West Bloomfield, MI -- (ReleaseWire) -- 10/07/2014 --The Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation (MJSF) celebrates its 30th Anniversary this fall and will induct the 2014 Hall of Fame Class and pay tribute to the recipients in the 2014 Pillars of Excellence. The dinner and induction ceremony will take place on Tuesday, October 28th, starting at 5:00 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Proceeds from the event will benefit children’s programming at the JCC and the Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. We are honored to have our presenting sponsors this year include: Friedman Integrated Real Estate Solutions, Pinnacle Homes, Kenwa Steell and Quicken Loans.
The Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2014 inductees include: Alan Davis, Alfred “Obbie” Friedman (z’l), Jerry Greenberg, Erin Konheim Mandras and Stuart Schwartz.
The evening will celebrate the 2014 Alvin Foon Humanitarian Award Honoree, Edward Kozloff. The Alvin Foon Humanitarian Award was established to honor the memory of one of the MJSF founders and is presented to an individual or individuals for outstanding contributions to athletics and the community.
The 2014 Pillars of Excellence award was established a year ago to honor lifetime achievement and outstanding contributions to athletics and the enrichment of the community. These honorees include: Robert Basch, Irwin Cohen, Al Delidow (z’l), Ted Kaczander (z’l) and Jerry Lewis.
The Jewish News High School Female Athlete of the Year is Nikki Wald from North Farmington High School. The Jewish News Male Athlete of the Year is Dylan Deitch from Bloomfield Hills High School and the Co- Bill Hertz Scholarship recipients, brother and sister, Jacob and Marlee Rothman from Berkley High School.
To attend, guests may arrive at 5:00p.m for dinner in Handleman Hall, awards program, and afterglow for $175 or promptly at 7:00p.m in the Berman Center for the Performing Arts theater for the awards program and afterglow for only $75. There is also special dinner pricing for young adults, 17-35 years of age, for $75 and child/youth tickets, 16 and under, for $36. Tickets, sponsorships, and tribute and program ads can be purchased by contacting David Blatt at 248-592-9323 or at dlbatt@michiganjewishsports.org. The MJSF is also accepting donated items for the silent auction.
About The Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation
The Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation is a 501(c)(3) philanthropic organization committed to honoring Jewish individuals connected to the State of Michigan who have distinguished themselves in sports and to foster Jewish identity through athletics. Since its inception 30 years ago, thanks to the generosity of many and through annual fundraising initiatives, well over $1,000,000 has been raised to help fight prostate cancer through grants to the Weisberg Cancer Treatment Center at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute. In addition, the MJSF has supported the Jewish News High School Athletes of the Year scholarships; the Jewish Community Center’s Camp KAT, Maccabi Games, The Bear Hug Foundation; and the Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame located in the West Bloomfield Jewish Community Center.
The Hall of Fame, founded in 1984 to honor Jewish individuals who have demonstrated achievement in sports and to raise funds for charitable contributions to benefit health, education and the less privileged, is home to over 90 plaques of notable Jewish athletes include Hank Greenberg, Bill Davidson, Aaron Krickstein, Kathryn Krickstein Pressel, Don Shane, Richard Zussman, Eli Zaret and Mitch Albom, as well as those (regardless of religious denomination) in the community who have made a difference in the lives of others, including Mike Ilitch, Tom Izzo, Steve Yzerman, Bo Schembechler, and Colleen and Gordy Howe.
Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation Hall of Fame Class of 2014
Alan Davis
Alan Davis attended Berkley High School from 1973-1976, receiving eight varsity letters during that time in football, basketball, and track. In 1978, he attended Michigan State University on a football scholarship. His football honors included: Big Ten Co-Champions, First Team Academic All-American, First Team Academic All-Big Ten, and Scholar Athlete of the Year (one of 25 outstanding seniors). As a certified orthopedic surgeon with a sub-specialization fellowship in foot and ankle surgery and sports medicine, he has served as the team physician for USA Hockey, The Cleveland Ballet, Baldwin Wallace College, and Cleveland Junior Barons Hockey Team. Alan is the co-inventor and board member of Trazer Technologies, a company that has developed computer software, hardware and integrated programming tools for fitness and physical therapy rehabilitation, concussion evaluation and return to play criteria, and high-level training. He has also been in more than 20 triathlons.
