{{noref, date=January 2015 The Grand Rapids City League (GRCL) was a high school athletic league in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

. The GRCL originated in the spring of 1928 when seven Grand Rapids high schools competed in the first City Track Meet on May 18-19. The meet doubled as the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) Class A Regional Meet. Catholic Central, Central, Creston, Davis Tech, Ottawa Hills, South and Union competed in the meet under the direction of newly appointed City League athletic director Henry Lightner. The league's final membership consisted of the four public high schools of the Grand Rapids Public Schools (Central, Creston, Ottawa Hills and Union) plus Catholic Central, West Catholic and Christian. The last league secretary was Melvin Atkins, the Grand Rapids Public Schools' Executive Director of Athletics and Activities. This made the GRCL among the few athletic conferences administered by a public school district that has a significant non-public school membership. Due to a lack of parity and competitiveness within the league because of changing enrollment figures and demographic shifts, the Grand Rapids City League had attempted in 2004 to disband and join the larger

Ottawa-Kent Conference The Ottawa-Kent Conference is an athletic league located in West Michigan. Its current leader is David VanNoord. It has member schools from Allegan, Ionia, Kent, Montcalm, Muskegon, and Ottawa Counties. It has 48 member schools that partake in at ...

, which the majority of schools in metropolitan Grand Rapids are members of. The

rejected the

Grand Rapids Public Schools The Grand Rapids Public Schools is a public school district serving Grand Rapids, Michigan. Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS) is Michigan's eight largest public school district. It is also the third-largest employer in the City of Grand Rapids ...

while extending an invitation to the three private schools. The member schools decided to keep the league intact and reapplied for

membership in 2006. On February 8, 2007 the

voted to invite the City League schools for membership. The 2007-2008 school year was the last year of competition for the City League as all schools accepted the invitation to join the

Members

The following high schools, all within the City of Grand Rapids, were the final members of the Grand Rapids City League: * Grand Rapids Catholic Central High School * Grand Rapids Central High School (earlier called Grand Rapids High School) *

Grand Rapids Christian High School Grand Rapids Christian High School (GRCHS) is a private Christian secondary school in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1920, "Christian High" is a member of Grand Rapids Christian Schools and Christian Schools International. The school was fir ...

* Grand Rapids Creston High School * Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills High School * Grand Rapids Union High School * Grand Rapids

West Catholic High School West Catholic High School is a private Catholic college preparatory secondary school in Grand Rapids, Michigan (U.S.). It opened in 1962 with loans from Kenowa Hills Public Schools. It is located within the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids. ...

Membership History

Davis Technical High School was a member of the Grand Rapids City League from the 1920s until 1943, when its building was turned over to Grand Rapids Junior College. Grand Rapids South High School, alma mater of former

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Gerald R. Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

, was a league member until the school was closed in 1967. Grand Rapids

was established in 1961, began varsity boys basketball a year later in 1962-1963 as an independent, and then joined the City League for the 1963-1964 school year. However, West Catholic's varsity football team did not have its first season until 1963-1964 and played as an independent for two years before entering league competition in 1965-1966. Also, from 1964-1965 through 1971-1972,

was divided into Central Christian and East Christian high schools. Central Christian joined the league in 1964-1965 and East Christian became a member in 1965-1966. The Central and East Christian football teams played as independents from their first years in 1967-1968 through their last seasons in 1971-1972. The reunited Grand Rapids Christian High began participation in the City League in 1972-1973, with the football team starting league play in 1973-1974. The Grand Rapids City League's last competitions were held in the 2007-2008 school year. The league's member schools joined the Ottawa-Kent Conference

prior to the 2008-2009 school year.

Membership timeline

DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:1928 till:2008 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:30 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7) id:line value:black id:bg value:white PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:1 color:powderblue from:1928 till:end text: Grand Rapids Catholic Central (1928-2008) bar:2 color:powderblue from:1928 till:end text: Grand Rapids Central (1928-2008) bar:3 color:powderblue from:1928 till:end text: Grand Rapids Creston (1928-2008) bar:4 color:powderblue from:1928 till:1943 text: Grand Rapids Davis Technical (1928-1943) bar:5 color:powderblue from:1928 till:end text: Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills (1928-2008) bar:6 color:powderblue from:1928 till:1968 text: Grand Rapids South (1928-1968) bar:7 color:powderblue from:1928 till:end text: Grand Rapids Union (1928-2008) bar:8 color:powderblue from:1963 till:end text: Grand Rapids West Catholic (1963-2008) bar:9 color:powderblue from:1964 till:1972 text: Grand Rapids Central Christian (1964-1972) bar:10 color:powderblue from:1965 till:1972 text: Grand Rapids East Christian (1965-1972) bar:11 color:powderblue from:1972 till:end text: Grand Rapids Christian (1972-2008) ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:10 start:1928 TextData = fontsize:L textcolor:black pos:(280,30) # tabs:(0-center) text:"Grand Rapids City League Membership History"

