The 1980 Soviet Union hockey team wasn’t just the best hockey team of all time; they were arguably the best athletic team ever assembled. They had just dismantled the NHL All Stars in the third game of a best of three series in a stunning 6-0 blowout victory. The unfair rules of Olympic competition at the time allowed Communist countries like the USSR to use professional players (pretending them to be amateurs) while the USA could only use college players for the most part. The odds for the USA in the 1980 winter Olympics hockey against the Soviets were horrible at best. No one could withstand the Soviet juggernaut, least of all a collection of college kids.

But that 1980 team didn’t get the memo. And neither did their star defenseman, Ken Morrow.

The Herb Books-led squad went on to defeat the vaunted Soviets 3-2, and Morrow was on the ice during those final frantic minutes of that iconic win, including Al Michaels's famous question that framed a generation of hockey in America, “DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?” Two days later Team USA defeated Finland to capture the Gold medal in Lake Placid, a feat not matched again for 46 years when the USA triumphed with the Gold in 2026.

Morrow's Flintstone roots are strong, Ken's dad, Don, was a Flint Central Indian, and a great athlete and baseball player there. Strong family ties shaped Morrow’s youth, and so did playing sports in Flint. Born and raised on Kellar Avenue on the city’s West Side, he played his hockey in backyards and on Flint city rinks like Memorial Park, Lincoln Park, and Whaley Park on the East Side, evolving to the Greater Flint Hockey Association at the IMA. Morrow says, “I am a product of my Flint childhood - a working-class mindset and a solid work ethic that set a foundation for me at a young age.”

His family later moved to Davison where he a graduated from Davison High School, though he never played hockey in Davison or for the school. That’s because Morrow was so good he was focused on travel hockey and competing against the best metro Detroit could throw at him. That experience led him to college hockey at Bowling Green where he was the school’s first hockey All American, and the 1979 Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) Player of the Year.

That success led him to Coach Herb Brooks and the 1980 US Olympic Hockey squad, the Miracle on Ice Team. Immediately following his Olympic triumph, Morrow signed with the New York Islanders, who had drafted him in 1976. In doing so, he made history by becoming the first hockey player to win an Olympic Gold medal and an NHL Stanley Cup championship in the exact same season. He became an indispensable defensive anchor for the Islanders' historic 1980s dynasty, helping the franchise capture four consecutive Stanley Cups from 1980 to 1983. Ken was known for his reliability and clutch playoff goals.

Morrow was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995. He has spent over three decades working in executive and coaching roles, serving as the Islanders' Director of Pro Scouting since 1993.

You can also visit this episode at Fish's website: https://www.flintchronicles.com/

Geena Gall Levoe is an elite American middle-distance runner and Olympian whose remarkable career solidified her status as one of the greatest track and field athletes in Michigan history. Born in Flint and raised in Grand Blanc, Michigan, Levoe was naturally athletic from a young age. At Grand Blanc High School, she initially excelled as a standout point guard on the varsity basketball team before a freshman knee injury shifted her primary focus toward track. Under the guidance of her coaches, she transitioned from sprinting to the 800-meter event, ultimately capturing back-to-back state championships and setting a long-standing state record.

Levoe took her talents to the University of Michigan, where she assembled a legendary collegiate career from 2005 to 2009. Running for the Wolverines, she earned national acclaim as a 10-time NCAA All-American and a dominant force in the Big Ten Conference, capturing 10 individual and relay Big Ten titles. Her crowning collegiate achievements came in 2008 and 2009, when she secured back-to-back NCAA Outdoor Championship titles in her signature event, the 800-meter run. She was also a vital member of Michigan's famed "Fab Four" relay team, which shattered two collegiate records at the Penn Relays.

Following her collegiate success, Levoe transitioned into a highly competitive professional career on the international circuit. In 2012, she realized her lifelong dream by placing second at the U.S. Olympic Trials with a personal best time of 1:59.24. This performance punched her ticket to the 2012 London Olympic Games, where she proudly represented Team USA and advanced to the Olympic semifinals in the 800-meter event.