Alfred “Obbie” Friedman (of blessed memory)
Alfred “Obbie” Friedman attended Central High School and was one of the city’s most valuable “Cagers”. Obbie was a frequent leader in scoring with a single game high of 33 points in his senior year. In 1946, he was named to the All-City First Team and All-Metro League First Team. After serving two years in the U.S. armed forces, he returned to the court for the Highland Park Junior College Panthers. As an ace on the Bale Post squad, Obbie scored 32 points in a single game and led the team to a Recreation League Class A Championship. He was a star pitcher on the JCC fast pitch softball team, helping his team advance to the second round in the City Recreation League’s Class B playoffs.
Jerry Greenberg
Jerry Greenberg attended and played basketball for Central High School in Detroit from 1949-1952. He won the West Side Public School Championship in 1952. Jerry was selected to the Detroit Free Press All-City and All-State teams. He was recruited by Wayne State University the fall of 1952 and earned three varsity letters. In 1956, the team won 17 games and lost one. The team was invited to play in the Division 1 NCAA tournament, finishing in the final 16. Jerry graduated in 1956 with a degree in Health and Physical Education.
Erin Konheim Mandras
Erin Konheim Mandras played soccer for West Bloomfield High School (‘99-02), earning All-District and All-League honors having scored 90 goals and 22 assists. During her high school years, she played for the Olympic Development Program (ODP) Region II Regional Team, the Michigan Hawks, and Vardar. In 2002, she was the Jewish News Female High School Athlete. From 2002-2005, Erin was a 4-year starter at Michigan State, helping compile a 48-28-7 record and garnering two NCAA Women’s Soccer College Cup appearances. As a senior captain, MSU had a 12-6-5 record and the first NCAA Tournament win in program history. Erin went on to be an undergraduate assistant coach for MSU and then was hired as the assistant coach at Towson University, helping lead the Tigers to their first winning season. In 2008, she helped lead Loyola University to a MAAC regular season title with an undefeated conference record, reaching the NCAA College Cup. In her second season with the program, Loyola won the MAAC Championship title. Erin holds a USSF “A” Coaching License and currently runs soccer clinics for the JCC of Baltimore and the Erin Konheim Soccer Academy in Baltimore, Maryland.
Stuart Schwartz
Stuart Schwartz attended Andover High School in Bloomfield Hills and was a part of the first lacrosse team (“Team I”) before transferring to Kimball Union Academy High School. His high school honors include: Male Athlete of the Year, Lacrosse Academic All-American and All-Northern New England, Lacrosse and Football All-Lakes Region and Most Valuable Player, Men’s Ice Hockey and Lacrosse Team Captain. Stuart went on to play Division 1 lacrosse for Duke University. He was honored with the Atlantic Coast Conference All-Academic Team Award, Blue Devil Award (Outstanding Player for the Maryland, Drexel, and Butler Games), and Face-Off Magazine All-American. In 2001, he was honored with the Eric Tyler Hardy Defensive Player of the Year award, NCAA Academic All-American and All-American honors, and Inside Lacrosse Duke University Men’s Lacrosse All-Decade Team. After college, Stuart was one of the 40 college seniors selected to compete in the first Major League Lacrosse draft. Today, as an attorney at Clark Hill, his heart is still in the game as the Cranbrook High School Lacrosse (2013 State Champions) Assistant Varsity Coach.
Alvin Foon Humanitarian Award
Edward Harold Kozloff
Edward Kozloff’s vast contributions to running and philanthropy are legendary throughout the state of Michigan. Serving as President of the Motor City Striders since 1975, Edward has directed over 1,000 races, including the organization of the nationally-ranked Motor City and Detroit Free Press marathons. Under Kozloff’s leadership, the Striders have raised over $40,000,000 from their events, contributing to many local organizations, such as the American Cancer Society, Arthritis Foundation, DIA, Karmanos Cancer Institute, and many others. Kozloff was founder and race director of Michigan’s first race for Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education, the nation’s largest event for this cause, and spearheaded the Detroit Race for the Cure, Gilda’s Club Walk, and the Detroit St. Patrick’s Corktown races. His honors include: the Governor’s Council of Physical Fitness, Health and Sports; Michigan USA Track & Field Board of Governors; and, as an officer in the Motor City Striders, has the longest tenure of a major club president in the United States.
2014 Pillars of Excellence
The 2013 Pillars of Excellence award was established a year ago to honor lifetime achievement and outstanding contributions to athletics and the enrichment of the community.
