Fort Wayne Sports History

11/15/2023

https://www.amazon.com/Brave-Heart-Christian-Journey-through/dp/B0CN38PTM9/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=VuksG&content-id=amzn1.sym.cf86ec3a-68a6-43e9-8115-04171136930a&pf_rd_p=cf86ec3a-68a6-43e9-8115-04171136930a&pf_rd_r=143-6818535-2751869&pd_rd_wg=lsZ2k&pd_rd_r=fa43e384-68ab-4812-ad5b-60a01dbf7e73&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk

Thousands have inspired deafening noise in Indiana high school basketball gyms, but no one ever created stone silence but maintained rapt attention like Marc Davidson. While suffering from incurable cancer, the two-time Indiana high school state championship coach of Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christia...

05/21/2023

Perfect!: The Fort Wayne Komets’ 1993 Championship Run

05/08/2023

https://www.amazon.com/Wayne-Sports-History-Blake-Sebring/dp/0989514900/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

I won't be posting any more updates here because I realized over the weekend I've already posted everything I've got from the book. It's pretty much all here. There are some pretty comprehensive statistics in the back of the book, but those won't translate very well to this format.

If somebody needs a Mother's or Father's Day gift, maybe you'd consider ordering or picking up a copy at This N That on North Anthony or at Hyde Brothers Books on Wells.

Thanks for checking in over the last year. I doubt I'll ever do an update, but maybe someone else will be able to take what I've done and step it forward in a few decades. Thanks again! Blake

What would a Fort Wayne Sports Hall of Fame look like and who would it include? The author draws on a lifetime of knowledge – and plenty of research – to tell stories of famous sports figures from the Fort Wayne area and of memorable local events which had major influences on national and intern...

05/07/2023

May 8
In 2009, the Komets beat Muskegon in five games to defend their Turner Cup.
After 57 years as a franchise, there are not too many firsts remaining for the Komets, but they erased the biggest one left by successfully defending a playoff championship.
As 10,480 orange-and-black-wearing fans screamed their joy, the Fort Wayne Komets played keep-away from the Muskegon Lumberjacks just like they did the rest of the Turner Cup Finals. The Lumberjacks could never catch up to the speedy Komets, who won Game 5 of the International Hockey League playoff finals 4-1.
While everyone else was talking about a repeat title, the Komets never did.
``There are guys who were here last year and guys who weren't," defenseman Kevin Bertram said. ``You really don't want to hear about what the team before you did. We wanted to win the championship for us, not for back-to-back or the guys who were here last year."
There really was very little doubt after the Komets took a 2-1 lead at 13:57 of the second period. After Leo Thomas knocked the puck away from a Muskegon defenseman, Colin Chaulk skated behind the net and tossed the puck to Mark Versteeg-Lytwyn for a tap-in.

With Versteeg-Lytwyn's goal giving them momentum, the Komets came out flying in the third period and pushed the margin to 4-1 on goals by Thomas and Justin Hodgman. By hooking Muskegon defenseman Darryl McArthur, Chaulk forced a turnover at the Muskegon blue line and fed Thomas for a goal at 4:45. Then the Komets' rookie line put a marker on the board when Sean O'Connor and Rick Varone set up Hodgman at 5:26.

The Komets wore down the Lumberjacks, outshooting them 38-23 in the game and 208-131 in the series. David Hukalo was named the playoffs Most Valuable Player after helping hold Muskegon scoring leader Todd Robinson to five points and Robin Bouchard to no goals. Hukalo, 30, led the Komets in scoring with eight goals and 14 points in 11 playoff games.

05/06/2023

May 7
In 1994, Penn State ends the West Coast's NCAA Volleyball domination by beating UCLA as Fort Wayne draws a record 15,495 fans to the tournament.
In a tournament that broke many traditions, Penn State broke the biggest, ending California's 24-year run of NCAA Men's Volleyball Championships. The Nittany Lions came back from an 11-4 fourth-game deficit to beat UCLA 9-15, 15-13, 4-15, 15-12, 15-12.
No one gave them any chance against what many consider to be the best college men's volleyball team in 10 years. There will be no excuses from the West. Penn State won the match, UCLA didn't lose it. This was no fluke against a weaker team, or with a home-court advantage. The Nittany Lions simply refused to give up when they probably should have, and the 14-time national champion Bruins didn't realize they were being beaten until it was too late to stop it.
Ramon Hernandez buried UCLA's defense with 17 kills and no errors in the fourth game, tipping the ball around three-Bruin blocks to open holes on the floor.
During the fifth game Hernandez only belted two kills, but UCLA self- destructed. The best offensive team in the nation hit only 18 percent. UCLA had not been challenged all year, winning 27 straight matches, mostly by 3-0 scores. When the Bruins needed to dig deep to fight off a challenge, they didn't know how.
Before the title match, only two other non- California teams had ever played for the title, and no one had even come close even during semifinal matches in 10 years. These Penn State seniors were making their fourth appearance in the Final Four, but they had never won even a game in the semifinals before.
``'We've all endured the stigma of 'Do you guys belong here? Do you guys belong on a volleyball court with us?' " Penn State senior Ed Josefoski said. ``I've endured it, and I'm not going to cover it up. H---, yes, we deserve it. We beat your best team. I think a lot of other schools had the feeling, that they didn't care who it was, but somebody had to beat these guys."
There were 7,587 tickets sold for the first night and 7,908 for the second – a total of 15,495. The old record of 13,102 was set in Muncie for the 1992 tournament.

