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In conjunction with the United States celebrating its 250th birthday this year, USA Today Co. newspapers in Michigan have been looking at some of the top athletes to come out of each region in the state.
Over the coming days, the Lansing State Journal will unveil some of the top athletes to come out of Greater Lansing. We will take a daily look at one of the top 10 male or female athletes from the region. These athletes are determined by more than just high school performance. Accomplishments in college and as a professional were also taken into consideration when determining the area's best.
The athletes are not ranked in order. Here is a look at our latest male athlete.
Brad Van Pelt
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The Owosso native is one of the most decorated athletes to come from the region and is part of the College Football Hall of Fame and Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. He went on to star at Michigan State where he was a three-sport athlete in the early 1970s, competing in football, basketball and baseball. Van Pelt was an All-Big Ten selection on the diamond and had a season where he recorded 84 strikeouts. He was selected in the MLB draft five times.
Football is where Van Pelt made his biggest mark and he was an All-American safety as a junior and senior at MSU. He finished his career with the Spartans with 256 tackles and 14 interceptions. Van Pelt won the Maxwell Award in 1972 as the nation's top player.
Van Pelt was selected by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1973 NFL draft. He spent 14 years in the NFL and was a five-time All-Pro selection. Van Pelt had 20 interceptions, 24.5 sacks and 14 fumble recoveries while playing at linebacker primarily for the Giants in his pro career.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Greater Lansing's best: Versatile Brad Van Pelt went from Owosso to MSU to NFL
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