State championships

Grand Rapids City League member high schools won the following state championships (all Michigan High School Athletic Association unless noted):

Grand Rapids Catholic Central Cougars

* 1943 football (mythical championship) * 1949 football (Detroit Free Press & mythical championship) * 1951 football (Detroit Free Press) * 1959 football (Associated Press & Detroit Free Press) * 1982 boys' cross country * 1984 boys' cross country * 1985 baseball * 1987 football * 1987 girls' cross country * 1999 competitive cheer

Grand Rapids Central Rams

* 1896 football (mythical championship) * 1900 boys' track and field (pre-MHSAA) * 1907 boys' track and field (pre-MHSAA) * 1912 football (mythical championship) * 1913 boys' track and field (pre-MHSAA) * 1916 boys' track and field (pre-MHSAA) * 1917 boys' track and field (pre-MHSAA) * 1931 boys' tennis * 1932 boys' tennis * 1932 football (mythical championship) * 1933 boys' tennis

Grand Rapids Central Christian Eagles

* none

Grand Rapids Christian Eagles

* 1938 boys' basketball * 1979 girls' cross country * 1980 girls' track and field * 1997 girls' basketball * 1998 boys' soccer * 2001 girls' team track and field (MITCA) * 2001 boys' soccer * 2002 girls' team track and field (MITCA) * 2003 equestrian (MIHA) * 2005 girls' cross country * 2006 girls' cross country * 2007 girls' team track and field (MITCA)

Grand Rapids Creston Polar Bears

* 1980 girls' volleyball

Grand Rapids Davis Technical

* 1945 Boys Tennis

Grand Rapids East Christian Panthers

* 1966 boys' basketball * 1966 boys' cross country

Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills Indians/Bengals

* 1932 boys' track & field * 1934 boys' track & field * 1934 boys' golf * 1934 boys' tennis * 1938 boys' tennis * 1951 boys' track & field * 1952 boys' golf * 1968 boys' basketball * 1969 boys' basketball * 1989 girls' basketball * 1997 boys' basketball

Grand Rapids South Trojans

* 1924 football (mythical championship) * 1928 boys' tennis * 1929 boys' tennis * 1930 boys' cross country * 1944 football (mythical championship)

Grand Rapids Union Red Hawks

* 1925 football (mythical championship per Associated Press article) * 1931 football (mythical championship) * 1932 boys' golf * 1948 football (Detroit Free Press & mythical championship) * 1952 boys' cross country * 1953 boys' cross country

Grand Rapids West Catholic Falcons

* 1979 girls' basketball * 1984 gymnastics * 1990 girls' basketball * 2003 boys' cross country * 2004 boys' team track and field (MITCA) * 2008 boys' team track and field (MITCA) * 2008 girls' team track and field (MITCA)

Notable alumni

Notable alumni who participated athletically in the Grand Rapids City League (or participated for a school that later joined the City League) include the following: * Thomas Kelley, Grand Rapids Union High School, Basketball, Michigan State University *

George Andrie George Joseph Andrie (April 20, 1940 – August 21, 2018) was an American professional football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. Prior to his professional career he played college football at Marquett ...

Catholic Central High School (Grand Rapids, Michigan) Catholic Central High School is a college preparatory high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Athletics The Catholic Central Cougars compete in the Ottawa-Kent Conference. School colors are royal blue and white. The following Michigan High School ...

, Football, Marquette University, Dallas Cowboys * Lacy Jones, Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills High School, Basketball, Youngstown State, Central Michigan University is * Terry Barr, Grand Rapids Central High School, Football * Harry Berrios, Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills High School, Baseball, Football *

Hugh Blacklock Hugh McNeal Blacklock (January 1, 1893January 9, 1954) was an American football player. He played college football at the tackle and fullback positions at Michigan Agricultural College from 1913 to 1916. He also played seven years in the Na ...

