This bench is dedicated to one of the best IM athletes to ever grace these playing fields. While attending MSU Jon’s teams won IM Sports championships in softball, basketball, and football. He was a true three sport athlete that never took himself too seriously and was the consummate teammate.
While Jon excelled in virtually every sport he played while at MSU no one, and I mean no one, hit a softball like Jon. His home runs were legendary. Opposing teams played their outfielders on the adjacent fields encroaching on the other games when Jon was up to bat. That becomes the story behind this dedicated bench.
On this field during the championship game of the IM softball league Jon hit one of his monster shots over the left fielder’s head early in the game. For his next two at bats the opposing team intentionally walk Jon. In the last inning with his team down two runs, no outs and a couple of men on base the opposing team decided to pitch to Jon. Having witnessed Jon’s earlier hit the team placed three outfielders on the left side of the outfield and had them all back up.
On the first pitch Jon hit a towering shot well over the heads of all the outfielders landing in the top of one of the trees planted along the walkway in front of Munn Arena. The ball hit the top of the tree and bounced its way down the tree limbs doing its best pin ball machine imitation. By the time the ball came out of the tree one of the outfielders had run back to the tree and caught the ball before it hit the ground, upon which the umpire called Jon out. Jon was stunned by the call as was his teammates, and even the opposing team. At the very least, the hit should have been ruled a ground rule double or more appropriately it should have been ruled a home run as the ball exited the playing field.
The umpire who made the call was just another fellow student trying to make a few dollars but clearly in over his head, didn’t know what to do so he just stuck with his initial call. There was no screaming or yelling, no temper tantrum just a bad call in a softball game. We lost the game; Jon shook the opposing team’s hands as they sheepishly acknowledged to him it was a bad call.
That evening Jon and his roommates reflected on the day’s events and tried to wash away some of the sting of the loss with a few adult beverages. That combination of gathered roommates and the consumption of adult beverages has spurred many a memorable MSU student decision. In keeping with that tradition Jon and his roommate returned to the field late in the evening and with a 4-inch hand saw and cut down that tree. As you sit on this bench and view the gap in the tree line in front of Munn, as it still remains today, appreciate the experiences of the students who have come before you. Never being one to condone destroying another person’s property and wishing with Jon’s passing to tell his story, we dedicate this bench to MSU in Jon’s memory.