Source: C & G Newspapers

Author: Zachary Manning

FARMINGTON HILLS — When Diane Dietz got the call letting her know that she was being inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, she thought it could be a prank.

A former colleague of hers, Matt Friedman, who is now a director for the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, was the one to give her the call, but he was not joking around.

The former Farmington Hills Mercy and University of Michigan basketball star was shocked, but excited to hear the news.

“I honestly remember everything stopping for a moment, because I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. It was crazy,” Dietz said.

It may be crazy to Dietz, but if you take a look at her numbers throughout her career, it should come as no surprise that she received the honor.

In her time at Mercy, Dietz played in four Class A state championship games, collecting a title in 1977. Her career then began to blossom at the next level for the Wolverines.

Over her four-year career at Michigan (1979-1982), Dietz scored 2,033 points and is one of only two players in the program’s history to score more than 2,000 points. She trails only Katelynn Flaherty for the most points in a career.

“Coaches are incredible,” Dietz said. “I’ve been reflecting on it and thinking about it, and the impact that my coaches had on me in my lifetime is immeasurable.”

Dietz’s Hall of Fame classmates include Charles Woodson, Grant Hill, Morris Peterson and Vladimir Konstantinov, just to name a handful who were inducted Oct. 5.

Since hearing the news, Dietz said she’s heard kind words from a variety of people and that this honor ranks near the top of her lifetime achievements.

“It’s just not something you think about, and certainly not in a million years the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame,” Dietz said. “I grew up like every other kid who plays sports, watching the people inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.”

For young athletes looking to follow in Dietz’s footsteps and one day become a Hall of Famer, she had a few words of advice.

“One day at a time, and make sure you enjoy it,” Dietz said.