Former NFL players, legendary coaches headline Stevenson Class of 2024 Athletic Hall of Fame

STERLING HEIGHTS — In its second annual Athletic Hall of Fame induction class, Sterling Heights Stevenson brought a star-studded roster to the table for 2024.

The school inducted the Class of 2024 Hall of Famers Sept. 26 at the Stevenson High School Performing Arts Center as family, friends and former coaches attended.

Stevenson held its inaugural Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2023, honoring  Rick Bye, Christy Goodison-O’Brien, Kevin Hanson, Joe Alls, Jeff McCool, Pete Chryplewicz, Jason Fracassa, Alyssa Huntley, Paul Longo and Daniel Jilek.

While the 2024 class had one fewer name to be added, it certainly brought the star power to make up for it as former National Football League players, legendary coaches, the iconic “Voice of the Titans,” an entire athletic team, and a lone softball inductee took the stage.

Here are the newest inductees into the Stevenson Athletic Hall of Fame: Chris Liwienski (athlete), Jim Meyer (coach), Jim Szymanski (athlete), Ben Ancona (contributor), Shannon Carr (athlete), Ken Fiott (coach), Gerald LaJeunesse (coach), Frank Zombo (athlete), and the 1985 girls cross country team.

Carr kicked things off as the first honoree of the night to be inducted, and it was evident how touching of an honor it was for the Class of 2017 graduate.

On top of having a massive cheering section in the crowd for her, Carr spoke on what being a Titan truly meant to her, and said how it felt like a family legacy that she continued to carry on.

“Being a Stevenson Titan and representing my high school was important to me for so many reasons,” Carr said. “Basically my entire family went to Stevenson. My parents, aunts and uncles on both sides, and my brother and I were all Stevenson Titans. My grandparents still live on Plumridge right behind the school, and they listen to football games on their back porch every Friday night. Going to the school, like the rest of my family, was something I took pride in, and I still do.”

The trio of football players would follow, and the continuous reflection of what being a Titan meant carried on with all three showing their love for the school and discussing how it felt to rep the Stevenson name on their jersey.

For Liwienski, who now lives in Minnesota with his wife and two children, it was his first time back in the Stevenson halls in decades.

“I haven’t walked these halls in 30-ish years, and it’s pretty cool to get back and see how much has changed and how much is still the same,” Liwienski said.

But all roads down memory lane for the three inductees led to who, they felt, was their mentor in their football family — Rick Bye, who was the head football coach from 1975-2009.

“Coach Bye saw something in me,” Liwienski said. “Sometimes all you need is an opportunity and someone to believe in you, and maybe before you even believe in yourself. Rick Bye was that person and coach for me, and I can’t thank him enough.”

“I almost gave up on football, and there was one guy that changed that – Rick Bye,” Szymanski said.

Szymanski would go on to say that Bye was the “first guy that really believed” in him, tearing up as he delivered his speech.

That’s the type of passion Stevenson meant to this class. Whether it was Carr’s grandparents still living right by the school, the football players talking about how much the coaching staff meant to them, or the newest coaching inductees listing off every coach they ever worked with that made an impact alongside them, it reinforced the culture of Stevenson each inductee described it as having.

“I’m extremely prideful of where I went to school and where I grew up,” Zombo said. “This city of Sterling Heights and the high school of Sterling Heights Stevenson has been honestly amazing for me. This is where I met my wife and this is where we grew up. Because of this school, we’re now married and have four beautiful children. It really means a lot to me.”

Or in the case of Ken Fiott, who coached track and field, and football for over three decades, it’s a lifetime of moments he’ll never forget.

“Stevenson honors me with a picture on the wall, but Stevenson has given me the greatest gift of all — it’s given me thousands of memories,” Fiott said.

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Meet the Class of 2024:

Chris Liwienski: A Class of 1993 graduate, Liwienski was a three-year letterman for football at Stevenson while also competing in track and field, and wrestling. Liwienski would continue his football career at the University of Indiana, starting for three seasons before being selected by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of the 1998 NFL Draft. Liwienski would spend 10 seasons in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings (1998-2005), Arizona Cardinals (2006), Miami Dolphins (2007), and Jacksonville Jaguars (2008).

 

Jim Szymanski: A Class of 1985 graduate, Szymanski was a Macomb County Football Player of the Year winner as a defensive end before playing four years at Michigan State University. Szymanski played from 1985-1989 with the Spartans and was selected in the 10th round of the 1990 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. He would spend four seasons in the NFL with the Broncos (1990-1991), Kansas City Chiefs (1992), and Pittsburgh Steelers (1993).

 

Frank Zombo: A Class of 2005 graduate, Zombo was a member of the high school football Dream Team before becoming First Team All-MAC as a defensive end at Central Michigan University. Following the 2010 NFL Draft, Zombo was signed by the Green Bay Packers, where he’d spend three seasons, including a Super Bowl win in 2010. He registered the only sack by the Packers’ defense in the Super Bowl. Zombo would spend the rest of his eight-year career with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2013-2018 and was inducted into the Central Michigan University Hall of Fame in 2023.

 

Shannon Carr: A Class of 2017 graduate, Carr competed in varsity volleyball and softball during her time at Stevenson. Carr was named all-State first team for volleyball and softball and is Stevenson’s all-time leader in home runs and RBIs. Carr is also the volleyball record holder for most career assists (2,583) and most serve attempts in a season (641). She would go on to be a five-year softball starter at Oakland University, winning the Horizon League tournament and conference championship in 2022. She is tied for sixth in OU history in triples, seventh for most runs in a single season, and 10th for most triples in a single season.

 

Ken Fiott: A pioneer for girls track and field at Stevenson, Fiott started the team in 1980 and coached it for 20 years. During his tenure, he was four-time Coach of the Year honoree; held 10 league meet championships, 12 dual meet championships, three regional championships; and had a 69-straight dual meet win streak. He would become the assistant track coach from 2000-2012 and was the head JV football coach and varsity offensive coordinator from 1978-2010.

 

Gerald LaJeunesse: A Hall of Fame inductee for both the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association and Macomb County Athletic Directors Association, LaJeunesse was the varsity football defensive coordinator from 1974-2010 and volunteer athletic trainer for 10 years. He was named Assistant Coach of the Year in 2002 and is also in the Michigan Technological University Hall of Fame as a four-year letter winner in football and two-year letter winner in track, receiving the Terry Wilson Memorial Award for Athlete of the Year at Michigan Tech.

 

Jim Meyer: A pioneer for Stevenson boys cross country, he established the team in 1967 and coached it from 1967-1998, compiling eight undefeated seasons, 18 Eastern Michigan League/Macomb Athletic Conference Championships, four Macomb County Championships, and three regional championships. He was a 10-time County and Conference Coach of the Year honoree and was nominated for State of Michigan Coach of the Year in 1982. He also established the girls cross country program in 1981, winning two MAC Championships and a Macomb County Championship in his two seasons as head coach.

 

Ben Ancona: The “Voice” of Titans football for almost 30 seasons, announcing boys and girls basketball, softball, and other events as well, Ancona was also the Athletic Booster Club President for five years. If you’ve been around Stevenson High School events, you know him and his voice very well.

 

1985 Girls Cross Country: Coached by Class of 2023 Hall of Fame inductee Kevin Hanson, the 1985 Stevenson girls cross country team were conference champions, county and regional champions, and the first-ever Stevenson and Macomb County team to win the state championship.