernet, who coached both football and baseball (along with Ernie Bauer) was called by the Grosse Pointe News “the greatest all around  athlete to graduate from GPHS.” Each of the other coaches (with the sole exception of Coach Bauer who died prematurely at age 44) had such illustrious careers that they have each been inducted into the halls of fame for their respective sports. Third, and not to be minimized, all our teams had incredible school support both in pre game rallies and in event attendance, all coordinated by an enthusiastic and respected group of cheerleaders. That support translated into motivation for all of the team members to put forth their maximum effort . I am proud to have been a member of three of the teams as well as a member of the extraordinary class of 1960.

To commemorate the historic achievement and to motivate future generations of Grosse Pointe athletes, the class executive committee has commissioned a plaque recording the achievement and acknowledging the contributions of our coaches and athletic director. The school is proud  to display the plaque in a prominent location in the athletic area of the campus where other awards and trophies are displayed. Bill Halbert, a member of the track and field team, has coordinated the process of producing the plaque and arranging for its display. An attempt will be made to share in an all class email of a photo of Bill holding the framed plaque and another of Bill with the current athletic director of Grosse Pointe  South, Chris Booth, who has been very supportive of our efforts.

I hope you have all enjoyed reliving the athletic accomplishments that so dominated our senior year and that you feel proud to be members of the great class of 1960 too. I am sure there are many more memories that can be shared about these athletic events and I hope you will plan to attend our 60 Year Reunion now scheduled for September 10, 2021 and share your memories with other classmates.

Ron Schram

November 3, 2020