Create and gap on the pitch.

Oh boy.

So one of the biggest influence for that and in my life was my dad.

So he would we'd go in the backyard, and if you ask Al Ruffner about this, he will attest to this that there were a lot a lot of hours in the backyard.

And we would my dad would take the mechanics from what a baseball pitcher would do as far as weight and shifting weight and arm speed, and we would take those mechanics and try to break them down into fast pitch.

And my dad had played fast pitch as a young man, and he would actually school is very important to them, but I even remember one time he pulled me out of school, uh high school, and we drove to Detroit 'cause he had a friend who owned a bar who used to fast pitch and we went in the alley behind the bar is the his friend who was the owner of this bar was kind of going through some mechanics with me.

So my dad was the the best at just we just tried to figure it out.

And if you went in my back my mom's backyard and dad's backyard to this day, we would throw up against the garage and there are wood planks along the side that still have holes in them to this day from just our trial and error.

So but yeah, just we just figured it out.

Who were your greatest influence?

So my greatest influence was obviously my dad, because he was my coach in basketball starting when I was in the fourth grade, you know, and he was the assistant coach when I was in high school.

When I got out of college and started coaching, he was my assistant.

Um and like I said with the softball, he was the one that uh you know, helped figure out all the mechanics and you know, and he pushed me and and I and I put in the hard work because of him.

Um other really big influences is my sister Bridget.

I have a lot of brothers and sisters and they're fantastic.

My sister Bridget, she's two years older than me, and she was just um probably the toughest athlete I ever met.

And she would probably never take that credit, but and she was the one who had to catch for me in the backyard.

She was the one when we played softball and I would have to pitch batting practice uh at Divine Child.

I hit her more than anybody else.

To the point that one time she actually chased me around the field with a bat, which is the different story.

But you know, she was just uh a warrior and set a good example of how you're supposed to play.

And then other really big influences, like I said, Bob Wilkerson, who put up with a young pitcher who would, you know, I might strike out 13, but I also walked 16 and hit seven batteries in the early days, and that's the truth.

I mean, it was everywhere.

Um, you know, my high school coaches, um in the summer, big influences, Mike Baum and Ray Covell.

I had a lot of good times playing for those guys.

Um you know just probably every coach I came across that put in the time and had faith in me when I didn't have faith in myself.

So those obviously those coaches probably had a great influence as you were coaching.

Oh yes.

Okay.

In fact, they held my hand as I I went through, you know, when I coached softball at first, Bob, I I worked with, so he went from being my coach to me coaching with him, it gave a Richard.

And then when I started in basketball, I coached my first two years, I coached under some great people at St.

Alfonso and at Marion, but then I got right at Window at 23, and then my dad came over and he was my assistant.

So I I feel like I had so many people who helped me.

It's it's hard to name them all.

How did you end up at Hills?

I was stubborn, and even though I was probably a better softball player, I wanted to play basketball because I think it's an absolutely beautiful game, and I just love it.

And so Hillsdale was going to let me play both sports.

They're gonna let me play basketball and softball.

And um that was the decision.

Was that difficult to play two sports?

Very few people two sports at the college level, no matter what level you're at.

It was difficult.

It was difficult, but I also feel and I think I look at high school kids today too.

I was always better when I was in a season all around than I was when I was out of season.

You know, everything grades, getting stuff done, being responsible, and I just feel like playing both sports kept me very regimented.

You know, this is what you do.

You go to school, then you go to practice, and then you do, you know, so uh it didn't feel hard at the time, but I look back and I'm like, how did I do that?

You know, and then you do in your student teaching and you you know you finish in four years, and I I look back, but at the time it didn't feel as hard as it probably was.

Who do you want to think?

Who do I want to thank?

Well, I want to thank my family, obviously.

Um, my dad, my mom for endless conversations.

Um, like I said, I want to thank everybody that's coached me along the way and has been really patient with me, and there were a lot of them.

Um like said the Mike Baums, the Ray Colvals, the Bob Wilkersons, you know, I had Nick Stan, I could just go on and on to all the different coaches that I had.

Um, you know, I just you know want to thank my immediate family.

I mean, I played for a long time.

I played basketball as long as I possibly could, you know, in rec league, and I played softball for as long as I my arm would hold up in adult league, and even those people who gave me a chance to keep playing.

So I also obviously want to thank the city of Taylor because this is really cool.

This is a really amazing honor.

Next inductee is Alphonse Ruffer.