34 | JULY 21 • 2022 

SPORTS

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After a year off in 2020 
and a change of dates 
in 2021 because of the 
COVID-19 pandemic, the 
Hank Greenberg Memorial 
Golf and Tennis Invitational 
returned to its early June 
date this year.
“And it went off without a 
hitch,” said Don Rudick, the 
new executive director of 
the Michigan Jewish Sports 
Foundation, which puts on 
the invitational.
Rudick said there were 
112 golfers, about a dozen 
tennis and pickleball play-
ers, and 40 people who 
came just to the dinner 
June 6 at Franklin Hills 
Country Club in Farmington 
Hills.
Eighteen volunteers kept 
the day and evening run-
ning smoothly, Rudick said.

Ted Simmons, the 
former Southfield High 
School baseball star who 
was a 2021 inductee 
into the Baseball Hall of 
Fame, received the Hank 
Greenberg Memorial 
Lifetime Achievement 
Award.
“Ted didn’t play golf, but 
he met all the golfers at the 
first tee,” Rudick said.
Mike Stone was the 
emcee for the traditional 
sports panel discussion 
held during the dinner.
He was joined by 
Simmons, CBS News and 
60 Minutes correspondent 
Armen Katayen (recipi-
ent of the Dick Schaap 
Memorial Award for Media 
Excellence), and Arn Tellum, 
vice chairman of the Detroit 
Pistons.

Tellum filled in for 
Steve Greenberg, Hank 
Greenberg’s son, who 
couldn’ t make it to the invi-
tational.
Among the celebrity 
golfers were ex-Pistons 
star Dave Bing and former 
University of Michigan bas-

ketball coach John Beilein, 
now senior player develop-
ment adviser for the Pistons.
The 31-year-old invi-
tational benefits the 
Karmanos Cancer Institute 
at the Lawrence and Idell 
Weisberg Cancer Treatment 
Center in Farmington Hills.

Ted Talk at Hank Greenberg Golf 
and Tennis Invitational

Hall of Fame catcher Ted Simmons (second from right) says hello 
to Stuart Raider (right), president of the Michigan Jewish Sports 
Foundation, Raider’s son Joshua Raider (far left) and cousin Aaron 
Fisher at the Hank Greenberg Memorial Golf and Tennis Invitational.

BRIAN MASSERMAN

Soccer Champion Ryan Gruca Headed to Ohio

Ohio Northern University … 
That’s former Troy Athens 
High School soccer star Ryan 
Gruca’ s college choice.
Gruca joins the Division III 
men’ s soccer program at the 
rural Ada, Ohio, school after 
winning a national champion-
ship with his club team and 
a state championship with 
Athens a few years ago.
Athens boys soccer coach 
Todd Heugh thinks Ohio 
Northern could be a perfect 
fit for Gruca.
“Ryan can make an imme-
diate impact in a Division III 
program,” Heugh said. “He 
hasn’t reached his full poten-
tial as a soccer player.”
Gruca brings versatility to 
Ohio Northern. He can play 
defense, midfield or forward, 

although he feels forward is 
his best position.
Ohio Northern went 11-7-3 
last season against a tough 
schedule (six games against 
top-25 teams). None of the 
seven losses was by more 
than two goals.
The Polar Bears lost in the 
Ohio Athletic Conference 
tournament semifinals.
Ohio Northern lost 14 
seniors from last year’s team, 
so fourth-year coach Chris 
Matejka has some holes to 
fill in his lineup. 
The Polar Bears’ season 
opener is Sept. 1 at Kenyon.
It was the summer of 2018 
when Gruca helped the U15 
Waza Football Club nationals 
team win a U.S. Youth Soccer 
national championship.

A little more than a year 
later, in the fall of 2019, 
Gruca scored two of Athens’ 
three goals in the second 
and final overtime period in 
the Red Hawks’ 4-1 win over 
Traverse City in the Division 1 
state championship game.
“Ryan always gave us 
everything he had athletical-
ly, emotionally and mentally, 
and he was always dialed in 
and ready for big moments, 
even when he was a sopho-
more in the state champion-
ship game,” Heugh said.
Gruca was the Athens 
team leader in goals, assists 
and points as a junior and 
senior. He had 10 goals 
and 12 assists in 2020 and 
17 goals and six assists in 
2021.

Ryan Gruca 
celebrates 
scoring a goal 
against Grand 
Blanc last fall.

ATHENS BOOSTERS