In recognition of her athletic excellence, Levoe was inducted into the Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame as one of its youngest-ever members. Following her retirement from elite track racing after the 2016 Olympic Trials, she shifted her passion toward trail running. She currently works for Nike and resides in Oregon with her family.

You can also visit this episode at Fish's website: https://www.flintchronicles.com/

Another year conversing with the CANUSA fellas is always a reason to cheer! In its 67th year, it's the last of its kind in the country, this international Olympic-style rivalry between two cities: Flint, Michigan, USA and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

​Let the games begin!

You can also visit this episode at Fish's website: https://www.flintchronicles.com/

The Flint Central Indian basketball team posted eye popping numbers between 1980 and 1983 with Coach Stan Gooch leading his squad to three straight Class A state titles, and a 100-9 record. Along with that were multiple all-star performances, including a parade of Division 1 talent. The 1983 team capped off that run with the 100th win coming against Detroit Southwestern in the state finals at Crisler Arena.

Talent was ubiquitous in the halls of Flint Central during that period led by perhaps the greatest of all time in area high school hoops, Eric Turner. Alongside him was Mark Harris, possibly the best shooter in area hoops history. Then you had Marty Embry, who just might be the best rebounder in area hoops lore. Add to that Marvin Wells, Chris Williams, Chris Levels, Rod Milhouse, and you have the nucleus of the first two title teams.
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The one consistent factor on all three title teams was Darryl “D.J.” Johnson. Called up from the J.V. for the title run in 81, he was a key player on the 82 squad, and the star of the ’83 title team. The only player in Michigan high school hoops history to play on three Class A state title teams.

His senior year D.J. led a team that included Ervin Leavy, Ed Greer, Ken Bowie, rookie Terrence ‘T’ Greene, and Tyrone Williams. That squad wrapped up the last state title the Indians would ever record as the school would lose enrollment shortly thereafter and be closed down by 2009. Johnson would go on to a legendary career at Michigan State, and get a shot in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Leavy was part of the “Thunder and Lightning” duo with Dan Majerle at Central Michigan University, leading the Chippewas to the March Madness Tourney, Greene went on to star at Depaul and coach at Michigan briefly, while Greer remains one of the most underrated athletic talents in Flint history. He was part of a state title track and field team at Central, rushed for nearly 1200 yards in an All State senior football season, and played center on the 83 team – at only 6 foot tall. Together they formed the final capstone to the Flint Central champion triumvirate.

The foursome are all on hand in the Aquarium to tell the tale of that last title team, and the incredible Indian run are four of the starters: D.J., Erv, Ed Greer, and ‘T’. The stories, the camaraderie, the old school vibe, and four of the best to ever do it. It’s pure Flint and a hearty romp down memory lane with the champions of the state in 1983 The Flint Central Indians.

You can also visit this episode at Fish's website: https://www.flintchronicles.com/

When Flintstone Javale McGee won his first of three NBA World Championships one of his first acts was to bring the trophy home to Flint, the city in which he spent the first 13 years or so of his life growing up. With “Flint” tattooed on his torso this native son has proven his mettle as the most accomplished basketball player to ever hail from The Vehicle City.

He finished second place in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, and was the first player to use three balls at one time in a dunk contest, which was later cited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most basketballs dunked in a single jump.

A sturdy 7 footer, Mcgee was a first round pick in the 2008 NBA draft, and in addition to his 3 NBA titles, he also won a Gold Medal in the 2021 Olympics. With the medal, he and his mother Flint lady hoops legend Pamela Mcgee became the first mother and son duo to win gold medals in Olympic history.

That’s a lot of hoops history to pack in to a session in The Aquarium! But Javale and Fish pull it off and it’s another superb Chronicles-Worthy tale to tell on this episode of “Fish and The Flint Chronicles”.

