An excellent all-around athlete graduating in 1966, Terry excelled in football, basketball and baseball for the Cougars. As Aquinas College baseball coach for 30 years, Terry was the first Michigan collegiate coach to reach 1,000 victories. Winning 71% of the games he coached resulted in numerous state and conference championships among National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics colleges. Thirty-four players earned All-American honors and thirteen signed professional contracts. Terry was named Michigan NAIA Coach of the Year 15 times. He also served Aquinas as Athletic Director (AD) for 38 years, one of the longest athletic administrator terms in the country. As AD, Bocian was instrumental in expanding the number of sports programs and athletic facilities for Aquinas College students. In addition to the Aquinas Hall of Fame, Bocian has been selected to the NAIA and Grand Rapids Sport Halls of Fame. Terry and his wife Karen have four children, Therese, Chad, Scott and Matt.

Natalie led the CC tennis team as the #1 singles player for three seasons. She earned All-Conference honors and qualified for the State Finals in her sophomore, junior and senior seasons. Following her 1985 Catholic Central graduation, Natalie earned varsity letters as a member of the University of Michigan tennis team. She remained involved in athletics, working for the US Tennis Association, coaching women’s varsity tennis at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania as well as the men’s and women’s teams at the University of Chicago. Natalie worked at the NCAA national staff in certification and enforcement, then joined the Athletic Administration at Howard University in Washington, DC. She and her husband Ethan live in Alexandria, VA.

A member of the 1983 graduating class, Jeff set a very high standard for CC distance runners winning numerous All-Conference and All-State honors. During the Fall sports season, Costello accomplished the rare feat of winning the cross country Individual State Championship in 1981 and a Team State Championship in 1982. As a runner on the Spring season track & field team, Jeff established school records in both the 1-mile and 2-mile races that still stand today. Jeff was Conference Champion 1-miler in 1982 and ’83 and Champion 2-miler for 1981, ’82, and ’83. He finished his CC career as MHSAA State Champion 2-miler in 1982 and 1983.

Jeff continued his career at the University of Michigan on the cross country and track teams. He graduated in 1987 with a degree in Sports Management and Business.

He has a daughter, Josie, and has worked as a sales representative for Eastbrook Homes for the last 12 years. Jeff is a third generation Catholic Central Cougar. His father, Mike, also ran cross country and track.

Rachel was an outstanding swimmer and volleyball athlete for the Cougars and a leader in her 1998 graduating class. With superb performances her junior and senior years, she earned All-Conference, All-Area, and All-State swimming honors each year. Always a strong volleyball player, she earned All-Conference on excellent Cougar teams. As senior year came to a close, Dooley received the Ted Sowle Award for athletic, academic, and citizenship achievement.

Matt, graduating in 2000, was one of the premier swimmers in a stretch of Cougar swim history resulting in numerous team and individual accomplishments. Specifically, he established new school records in both the 50 and 100-meter freestyle events. Matt qualified for the MHSAA State Finals each year at CC and earned All-State honors three of those four years. He was the State Champion in the 100-meter freestyle his senior year. Overcoming several physical challenges, Matt was equally valuable as a team member contributing points in many events allowing the Cougar team to win the Conference Championship each of his four years at CC.

Over 100 years ago—before Catholic Central had a baseball team—CC student Walter Pipp played baseball for several Grand Rapids area teams sponsored by local businesses. One of 14 boys in the graduating Class of 1911, he signed a contract with the Detroit Tigers, played some minor league ball, and made his major league debut with the Tigers in June of 1913. Two years later he was wearing a NY Yankees uniform, starting at first base. In eleven seasons with the Yankees, he led the American league in home runs & triples twice, batted in 1,004 runs, and led first basemen in fielding percentage three times. Pipp played all six games on the 1923 World Series Champion Yankees along with teammate Babe Ruth. Walter lived and worked in Michigan for many years after baseball. He passed away in Grand Rapids in 1965.

Mark, a 2000 graduate of CC participated in basketball and football. In his senior year he established a new MHSAA state record for touchdown passes and total yards while earning All-Conference and All-State honors. The CC coaches awarded Radlinski the Ted Sowle Award. Mark continued his Football career at Saginaw Valley State University where he was All-Conference for two years and the GLIAC Player of the Year in 2003. Mark’s Saginaw Valley football team continues to represent a benchmark of success for current and future SVSU football teams. The 2003 squad is still the only team to ever finish the regular season with an unblemished record, going a perfect 11-0. The team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs and finished with a 12-1 final record. Mark currently works at Victory Apparel.

Anne was a 1982 CC graduate, excelling in basketball and golf. She earned All-City in basketball in 1980 and '81 and All-State honors in 1981. She finished her Cougar career with an All-City golf selection her senior year. Later, in 1999, Anne was voted to the All-Time City League Team as one of the top 25 players in City League history.

Anne continued her athletic career at Aquinas College. She was a four-year starter on some of the best teams in Aquinas history; winning nearly 80 percent of their games. She was the complete player, finishing her career in the top 10 for multiple categories including scoring, steals, assists, free-throw scoring, free-throw percentage and games played. She also pulled down over 500 rebounds. She was a two-time NAIA All-State player. Patti Tibaldi—her Aquinas coach—stated that “she was often the smallest player on the floor but she had the biggest heart.” Stegehuis went on to forge a successful 16 year career with Foremost Insurance and the former Old Kent Bank (now Fifth Third Bank). She and her husband, Jack, reside in Caledonia with their children Joseph, Hannah and Abigail.

Recognized as one of the finest soccer players in CC history, Noble applied himself rigorously to excel at all aspects of the game. Graduating in 2009, he earned All-Conference honors three times and MHSAA All-State twice. He played on the Michigan Olympic development team and in international tournaments. Overcoming several injuries, he played in 43 games for the Michigan Wolverines and earned U of M academic and Big 10 conference sportsmanship awards. Returning to Grand Rapids, Noble played for the Grand Rapids Football Club and was selected as the Player of the Year in 2015.

Creating an effective high school sports program requires a leader who can inspire, organize, teach, and communicate. Jim Ross delivered those attributes—and more—as the varsity head coach for 14 years of the Cougar Competitive Cheer program. He brought to Catholic Central the experience gained as a member of the 1979 MSU Spartans National Champion cheer team. At CC Jim was able to significantly increase the participation and performance level of the Competitive Cheer team to a level which made them one of the strongest in the state. Between 1995 and 1999 the Cougars won two Regionals and finished in the Top 4 of the MHSAA State Finals four times. Jim’s final year with the Cougars brought the 1999 Class B State Championship trophy to the Catholic Central campus.

Jim Ross advocated for this growing MHSAA sport through his work with competitive cheer coaches and officials associations. He was instrumental in the growth of school programs throughout the entire state of Michigan.

Tom graduated in 1957 following a CC athletic career in cross country, basketball, and baseball. Taking his talents to Aquinas College, he played basketball and baseball at a level that earned him a spot in the Aquinas Hall of Fame. Hofmann began his career on the faculty and coaching staff at West Catholic, and in 1965 Tom joined the Grand Rapids Community College faculty and coaching staff. As the GRCC baseball coach, his teams won almost 700 games and reached the national tournament five times. Tom was also an assistant coach for the 1984 US Olympic baseball team. Hofmann was an accomplished basketball and football official for three decades at the high school level. He excelled as a Big 10 Conference football official for twenty years earning assignments to many bowl games including both the Rose Bowl
and Orange Bowl.