By MICKEY ALVARADO

The death of a family member has a way of forcing people to reflect upon their own lives as it was with former 1977 Tecumseh High School graduate Dave Bilkie who recently lost his father, Larry, in February.

When looking back at his youth he remembered the times when he was inspired to do whatever he could to help his teammates win a game and possibly advance Tecumseh into the post-season tournaments. Bilkie thought to check the Michigan High School Athletic Association's record books to see where he'd stack up in the listings and was surprised to see that what he'd done then would have him listed in two categories. When he was a senior in high school he was strung as tight as a fiddle and setting records in the sports he played.

Now he's pushing 50 and his knee's are not as sound, but when he was young they carried him to several outstanding accomplishments as a guard, including 11 steals in one basketball game and a 100 steal season.

“I was looking at the MHSAA website and saw all those records and thought it was pretty cool. So I looked up the basketball records and said, hey, I could be there,” said Bilkie.

It was during his senior season when he produced the steals. His quick hands and feet allowed him to steal 11 balls from Airport's Red Devils, four in the last two minutes of the game. His 100th steal was recorded in a final regular season contest at New Boston Huron.

His efforts in the sport earned him All-League and All-County records and he also was awarded the same honors in track, advancing to the state meet three times.

“Back in the day, I was very, very, fast, very quick said Bilkie. His speed on the hardwood allowed him to get some serious air time when taking shots at the net and allowed for an unusual shooting style.

“I'd pretty much float in the air,” he said. “So what I'd do is drive down the lane and try either to pass off or take a shot. It' was like being in suspended animation while taking underhand shots.”

It is unknown where Bilkie stands in the high school's record books, as they could not be located. In the MHSAA's listings, Bilkie would be tied with seven others for third place. Five others hold records of 12 steals while one has grabbed 14. The 100 steals in a season record has Bilkie tied with two others for 13th place. The lowest listed number is 80. Bilkie's steals were submitted to the MHSAA just last week.

After graduating he attended Ferris College and joined the track team. His sophomore season he became interested in soccer, a sport he'd never played, and began practicing with the Bulldogs. As a junior he was a starting wing and he began setting more records. He set the goals in a season mark his first year and then broke his own record as a senior by recording a hat trick in the opening game of the 1980 season to increase the record number to 22. He also set a six goal in one game record for the school.
After joining a triple-A team he scored 12 goals in just five matches and was getting everyone's attention. The 1980 Olympic Committee invited him to tryout for the team but an accident took away any chances he had of that or going pro.

“I was playing in this league and I blew out my knee and that was the end of that. It looked like an L. I'll never forget that feeling.”

He's since had double knee replacements with three surgeries and his shoulder has had to undergo surgery as well.

Despite the pain he carries he wouldn't trade his experiences in for the world with his fondest memories being that his father was his biggest fan.

“My dad never missed a single game, ever,” said Bilkie. “He worked for Fisher Body there in Tecumseh and he made sure of it.”

Bilkie has been married for 18 years and now lives south of Tampa, Florida.