1991 Jim Crowley Award Winner
Jim Crowley Award Presented to –
Roger Chiaverini
By Larry Sellers, Crowley Award Chair, Traverse City St. Francis
The Jim Crowley Award is presented in the memory of the late Jim Crowley, a great coach and dedicated family man who stressed having fun, playing hard, and being dedicated to doing their best to the many young men he coached in 17 seasons at Jackson St. John’s and Lumen Christi High Schools.
Our 1991 recipient, Roger Chiaverini, is a 1944 graduate of Detroit Western High School. That fall he enrolled and played football at the University of Michigan, playing on a team which featured many players much older than he, who had returned from service in World War II. After a year out of school he enrolled at Western Michigan University and played guard for the Broncos during the early part of the Korean War. He returned to WMU on the GI Bill and served as a graduate assistant in 1952 and 1953.
Coach Chiaverini’s first head job was at Adrian High School in 1954-’55. Following two years as line coach at WMU in ‘56-’57, he returned to high school coaching at Monroe High School. Successful programs were later developed at Muskegon High School, Muskegon Catholic Central (where his 1974 team won the “mythical” state title), and Holland West Ottawa. He resigned his position at West Ottawa in 1986 and has been an assistant at Muskegon Reeths-Puffer for his long-time former assistant, Pete Kutches the past four years.
Other former assistants of Coach Chiaverini, besides Pete Kutches, that have gone on to head coaching jobs include: Bob Knight, Portage Central; Brent Englewright, coaching in Wisconsin; Tony Annese, Montrose; Ken Diamond, Montague; Dean Jewett, Muskegon Catholic Central; Larry Sellers, Traverse City St. Francis; Rich Jeric, Monroe; and Charles Jestice, Dearborn Fordson.
Roger Chiaverini has been coaching for 41 years, 31 as a head coach. He is always willingto share his knowledge of the game and his philosophy of offense and defense. He truly loves the game and loves sharing with others. He has been honored as a Regional Coach of the Year by our association on several occasions, was AP Coach of the Year in 1974, coached the All Star Game in 1983, and was inducted into the MHSFCA Hall of Fame in 1983. Roger lists as his best achievement the fact that he has hired good assistants.
Like Jim Crowley, this year’s recipient is a leader of young men, a tremendous example to those he coached, and a dedicated father and husband to Mark, Susan, and wife Dot. Our sincere congratulations to Roger Chiaverini, a most deserving recipient of the 1991 Jim Crowley Award.