Olivet College mourns loss of two Athletic Hall of Fame members
The Olivet College athletic department is mourning the passing of two members of its Hall of Fame, Stuart Parsell and George Pyne III.
OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College athletic department is mourning the passing of two members of its Hall of Fame, Stuart Parsell and George Pyne III.
Parsell, a 1977 inductee into the Hall of Fame, passed away at age 87 on Thursday, Nov. 19, in Suttons Bay. Serving as the head football coach at Olivet from 1959-70, he compiled a 47-58 overall record in 12 seasons. The 47 wins are the most by a coach in school history. Parsell led the Comets to the 1961 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship with an 8-1 overall record and was named the Michigan Coach of the Year. He also served the college as the athletic director from 1960-71.
Pyne, a 1965 Olivet graduate and 1989 inductee into the Hall of Fame, passed away at age 74, on Thursday, Nov. 26, in Milford, Mass., after an 11-year courageous battle with cancer. He was a four-year letterwinner on the football team at Olivet, earning All-MIAA honors in 1962, 1963 and 1964. In addition, Pyne was selected to the NAIA All-State team twice. Following his time at Olivet, he was drafted and played as a rookie for the Boston Patriots of the NFL. Pyne along with his father and son, Jim, were the first three generation family in the history of the NFL.
“The Olivet College football program extends its deepest sympathy to the Parsell and Pyne families,” said head coach Dan Pifer. “Even after leaving Olivet, Stu and George continued to support the football program. They will surely be missed.”