, Grand Rapids Central High School, Football * Robert E Brady, Grand Rapids South High School, Football, basketball, track, Michigan State University * Carlton Brewster, Grand Rapids Creston High School, Football *

Kelly Butler Kelly Don Butler (born July 24, 1982) is a former professional gridiron football offensive lineman. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the sixth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue. Butler was a member of th ...

, Grand Rapids Union High School, Football, Purdue University * Geno Carlisle, Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills High School, Basketball, University of California at Berkeley * Chuck DeShane, Grand Rapids Creston High School, Football, Detroit Lions * Doug DeVos, Grand Rapids Christian High School, Football, Purdue University *

Richard DeVos Richard Marvin DeVos Sr. (March 4, 1926 – September 6, 2018) was an American billionaire businessman, co-founder of Amway with Jay Van Andel (company restructured as Alticor in 2000), and owner of the Orlando Magic basketball team. In 2012 ...

* Clarence Ellis, Grand Rapids Central High School, Football, Track and Field *

, Grand Rapids South High School, Football * David Harris, Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills High School, Football, University of Michigan, New York Jets *

Mike Kadish Michael S. Kadish (May 27, 1950 – March 19, 2023) was a American football defensive lineman who played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills. He played college football at the University of ...

, Football *

Mike Keller Michael F. Keller (born December 13, 1949) is a former American football linebacker and football executive in the National Football League. He played professional football for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of M ...

, Football *

Stanley Ketchel Stanisław Kiecal (September 14, 1886 – October 15, 1910), better known in the boxing world as Stanley Ketchel, was an American professional boxer who became one of the greatest World Middleweight Champions in history. He was nicknamed "The Mic ...

, Grand Rapids Union High School, Boxing, World Champion *

George Kok George William Kok Sr. (March 18, 1922 – October 5, 2013) was an American basketball player. At the University of Arkansas in the 1940s, he was one of the first true big men to dominate the game. He was the second overall pick in the 1948 BAA d ...

, Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills High School, Basketball * Alvin Loucks, Grand Rapids Union High School, Football * Bob Lurtsema, Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills High School, Football, New York Giants *

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. (''né'' Sinclair; February 24, 1977) is an American boxing promoter and former professional boxer. He currently owns a team in the NASCAR Cup Series named The Money Team Racing. As a professional boxer he competed b ...

, Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills High School *

Greg Meyer Greg Meyer (born September 18, 1955) is an American long-distance runner. Meyer's winning time for the 1983 Boston Marathon race was 2:09.00. He was the last American to win the Boston Marathon until 2014, and the last person born in America to w ...

, Grand Rapids

, Cross Country, Track and Field, Boston Marathon, Olympics * Rick Miller, Grand Rapids Union High School, Football, Basketball, Baseball * Duke Mondy, Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Basketball, Providence, Oakland * Mike Prindle, Grand Rapids Union High School, Football, Western Michigan University * Rueben Riley, Grand Rapids Creston High School, Football *

Dave Rozema David Scott Rozema ( ; born August 5, 1956) is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1977 through 1986 for the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers. Listed at 6' 4", 185 lb., Rozema batted and threw right-handed. Early years ...

, Grand Rapids Central High School, Baseball, Detroit Tigers *

Joe Soboleski Joseph Robert Soboleski, Jr. (August 22, 1926 – November 12, 2015) was an American football guard. Soboleski began his football career playing for Catholic Central High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After graduating from high school, ...

,Football * Derrick Spearman, Grand Rapids Union High School, Football, Basketball, Baseball, Track, NLU *

Mickey Stanley Mitchell Jack "Mickey" Stanley (born July 20, 1942) is an American former professional baseball player. A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Stanley signed with the Detroit Tigers organization in 1960. After four years in the Tigers' minor leagu ...

, Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills High School, Baseball *

Frank Steketee Frank Wallder Steketee (April 26, 1900 – December 26, 1951) was an American football player. A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Steketee played college football as a fullback and halfback for Fielding H. Yost's 1918, 1920, and 1921 Michigan ...

, Grand Rapids Central High School, Football Michigan high school sports conferences High school sports conferences and leagues in the United States Sports in Grand Rapids, Michigan 1928 establishments in Michigan