50 Years Later, 'Charlie' Remains Legendary
By
Ron Pesch
MHSAA historian
September 30, 2018
By Ron Pesch
Special for Second Half
There is no official record of the proceedings, only a short newspaper recap of the event that was hosted 50 years ago at Michigan State’s Kellogg Center. In attendance was a who’s who of high school sports administrators. They were there to honor the man, affectionately known to his friends as “Charlie.”
A parade of guests presented gifts and citations, then sang his praises.
Dr. Clifford Fagan, Executive Secretary of the National Federation of High School Athletics, attended. State Directors of Athletics from Indiana and Ohio were on hand for the Monday, October 7, 1968, celebration.
Dr. Ira Polly, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, called him “noble, honest and courageous.” John F. Toepp, a state senator and radio sports broadcaster from the Cadillac area, “hailed him as ‘Mr. High School Athletics.’”
Sportswriter Bob Gross, six years into his career at the Lansing State Journal, wrote that Charles E. Forsythe, seated next to his wife Josephine, “only grinned with each word of gratitude.”
More than 350 friends attended the testimonial dinner, honoring the second director of the Michigan High School Athletic Association upon his retirement. For 39 years, Forsythe had served the MHSAA, dedicated to bettering the world of high school sports in Michigan and beyond. His years of service would formulate the mold for those who would follow in his footsteps.
“For five minutes they applauded,” wrote Gross, capturing the moment. Forsythe was humbled by the appreciation. When it was his turn to speak, he thanked the assembled crowd.
“This is a great night. It’s just wonderful so many of you came to my party. I’m deeply honored,” Forsythe said. “I can’t stand here and accept all the thanks. It was teamwork that made our organization go. And, may I ask of all of you to please help make it grow bigger and better than it is.”
The MHSAA had announced Forsythe’s retirement in late May.
With the exception of a 39-month tour as a Navy Commander, assisting former heavyweight boxing champion Gene Tunney in directing Navy physical fitness activities during World War II, Forsythe had been with the Association since July of 1929, originally as an assistant to Alden W. Thompson, the first director of the MHSAA. (Forsythe remains considered the Association’s first fulltime executive director.)
A graduate and prominent athlete at Milan High School, Forsythe earned his undergraduate degree from Michigan State Normal College (today’s Eastern Michigan University) in 1920 and his Master of Arts degree from the University of Michigan in 1926. He coached basketball and baseball at Milan High School during 1922-23 and taught science. He moved to Lansing Central High School the following year, where he taught history. In the fall of 1926, Forsythe was named director of athletics. According to news reports, he was also “one (of) the leading high school football and basketball officials in the state, working in the district and regional basketball tournaments …”
In his introduction of Forsythe as his new assistant, Thompson said “his presence in this office will make it possible to extend the service rendered by the State Association for the ultimate good of the athletic program throughout the state. The growth of the basketball tournaments, the addition of regional track meets as well as tournaments in tennis and golf, and state association participation in swimming and cross country have all added to the details of business handled through the office of the state director …”
In his book, “Athletics in Michigan High Schools: The First Hundred Years” published in 1950, Lewis L. Forsythe noted that additional help definitely was needed. The elder Forsythe, who was Charles’ uncle, was principal of Ann Arbor High School from 1917 until his retirement in 1946. He twice had served as president of the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Association, the predecessor to the MHSAA. Elected president of the MHSAA Representative Council in 1924, Lewis Forsythe continued serving in that role until 1942. He had seen, first-hand, Thompson’s need for help.
“Ever since the new association was organized, it had been the wonder of every informed person that Mr. Thompson could stand up under the strain of the work he felt compelled (or impelled) to do. We knew the strain was terrible and unwise,” Lewis Forsythe wrote.
“(Charles’) appointment not only relieved Mr. Thompson of a great deal of detail, but enabled the association to enlarge and improve its services to the schools.”
