Thursday, May 24, 2012
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BATTLE CREEK — “Russ Bortell has been involved with KCC baseball for over 20 years as a head coach, assistant coach, and an athletic director,said Tom Shaw, KCC's current athletic director. He is the architect of a baseball program that has been the benchmark of excellence for all KCC athletic programs to strive for. Retiring his jersey is our way of saying Thank you to a man who had done so much for the program.”
“They really caught me by surprise. I had no idea. It wasn't until my sister showed up from Milwaukee that I figured out something was going on,said Bortell. But it means a lot to me. Kellogg Community College has been a great place for me and to be recognized truly put that moment in the top three of four days of my life, not necessarily because of the recognition, but because so many of the alumni were there to share that moment with me.”
The Athletics Department had the #35 jersey encased in glass so they can hang it in KCC's Miller Physical Education Building, the home of KCC Athletics. The department also created a banner to commemorate the event. The banner now hangs at KCC's home baseball field at Bailey Park.
