Alumnus Gary Waters Brings
"March Madness" to Kent
Gary Waters, a former basketball star and assistant coach at Ferris State University, became the first coach in Kent State University's 85-year basketball history to lead his club into the NCAA Tournament.
Kent automatically qualified for a coveted spot in the
64-team field by defeating Miami University of Ohio in the championship game of the 1999 Mid-American Conference Tournament. Kent posted a school-record total of 23 wins en route to the MAC championship while Waters was honored as the MAC "Coach of the Year" in only his third season at Kent.
Kent, predicted during the pre-season to finish near the bottom of the MAC standings, has been recognized by ESPN as one of the great "Cinderella" stories in the NCAA. Down the stretch, the Golden Flashes won 10 of 11 games to enter the NCAA Tournament with a 23-6 record.
Waters, 48, coached 14 years at Ferris as assistant head coach (1978-85) and associate head coach (1985-89). The Bulldogs played in four NCAA Division II Tournaments during his tenure and finished the 1988-89 regular season ranked No. 1 in the nation.
As a student-athlete at Ferris, Waters averaged over 12 points a game for two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship teams from 1972-74 under the late Jim Wink. He lists Wink as one of his "Personal Heroes" in the Kent State University basketball media guide.
Waters came to Kent from Eastern Michigan University, where he was an assistant basketball coach for seven seasons. Eastern captured two MAC titles and made two trips to the NCAA Tournament during his stay in Ypsilanti.
A native of Detroit, Waters was all-state in basketball at MacKenzie High School before he enrolled at Ferris. He capped his all-conference playing career for the Bulldogs by completing his bachelor's degree in business administration in 1975. He also holds a bachelor's from Ferris in business education and earned a master's degree in education administration from Central Michigan University.
Obituaries
Dixie L.Tonkins Bennet (B'55),Mokena, Ill., 4-16-98
Richard R. Boldt (T'77), St. Clair Shores, 12-26-98
James H. Bolthouse (staff), Big Rapids, 12-1-98
Joseph F. Brodowski (ex-faculty), Big Rapids, 12-11-98
Stanley J. Byington (P'32), Grand Rapids, 9-30-98
Raymond E. Carpenter (T'66), Comstock Park, 11-17-98
Joan A. Coy Chessman (H'83), Gaylord, 12-27-98
Robert L. Cowan (ex-faculty), Gainesville, Fla., 1-12-99
Arthur E. Davies (P'50), E. Lansing, 1-6-98
Zora Hinderley DeVinney (AS'21), Grand Rapids, 10-13-98
Heinz K. Difflipp (ex-faculty), Big Rapids, 10-14-98
William H. Donovan (P'49), L'Anse, 11-6-98
Joseph H. Dugas (ex-faculty), Big Rapids, 12-28-98
William Esterline (ex-faculty), Hillsdale, 1-7-99
Lynette M. Fox (O'87), Franklin, Wis., 10-16-98
Edna Coon Graboskey (AS'29), Paris, 12-9-98
Thelma Johnson Grein (AS'18), Sylvania, Ohio, 3-29-98
Douglas L. Hagemann (B'58), Oakland, 10-2-98
Carl R. Hansen (P'48), Kalamazoo, 10-17-98
Raymond J. Hansen (P'35), Grandville, 5-5-98
Dorothy Nordine Harris (B'33), Westland, 10-2-98
Frank J. Hull (AS'21), Wyoming, 9-23-97
Forrest D. Hulliberger (T'61), Coldwater, 11-1-98
Kenneth R. Johnson (P'50), Ionia, 12-2-98
Max K. Kenville (B'52), Lincoln, 12-10-98
William N. Kinnee (T'53), Lakeview, 3-15-98
Catharine M. Saller Liegl (B'25), Petoskey, 8-30-98
Dr. Jack Lee Lumbert, Cedar Springs, 2-25-99
Gerald F. Lutz (AS'30), Traverse City, 11-24-98
Arthur R. Merritt, Jr. (E'60), Richmond, Va., 10-28-98
Dianne Baumann Oleson (B'68), Big Rapids, 12-6-98
William C. Olmstead (E'50), Mesa, Ariz., 1-31-98
Rick L. Pike (staff), Belding, 10-15-98
William E. Putvin (P'50), Manistique, 9-24-98
Wilmer J. Rice (ex-staff), Evart, 10-23-98
Eugene W. Root (T'63), Lansing, 10-31-98
Floyd D. Snyder (T'47), Wellston, 3-24-98
Harold L. Stoughton (P'50), Midland, 8-10-98
Janet K. Houghton Sylvester (E'79), Lansing, 11-6-98
George VanKula, Jr., Big Rapids, 10-2-98
Theodore O. Wallsteadt (B'38), Grand Rapids, 12-3-98
Michael E. Ward (P'80), Deerfield, Ill., 8-20-98
Minnie E. Hooker Ward (AS'17), St. Clair, 1-12-99
Scott D.Whitener (E'73), Rockford, 1-16-99
Ira N. Wiggins (E'71), Yale, 6-22-98
Correction: Alumnus Terry L. Mead (B'83), Owosso was listed in the December 1998 obituaries. The Terry L. Mead who passed away on July 2, 1998 was not an FSU alumnus. We regret the error and send our apologies to Mr. Mead and his family and friends.
