A LOVE OF FAMILY

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January 24, 2025

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here. 

Member of inaugural hall of fame class and true family man was a tireless participant, advocate and supporter of Notre Dame Prep's athletic program.

On Friday, Feb. 7, Notre Dame Prep will induct its first class into the Athletic Hall of Fame. It will feature alumni, an administrator and coach, and a longtime parent volunteer and supporter. The inaugural class for the year 2024 includes Bobbie Bieszki NDP'00, Molly Coldren NDP'08, Mike Durkin, Nathan Mylenek NDP'16 and Betty Wroubel.

As we get closer to that special night, we are profiling each inductee, one at a time, with today's story featuring Mike Durkin.

A parent of seven Notre Dame Prep graduates who totaled over 70 seasons of athletic participation, Mike Durkin served as the booster club vice president from 1997-2001 and president from 2008-2016. His tenure in the boosters led to the development of a service-based philosophy in the club as well as an affirmation of the importance of volunteerism in Catholic school athletics. 

Durkin also served on the school strategic-planning committee, as a member of the athletic advisory committee, as a parent consultant on hiring committees for coaches and was part of the initial design team for the Betty A. Wroubel Athletic Performance Center, which was dedicated in February of 2010. 

Under Durkin's guidance, the Notre Dame Prep booster club helped to support several capital projects, including the all-state recognition wall, athletic wall graphics, team championship boards and scoreboards for the gyms and fields. He also was influential in setting up the models for booster club revenue sources that included concession sales, the annual golf outing, 50/50 raffles, poker nights and athletic spirit wear. 

In 2010, Durkin and his wife, Mary, were honored as Notre Dame Prep volunteers of the year and in 2014 were named Friends of the Fighting Irish. They have continued to be supporters and regular attendees of Notre Dame Prep athletic events and several of their children have returned to the school as coaches.

Mike's son Dan NDP'12, who currently is an NDP football and track coach, had a (naturally) up-close-and-personal assessment of his dad's contributions to the Notre Dame Prep athletic program.

"My father’s unwavering support and involvement in the NDP athletic community have left an indelible mark on all those fortunate enough to have crossed paths with him," Dan said. "Whether as a supportive parent of an athlete or as booster club president, he has consistently demonstrated leadership, integrity and a profound love of both his own family and the NDP family." 

Dan also noted his father's contributions extend far beyond any individual accomplishments and are based on a strong appreciation of youth athletics. 

"His work at the school represents a very deep-seated belief in the power of sports to shape lives and build communities," said Dan Durkin, who also currently serves as dean of students and athletic director at St. Joseph Catholic School in Lake Orion. "My father's list of accomplishments speak for themselves as he's always been focused on helping to make NDP the best place it can be." 

An induction ceremony for the inaugural class, which coincides with the 30th anniversary of Notre Dame Prep, will be held at halftime of the NDP boys varsity basketball game against Genesee Christian School on Friday, Feb. 7, with tip-off at 5:30 p.m. Following the boys game, the NDP girls varsity basketball team will take on Genesee Christian at 7 p.m.

A meet and greet will be held in the athletics triangle following the induction. The Notre Dame Prep athletic booster club will also be hosting a basket raffle throughout the evening with proceeds benefiting Notre Dame Prep athletics and the hall of fame.

For the next Notre Dame Prep Athletic Hall of Fame, the Class of 2025, nominations are due by May 1, 2025. Please click here for more information.

 

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

About Notre Dame Preparatory School
"At Notre Dame Prep, we inspire our students to become the best versions of themselves. We challenge them through an experience of academic excellence, focused on active, project-based learning. We invite them to explore a world of opportunities beyond the classroom. We guide them as they grow in spirituality within a community strong in its Catholic and Marist identity."

Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School's upper school enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame Prep's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDP is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School, visit the school’s home page at www.ndprep.org.