As assistant director, Charlie traveled Michigan, supervising state officials and conducting MHSAA tournaments. While he was in the office, he improved Association communication with member schools by preparing and expanding the State Association Bulletin. When Thompson was appointed to State Director of Health and Physical Education in Michigan in 1931, it opened the door for Forsythe to become director of the MHSAA.
“Thompson had the job of building the Michigan High School Athletic Association ‘from scratch’ and he built very well,” said Charles several years later. “He was thorough in his application of rules and in seeing that they all were interpreted alike both to large and small schools, so no favoritism or any difference were shown.” If there has been any success in the (years I) served, much of it can be credited to the background and good training I received during the period that I served under Thompson …”
In 1939, Forsythe released the first of four editions of his book, “The Administration of High School Athletics.” It quickly found a home as a textbook at various colleges and universities around the country. For 19 summers, he travelled as a visiting lecturer or staff member of the Universities of Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Southern California, West Virginia, Indiana, Oregon and elsewhere.
In 1941, George Maskin of the Detroit Times wrote about Charlie’s impact after 12 years in the position.
“This Forsythe fellow is a short, stocky gent of 41. There’s a touch of gray circling around the edge of his head, probably caused by the nights he’s stayed awake worrying whether one of his new ventures would turn out successfully,” Maskin wrote.
“There have been some mighty changes, as well as improvements, since Forsythe was hired to boss the preps. But when he talks, Forsythe speaks in terms of ‘we.’ There’s nothing egotistical about Forsythe’s way of doing things. “
Maskin noted some of the achievements that had occurred under the Forsythe regime. During those dozen years, the number of schools competing in Michigan prep sports jumped from 600 to 750. Six-man football had spread to 100 of Michigan’s smaller schools, which formerly passed over the fall sport. Under Forsythe’s leadership, local and regional tournaments in basketball play increased, “thus reducing the amount of traveling and time lost from school during the state championships.” A team competing in state tournament basketball games would play no more than one game per day – against two in other states adjoining Michigan. Minor sports – tennis, golf, cross country, swimming – had come into their own. Forsythe recognized their value in drawing additional students into athletics and increasing athletic participation. He would take that knowledge with him when he entered the Navy (and would return from the service with an even broader view of their value).
Yet, perhaps his greatest achievement was his emphasis on safety in sports.
In 1937, at the 13th annual MHSAA football rules meeting, “leaders drafted a program to address and demonstrate “techniques intended to make football a safer game for high school boys.” A mandatory rule to require “a three minute warm-up on the practice field before the start of the second half of each game” was put in place. The association had recognized that more serious injuries in football occurred at the start of the second half, because players had rested between periods and weren’t stretching out before resuming play. The creation of an accident benefit plan administered by the MHSAA for the state’s athletes had been discussed for six years, but had failed to engage because of a lack of participation. In December of 1939, it was finally ratified. The plan went into effect with the 1940-41 school year and required schools participating in the program to report all injuries. That led to more accurate data, and, in turn, an increased focus on safety and attention to equipment.
“There has been a decided improvement in the type of equipment worn, especially in football” said Forsythe to Maskin in 1954. “Rules have been written much more with the idea of protecting participants than formerly used to be the case.”
In 1961, Forsythe noted that face guards helped reduce the number of eye injuries and fractured noses. In the fall of 1962 a compulsory mouth guard rule went into effect in football, resulting in a 58-percent reduction in claims filed against the plan for dental injuries.
But at the time of his retirement, it was still apparent that the state basketball tournament was Forsythe’s pride and joy, and the event that allowed the MHSAA to function financially. Attendance at all District, Regional and Final games in 1930 was 126,000. At the time of his retirement in 1968, postseason attendance topped 775,000.
“I remember the time when we used to have to advertise to try to get people to come to our Finals,” said Forsythe to an Associated Press reporter shortly before his final day. “Now they all are automatic sellouts before the games are played,”
Tighter regulation reduced the use of illegal players, as seen in the earliest years of the tournament.
