June 15, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The area's best high school players will square off in the annual John Bos Baseball and Softball All-Star Games to benefit Grand Rapids Community College scholarships.
Grand Rapids Community College and Davenport University are hosting the games in partnership with Game One athletic and equipment supplier on June 20 at Davenport University. Baseball games are scheduled for 3, 5, and 7 p.m., and softball games are 5 and 7 p.m.
Admission for spectators age 8 and over is $10, with proceeds going to GRCC's John Bos Scholarship Fund.
"The John Bos games are a tradition that goes back to 1959, and generations of baseball and softball players have competed,” GRCC Athletic Director Lauren Ferullo said. “The games showcase some of the best players in the region, but also support students by raising money for scholarships.”
Bos started as a physical education teacher at what was then Grand Rapids Junior College. By the 1920s, he coached all the men's sports teams: football, basketball, baseball, track, tennis and swimming. His teams were known as the "Bosmen" and won state championships in football (1923, 1924, 1926 and 1928), basketball (1925, 1927 and 1928), tennis (1927) and swimming (1928). He left GRJC in 1938 to head the Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Department.
GRCC now competes in baseball, softball, basketball, cross country, golf and volleyball, with soccer programs starting this fall. Student-athletes receive academic counseling and advising, along with tutoring and peer academic coaching.
The proceeds from admissions benefit the Bos Scholarship, awarded to GRCC student-athletes who compete for at least one of the college’s teams and maintain Michigan Community College Athletic Association eligibility.
Donations to the Bos Scholarship can be made at grcc.edu/donate. Click “other” in the pull-down menu and write in Bos Scholarship.