A family rooted in LCC

By Nicole Wadkins
Staff Reporter

For Coach Mike Ingram, basketball and Lansing Community College has always gone hand in hand. Before he became one of the coaches at LCC, he started out as a student athlete attending LCC.

Mike Ingram grew up in Jackson, Michigan, and played basketball at Parkside High School alongside Tony Dungy—future NFL head coach and Hall of Famer. After graduating high school, he came to LCC to play basketball and built a name for himself, hoping to open doors at the Lansing Board of Water and Light, “I got the job,” Mike Ingram said. “I played well enough at LCC to get a full ride scholarship to play basketball at Central Michigan University.”

Before Mike Ingram left LCC for CMU, he left his mark on the court. He scored over more than 1100 points, became a second team All American at LCC (1981), earned two conference Player of the Year honors, and was named MVP of the Western Conference MCCAA. He credits his former LCC coach, Art Frank, “who has been instrumental in both my basketball and coaching career.”

After graduating from Central and getting married, Mike Ingram decided to reconnect with Jud Heathcote, former MSU basketball coach and Art Frank. This ultimately led him back to sports. “I called Jud Heathcote one day and said, ‘Hey, can I come to the game?’” Mike Ingram said. “And then the next day, I called Art Frank and said, ‘Hey, do you need any help coaching?’ And I’ve been here ever since.”

Mike Ingram started out as an assistant coach during the 1986-87 season. He helped lead the stars to a National Championship in 1988. “A couple of years after that, Art retired,” Mike Ingram said. He became head coach in 1990, a position he has held for 35 years.

Mike Ingram’s approach to coaching has always revolved around helping students grow, both on and off the court. “I help them learn how to be more responsible,” Mike Ingram said. He often reminds his players that basketball is more than just a game, as being on a team can help you out later in life. “Be on time, be accountable, do your best, be somebody that you can count on. This will help you later when you become a husband, a father, an uncle, a brother— that’s the thing that I really try to instill into the guys, let’s prepare for when you go from being a young man to a man.”

Over the years, LCC has been a constant in Mike Ingram’s life. It’s where he met his wife, Phebeit, and where their family built lasting connections to the college as their children grew up. His son, Mike, played for Mike Ingram at LCC, while Layne, Justin, and Jocelyn spent a lot of time around the college community. “Being on LCC college campus helped them prepare to be college students,” Mike Ingram said.

Coach Mike isn’t the only one from the Ingram family who found a career at LCC.

His son, Chief of Staff Layne Ingram, spent most of his childhood in the gym, surrounded by the game that defined so much of their family life. “There’s videos from back in the day, like I’d be playing basketball with the team, my brother might be like off on a side basket, and then my sisters like roller skating around the gym,” Layne Ingram said. “Basketball was such a pivotal, foundational thing in our family that LCC was just kind of the cornerstone of that.”

His connection to LCC started at his father’s basketball camps when he was around five or six years old. He was one of the youngest kids on the court, learning the fundamentals right alongside college athletes. “Layne just really loved basketball, if he couldn’t shoot, he could dribble,” Mike Ingram said. “I think every player that’s ever played here knows Layne from that experience. So yeah, Layne grew up here.” By the time Layne Ingram reached high school, his dedication and skills would earn him a full ride scholarship to the University of Michigan.

Over the years, Layne has worked across nearly every corner of the college. From the President’s Office and the Gannon building, to the TLC building, and even the West Campus, where he was the marketing coordinator before having an office in the Administration Building. When it comes to his role as Chief of Staff, a typical day doesn’t exist for him. Much of his job revolves around solving problems, meeting with LCC president, working with legislators, planning events, or helping different departments remove barriers that stand in the way of student success. “I do not ever do the same thing every day,” Layne Ingram said. “LCC is a big place, at any moment, something could happen in the government that affects us. Something could happen with the student issue. Something could happen even down to our koi fish.”

That unpredictability is one of the things Layne Ingram likes about his job, “Every day is potentially a new challenge,” Layne Ingram said. “I really like when I’m able to work with people across campus to make things better for our students. I imagine that’s kind of the point– everything that I do should make things better for our students.

His works go beyond the walls of the administration building. He helps plan campus events, collaborates with leadership on student-centered projects, and has even started projects of his own. LCC’s most popular campus tradition, Party with the Prez, was made by Layne so that students can have a sense of connection and inclusion. He also helped develop the Star Standard to ensure every program graduation feels meaningful for students. “We want those students and their families on those days to feel as proud of that accomplishment as we do,” Layne Ingram said. “So that students know that we care that you did this, we see that you did this, and we’re very proud of it. All of the work I do is to support our student’s success.”

Currently, he is working on another project, the Changemaker Center, a new space on the third floor of the Gannon Building which honors and recognizes African-Americans throughout Lansing' s history. “From 1847 when the first black person came to Lansing to the present, we’re retelling those stories in a really amazing way,” Layne Ingram said. “That’s going to open next year, be ready to be wowed.”

LCC has always revolved around Layne’s personal life. Like his father, he met his wife, Marketing Coordinator, Tonya Causley-Ingram, at LCC. Then in 2016, the couple married on campus at the president’s home after rain canceled their original garden wedding plan.

Both Mike Ingram and Layne Ingram share a commitment to supporting students.

“We’re attacking the same problem, just in different ways,” Layne Ingram said. “Where he’s coaching and supporting them to meet their goals, I’m trying to make sure the goals they’re trying to meet–they have the tools they need, to be able to do that from a college and institution standpoint.” The work that both Layne and Mike Ingram do at LCC to support students across campus has created a legacy that runs deep throughout LCC history, and is felt by students and staff alike.