Robert Basch
Robert Basch attended University of State New York at Cortland in 1946 via the G.I. Bill of Rights. He enrolled in a health and physical education degree. In the summer of 1949, he was hired as the waterfront director for the New Jersey Y camps and the followed that with his first full-time job as Assistant Director of Physical Education at the JCC of Rochester, NY. After 3 years in Rochester, I left to become Director of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at the Lynn, Massachusetts JCC. At the time he earned his Master Degree in Health, Physical Education and Recreation. In 1959, I was hired by the legendary Executive Director, Irwin Shaw, to run the very extensive physical education program at the new Detroit JCC on Meyers and Curtis in the city of Detroit and as plans were formulated to move to the Drake Road JCC facility, Bob suggested the design of the indoor swimming pool that included a 60 foot width, the Z shape of the outdoor pool, and the track above the gym were all accepted and are in full use today. After 20 years of service to the Detroit Jewish Community, he left Michigan to finish my professional career as Director of Health Services at the JCC of Houston, Texas. After 43 years as a JCC professional, he retired in 1992 and returned to Michigan to be close to my son and grandchildren.
Irwin Cohen
Irwin Cohen, in 1974 had a chance phone call to Joe Falls which led to a baseball writing career. Founded and was editor/publisher of monthly national baseball publication for five years meeting and interviewing many legends of the game including Joe DiMaggio and Hank Greenberg. Took pictures from the field of Greenberg's uniform retirement ceremonies in 1983. Hired by Tigers the following year as Director of Group Sales but also worked with players and wrote copy for scoreboard during games. Earned World Series ring in 1984 and stayed with Tigers until 1992.
Al Delidow (of blessed memory)
Al Delidow attended Wayne State University on an athletic scholarship. He participated and lettered in three sports — Cross Country, Wrestling and Track — while at Wayne. Al began volunteering for the Red Cross. He served as a volunteer for over 35 years and was honored for his service to the organization. In 1982 he was awarded the Red Cross Century Club. He taught Physical Education in the Oak Park School District at the elementary school level and then at the high school level. He taught at Roosevelt Elementary, Pepper Elementary and Oak Park High School over the course of his career, spanning from 1962 to 1999. Al was a coach and coach several sports for Oak Park High School: Bowling (1962), Wrestling (1962-68), Cross Country (1968-72), Track (1968-1972) and Swimming (1972-1988). Al was awarded the Official’s Award from the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) for his 30 years of service as an official (track and swimming). Al was also an Immigration Officer with the US Department of Immigration and proudly served from 1988-2001.
Ted Kaczander (of blessed memory)
Ted Kaczander While attending Northwestern High School in Detroit, Ted earned a Golden Gloves Boxing Championship in the Flyweight Division 1930-1932. He then attended Wayne State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in Education. During his service in the army in World War II, Ted was a member of the troops that liberated Mauthausen Concentration Camp. His position was an interpreter with the survivors of the camp. Ted began his career in the Detroit Public Schools in Physical Education. He primarily worked at McMichael Junior High and Beaubien Junior High. While there, he was known for his close relationships with his students. Ted finished his career as a School Counselor, thus continuing to influence countless adolescents. Ted was a 40 year employee of the Jewish Community Center in the Physical Education Department and then an Associate Director of the Health Club. Ted was a mentor, coach and friend to thousands of Jewish youth during this time.
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is a native Detroiter having graduated from Mumford High School and Wayne State University.
After a brief period of time with the Michigan Consolidated Gas Company as a Marketing Consultant he began a 20-plus year career as a wholesale representative in the clothing business. During that time he also developed the concept for the Detroit Tiger Fantasy Camps, founded in 1984 with former Tigers catcher and current radio voice Jim Price. Now in its 25th year it is considered the most successful professional Team camp for adults in all of Sports. Over 225 people have attended camps in Lakeland, Florida each year. Many more have attended camps and batting practices at Comerica Park since 2000.
Jerry has two children and resides with his wife Ellen in West Bloomfield.
Jewish News High School Athletes of the Year
Bill Hertz Memorial Scholarship Award
In addition to the Class of 2014 Hall of Fame, Alvin Foon and Pillars of Excellence honorees, the MJSF will honor The Jewish News High School Female Athlete of the Year is Nikki Wald from North Farmington High School. The Jewish News Male Athlete of the Year is Dylan Deitch from Bloomfield Hills High School and the Co- Bill Hertz Scholarship recipient are Jacob and Marlee Rothman from Berkley High School.
Celebrating Its 30th Anniversary the Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation Honors Class of 2014 at Hall of Fame Induction Dinner