Hall of Fame
Gust, a native of Detroit and graduate of Detroit Southeastern HS, was Wayne State's head baseball coach from 1980 to 1988. He retired after the 1988 season as the Tartars' winningest baseball coach in both victories and winning percentage. From 1974 to 1979 Gust was an assistant baseball coach at Wayne State, and in 1965 he lettered in football at WSU.
As head coach Gust compiled a 174-151-2 overall record in nine seasons. His overall Wayne coaching record gives him a .535 winning percentage, best among the seven men who have directed the program.
The Tartars had only two losing seasons under Gust, and four times cracked the 20-victory barrier. His 1982 squad compiled a team record 29 wins that still stands today. The 1987 team won 27 games, the 1981 team won 21 and in 1980, his first year as head coach, WSU won 20.
Gust's first three teams in 1980, 1981 and 1982 won the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) baseball championships. After each season Gust was honored by his peers in the GLIAC as the conference's Coach-of-the-Year. During Gust's nine-year tenure eight of his teams had winning records in GLIAC play.
From 1974 to 1979 Gust was assistant coach for Christ Petrouleas, currently Wayne State's assistant director of athletics. Two of the players he helped coach as an assistant, Kevin Ponticelli and David Zelmanski, join Gust as members of the 1994 Hall of Fame Induction Class.
Gust came to Wayne State from Detroit Southeastern HS via the Detroit Institute of Technology, where he attended one year. He transferred to Wayne State to major in education, and received a Bachelor's in Education from the University in 1966.
In 1964 Gust tried out and made the Tartar football squad, but family commitments forced him to miss the regular season. He went out for the 1965 squad, earning a letter as a fullback and linebacker.
After graduating from Wayne State Gust joined the Detroit Public Schools as a special education teacher. One of the teachers that joined the DPS along with Gust was Dennis Archer, who is now mayor of Detroit.
In 1970 Gust became a kindergarten teacher in Detroit, and for many years he was the only male kindergarten teacher in the system. Currently he teaches at Law Elementary on the city's eastside.
Gust began his coaching career on the high school level as a boys' football and baseball coach. In 1966 he was defensive line coach at Detroit Southeastern HS, in 1967-75 he was the football defensive coordinator and jayvee basketball coach at Detroit Finney HS, and in 1976-78 Gust was head football coach at Harper Woods HS.
For the last three years Gust has served as head boys' baseball coach at Harper Woods Notre Dame HS. Today will be a busy one for Gust. Besides his induction, Gust's team is scheduled to play at 10 a.m. in the Harper Woods Annual Tournament, and the winner is scheduled to play again tonight at 6 p.m. Additionally there is a 2 p.m. wedding shower for his son's fiancé that his family members are planning to attend.
For the past 27 years Gust has been a highly-rated basketball official on the prep and collegiate ranks. Among his highlights are officiating the 1988 and 1991 state of Michigan Class A boys' basketball title games, and the 1993 and 1994 GLIAC men's tournament games.
Gust resides in Detroit, and he is the father of two sons, Chris and Steven, and one daughter, Riana.