“Some of the coaches used to go out recruiting,” continued Forsythe. “… In the old days, we were more of a police agency. The coaches would try anything they thought they could get by with. Now they generally ask us first or turn themselves in if they discover they are playing a boy who is ineligible.”
“At 69, he still looks fit enough to play running instead of standing guard in any basketball game. He credits this mostly to a strict diet and sensible exercise, such as working in his garden. Forsythe also plans some traveling. “I might take in next year’s basketball finals,” he added with a grin, “If I can get a ticket.”
But a return trip to Michigan State University’s Jenison Field House, home to the MHSAA Basketball Finals since 1940, wasn’t in the cards. The September 1968 issue of the MHSAA Bulletin featured Forsythe on the cover, celebrating his career. In December, he passed away unexpectedly at his Lansing home. The February 1969 Bulletin presented a memoriam, praising his service and “his keen appraisal of athletics, their place in our society and their administration.”
With the August retirement of John E. “Jack” Roberts after 32 years of service, and the appointment of Mark Uyl as executive director, there have been only seven executive directors since the MHSAA was formed in 1924. Beside Thompson and Forsythe, Julian Smith handled the organization between 1943 and 1944 during Forsythe’s military service. Allen W. Bush (1968-78), who served as an MHSAA assistant for eight years to Forsythe, was followed by Vern Norris (1978-86).
Ron Pesch has taken an active role in researching the history of MHSAA events since 1985 and began writing for MHSAA Finals programs in 1986, adding additional features and "flashbacks" in 1992. He inherited the title of MHSAA historian from the late Dick Kishpaugh following the 1993-94 school year, and resides in Muskegon. Contact him at [email protected] with ideas for historical articles.
PHOTOS: (Top) Charlie Forsythe, standing far right, served at Lansing Central at the time of this photo in 1927. (Top middle) Forsythe in 1938. (Middle) MHSAA Executive Director Alden Thompson. (Below) Forsythe. (Photos gathered by Ron Pesch.)
‘Tis (out of) the Season
April 2, 2015
By Rob Kaminski
MHSAA benchmarks editor
Those who live in close proximity to high schools throughout Michigan don’t even need a calendar to know what time of year it is when a new sports season begins.
Whistles piercing through the hum of their air conditioners on the first Monday morning in August mark the start of fall from nearby football facilities. The ping of aluminum as sidewalks and grass re-appear from winter’s grip signifies the start of spring.
Office supply stores could see calendar sales soar in those households – or occupants might at least do a double-take when checking smartphone calendars – in the near future if MHSAA out-of-season coaching regulations are modified. The familiar sounds of the seasons could resonate in non-traditional months as well.
A major topic of the recent MHSAA Update Meetings and AD In-Services in the fall was the possibility of revamping the regulations regarding out-of-season contact for school coaches with school teams during the school year. The Summer Dead Period would remain in place and has been largely supported by membership since it was implemented for the 2007-08 school year.
It should be noted that out-of-season revision is not a certainty, but simply in the exploratory stage at this point.
Yet, the time was ripe to initiate discussion on this topic in the fall. The growth of non-school athletic programs and demands placed upon students by such entities in recent years was one factor. The difficulty the MHSAA has enforcing – and schools have interpreting – current out-of-season coaching regulations is another factor.
“The fundamental question is how to allow more contact between coaches and students out of season without encouraging single-sport participation,” MHSAA Executive Director Jack Roberts said.
Can this be done? Can trends toward specialization and away from multi-sport participation be reversed through greater contact periods for each sport within the school year?
Proponents of this school of thought believe that time otherwise spent with non-school coaches would be best served with education-based coaches who, in theory, would be on the same page with peers at their school, all encouraging multi-sport participation.