05/06/2023

May 6
In 1927 Babe Ruth and the New York Yankees play the Lincoln Lifers.
Fort Wayne has a fantastic baseball history, thanks in part to the Lincoln Lifers, a semi-pro team sponsored by Lincoln National Life Insurance Co. The squad regularly played exhibition games against Major League teams during the 1920s. Maybe the Lifers' biggest game ever came against the Yankees' ``Murderers' Row'' squad that featured Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Ruth hit 60 home runs that season and Gehrig drove in 175 runs as the Yankees went on to win the World Series.
A standing-room-only crowd of more than 3,000 fans was on hand to watch the first-place Yankees who stopped off on their way to a series in Chicago.
The Lifers rallied to take a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth inning before the Yankees tied it in the bottom of the inning.
The game was tied 3-3 in the 10th inning with a man on first when Ruth stepped to the plate for the fifth time. He had been held hitless in his first three at-bats along with a walk. With two strikes, Ruth belted the third pitch over the right field wall for a two-run home run that gave the Yankees a 5-3 win. As Ruth crossed home plate, he was mobbed by fans and members of both teams.
Legend says the Lifers catcher Bruff Cleary walked to the mound before the final toss to inform pitcher Chuck Noel that, ``These fans came here to see Babe Ruth hit, not to see you pitch. So give them what they want and groove one.''
That turned out to be the last season for the Lifers. A year later Fort Wayne rejoined professional baseball as the Chiefs played in the Central League.
The Yankees finished the 1927 season with a 110-44 record, sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series.

05/04/2023

May 5
In 1925, Everett Scott's Major League consecutive games played streak ends at 1,307.
Though not as well known as Lou Gehrig or Cal Ripken who held the record after him, the sure-handed ``Deacon'' became the first player to play more than 1,000 games consecutively from 1916 to 1925.
Born in Bluffton on Nov. 19, 1892, Scott graduated from Bluffton High School in 1909. His family moved to Auburn while Everett started his pro baseball career in Kokomo and then moved on to Youngstown, Ohio, to play in the Ohio-Pennsylvania League.
Though he was only 5-foot-8 and never weighed more than 148 pounds, Scott was an expert fielder. From 1916 to 1923 he led all American League shortstops in fielding. He once set the American League record for fewest errors in a season by a shortstop with 23 in a 154-game season in 1920.
Ironically, his consecutive-game streak started with an injury to Scott. According to a 1922 story in Baseball Magazine, Scott was spiked by Ty Cobb in 1916. He tried to play the next game wearing the larger spikes of his manager but suffered a sprained ankle, forcing him to sit out a few games. The streak began June 20, 1916, when Scott replaced a player in the ninth inning.
There was plenty of luck along the way to keep the streak alive. According to a 1922 story in the New York Tribune, Scott often played through injuries and illnesses. Scott often suffered from boils, and one time a boil almost forced one of his eyes closed.
Amazingly, Scott more than doubled the former record of 577 games by Dodgers third baseman George Pinkney. The streak didn't end until New York Yankees manager Miller Huggins benched him because of sore knees on May 5, 1925. Scott had played 1,307 consecutive games. Less than a month later, on June 1, 1925, Gehrig began his streak. He broke Scott's streak on Aug. 17, 1933, in a game against the St. Louis Browns.
Scott's record did not include 27 World Series games or about 200 exhibition games. He also played only 126 games in 1918 and 128 in 1919 because of World War I, when baseball played fewer games.
Also, in 1994, the Minnesota Twins play the Wizards in an exhibition game.
Also, in 1998, great Fort Wayne artist and baseball historian Bob Parker passes away at age 82.

