GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - 2007 Detroit Mercy Hall of Fame inductee Mary Cicerone (Lillie) will be a part of the 2024 class to be inducted into the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame. Cicerone will be one of five 2024 inductees along with Bill Dufek, Allison Fouch, Joe Staley, and Jimmy Carter.
After her stellar playing career at UDM, Cicerone spent 38 years as Head Coach of the varsity women's basketball team at Bloomfield Hills Marian High School where she compiled a record of 707-233 since taking over the program in 1983, making her the fourth-winningest coach in Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) girls basketball history, and the winningest female head coach.
She guided the Mustangs to six Class A state championships in 1988, 1992, 1996, 1998 and back-to-back in 2014 and 2015, a runner-up in 1997, and reached the MHSAA semifinals seven times. Her teams also won 19 Catholic High School League (CHSL) championships and 20 overall Central Division league titles.
Cicerone retired from coaching after the 2021-22 season and recently received the MHSAA Women in Sports Leadership Award in January. She has also been inducted into Halls of Fame as a coach by the Catholic High School League (1998), Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan (2017), and Marian (2022). In 2009, she received the CHSL's Ed Lauer Person of the Year Award.
During her time at Detroit Mercy, Cicerone was a two-time All-State player as a junior and senior leading the Titans to three AIAW state championships while scoring 1,035 career points. She held the Titan record for career assists with 486 for many years and her 149 assists accumulated in 1989 remain among the highest season marks in school history. Additionally, her 333 career steals rank second all-time in the Detroit Mercy annals. Cicerone won the 1982 President's Award as U-D's most outstanding female student-athlete
Founded in 1972, the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame honors prominent West Michigan athletes and those who have contributed to sports on a local, state, or national level, and presents annual events in support of local youth organizations and charities. Plaques and video displays commemorate the members on the concourse walls of the Van Andel Arena located downtown at 130 West Fulton. Currently, the Hall of Fame has enshrined 171 individuals and 16 teams.