“Part of the explosion of AAU and club involvement has been the perpetuation of the notion that without additional training and competition, students will not reach their potential nor maximize their chances of being recruited by colleges,” said Scott Robertson, athletic director at Grand Haven. “When our high school coaches have the ability to provide a similar experience, but with an education-first mindset regulated by athletic directors, the expectations of student-athletes by coaches can be tempered.”
It is a lively debate that will be picking up momentum for the remainder of this school year and into the next.
Following are some of the concepts and comments from the fall, with key points from a statewide survey to be published later this week. The MHSAA's Representative Council discussed these results at its March meeting, and action is possible during its final meeting of the school year in May.
Let's begin
Perhaps the most criticized, misinterpreted, ignored, and/or difficult to enforce rule in the MHSAA Handbook resides in Regulation II, Section 11 (H): the three- and four-player rule for coaches out of season during the school year. (See bottom of this page.)
Debate has long spiraled in dizzying circles around definitions such as “open gyms,” “under one roof,” “conditioning,” “drills,” and other components.
“One of the problems is the MHSAA finds this specific rule difficult to enforce and interpret,” MHSAA Associate Director Tom Rashid said. “Another perceived problem is that there might be a disconnect between school coaches and students out of season, which might be driving students toward non-school programs.”
It’s simple to recognize lightning rods, but quite another to construct a device for harvesting the sparks in a productive manner. To that end, Rashid prepared an outline for discussion on the topic as he hit the trails around Michigan this fall for Update Meetings and AD In-Services.
“We felt we needed to see if we could do better,” Rashid said. “Rather than say to 600 ADs, ‘What do you think about out-of-season coaching rules?’ we asked about a new concept. We created a starting point for discussion.”
The basic premise brought forward to the masses was this: a voluntary contact period of one month to six weeks with a limit of 10 or 15 days of contact in that period – and perhaps three in any one week – between a coach and his/her athletes out of season with any number of students, grade 7-12. Due to large participation numbers in football, some consideration was given to limiting the number of players in any one out-of-season session to 11, thus not creating “spring football.”
A straw poll from the gatherings in the fall indicated nearly 70 percent of attendees in favor of “contact periods” versus the current rule, prompting a detailed survey to all member schools sent in October to further measure the climate and hone in on specifics for desired changes.
“It was a very open process with great discussion,” Rashid said. “All size schools, all demographics, and all corners of the state weighed in.”
As always, the devil is in the detail, and the October survey yielded plenty of detail.
Numbers favor no numbers
As mentioned earlier, nearly 70 percent of attendees at MHSAA fall gatherings indicated that they might prefer a rule that specified coaching contact periods outside their sport during the school year, as opposed to limiting the number of student-athletes per session.
The ensuing survey sent to member schools in late October reflects that sentiment in schools of all sizes, and in all zones of the state. On the topic of counting contact days out of season with no limit on the number of students involved, more than 72 percent of 514 responding schools favored the plan. Class A schools led the way with nearly 76 percent in support. Class D schools chimed in at 69 percent in favor. Support was strong across the zones of the state as well, led by the Detroit metro area (Zone 3) at 76.5. The middle of the state (Zone 5) was the low, but still found close to 60 percent in favor of such a revision.
The survey revealed consistencies across the board relative to the amount of three- and four-player sessions currently utilized by schools of different sizes, and the support and opposition to questions regarding revised regulations on the topic. For instance, nearly 50 percent of Class A schools indicate that their coaches work with students under the current rule most every week during the offseason, while 40 percent of Class D schools report that most of their coaches never utilize the three- or four-player rule at all out of season. Not surprisingly then, in questions posed where three-and four-player stipulations might still exist, the larger schools favored such changes at a higher rate than the smaller schools.
Survey data also reveals a reason for such opposition at lower-enrollment schools: a simple numbers game. In Class C and D, the majority of schools report that 60-80 percent of their student-athletes participate in more than one sport. So, with more students busier year-round than at their larger school counterparts, there are fewer people to attend out-of-season sessions.
