[Back to News]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --May 30, 2000
Contact: John Johnson or Andy Frushour-- 517.332.5046

EAST LANSING, Mich. - May 30 - Five respected athletic administrators who have been instrumental in expanding and improving the educational atmosphere of their programs, while serving their communities with a combined total of nearly 150 years of service, have been chosen to receive the Michigan High School Athletic Association's Allen W. Bush Award for 2000.

Bush served the MHSAA for 18 years, including 10 years as executive director from 1968-78. The award honors individuals for past and continuing service to prep athletics as a coach, administrator, official, trainer, doctor or member of the media. The award was developed to bring recognition to men and women who are giving and serving without a lot of attention. This is the ninth year of the award, with the selections being made by the MHSAA's Representative Council.

This year's recipients are: Dan Flynn, coach/faculty member at Escanaba High School; John Fundukian, athletic director of Novi High School; Dan McShannock, athletic director of Midland Dow High School; Jim Fledkamp, director of athletics of Troy Public Schools; and Dewayne Jones, athletic director of West Bloomfield High School.

The recipients of this year's awards will be recognized at ceremonies in their communities at a future date.
Unique to this year's group is their strong involvement in athletic administration at the local, statewide and national levels. Their involvement has also seen two of the honorees serving on the MHSAA Representative Council, two have been President of the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, and the other is a key speaker regarding Sportsmanship and Ethics on the state and national level.

Here are brief biographical sketches of the 2000 Bush Award recipients:

Dan Flynn - A long-time U.P. resident and recipient of two degrees from Northern Michigan University, Dan Flynn has spent most of his 27-year career as a teacher, coach and administrator at Escanaba High School. He began his career at Ishpeming High School, where his wrestling team won the U.P. championship in his first and only year, but then headed to Escanaba where he coached football, wrestling and track. A recipient of multiple Coach of the Year honors, Flynn was athletic director for the Eskymos from 1983-1996 and was awarded UP Athletic Director of the Year in 1991. Under his leadership, Escanaba added girls volleyball and ice hockey to its program, and developed major projects such as track, tennis, and weight training facilities and programs. Flynn's contributions to the MHSAA are numerous. He has served on the Representative Council for 10 years; and organized, managed and reported over 100 MHSAA tournaments in 12 sports, including many U.P. finals. He has also been a registered official in wrestling and track for 30 years. Flynn has been active with the MIAAA, serving on the Board of Directors for 8 years, and the U.P. Athletic Directors Association for 13 years, the Michigan High School Coaches Association and the Football Coaches Association for 20 years and the Michigan Track Coaches Association for 8 years. Flynn is currently a teacher and coach at Escanaba and was nominated for the award by Allen W. Bush's son, Allen S. Bush.

John Fundukian - In his 36th year of service in the field of athletic administration, John Fundukian is currently the atheltic director at Novi High School. Under his guidance, athletic programs have expanded to 19 teams at the middle school and 54 teams at the high school. He was instrumental in forming athletic policies and procedures in athletic administration at Highland Park, Walled Lake schools and Novi schools. He has also hosted over 250 major league and MHSAA tournaments in a dozen sports and was an original committee member for the PACE program in Michigan. Fundukian is extremely active in the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association. He is the committee chair for educational athletics, a committee member for the development of "Effective Elements of Athletic Administration," and he has given over 20 MIAAA presentations. He has also been a speaker on "Sportsmanship and Ethics" at the NIAAA as well as speaking on issues at the MHSAA's Sportsmanship summits. Fundukian has been given the NIAAA State Award of Merit, was named MIAAA Regional Athletic Director of the Year, and is in the Highland Park High School Hall of Fame. In the community, he is involved with the Novi Lions Club, Novi Youth Assistance, and Novi Athletic Boosters. He is also a member of the National and Michigan Associations of Secondary School Principals, the Association of Track Officials of Michigan, and has been a registered MHSAA official in track for 20 years, and is a Past President of the Oakland County Athletic Directors Association. Fundukian graduated from Highland Park High School before earning his Bachelor degree from Adrian College and Masters in Education at Wayne State University. He was nominated for this award by Curt Ellis, past President of the Kensington Valley Conference.

