JACK TANY

Jack Tany has had a lifelong love affair with local sports that now spans over five decades. He attended Zilwaukee Junior High School, where he participated in numerous sports before graduating from Saginaw St. Mary Cathedral High School, where he played two years of varsity football. Tany earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Central Michigan University, where he majored in journalism and covered sports for the award-winning school newspaper CM Life. For over 10 years Tany worked as sports editor for the Saginaw Township Times newspaper, and continues to write a weekly column called Running with Scissors. Additionally, he also served as color commentator for prep football and basketball games for radio station WSAM. He is a feature writer for the Great Lakes Bay Regional Lifestyle magazine and has been a contributor to Michigan History magazine, Review Magazine and The Catholic Weekly. Tany wrote and self-published the book “Glory, the History of Saginaw County Sports,” which chronicles sports in Saginaw County from 1894-2000. The book was the driving force behind the start of the Saginaw County Sports Hall of Fame where Tany was an inaugural board member and has served as the organization’s president since 2007. He was instrumental in establishing the Hall of Fame’s home inside the Castle Museum of Saginaw County History. Tany is heavily involved in the community, serving on the Great Lakes Bay Sports Commission, Saginaw Valley State University’s Cardinal Advisory Board, Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Saginaw Program, and Saginaw Valley State University’s Cardinal Athletic Hall of Fame boards. He is a volunteer umpire for Bay City Southwest Little League where he has worked several district, regional, and sectional tournaments. Tany is a trustee for the Order of Sons of Italy in America Sacra Famiglia Lodge 2456, and also is a member of the Historical Society of Saginaw County and Fordney Club. An inaugural member of the Saginaw Old Golds’ vintage baseball team, Tany played for Bill’s Sporting Goods and Expressway Bar softball teams and was player/coach for Plantation Bar and Ancon Tool & Die softball teams that won a record 34 consecutive games.