Sterling Heights Stevenson will honor legendary coach Rick Bye on Dec. 19 at Stevenson High School.
By: Jonathan Szczepaniak | Sterling Heights Sentry | Published December 18, 2023
STERLING HEIGHTS -- Sterling Heights Stevenson is set to honor one of the school’s all-time greats on Dec. 19 at Stevenson High School.
Rick Bye, a staple of Stevenson high school through his time as the head football coach and educator, will be honored on Dec. 19 at 12 p.m. as Utica Community Schools honors the legendary coach with the Rick Bye Fieldhouse, an athletic training facility Stevenson plans to showcase at the dedication ceremony as well.
The Utica Community Schools Board of Education voted unanimously in October to honor the fieldhouse after Bye.
“We’re excited about this,” Stevenson principal Ken Cucchi III said. “It’s long overdue to really acknowledge him in this way. The school has a lot of rich history in athletic success, but Rick (Bye) really is the person who symbolizes the Titan. He got the brand out there and we have alumni that just speak really highly of him, and their kids come here because of Rick. His influence is still felt today even though he’s been gone for “X” amount of years.”
Bye was a seven-time Macomb County Coach of the Year honoree, inductee into the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Michigan High School Coaches Hall of Fame, Macomb County Coaches Hall of Fame, and Stevenson Athletic Hall of Fame, and led the Titans to four state finals appearances. Bye coached Stevenson football from 1975-2009, compiling a 268-94 record throughout his 35-year tenure and ranking him 18th all-time in wins according to the Michigan High School Athletic Association.
While manning the sidelines, Bye was also an educator in the district for 42 years, teaching woodwork, physical education, and drafting while serving as the athletic director and coaching basketball and track and field throughout his career.
The event was also made possible by a nominating committee made up of teachers, Stevenson football coaches, former players, and community members who recommended for the fieldhouse to be named after Bye.
“The ‘Rick Bye Fieldhouse’ will be a place where his traditions of instilling work ethic, toughness, and leadership characteristics will live so coach Bye’s legacy can continue for years to come in new students and athletics,” the nominating committee wrote in a press release. “He was more than a coach and a teacher, he was a role model, father figure, mentor to young teachers and a friend.”
The event will also showcase what Stevenson has in store for the fieldhouse, which featured the school’s pool before being closed down, in the foreseeable future.
The fieldhouse will honor both Bye and Stevenson’s long standing athletic history with various signs, plaques, and photos as renovation begins to turn the fieldhouse into a state-of-the-art weight room and athletic facility.
“We’re going to showcase what are thoughts on what the fieldhouse is going to look like through fundraising efforts as well as district support of past and current bonds,” Cucchi III said.
The event will be open to the public and mockups of the fieldhouse are available upon request.