News Photo by James Andersen The Alpena Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022 was inducted on Saturday during the Hall of Fame’s annual banquet at the APlex. Pictured from left to right are Phil Straley, John Cunningham, Michele Suszek Yates, and Tim Holsworth.

ALPENA — A boxer, a gymnastics coach, an ultra runner, and a golfer walked into the Alpena Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday.

Arguably one of the Hall of Fame’s most eclectic quartets took its place among Alpena’s sports greats as Michele (Suszek) Yates, John Cunningham, Tim Holsworth, and Phil Straley were inducted during the Hall of Fame’s annual banquet.

The Hall of Fame also honored Emily Szymanski and Phil Schultz as its Boosters of the Year and the 1965-66 Alpena High boys basketball team as its Team of the Year.

As the longtime coach of Plymouth Canton’s girls gymnastics program, Cunningham has put together an impressive resume that includes a team state championship and many individual state champions and All-Americans.

Cunningham’s induction Saturday marked the fifth Hall of Fame he’s been inducted into — an induction he was proud to accept.

“I would say I’m most proud to be in this Hall of Fame…you people have come out and made it a very, very special time,” Cunningham said. “Not just ‘Oh gosh, I got a plaque,’ but ‘Oh gosh, I really feel appreciated.”

At his peak as an amateur boxer, Holsworth won numerous boxing awards, fought against famous names, and put Northeast Michigan on the boxing map with bouts all over the state. As a member of the Kalamazoo Boxing Academy, he fought several notable names including Brian Brunette and Tommy Hearns.

“This is an honor I would have just never dreamed of…it’s a great honor and I appreciate you putting me up here,” Holsworth said.

Yates earned 14 letters at Alpena High School before playing soccer and running collegiately. In her post-collegiate career, she became a four-time national champion ultra runner, was named Ultra Runner of 2013, and set numerous course records at an elite level.

“I just want to say that those (Hall of Fame) plaques are not collecting dust,” Yates said. “They are inspiring and they will continue to inspire, just like they inspired me.”

Straley was honored twice Saturday — once as an inductee and as part of the Team of Year. Straley said he was fortunate to have two sports passions in life, basketball and golf, and he was inducted after putting together an impressive golf resume that includes numerous wins in local tournaments.

“I see this as kind of a lifetime achievement award, another way of saying you’ve gotten old. I accept that I’ve earned it,” Straley said. “I remember reading when the full slate of nominees came out. I remember reading through those and thinking, ‘My god, what a talented group of people.'”

Schultz is a longtime coach and official, who has also served on the board of several local sports organizations. He has served as a coach in Little League, Senior Babe Ruth baseball, the Thunder Bay Basketball Association, and the Alpena High baseball program.

“I do the things I do not for recognition, but because I feel there’s a need,” Schultz said.

Szymanski is the head of Run United Alpena, a group dedicated to uniting local schools and the running community. She also supports the Alpena High cross country and track teams and the Woods Track Club.

“I just want to thank everybody. I certainly don’t do what I do… this all started because I kept saying ‘Why don’t we?’ and that turned into ‘Hey! Why don’t we!’… None of this was just me, it was just an idea supported by everyone,” Szymanski said.

Led by coach Dick Dennis, the 1965-66 Alpena High basketball team competed against and defeated many of the top Class A teams in the state. Playing strong team basketball, they advanced to the quarterfinals, rallying past Flint Carman-Ainsworth in regionals with a miraculous fourth-quarter comeback along the way.

Ten players — Straley, Harvey Marlatt, Damien Budnick, Tim Lutes, Jack McCoy, Bob Meske, Steve Scudder, George Stevens, Bruce VanderWall, and Andy Eggan — and student manager Bob Amlotte attended the banquet and Neil Saretsky appeared via Zoom.

“The credit has to go to Dick Dennis, our coach, who taught us, a team, to work together, to never give up, no matter the situation,” Eggan said.