Similarly, the concept of extending the current preseason down time for all sports was supported more in Class C and D schools than Class A and B.
“It is always a challenge for individual schools to see things from the other schools’ perspectives,” Rashid said. “It’s hard for people to say, ‘It might be different for us, but for the greater good, we might have to change our culture here.’”
But, that line of thinking is certainly understood at Chelsea High School, a Class B school of more than 800 students. Athletic director and football coach Brad Bush is an advocate of multi-sport participation, regardless of school size.
“The current three- or four-player rule benefits kids by developing skills, but does not force kids to feel pressure to be at a full practice,” Bush said. “Changing this rule could reduce the number of multiple-sport athletes. Our staff and league is united in believing that changing this rule could be a big mistake.”
Outside influence
Part of the balancing act in attempting to revise out-of-season rules is to encourage greater participation on school teams, while not promoting specialization.
Interestingly, a number of schools in the survey reported that they have policies in place limiting in-season athletes from attending sports-specific training from out-of-season coaches. The percentages ranged from 27.6 percent in Class D to 41 percent in Class B.
Most schools allow weightlifting during the season, followed in decreasing order by three- or four- player workouts, conditioning and open gyms. However, more than 40 percent of responding schools have in place a policy prohibiting non-school competition for in-season athletes. The message seems to be that if activity is taking place, the preference is for it to be under supervision, and for that supervision to come from school coaches.
“If a coach is going to hold three workouts per week out of season, a student may leave another sport to play in the offseason of their preferred sport,” Rashid said. “As such, many ADs identified that it would be the role of each school to regulate out-of-season coaching. Right now, the ADs have to keep a handle on out-of-season activities and if the rules change, depending on their demographic, they might need to be involved even more.”
With advance planning, an environment can be created in which all of a school’s sports can exist in harmony and encourage multi-sport membership.
“Athletic directors can guide all coaches on their staffs to work together to create 12-month calendars that focus on the needs of kids and respect the desire of many to participate in multiple sports,” Robertson said. “In doing so, coaches can work to avoid overlaps in important opportunities where kids may be put in win-lose situations. With careful planning student-athletes will be afforded more opportunities to train and develop with their classmate peers and within their own communities.”
Chris Ervin, athletic director at St. Johns High School, is one of many in the camp that believes the current system accomplishes a school’s missions when properly supervised.
“Our coaches have ample opportunities to coach in the three- or four-player setting, and our athletes have plenty of opportunities to improve their skill sets through open gyms which are not coach-directed,” Ervin said.
Others agree that any change might introduce unwanted consequences. One source, an administrator in a strong football community, speculates in that town and others like it, football programs could smother other sport programs by scheduling full workouts on top of other in-season sports. Voluntary or not, it is opined that kids would gravitate toward the out-of-season football workouts if that’s the signature sport in town.
Ervin can see the same point. “I don't see this affecting my role too much, but I do believe this could lead to even more specialization. For example, if football coaches are able to work with their players 11 at a time in the offseason, I believe athletes will feel more pressure to be part of that football workout while they are in-season with another sport.”
Under another scenario, school coaches might someday be allowed to coach non-school teams during the school year. The rationale is that if students are participating outside the school campus anyway, wouldn’t it be better that they are coached by school personnel so that the educational message is delivered appropriately?
Add to this the fact that 100 percent of surveyed schools reported conducting open gyms in basketball and 66 percent in volleyball – the two most high-profile AAU sports – would it benefit schools to have trained personnel in those non-school leadership roles?
“This would connect our coaches to school kids but also could have the unintended consequence of specialization,” Rashid said. “However, the coaches in place would be our coaches, whereas currently we don’t have a say in the AAU coaches of our students.”
Not yet. This topic on the survey was favored by roughly 60 percent overall, but an equal 20.4 percent were at opposite ends of the spectrum strongly in favor and strongly against, with the highest percentage falling just above lukewarm.
