Hall of Fame
Three-sport athlete Gini Bruce will be inducted in to the Wayne State University Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, February 28. From 1981-85, Bruce earned a total of six letters: four in softball (1981-85), one in basketball (1984-85) and one in volleyball (1983) for the Tartars.
Bruce was a First Team All-American second baseman in 1985 for the WSU softball team. She was also selected to the First Team All-Central Region and First Team All-GLIAC squads in '85.
While on the team, the Tartars won the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title twice (1983, 1985) and the league tournament in 1985. Overall, WSU went 117-65-3, including a school-record .761 winning percentage (33-10) in 1983. WSU advanced to the NCAA Regionals in 1983 and 1984. The Tartars finished third in the 1983 West Regional and placed second in the Central Region in '84.
In her senior season, Bruce was second on the squad with a .316 batting average and 15 RBI. She also ranked third in hits (42) and recorded a team-best fielding percentage of .975 with 71 putouts, 121 assists and just five errors. Her assist mark was the sixth highest in school history. She also had four game-winning RBI (second on the squad) during the season and holds the Wayne State season record for sacrifice hits/flies with 27.
Bruce decided to try her hand on the Tartar women's basketball team her final year. It turned out to be successful as she started 24 of 27 games during the 1984-85 season. Bruce averaged 8.5 points and 2.2 rebounds a game and scored a career-high 20 points in a 72-59 win against West Virginia State in the second game of the season. Her 71 steals and 63 assists were third on a squad that went 17-11 overall and took second place in the GLIAC with a 12-4 record.
Bruce graduated from Wayne with a degree in physical therapy. She currently owns her own physical therapy practice. The former Grosse Pointe South High School standout resides in Boca Raton, Fla.
