Rocky Shaft accomplished plenty during his 41 years leading the Holt wrestling program.

He racked up more than 600 victories, guided the Rams to 34 district championships and won three state titles.

All that coaching success led to numerous major accolades for the late Shaft, which included being inducted into the Michigan Wrestling Hall of Fame, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and now his upcoming entry into the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame.

But as the wins, championships and recognition kept coming his way, Shaft always maintained a humble approach.

"He just had a big heart and wanted to help everybody get the best out of themselves that they could," said Liz Shaft, Rocky's wife. 

"He's always very honored by (achievements). He (didn't) look for things for himself. It's always for the kids that he's looking for."

Stan Granger was one of those kids that was groomed as a wrestler by Shaft while attending Holt. He then went on to serve as an assistant coach under Shaft before taking over the Rams' program.

Above wins and losses, Granger said Shaft was more focused about creating memories for the many wrestlers he touched in four decades. 

"He was a competitor, but the bigger picture was the moral standing of what he could do for the kids and make them better young men," Granger said. "We would talk and joke and I'd always say your awards are a direct result of the work that you put in, but he isn't working every day to get these awards. He's working every day to take care of kids."

One of the biggest things Granger marveled at as he watched Shaft go about his business from a few different perspectives was the consistency and stability he brought to Holt wrestling.

"There's very few coaches that I know of that have done the things that he's done," Granger said. "I don't know if anybody has accomplished the number — he's won the districts since it started. We were reflecting on that this year and that was the heat that I got. I felt an insurmountable amount of pressure because he started in 1988 with those districts and the team stuff and I was on that team. Now in my first year of coaching, I've got to keep that winning streak going.

"He kept track of things but was humble about it. He was just consistent as a coach and that what was in his blood. That's the cool thing about Rocky. Sometimes I see younger coaches get into coaching to kind of self serve their own ego. Even though they are helping kids, it's ultimately a self-serving ego thing. That wasn't Rocky. Rocky was about self-serving the community and helping people."

Shaft and six other individuals and three teams will be inducted into the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame on July 28 at the Lansing Center. 

Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.

Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony

Cost: $35. To order, go to lansingsportshalloffame.org. 

2022 inductees: Jim Brandt, Roger Callard, Roland Carter, Josephine Mask, Dan Olsen, Rocky Shaft, Rachel Turney, 2000 Everett girls basketball team, 2001 Everett girls basketball team, 2000 Lansing Community College softball team

Sponsors: Dean Transportation, Shaheen Chevy/Cadillac, Applegate Home Comfort, Gregory Eaton Associates, ASAP Printing, Dan Henry Distributing, One North Kitchen & Bar, AF Group, Bill and Andrew Archer Financial Advisors, Magic Johnson Enterprises, Mary Ellen Sheets