By Class, the C and D schools were slightly more opposed to this idea than Class A and B. Why? Very often, in the smaller communities, there are no non-school opportunities; school sports are the only option.
Robertson believes that incorporating a revised out-of-season coaching plan could assist families financially in the long run.
“By having the ability to include larger numbers of kids in development activities and allowing for a limited number of competitions, there is a strong likelihood that students and their families will choose the out-of-season activities offered by their schools over the AAU/club activities that exist,” Robertson said. “In doing so, there will be no rental of outside gyms, no mandatory club fees, and reduced costs to families.”
Not all ideas have elicited opposing views. One item on the docket that schools uniformly opposed was the possibility of scrimmages within the out-of-season contact period. Most schools indicate a preference for these periods to be instructional only.
Just a tweak
Perhaps the current rule just needs a splint and not a full cast. Maybe it’s not broken after all.
The most popular proposal to emerge from the survey was simply the removal of three little words in the current regulation: “under one roof.”
More than 80 percent of schools favored removing the phrase “under one roof” from Regulation II, Section 11(H) 2. a., which means as long as only three or four students are receiving coaching, then others may be in the facility working on conditioning, or in groups on their own.
Receiving close to 70 percent support from schools is the prospect of removing the portion of Handbook Interpretation 237 which currently prohibits schools from setting up rotations. This would allow a coach to work with dozens of players, three and four at a time.
And, Robertson says, in less time than coaches are currently expending.
“Most high school coaches already commit an enormous amount of time to the offseason development of student-athletes,” he said. “By removing the limit on number of athletes they can have contact with at one time and by placing a limit on the number of dates they can actually have this direct instructional contact, the net gain will be fewer dates, but with a greater impact.”
Rashid forecasts slight modifications of current rules rather than wholesale changes, at least in the near future.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if a few changes come sooner than later,” Rashid said. “One, allow rotations in the three- or four-player rule. Two, allow more than three kids under one roof as long as only three kids are receiving coaching. These two are a broader interpretations of our current rules.”
Simpler could be the answer. Perhaps over the course of time, in trying to be everything to all schools, the rule became more difficult for schools to follow, and for the MHSAA to oversee. Outside influences that could not have been predicted a generation ago have crept into the picture as well.
“These rules are very old, and that doesn’t mean not good,” Rashid said. “They were written at a time when the majority of students played multiple sports; before students began playing in 3rd and 4th grades, and before the non-school sports explosion.”
Even with the current trends and abundance of choices for some athletes, there are strong feelings from various leaders to leave things status quo.
“Our staff and league believes there needs to be a greater emphasis on the current rules with stronger punishments,” Bush said. “The answer is to enforce to current rules that we have, and not change the rules.”
There is a certain irony to this topic in front of athletic administrators and coaches, who spend so many hours in the here and now; in-season, in practices, in games.
“Who would think that what you do out of season could be the most critical piece of school sports discussion that we’ve had?” Rashid ponders. “It’s not what happens during the season, but in the offseason, that might be at the core of encouraging and maintaining school sports participation.”
Current Out-of-Season Rule (Three- or Four-Player Rule)
From MHSAA Handbook, Regulation II, Section 11(H):
2. These limitations out of season apply to coaches:
a. Outside the school season during the school year (from Monday the week of Aug. 15 through the Sunday after Memorial Day observed), school coaches are prohibited from providing coaching at any one time under one roof, facility or campus to more than three (or four) students in grades 7-12 of the district or cooperative program for which they coach (four students if the coaching does not involve practice or competition with students or others not enrolled in that school district). This applies only to the specific sport(s) coached by the coach, but it applies to all levels, junior high/middle school and high school, and both genders, whether the coach is paid or volunteer (e.g., a volunteer JV boys soccer coach may not work with more than three girls in grades 7-12 outside the girls soccer season during the school year).