Lesson Learned: Dennis Hrcka, ’70, Uses Second Chance to Become Proud Graduate of Hillsdale College
Written by Doug Goodnough
Dennis Hrcka, ’70, was working at a Buick dealership and playing in a semi-pro basketball league in Flint, Michigan, when Al Baldwin, ’64, approached him about coming to Hillsdale College to play basketball.
“I didn’t know who (Al) was, but I said, ‘No, where is it?’” said the 6-foot-8 Hrcka, who had played three seasons at the University of Dayton before a water fight gone wrong got him expelled from college and returned to his Owosso, Michigan, home. “He said, ‘Someone will get in touch with you.’”
That someone was Hillsdale basketball coach Rod Halstad, who was willing to give Hrcka a second chance to complete his college academic and athletic career. The now 77-year-old retired elementary school teacher and principal said he is grateful for the opportunity to call Hillsdale his alma mater.
Hrcka transferred into Hillsdale in mid-year, so he was ineligible to play varsity during the 1966-1967 season. Halstad left Hillsdale after that season, with then-assistant football coach Jack McAvoy filling in for Hrcka’s lone season.
“If he were alive today, he would say that he is not a basketball coach. He told us that too many times,” Hrcka said of McAvoy. “He was a football coach. He felt like he was filling in until someone else came. But he was one of the nicest human beings I have ever known in my life. He was a top 10 person.”
What a season it was, both for the Dales and Hrcka.
Led by Hrcka and teammate Ken Moorehead, Hillsdale finished 19-8 and advanced to the NAIA playoffs in 1967-68.
Hrcka was named an honorable mention NAIA All-America, averaging 23.4 points per game and finishing as one of the top 25 scorers in the nation. He and the 6-foot-7 Moorehead were both chosen in the 1968 NBA draft: Hrcka in the seventh round by the Los Angeles Lakers, and Moorehead in the 13th round by the New York Knicks.
Recently married to then-Hillsdale student Cheryl Ludwig and with a young son, Hrcka was still trying to finish his degree and working at Stock’s Mill when he got the news about a potential NBA opportunity. However, he never made it to Los Angeles.
“The Lakers had gotten Wilt Chamberlain that year, and they were not inviting any centers to camp,” said Hrcka of being drafted sight unseen by Los Angeles. “I was never upset about (not getting invited to camp). This was a dream just getting drafted.”
The Los Angeles scout who drafted Hrcka called and asked him if he would try out for a professional team in Italy. Hrcka agreed, and after a makeshift solo workout in a small gym in New Jersey, he flew to Italy to begin his professional basketball career.
Playing for a team that was sponsored by a kitchen cabinet company, Hrcka said European basketball was sometimes rough and tumble. He recalled playing against the Yugoslavian Olympic team whose players were known for “throwing elbows.”
“Those guys were big and strong,” he said.
After a year in Italy, he signed up with a professional team in France. However, that team finished in last place in its league, meaning it moved down to a division where American players could not be on the roster. Hrcka thought that was the “end of the line” of his pro career, and moved his family back to Hillsdale. However, he did receive a tryout with the Kentucky Colonels of the now-defunct ABA. That experience finally convinced Hrcka it was time to move on.
“That’s when I knew, OK, Dennis, you are not NBA material,” he said. “You are lucky you got as far as you did. Go home, make a life.”
That’s what he did. He finished up his remaining classes at Hillsdale, earned his degree, and completed his student teaching at nearby Waldron Public Schools. He eventually landed a teaching job in his hometown and had a 30-year career at Owosso Public Schools before retiring as a sixth-grade teacher. He also worked three years as principal at Owosso St. Paul Catholic School, and a few more years as a student teacher supervisor for Baker College.
Hrcka said Hillsdale changed his life forever. He said people like former Spanish professor Dr. Lilian Rick and former football coach Muddy Waters had a lasting impact on him.
He and his wife raised four children before Cheryl passed away in 2004. Now remarried, he and his second wife, Linda, are active in their church and the Right to Life movement. In fact, as the current president of the Shiawassee County Right to Life organization, Hrcka said he often connects with Hillsdale County Right to Life President Dr. Charles “Bud” Vear, another person he met while a student.
“It was just some incredible events that got me there and got me so many blessings in my life,” Hrcka said. “I am so proud to be a Hillsdale graduate. I never fail to sing the praises of Hillsdale College. I think it’s so honest and upright, and I love the fact that it stands for the truth.”
Doug Goodnough, ’90, is Hillsdale’s director of Alumni Marketing. He enjoys connecting with fellow alumni in new and wonderful ways.
Published in November 2022