Masterful coaching, Olympic heights, basketball glory, baseball excellence, and the power to convey them all in writing were honored on Saturday night during the Midland County Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet at Dow Diamond in Midland.
The inductees were Buffalo Bills secondary coach Joe Danna, Dow High boys’ tennis coach Terry Schwartzkopf, former Olympic speed skater Ryan Bedford, former Dow High and Michigan State basketball player Becca Mills, the Berryhill Post 165 American Legion baseball program, and Daily News sportswriter Fred Kelly.
The inductees each gave a speech about the honor in front of family members, friends, and sports enthusiasts who gathered to celebrate the occasion.
The inductees will now be added to the Midland County Sports Hall of Fame display at the top of the steps of Dow Diamond’s home plate entrance.
Danna, a graduate of Midland High and Central Michigan University, where he was a wide receiver, coached nine years in college at CMU, the University of Georgia, Georgia Southern University, and James Madison University. Danna broke into the NFL ranks as a defensive assistant with the Atlanta Falcons in 2008.
Danna has coached with five other NFL organizations over the last 19 years: Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, and currently the Bills. He has coached multiple Pro Bowl players, won four division championships, and coached in three conference championships.
“As I was thinking about Midland over the last couple years, there’s just one memory that’s come to mind, and that’s playing Midland High School football,” Danna said. “When you grew up in this town in the 80s and 90s, as my brother and I did, there was a culture here, and you went to football games on Friday night and dreamed of putting that jersey on and being underneath those Friday night lights.
“We were not the most talented team, but when we took the field on a Friday night, we didn’t think anybody could beat us. And that’s something I keep with me today.”
Since Schwartzkopf took over the Dow High boys’ varsity tennis program in 2007, the Chargers have a Saginaw Valley dual record of 117-1 and 19 Saginaw Valley Tournament championships. Dow has also won 17 consecutive regional titles.
In Schwartzkopf’s tenure, Dow has finished in the top five at states for 18 consecutive years, including eight state championships and two second-place finishes. Dow has produced two recipients of Michigan’s Mr. Tennis award and has sent 13 players to the collegiate level. Schwartzkopf has been inducted into three halls of fame in addition to numerous coach of the year honors.
“I believe the wins, the records, the accolades, all of it comes down to two things,” Schwartzkopf said. “One – connecting with my team in a genuine way so that they understand they’re cared about as people, and are not some pawns in the game of coaching. And second – surrounding myself with the right people that create and support a strong culture that expects winning and demands excellence both on and off the court.”
Bedford made history in 2009 by becoming the first athlete to medal at World Championships in both Short Track and Long Track in the same season. In 2010, he secured a place on the U.S. Olympic Team by winning the U.S. Long Track Championships in the 10,000 meters. He went on to compete at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, finishing 12th. Bedford retired from competitive speedskating in 2011.
“Midland is still a special place for me,” said Bedford, who now lives in Wisconsin. “The community that we have here in Midland is very special. I would never have had the opportunity to do the things that I’ve done if it wasn’t for the people of Midland, the people that ran our Midland Speed Skating Club, that helped at the civic arena. Those are things that a lot of communities don’t have.
“The stuff that is provided, the level of support that is here in the city, is unmatched.”
Mills was a three-year starting forward at Michigan State, where she helped the Spartans win the 2014 Big Ten championship and compete in three NCAA Tournaments. She earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (2013-14) and was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and a 2012-13 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. A senior co-captain, she finished her career with 1,157 points and graduated in 2015 with a degree in kinesiology. After graduation, Mills played professionally in Ferrol, Spain.
“Almost all of my basketball memories growing up took place here in Midland. The community really shaped me into the person and player that I became,” Mills said. “I spent countless hours at the Midland Community Center – from clinics with Jenny Roan to my first travel team, the Midland Madness, which was coached by Diane Sugnet. My most important teammate of all was my older sister (Kristin). When I was a freshman, she was a senior, and I was pretty shy and she helped me feel comfortable with the established varsity team.”
Kelly has been a sportswriter for the Daily News since 1999 and has earned numerous awards for sports writing, feature writing, column writing, sports photography, and headline writing. As a one-person sports department since 2020, Kelly reports on high school sports across 10 high schools, as well as covering Northwood University, the Great Lakes Loons, Dow Tennis Classic, Dow Championship, Little League baseball and softball, Berryhill baseball, and numerous recreational sports in the Midland community.
“There are four things that after 27 years I still really enjoy about this job,” Kelly said. “Number one is the big games. There’s nothing like a packed gym, a huge crowd, a baseball or softball game where people are lined up around the outfield fence, or a football stadium on a Friday night. Then, the relationships. I’ve met so many great people – administrators, coaches, athletes, parents, fans – whom I really appreciate getting to know, and it wouldn’t be possible without having had this job for so long.
“(Third), this job has allowed me the flexibility to volunteer at school, and that is my biggest passion – working with young people, loving on them, encouraging them, hoping to make some kind of positive impact, serving some awesome teachers. And the last thing I look back on fondly is being able to share this with my kids,” Kelly added, explaining that three of his four children eagerly accompanied him to games that he covered while they were growing up.
Berryhill finished as Michigan state Runner-Up in 1959 and captured Michigan state championships in 1967 and 1979, followed by 26 additional state titles since 1983. The program has also secured 10 regional championships, including nine regional titles in the past 17 years. On the national stage, the team has twice finished as American Legion National Runner-Up, in 2014 and 2024, and achieved the pinnacle of success as American Legion National Champions in 2009.
“On behalf of the Berryhill Committee, thank you very much, Marcie (Post) and the Hall of Fame committee,” said Dan Cronkright, the current Berryhill manager. “It truly is an honor to represent Midland County.”
Through Jason Brown of BeAlive Media, Berryhill produced a video in honor of its Hall of Fame induction, which was played at Saturday’s banquet. The video also included a message from Terry Collins, who played on the first Berryhill state championship team in 1967 and went on to a 50-year pro baseball career that included managing the New York Mets to the 2015 World Series.
“The program has meant a lot to me, all of my friends and so many more people after me,” Collins said. “It allowed me to get a baseball scholarship to Eastern Michigan. It allowed me to be drafted and have a 50-year career in professional baseball. I am blessed to be part of the program. I’m excited every time the season starts. Continue your success. I’ll be rooting along the way.”
