OWOSSO, Michigan — Brad Van Pelt lived for clutch moments. His athletic career was inundated with them.
In 1969, Van Pelt's American Legion baseball team held a late 8-0 lead, and Van Pelt's coach, Gary Webster, opted to pinch-hit his star for the sake of sportsmanship. Van Pelt's teammates objected, and begged Webster to let Van Pelt attempt to hit for the cycle — he was 3-for-3 with a single, double and triple.
Van Pelt expressed an interest, and said he would give it a try.
Webster agreed with one stipulation: Webster told Van Pelt if he didn't hit a home run, he wouldn't start the next game.
'Fair enough,' said Van Pelt before he belted a towering home run to left center.
The former Owosso legend was inducted into
on Saturday prior to Michigan State’s dramatic 34-31 victory over Notre Dame, along with John Pingel. The pair joined the ranks of Bubba Smith, George Webster, Don Coleman and former MSU president John Hannah in the exclusive fraternity.
Van Pelt, who died in February at age 57, would have appreciated
, because that’s the way he operated. Webster recalled one of Van Pelt’s high school basketball games when Owosso and Flushing were tied 57-57. As the final seconds ticked away, Van Pelt called for the ball, and sank an 18-foot-jumper to give the Trojans the win.
Webster knew Van Pelt well, and became closer friends through the years. Webster couldn’t help but marvel at Van Pelt’s transcendent legacy. He had handfuls of stories regarding the athlete’s game-winning plays.
“Others would talk the talk,” Webster said of Van Pelt’s reliability.“But Brad walked the walk.”
Van Pelt went on to have a star-studded career at MSU, where he started on the baseball and basketball teams. But the three-sport standout earned seven letters, and was
. He was a two-time All-American safety and left with 256 career tackles and 14 interceptions. In 1972, Van Pelt became the first defensive back to win the Maxwell Award, which is awarded
annually to the nation’s top college player.
The New York Giants made Van Pelt their second-round pick in the 1973 NFL Draft, and
. Van Pelt was known as the cornerstone of the Giants’ defense.
Despite the accolades and fame, Van Pelt was never too busy to return to Owosso to visit friends and family.
“
” Webster said firmly. “He was just one of the guys. He would shift to that much, much bigger stage and make us proud.”
Known for his humility, Van Pelt would have been reluctant to receive Saturday’s honor, said Webster.
“I find it incredible,” said Webster of Van Pelt’s accomplishments. “Brad would say ‘You guys are making a mistake.’ Brad Van Pelt was the greatest athlete to ever come out of Owosso. He was an even greater person. He was a great guy. I miss him.”