BAY CITY, MI – Every football Friday includes a batch of cookies at Bay City All Saints.
Mixed with thoughtfulness, baked with joy and distributed with love.
Dinah DuRussel pours her heart into everything she does for her Cougars.
First a parent, then a booster, then a super fan – and now an all-out supporter to an exponential extreme – DuRussel has been a fixture on the All Saints landscape for 30 years. And her behind-the-scenes care, consideration and contributions to the school are Hall of Fame magnitude.
DuRussel earns the 2025 President’s Award, presented by the Bay County Sports Hall of Fame to someone whose valuable efforts to the local sports community often fly under the radar.
She joins the induction class of 2025 that is being celebrated Sunday, Nov. 9 at the DoubleTree hotel and conference center in downtown Bay City. Tickets are available online.
DuRussel certainly fits the President’s Award bill. She not only heads the fundraising efforts for All Saints Catholic Schools, she stands at the heart of the booster club that supports the athletic program.
She attends virtually every high school and middle school event, generally working the admission gate and selling 50/50 and other raffle tickets. Everybody knows her and few get past without contributing to the cause.
But the athletes celebrate her for another reason – those sweet and tasty chocolate chip cookies that await them at every game. For 25 years, DuRussel has baked cookies to give to the players at every football game – home or away – and hand-wrapped so everyone gets their share.
It’s that thoughtfulness that has set her apart among supporters over the years.
RELATED: 2025 Bay County Sports Hall of Fame induction class
A former basketball and softball player as a 1968 graduate of Bay City Central, she and husband Tom have been involved with All Saints since their sons, Raymond and Eric, attended in the 1990s.
After retiring as an auto worker at Delphi in 1999, she dove headlong into All Saints activities. The Munger resident is the longtime secretary of the All Saints Athletic Club and official cookie and brownie baker of the sports community.
Instead of giving her an award every year, the school created the Dinah DuRussel Friend of Education Award that is presented to another supporter each year.
Tim Bauer, former coach and athletic director
“Dinah is like Mrs. All Saints! She has been collecting gate at all sporting events, probably for 20 years. She volunteers countless hours at school during the school day, she has her own office at school. She volunteers for extracurricular activities like teacher luncheons, grandparents luncheons, the annual teachers appreciation dinner, the Josh Jasman golf outing… Anything affiliated with All Saints, you will find Dinah DuRussel at. They even have an award named after her (the Dinah DuRussel Friend of Education Award).”
Tom Herek, longtime coach
“When Dinah asks you to do something, the only answer is ‘Of course.’ Because she gives so much of herself to the All Saints community. And whatever the rest of us do, it pales in comparison to what she does.”
Jason Brzezinski, boys basketball coach
“Dinah’s yearly volunteering, hard work and dedication have truly made a difference on ASC athletic programs. With her positive and supportive attitude toward student-athletes, coaches, alumni, and community members, Dinah has been instrumental in fostering a positive culture at ASC. Her generosity is uplifting, not just through her countless volunteer efforts, but also as the biggest fan of all our programs, often attending road games and sending positive messages.”
Mike Debo, girls basketball coach
“I would call her Super Saint Dinah. She has done so many things behind the scenes that make a successful program for the kids. She is so supportive of all of the students at All Saints Catholic Schools. You will see her taking tickets at the high school and middle school football games, basketball games, she doesn’t miss a home or away sporting game, school plays, school masses, grad parties. I would say the two major things she is known for are selling many different raffles, including our major event Pot of Gold or 50/50 tickets, and baking cookies or brownies. You just don’t say no to Dinah when she is selling you a ticket. Every kid who has graduated from All Saints in the past 30+ years knows Dinah and what a special person she is.”
Greg Wagner, former coach and athletic director
“Every successful school or organization has incredible people who work behind the scenes and do amazing things to make everyone’s life better. That perfectly explains Dinah. Her love for All Saints and our students is inspirational. Her contributions and influence continue to reach much further than sports. She’s always been a wonderful ambassador for All Saints and her acts of kindness are never ending. It’s not a secret, but for years before every football game, she bakes cookies for the entire team, and they are delicious. Dinah is the heartbeat of All Saints.”
Eric Gust, football coach
“Dinah DuRussel is the most genuine and heartfelt person you will ever meet. With her support, dedication, commitment and passion toward All Saints, the All Saints community, or anything that is connected to All Saints, there are a few words that can describe what she means and what she believes. I find no other person — other than Coach Bisel — who has worked so hard in making an impact on All Saints and making it the best it can be. Dinah is definitely a difference maker.”
RELATED READING
Football heroes and more form Hall of Fame class of 2025
More Bay County Sports Hall of Fame stories