You can also visit this episode at Fish's website: https://www.flintchronicles.com/

Without question one of the most interesting guests we have ever had in The Aquarium is Eddie Robinson. In a city with the athletic tradition of Flint, it’s hard to pinpoint who the best athletes were. There are just so many to pick from it often settles into people picking folks from their sport, generation, or neighborhood. Nothing particularly wrong with that except it usually negates a truly analytic dive into the details.

When it comes to basketball it’s even tougher. There have been some truly stellar stars to come out of Flint and Genesee County. But one name that is often left out of that conversation is Robinson.

That’s primarily because of the non-traditional route he took to the National Basketball Association. Robinson’s upbringing left much to be desired, and he essentially raised himself. Growing up in Flint’s north end he was exposed to every possible kind of trauma and opportunity to derail his life. He wasn’t much of a student. He never played organized ball, and at Flint Northern, when the Vikings won the state championship with Mateen Cleaves, and Antonio Smith, Robinson was nowhere to be found on the Northern roster. Cleaves once opinied that as good at that team was, the best player in the school wasn’t even on the roster. That player was Robinson. If he had played, we might be talking about that Viking team as the greatest in state history.

Instead, Robinson was playing rec ball at Berston Field House. From that position he managed to capture enough attention to land a spot on the roster at Trinity Valley Junior College, and then the Brown Mackie School of Business, a business owned by American Education Centers. Robinson remembers it as being barely recognizable as a real school, and in fact was shut down for committing consumer fraud.

Robinson eventually landed at Division 2 University of Central Oklahoma, in Edmond. Playing in the Lone Star League, Robinson’s skills were so obviously extraordinary he made the completely unlikely leap from D2 to NBA. At 6-9, with speed, length, hops, and incredible energy and ball skills, Robinson was a freak on the court, and his potential seemed unlimited. The YouTube videos you can still see of him in action are eye-popping.

But much like the circuitous route Robinson followed to the world pinnacle of his profession, his time in the league would be equally non-conforming, just like Robinson himself. It’s our considered opinion that Robinson's personal theme song should be Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” because that is certainly how he lived his life.

It’s a one of a kind interview with a one of a kind individual. This is an interview that could never be played on the radio in it’s NSFW, but it’s one you won’t want to miss if you have an interest in a helluva story, and the spectacularly circuitous tale of one of the greatest to ever come from the greatest sports town in American history per capita. That’s Eddie Robinson, and his story is unforgettable.

You can also visit this episode at Fish's website: https://www.flintchronicles.com/

The annual conclave with the CANUSA team is as always a riotous good time! The CANUSA games pit Americans from Flint against Canadiens from Hamilton, Ontario Canada against each other in an international friendly Olympic style athletic competition. It's the 66th year the two cities have met and the fellas are all here to break it down!

You can also visit this episode at Fish's website: https://www.flintchronicles.com/

Segment three of Fish's two hour show on Flint's music scene is an explosion of energy coming like a blow torch out of California in the persona of the legendary Peter C. Cavanaugh, Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame radio deejay. Cavanaugh's ebullient personality filled the airwaves of the Flint area for two decades. Like a ringmaster, he hosted wild and infamous concerts held at local sites like Atwood Stadium, Sherwood Forest and Mt. Holly. Acts that he worked with read like a who's who of rock 'n roll royalty included The Who, Grand Funk Railroad, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Chuck Berry, Jimmy Hendrix, Bob Seger, Ted Nugent, Alice Cooper, KISS, and George Clinton with Parliament and the Funkadelics. It's CRAZY. His unbelievable and colorful stories keep you wanting more! TIME IS WAAAAY TOO SHORT with Peter C.!

"In Flint it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission." --Peter C. Cavanaugh

This episode is one of the show's earliest, recorded at WFNT radio station in Flint, Michigan. Fish is joined by co-host, Jim Hargrove, "The Voice of Reason".

Original air date March 13, 2019.

You can also visit this episode at Fish's website: https://www.flintchronicles.com/