TCC celebrates 50 years of sports success

MADISON TWP. — Craig Wagenshutz came from St. Clair, donning his Britton letter jacket from 1976.

Libby Rorick’s grandmother drove in from Iowa to witness her being introduced at halftime of the football game along with dozens of athletes honored by the Tri-County Conference.

And Madison’s football team made a miraculous comeback to put an exclamation point on a day of celebration by the league that first organized in 1973 with schools from three southeast Michigan counties.

“I thought it was a really nice ceremony and a great day,” said Randy Salisbury, former Britton football coach, athletic director and TCC president. “I saw some of my former athletes that I haven’t seen in a long time. That’s always nice to see them.

“The league did a great job of recognizing so many great athletes and coaches. It was a really good day.”

School officials have been planning for months to mark the 50th season in TCC history. Each school chose approximately 20 athletes to invite to the event, representing the 50 years of the league and recognizing players who won accolades such as all-league and all-state, won state titles in individual sports or accomplished things like scoring 1,000 points in basketball.

On Saturday, each of the current league schools were represented. The athletes in attendance covered every era in league history, from 1973 to 2022, and a variety of sports. Athletes like Morenci’s Angie Sneider, who won 13 league track titles in her career, and Madison’s Megan Rosales, who was part of eight track state titles, were applauded, as were numerous coaches in league history to win at least four league championships.

Ernie Ayers of Sand Creek, who has the most league titles of any coach with 31, could not make it due to a prior commitment, but Madison’s Josh Powers, who is second with 26, was part of the festivities.

Wagenshutz was a sophomore on Britton’s 1973 football team, in the first year of the league. He was on the 1975 team that won the TCC football title.

“It’s hard to believe it's been 50 years,” Wagenshutz said. “When they called me to be a part of it, I was honored. I thought it was very well done and felt good to be part of something like that.”

Wagenshutz wore his letter jacket.

“We moved a couple of years ago to St. Clair, so I knew just where it was,” he said. “I figured if I’m ever going to wear it again, Saturday would be the day.”

In her four-year cross country career, Rorick finished first at the league meet twice and was runner-up twice. Her grandmother, Nancy Meier, drove in from Monticello, Iowa, to attend.

Phil McCaskey also was on hand to represent Morenci. He played on some league title teams in the early 1980s.

“We had some great battles back in the day,” McCaskey recalled of the TCC games. “It was a lot of fun.”

Former Summerfield athletic director Tim Aldrich said the league has always been full of great people, from administrators to coaches and players.

"The TCC has been a really nice conference with some good people," Aldrich said. "The people that have been in the league are what made the TCC."

It was fitting that the game was between Madison and Summerfield, the last two remaining original members of the TCC still playing 11-player football. It is the final meeting, too, as Madison will leave the TCC after this school year.

Madison’s Kris Isom is the current TCC league president and played a key role in spearheading all of the events Saturday, along with Robert Wright, retired athletic director from Sand Creek, who is now a league advisor. Former Madison superintendent Jim Hartley and current Summerfield superintendent Scott Salow shared duties in the press box announcing the game and the league honorees.

"It's great seeing so many of the accomplished TCC coaches and athletes together," Hartley said. "As someone who was there when it all started, a lot of great memories came rushing back. I feel blessed to have seen so many of the TCC greats, both athletes and coaches, perform over the years. It was fun, and a challenge, preparing game plans to compete with several of them during my coaching days."

Hartley also was one of the honorary captains, along with longtime Summerfield coach Darrell Polter, and was honored for his contributions to the league.

The league was formed in 1973 as a six-team league including Madison, Britton, Deerfield, Summerfield, Ann Arbor St. Thomas and Whitmore Lake. The TCC has gone through a few changes over the years, such as adding Sand Creek, Whiteford and Morenci in the 1970s and 1980s, but the core of the league has remained somewhat steady until recent years when changes began taking place to the league landscape.

On the field, Madison came back from a 22-7 deficit with under four minutes to play to shock Summerfield, 23-22.

Madison football coach Scott Gallagher has been a part of three different TCC schools. He grew up in Morenci and played multiple sports for the Bulldogs and was an all-league athlete. He was the varsity head coach at Sand Creek for a couple of seasons and is in his second year at Madison.

Although he was coaching in Saturday’s game against Summerfield, Gallagher said he was watching from afar some of his former coaches and teachers such as Jim Gilmore and Kay Johnson from Morenci as they walked onto the field and were recognized for the championships they won and contributions they made to the league.

“It’s awesome that we can all come together and celebrate the league that we love,” Gallagher said. “I grew up in the TCC, I played in the league, I coached in the league. I have such an appreciation for all of these schools.”

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Tri-County Conference celebrated 50 years of athletics