Toni Magni was a recent graduate of the University of Detroit in the early 1970s and heard Grosse Pointe St. Paul was looking to hire a cross-country coach. Magni had never coached before so he asked the advice of Lou Miramonti, who had coached him at Detroit St. Anthony.

“I asked him if I should apply,” Magni recalled. “He said: ‘Sure. The worst thing they could do is give you the job.’ “ Well, Ed Lauer, the legendary St. Paul athletic director and basketball coach, did indeed do the worst thing and hired Magni.