Adams, Kopicki enter UDM Sports Hall of Fame

By Jon Malavolti
C & G Sports Writer

Few moments are sweeter to an athlete then when they receive the call that they’ve been selected for a Hall of Fame.

After all, time has passed, trophies have gathered dust and lives have change since the glory days.

But then the phone rings, and all the great memories come flooding back.

Such was the case for Joe Kopicki and Pat Adams, who were recently honored by the University of Detroit-Mercy for their sporting achievements. Kopicki and Adams joined eight other inductees into the Detroit Titans Sports Hall of Fame during the Jan. 23 ceremony at UDM’s Calihan Hall.

Kopicki, now a teacher and the boys basketball coach at Warren Fitzgerald, played basketball at UDM from 1979-1982.

“A lot of time has passed, but walking out to center court brought back a lot of memories,” Kopicki said.

Adams, now the principal at Warren De La Salle, played baseball for the Titans from 1978-1981.

“On my level, the congratulations I received from former players was priceless,” Adams said. “All athletes will tell you that the bond formed in the locker room, in the dugout or in the huddle is forever. I was able to feel it again, and that was good.”

Both former stars found out about the honor over the holidays with calls from UDM Athletic Director Keri Gaither.

“I was, obviously, excited, happy and proud,” Kopicki said. “I was very excited that they chose to honor me in this way.”

“It made me feel good,” Adams said. “I wasn’t ecstatic or overly emotional, but more like a calm feeling of validation — a feeling that kind of reassured me that there really were some remarkable times in the past that I needed to be proud of, for a moment at least.”

Being able to share the moment with their families made it extra special for both men.

According to profiles of the inductees, Adams was “one of the Midwest’s most prolific sluggers as a first baseman for the Titans.”

He was a two-time All-District 4 honoree, won the Titans’ “Triple Crown” as a sophomore after leading the 1979 team in home runs (13), RBIs (55) and batting average (.361). The home run and RBI marks set school records. He also set career records at UDM for home runs (33) and RBIs (177), and finished in second with runs scored (144) and fifth in batting average (.346) on the all-time lists. He still remains in the all-time top five in six career offensive categories.

Despite his impressive individual stats, Adams remained humble looking back, sharing the spotlight with his teammates.

“We had great teams when I was there,” he said. “We had success with players from the sandlots that weren’t recruited by Michigan, Michigan State, Central (Michigan) or Eastern (Michigan). We took great pride in beating those teams, because we grew up with many of the players on those teams and resented the perception of superiority. It was a meaningful time in which we made our mark as athletes.”

Kopicki, meanwhile, was voted to the All-Midwestern Collegiate Conference team in his final two seasons as a UDM hoopster. He became a member of the Titans’ 1,000 point club as a senior and graduated with 1,410 career points. He was a two-time winner of the Bob Calihan Award as the team’s MVP and averaged a double-double his senior season — scoring 18.6 points and grabbing 10.5 rebounds per game. He finished his career among the top 10 rebounders in school history.

Kopicki was selected in the third round of the 1982 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks and played three seasons in the NBA, two with the Washington Bullets and the third with the Denver Nuggets.

“It was like going down memory lane, like when UD started recruiting me when I was a high school junior,” Kopicki said. “I never would have thought I would make the Hall of Fame. UD is a special place for me.”

The other eight honorees were Jermaine Jackson (basketball), Ken Dubois (cross country/track and field), Kim Jess (track and field), Cassandra Pack (basketball), Maria Pandele (tennis) Mike Pesci (baseball), Rashad Phillips (basketball) and Adam Walicki (golf).

“This is a tremendous class of people who have distinguished themselves not only athletically while at the university, but have also gone on to distinguish themselves in their professional careers and their communities,” said Gaither in a prepared statement. “I congratulate them all.”

You can reach Sports Writer Jon Malavolti at jmalavolti@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1040.