Marcus Taylor heads Greater Lansing Hall of Fame class
Former Waverly and Michigan State basketball star Marcus Taylor headlines the latest class of athletes and teams headed into the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame.
Taylor is among nine individuals and two teams that will be inducted into the hall of fame July 27 at the Lansing Center.
Taylor is joined in the class by former DeWitt and MSU swimming star Steve Shipps, former Eastern High and Central Michigan football standout Marcelle Carruthers, former Okemos basketball and baseball standout Dan Stolz, ex-Eastern and Arizona State football and baseball player James Keyton Jr., former Grand Ledge and MSU running standout Andy Marsh, ex-Williamston cross country star Leah Nilsson-Kareti, former East Lansing and Olympic wrestler Robert Roop and longtime area coach Charles Joblonski.
The 1973 East Lansing football team that went unbeaten under the direction of Jeff Smith and the 2002 Lansing Community College softball team that captured the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II national title are also part of the class.
James Keyton Sr. is the Dick Letts Community Service Award winner.
"I think the whole class is uniquely interesting," Hall of Fame director Bob Every said. "It resonates to the core of athletics in the mid-Michigan area."
Taylor led Waverly to the 2000 Class A state title as a senior and was the state’s Mr. Basketball. He spent two seasons at MSU and earned All-Big Ten and All-American recognition. Taylor led the Big Ten in scoring and rebounding in his final season before being a second-round NBA draft pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2002.
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Carruthers was a three-sport standout at Eastern and was regarded as the state’s top quarterback as a senior. He went on to play at Central Michigan where he started for two seasons. Carruthers is currently Everett’s football coach.
Shipps won five individual state championships and was a two-time high school All-American in a pair of events at DeWitt. He earned All-Big Ten and All-American honors while at MSU.
Stolz was an all-state basketball and baseball player at Okemos before later starring at Alma College, where he was the MIAA basketball MVP in 1978. He has coached numerous sports at Okemos and currently leads the school’s boys and girls golf programs.
Marsh was a three-time all-state cross country runner and earned all-state recognition in track. He made three trips to the NCAA cross country national championships while at MSU. Marsh remains active in the local running community.
Keyton Jr. was a three-sport athlete at Eastern before continuing his athletic career in football and baseball at Arizona State.
Nilsson-Kareti was a four-time all-state cross country performer at Williamston and also starred on the track. She set multiple track records at Williamston before continuing her career at MSU.
Roop was the 1960 state heavyweight champion for East Lansing. He continued his wrestling career at Southern Illinois before qualifying for the USA Olympic Greco-Roman team that competed in the 1968 Olympics. Roop finished eighth in the heavyweight division at the Mexico City Olympics.
Jablonski, a former MSU baseball player, spent nearly three decades mentoring athletes in numerous sports while coaching at Pattengill Middle School and Bath High School.
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway