Port High to honor a who’s who list of stars

Locals know the names —  Urness, Demerit, Flack, Huston, Goeden, Brelsford and Buivid. Newcomers have perhaps heard them fondly mentioned.

Now, every student who comes through Port Washington High School can learn about the legends in Pirates’ athletics who have their name etched in the annals of Port history.

The inaugural class of Port High’s Athletic Hall of Fame will be inducted on Saturday, Sept. 14. Inductees’ plaques will be placed on the wall behind the upper entrance to the new gym.

Inductees will be honored at halftime of the football game on Friday, Sept. 13.

The inductees are:

Samuel R. DeMerit

Samuel R. DeMerit was the athletic director and coached football at Port High from 1926 to 1962, amassing a record of 99-42-18. His team went undefeated three times from 1930 to 1932. He also coached five state championship track and field teams.

DeMerit retired from coaching and teaching in 1962 and became the first full-time recreation director for the city. He retired in 1965.

He is a member of University of Wisconsin-Stout’s Athletic Hall of Fame and the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Ray ‘Buzz’ Buivid

Buivid was the quarterback during Port’s 1930-32 undefeated seasons and was the basketball team’s leading scorer in his three seasons at Port. He led Port to the 1932 state track and field title, scoring more than half of his team’s points while winning shot put and discus and taking third in broad jump.

At Marquette University, Buivid led the Golden Avalanche to the first Cotton Bowl, losing 16-6 to Texas Christian led by legend Sammy Baugh. He was third in the Heisman Trophy voting as a senior.

He was drafted by the Chicago Cardinals but later joined the Chicago Bears. In 1937, he set the record for most touchdowns thrown in a game by a rookie with five, which was later tied by Jameis Winston, Matthew Stafford, Deshaun Watson, Daniel Jones and C.J. Stroud.

Buivid left football for the insurance business in 1938, then joined the Navy after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

John DeMerit

Samuel DeMerit’s son’s claim to fame was playing outfield for the 1957 World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers, who beat the New York Yankees, four games to three.

In John DeMerit’s short stint in Major League Baseball, he hit three homers, including one off legend Sandy Koufax in the Los Angeles Coliseum.

He served as Port’s recreation director for many years, retiring in the early 1990s.

At Port High, DeMerit led the track and field  team to state titles in 1953 and 1954.

Al Urness

Coach Al Urness led Port High to a state football title in 1985, four state title game appearances, 12 state playoff appearances and 10 conference titles. His career record is 224-75-2 (74.4% winning percentage) over 30 years.

He taught at Port High starting in 1961, when he also began coaching junior varsity football and basketball, and he served as a track and field assistant coach. He took over the varsity basketball program in 1963 and won a conference title in 1973-74.

Urness is a member of the WFCA Hall of Fame.

Duffy Brelsford

Duffy Brelsford began coaching wrestling at Port High in 1976. His teams won seven Braveland and North Shore Conference championships, and in 1984 the Pirates won the state title. Brelsford compiled a 130-67 dual-meet conference record and a 201-118 overall record.

He coached two state champions and seven state finalists.

Brelsford started the prep wrestling program at Miraleste, Calif., and his team won a state title in 1973. He was named Southern California Coach of the Year.

He placed second in state at 165 pounds for Pulaski’s wrestling team in high school, then wrestled at the University of Illinois.

Shirli Flack

Shirli and her husband Jack have been local philanthropists for decades.

They founded Allied Insulation Supply Co. in 1969, and it continues to be a family run company operating throughout the Midwest.

Shirli continued to donate to local causes after Jack’s passing in 2003.

The Port High soccer field is named the Jack and Shirli Flack Field in honor of their donation to build it.

Carol Goeden

Carol Goeden started the pom-pom team, now known as the dance team, at Port High in 1966 and helped evolve the sport into the athleticism exhibited by today’s dancers.

Her team won a state title in 1993 and was third in the national Grand Championships finals. The team was fourth in 1995 and fifth in 1998.

    Beth Huston

With 1,555 career points, Beth Huston is Port’s female leader in basketball scoring. She also is the all-time leader in steals and assists. She was conference player of the year or co-player of the year three times.

She was also first-team all-conference in volleyball and softball.

She played guard at Illinois State for four years.

The Sept. 14 ceremony at the high school is open to the public, but people must buy a $25 ticket by Friday, Sept. 6. Tickets may be purchased at https://tinyurl.com/yc74cuk9.