05/03/2023

May 4
In 1871, the Kekiongas play the Cleveland Forest Citys in what is believed to be the first professional baseball game.
After the Civil War, the Fort Wayne Kekiongas baseball team was formed in 1866. In 1969 the team played the Cincinnati Red Stockings who were believed to be the first team in the country of paid professional players. The Red Stockings won easily 86-8, and then won the rematch later that season 41-7.
The Kekiongas were actually a very good team, and won the state championship in 1870, and in 1871 the National Association of Professional Baseball Players was started at a meeting in New York. The teams tossed coins to see which squads would pay the first game, and Fort Wayne and Cleveland won.
The game was played in Fort Wayne, and the Kekiongas were leading 2-0 when the game was called because of rain in the top of the ninth inning.
Also, in 2003, Dustin Virag scores in overtime as the Komets win the UHL's Colonial Cup.
When Dustin Virag's wrist shot snapped over the left shoulder of Quad City goaltender Jeff Reynaert 39 seconds into overtime in Game 5, Virag skated to the corner with the biggest smile on his face. Then he stopped and his smile froze.
"I was like, `Crap, what do I do now?'" Virag said. "I thought I had to celebrate somehow, so I turned around, threw my gloves off and called the bench on."
His delighted teammates buried him in joy. The win ended a remarkable turnaround for the Komets who had missed the playoffs the season before. The only players who returned were Kevin Bertram, Michel Massie, Troy Neumeier, Kevin Schmidt, Ryan Severson and Virag. The team loaded up with new players like Colin Chaulk, Bobby Stewart, David-Alexandre Beauregard, Sean Venedam, Kevin Kotyluk and Kelly Perrault. Goaltender Tom Lawson was the playoffs' Most Valuable Player for coach Greg Puhalski.
The Komets beat Port Huron 3-0 in the first round and Elmira 4-0 in the second round of the playoffs. After splitting the first two games of the finals at home, the Komets won both games in Quad City to take control.

05/02/2023

May 3
In 2007, IPFW beats Pepperdine to play for the NCAA Tournament title.
First, the Volley dons surprised everyone by sweeping No. 6-ranked Ohio State in Columbus to win the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association title to earn IPFW's six trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Buckeyes had their 19-match home winning streak ended.
Then, the Volley dons pulled an even bigger surprise, crushing top-ranked Pepperdine 3-1 to win their 10the straight match and advance to their first NCAA championship match. Besides the No. 1 ranking, Pepperdine's resume included five national titles and 13 NCAA Tournament appearances.
C.J. Macias belted 24 kills, Brock Ulrich 20 and Jason Host 18 as setter Colin Linden set up the hitters with 64 assists as IPFW hit 38 percent for the match compared to the Waves' 34 percent.
``If I had thought that (IPFW would never make the title game), I would have retired a long time ago," IPFW coach Arnie Ball said. ``If you don't have that as your goal, you shouldn't be coaching."
The dream run came to an end in the finals as IPFW lost to UC-Irvine 3-1.
Macias and Linden were named to the all-tournament team, and Ball was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association Coach of the Year after leading IPFW to a 23-8 record.
Also, in 1988, former Piston Bobby McDermott is selected for the basketball hall of fame.
Also, in 1998, long-time Fort Wayne artist and baseball historian Bob Parker dies.

05/01/2023

May 2
In 2006, DaMarcus Beasley is named to his second World Cup team.
Many Fort Wayne athletes have been trailblazers such as Johnny Bright, Lloy Ball, Nel Fettig, Bobbi Widmann-Foust and the Fort Wayne Daisies, but Beasley is another who has had a huge impact on the world stage.
After being named a Parade all-American and the national co-player of the year in 1999, the South Side product left Fort Wayne after his junior year to attend IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and later became the youngest player ever to sign a Major League Soccer contract.
Beasley first broke onto the international scene in 1999 at the Under-17 World Cup in New Zealand where he was named the tournament's second-best player. He played his first game with the U.S. National team on Jan. 27, 2001 before playing on the under-20 team at the 2001 World Youth Championships. That led to his first World Cup team assignment in 2002 and return trips in 2006 and 2010.
His professional league career has had better success. He played four seasons with the Chicago Fire of the MLS, scoring 14 goals and 20 assists, and then the Dutch team PSV Eindhoven bought his rights for $2.5 million. Beasley helped PSV win its league title and scored a key goal in the Dutch Amstel Cup.
He also became the first American player to play in the semifinal stages of the UEFA Champions League, scoring four goals in 12 games. His European career concluded with stints with the Glasgow (Scotland) Rangers and the Hannover (Germany) 96. In 2011 he signed to play with the Mexican team Puebla F.C.
"At this point in my career, I'm not getting any younger," he told The News-Sentinel's Tom Davis in 20011. "I just want to play. The Mexican teams saw my desire and my effort to show I'm still the player (people) saw three years ago. Give me a chance and I'm going to perform."