For the past two years, Hillman High School has honored some of its athletic greats with induction into the Hillman High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Hillman will welcome its third class on Saturday during an induction ceremony at 2 p.m. at the high school.

“I think we’ve got an outstanding class again and I’m really happy with the inductees,” Hillman Hall of Fame committee member Eric Muszynski said.

This year’s regular inductees are Bev Cordes, Brad Cordes and Matt Oswald and the Hall of Fame will induct a new class of three members under the Dick Brown Trailblazers category: Dick Brown, Charles Brown and Stanley Herrick.

Brad Cordes attended Hillman from 1987-91 and was a standout in baseball and football. On the gridiron, he was an all-state defensive player as a senior and was the team’s leading rusher and kicker while serving as a tri-captain. He was also part of first Hillman team to play in a playoff game when the Tigers played Fowler in 1990.

On the baseball diamond, Cordes earned all-state, all-area, all-region and all-conference as a senior. He was also named Hillman’s team MVP. As a junior he made all-district and was an all-conference honorable mention.

Oswald, who played at Hillman from 1993-97 and earned 15 varsity letters, will join his brother Mark as a Hillman Hall of Famer.

In baseball, he was all-state as a junior and senior. He played on Hillman’s 1994 and 1997 championship teams and was a member of Hillman’s state-runner up team in 1995. Hillman won the North Star League title in each of Oswald’s four years with the team.

Oswald earned a scholarship to play baseball at Central Michigan and was a Michigan All-Star selection as a senior.

In football, Oswald was an all-state selection as a senior and earned all-conference honors in his junior and senior seasons.

Oswald capped his senior season as Hillman No. 1 golfer and led the Tigers to the regional final.

Bev Cordes was a pioneer in promoting girls athletics in Hillman, especially after the passage of Title IX in 1972 and initiated the first cheerleading and girls track teams in Hillman.

Cordes coached softball for 14 years before the sport was given tournament status and had an undefeated winning streak from 1962-75.

She also coached girls basketball teams to district wins in 1973, 1975 and 1976 and regional wins in 1973 and 1975. She led Hillman’s softball team to the final eight in 1975, 1976, 1978 and 1980.

Dick Brown will be one of three members of the Trailblazers category which bears his name. The category honors Hillman athletes and supporters who played from roughly1920-1950 and didn’t have the benefit of modern stat keeping to record their accomplishments.

“We’re honoring the people within the community who opened things up for our athletes today,” Muszynski said. ” We know Hillman has a very rich sports history and we’re starting to tap into some of the older generation.”

Dick Brown played for Hillman from 1934-1938 He was a four-year starter in both basketball and baseball and has been a longtime supporter of Hillman athletics. He was drafted in 1946 and played basketball and softball with his military unit and following the war he played Top O’Michigan baseball. In his later years, he became an accomplished golfer and bowler.

Charles Brown played for Hillman 1937-1941 and was a four-year starter in basketball and baseball. As a senior he was honored at Athlete of the Year.

He enlisted in the Navy in 1943 and went to the Marshall Islands. Following his commitment, he played summer baseball in Hillman and played in the Top O’Michigan league.

Brown continued to be involved with sports in his later years and started playing golf in 1966. In 2014 at age 90, he and his golfing partner won the league title. He continues to golf today.

Herrick played for Hillman from 1944-48 was a four-year starter in baseball and basketball. As a pitcher, his curve ball fooled many hitters and he scored a personal high of 29 points in basketball.

Herrick played on the University of Michigan’s freshman team and was later offered the chance to play with the Toledo Mud Hens, but needed to return home for his family.

Hillman’s first class of inductees in 2014 included the 1956 football team, the 1973 baseball team and Gordon Pfeiffer. Last year’s class included Mark Oswald, Wendell Orm, Sara Davis Vanderveer and 1992 baseball team.

James Andersen can be reached via email at sports@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5694. Follow James on Twitter @ja_alpenanews.