Meet Dean Rusch, musician, entrepreneur, coach, entertainer, and proud Hemlock graduate whose energy, passion, and commitment to people have been inspiring our community for more than five decades.
For most teenagers, a middle school dance is simply a fun night with friends.
For Dean, it was the beginning of a lifelong calling.
At just 13 years old, Dean was already behind a drum kit, performing at his first Hemlock Middle School dance. The experience left a lasting impression.
“It was so much fun,” Dean recalled. “I loved playing, and from that moment on I knew what I wanted to do. All I could think about was drumming.”
More than 50 years later, he's still doing exactly that.
A graduate of Hemlock High School, Dean started the band CEYX while in his senior year of high school. What began as a group of Huskie musicians would grow into one of Michigan’s most enduring and celebrated entertainment acts.
At the same time, Dean’s passion for music was creating opportunities beyond the band. As a teenager, he launched what would eventually become Rusch Entertainment, operating the fledgling business out of his parents’ basement. As demand for entertainment grew, Dean quickly discovered there were more requests than one band could accommodate.
In 1971, that side venture officially became Rusch Entertainment. What started as a teenager’s entrepreneurial idea evolved into one of Michigan’s premier entertainment companies, providing entertainment for thousands of weddings, school dances, celebrations, and special events throughout Michigan.
oday, Dean operates the family business alongside his sons, Casey and Corey, and his daughter, Carly — all proud Hemlock graduates. His wife, Jean, helps manage the business behind the scenes, making Rusch Entertainment a true family enterprise. Together, the Rusch family has helped create unforgettable memories for generations of families across Michigan.
Meanwhile, CEYX continued to grow.
Over the years, the band shared stages with legendary performers including Bob Seger, REO Speedwagon, Ted Nugent, Blue Öyster Cult, Sammy Hagar, and many others. They even performed at a presidential campaign rally featuring Pat Boone. Yet despite those impressive milestones, Dean has always understood that entertainment is really about the audience.
“A lot of bands only play what they want,” he once explained. “But it’s not just about the songs you play. It’s knowing when to play them and what the crowd wants to hear.”
That philosophy helped CEYX become a fixture at weddings, community celebrations, corporate events, and parties throughout Michigan. Their unique performances combine live music, DJ services, audience interaction, and an extensive catalog spanning decades of music.
But many Hemlock families know Dean from an entirely different stage.
For years, he has led Hemlock's varsity girls tennis program, helping student-athletes develop not only their skills on the court, but also their confidence, character, and love for the game.
Dean took over the program in 2010 from legendary coach Ron Kunold, who launched tennis at Hemlock and for whom the Kunold Courts are named. Having benefited from exceptional coaches and mentors throughout his own life, Dean wanted to provide that same experience for the next generation.
"I always wanted to be like the coaches who influenced me," he has said. "To set an example and be a mentor."
Under his leadership, the Huskies have compiled more than 111 victories, captured multiple conference, regional, and tournament championships, and earned eight appearances at the MHSAA State Finals. Most recently, Dean was recognized as a 2026 Girls Tennis Regional Coach of the Year by the Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Association.
Interestingly, Dean sees many similarities between coaching tennis and performing music.
"We practice our songs over and over and over to get them just right," he said. "To hit a winning shot down the line, you've got to practice it just as much."
Whether he's preparing a set list or a match strategy, Dean believes success comes from preparation, repetition, and finding what works.
More importantly, he believes it should be fun.
"I make tennis so much fun," he said. "When I see that same passion in their eyes that I have, it makes me smile."
That passion has never faded.
More than five decades after that first Hemlock Middle School dance, Dean still performs with CEYX, continues to lead Rusch Entertainment, and remains a constant presence on the tennis courts. In fact, he has either performed or DJ’d school dances for generations of Hemlock students, coming full circle to the very place where his own journey began.
His impact reaches beyond music and athletics, too. The life-saving skills he learned through coaching at Hemlock once helped him save the life of a wedding guest experiencing a medical emergency—proof that the lessons learned through school activities often extend far beyond the classroom or playing field.
For Dean, though, the greatest reward isn’t the awards, the packed dance floors, or the decades of success.
It’s the people.
Over the years, he has DJ’d weddings for former students, entertained generations of families, coached countless athletes, and built friendships that stretch across communities throughout Michigan.
“You end up becoming friends and family with these people,” he said.
That ability to connect with people may be Dean’s greatest gift.
Whether he’s sitting behind a drum set, standing behind a DJ booth, or coaching courtside in Hemlock navy and white, Dean brings the same enthusiasm he discovered as a 13-year-old drummer at a Hemlock Middle School dance.
More than 50 years after starting both a band and a business as a teenager, Dean is still performing, still coaching, and still finding ways to help others succeed.
And after all these years, he’s showing absolutely no signs of slowing down.
As it turns out, dynamite really does come in small packages.
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