Dan McShannock - Most of Dan McShannock's first 20 years in education, including 9 years as athletic director, were at Saginaw Arthur Hill High School, but he has served as athletic director at Midland Dow High School since 1992. A graduate of Muskegon High School, McShannock received his Bachelors from Western Michigan University before earning his Masters in Secondary Education Administration from Michigan State University. He served as assistant coach for numerous league and regional champions in track and wrestling, as well as an undefeated, untied, and unscored upon state champion in football, while at Arthur Hill. McShannock is a diligent member of the MIAAA, serving on the Board of Directors and as President in 1997-98. He also received the prestigious NIAAA State Award of Merit, was voted as MIAAA Regional Athletic Director of the year in 1990-91, was editor of the MIAAA 35th Anniversary History Newsletter Edition and has been the publications chairman for the MIAAA since 1995. McShannock has served as president of the Michigan High School Coaches Association, on the Board of Directors for the MHSCA and NFCA, and is currently the president-elect of the NFCA. He has also been active as an MHSAA tournament manager and committee member and was nominated for this award by Thomas Rashid of the Detroit Catholic High School League.

Jim Feldkamp - A tireless leader and promoter of the athletic administration profession, Troy Public Schools Director of Athletics, Jim Feldkamp, just finished a stint as President of the MIAAA for 1999-2000. His scope of work with the MIAAA has included, among other things, presenting at state conferences four times and at the national conference on two occasions, sitting as a charter member on the political action committee, and serving as a Regional Representative and Recording Secretary. Feldkamp has also assisted the MHSAA by managing numerous District and Regional Tournaments in three different school districts and serving on many MHSAA committees. He has also been very active in coordinating and volunteering in many of Troy's youth sports programs. Feldkamp has been with the Troy School District since 1988, but his career in educational athletics has also sent him through the West Bloomfield School District, Anchor Bay High School in New Baltimore and Romeo Junior High. He is also affiliated with NASSP, Oakland County Athletic Administrators Association, Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan and the MHSCA. A graduate of Wyandotte Roosevelt High School, Feldkamp received his Bachelors and Masters from Eastern Michigan University before becoming an Education Specialist through Wayne State University. He was nominated for the Bush Award by the MHSAA Staff.

Dewayne Jones - A history of administrative leadership and extensive coaching background mark the career of the final Bush Award winner, Dewayne Jones. After 26 years with Ferndale Public Schools, including 8 years as Athletic Director and coaching from 1973-1991, Jones just finished his second year as Athletic Director at West Bloomfield High School. Jones, a Ferndale High School graduate, is currently on the MHSAA Representative Council. While at Ferndale, Jones also served as President of the Southeastern Michigan Association, President of the Oakland County Athletic Directors Association, Director of the Oakland Activities Association, Immunizations Coordinator for Ferndale schools and hosted MHSAA Tournament series events on the District, Regional and Quarterfinal level. He has also been a member of the MIAAA and NIAAA since 1991. Earlier in his career, Jones was also an accomplished high school and collegiate basketball coach. He received numerous "Coach of the Year" honors with his Ferndale boys team in 1980 and guided his women's basketball teams at Oakland University and University of Detroit to several winning campaigns. He was named the GLIAC Coach of the Year in 1982 and 1983, Michigan's Women's College Coach of the Year in 1983 and Midwestern Collegeiate Conference's Coach of the Year in 1987. He was also inducted into the Oakland University Hall of Honor in 1996. In the community, Jones is a member of the Oakdale Tabernacle, is a Sunday School teacher, and was involved with Ferndale High's Charity Days and Ferndale Elementary's Mentor Program. Dewayne Jones attended Northern Michigan University where he received his Bachelors and Masters in Learning Disabilities. He was nominated for this award by MHSAA Assistant Director Nate Hampton.

The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by over 1,300 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments conducted in 12 sports for girls and 12 sports for boys which attract approximately 1.3 million spectators each year.