Reservations for the 54th Annual Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet are now being taken. The induction ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 9th at the Island Resort and Casino in Harris, located 15 miles west of Escanaba.
Banquet reservations are $40 per person. The evening begins with a social hour at 5:00 (all times Eastern) followed by a brief introduction and meal at 6:00 p.m. The induction ceremony follows dinner.
This year’s UPSHF inductees include:
Burt Angeli was a respected, award-winning (six Michigan Press and one Associated Press award) journalist and longtime sports editor of The Daily News in Iron Mountain, Michigan. For decades, Burt was the voice of local sports across the Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin, covering high school rivalries, championship runs, and the everyday triumphs of athletes and coaches. His writing blended knowledge, humor, and heart, earning him the admiration of readers, colleagues, and the many athletes whose stories he told.
Andy Crouch was a member of the Lake Linden-Hubbell football teams that finished as State Runners-Up (Class DD) in 1989 & 1991. He was an All-Conference quarterback as well as All-UP and All-State defensive back. As head football coach at LL-H, Andy was 120-57 with 13 playoff appearances. During that time his teams won six Conference Championships earning four UP Team of the Year selections. He was an eight-time Conference Coach of the Year, four-time Regional Coach of the Year, two-time UP Coach of the Year, and State Coach of the Year in 2010.
Erica (Helmila) Smith, a 2000 graduate of Marquette Senior High School, is recognized as one of the Upper Peninsula’s most accomplished female track and field athletes. A four-sport athlete, she lettered in basketball, cross country, track and field, and volleyball, earning multiple All-Conference honors. She was named Academic All-State and received the United States Army Reserve National Scholar/Athlete Award. She earned UP All-State recognition in cross country.
On the track, she claimed numerous UP Class A-B titles, including three consecutive championships in the 400m dash—setting a state record—two titles in the 1600m relay, and a championship in the 3200m relay, also setting a state record. Erica (Helmila) Smith ran collegiately at Grand Valley State University where she qualified for four NCAA Division II National Championships. She earned distinction as a two-time NCAA Division II All-American and a four-time NCAA Division II Academic All-American.
Lori Juntila Rupert began her basketball career at National Mine before Title IX was fully implemented. During her high school years, girls played with a larger (men’s) basketball, played fewer games, and no 3-point line. Voted MVP as a freshman, she continued playing at Westwood HS. In her sophomore through senior years, she was lead scorer and MVP. She was named to the Mid-Peninsula Conference First Teams and All Upper Peninsula Teams in 1975 and 1976. Lori earned four letters at Northern Michigan University after walking on as a freshman. She was the first 1,000-point scorer at NMU with 1,342 points, a record held for 10 years. She was inducted into the NMU Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.
Stephanie (Boyer) Lovell was a versatile, multi-sport athlete at Rapid River High School. She was a 10-time UP Champion in track: 4-time 200m, 3-time Long Jump, 2-time 400m, and 400m relay team champion. In 2002, she was All-UP for all divisions in the 200m and Long Jump. The Rockets were U.P. Champions in 2003, and Runners-Up from 2000 to 2002. She was also a member of the Division 3 Runner-Up cross country team in 2002. She was a member of the 2000 State Runner-Up basketball team, winning 4 Districts and 2 Regional titles.
She scored 1,387 points, was a multi-year All-UP and All-State selection, BCAM All-Star, and was named the Skyline Conference MVP in 2002. As a member of the volleyball team, she was named MVP of the CUP Conference in 2002 and 2003, and the Rockets won 3 Districts and 1 Regional. Boyer ran track for 5 years and cross country for 1 year at Northern Michigan University.
Dave Miller guided the Varsity Girls Basketball Program at DeTour Area Schools for 23 years, winning the 1983 Class D State Championship with a 28-0 record. During his tenure he had four State Semi-Final appearances, six Regional Championships, eight District Championships and nine Eastern UP Conference titles. He earned over 350 varsity coaching victories over his career.
Miller also led the Varsity boys’ basketball team for 3 years with a 45-20 record and two District Championships. He was assistant coach for the 1986 Boys Basketball Team that finished Runner-Up in Class D (26-1). He was named BCAM Class D Coach of the Year (1983), UP Class D Coach of the Year (1985), and BCAM Class D Region 4 Coach of the Year (1985 and 1987). In addition to teaching and coaching, Miller spent 21 years coaching girls’ varsity track in which he led his girls to one conference title, one regional crown, and two UP Class D runner-ups.
Janet (Hallfrisch) Sbar, a 1977 graduate of Menominee High School, played every sport offered to women. She earned All-State Honors in the Mile Relay, set records in discus and was Track & Field MVP. She played #1 Singles in Tennis and Basketball her senior year and was named MHS Female Superstar Athlete of the Year. She was a 2022 inductee into the MHS Sports Hall of Fame. Janet attended the University of Michigan (BS 81’ MA 82’ with Honors).
She competed in discus, shot-put and javelin, lettering on Michigan’s first Women’s Varsity Track Team which was inducted into the University of Michigan Women’s Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2009. She won the Atlanta Track Club All-Comers Outstanding Women’s Athlete Award in 1983, the Atlanta Softball Championships in 1985 and the Soo Curling Championship in 2024. Janet is also a 5 Bar NRA Marksman and 2-time Women’s Golf Champion at North Shore Golf Club.
Mark Simon was a standout basketball player, leading the Stephenson Eagles to the Class C State Basketball Championship in 1981. He was a unanimous selection to the All-State First Team that same year. He was a 2-time All-UP selection, helping the Eagles win 42 games in those 2 years. He finished his high school career with 1,166 points and broke several school records. At Northern Michigan University Simon was a 4-year letterman and team captain in 1986. He finished his career in the top 10 in scoring and rebounding and played in 116 games, a school record at that time. Simon coached the Stephenson girls’ basketball team to a school-best 20-3 record in 2013-14. Simon was state Coach of the Year Honorable Mention. In 2004 he was inducted into the NMU Sports Hall of Fame.
A noted ski jumper in the 1960’s, Gary Sparpana won the 1967 Junior Class National Championship in Leavenworth, Washington. Three weeks later he was a double winner in Junior Class at Pine Mountain. He landed a berth on the 1968-69 U.S. Ski Team but in the summer of 1969, he was drafted into the Army and was sent to Vietnam which ended his ski jumping career.
Sparpana then became a national ski jump judge in 1978 and in 1985 became an international FIS (International Ski Federation) judge. His FIS assignments took him to eight countries to officiate 69 Continental Cup tournaments, seven World Cup tournaments, seven ski-flying competitions, and 10 national championships.
The highlights of his 29-year career included judging the prestigious four-hill competitions in Germany and Austria, and being named Chief of Officials for the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City Utah. Sparpana was inducted into the American Ski Jumping Hall of Fame in Red Wing MN in 2012.
Fred Teddy is considered one of the premier runners to come out of the Upper Peninsula. He set numerous records during a sterling career at L’Anse High School. He was three-time UP Champion in both the UP track and cross country finals and was unbeaten in cross country his sophomore, junior and senior years. He was unbeaten in the two-mile run for 3 years.
He was All-State in both track and cross country as a senior. Teddy went to Michigan State University where he lettered in track and cross country all four years and medaled seven times in Big Ten competitions. He was team captain in cross country for three seasons and received the outstanding senior award. Teddy spent 30 years teaching and coaching at L’Anse High School.
For more information or to reserve a seat, please call one of the following Council members: Terry Duval (906-286-1371), Chuck Vercoe (906-396-2271), Mike Caruso (906-396-9270), Phil DeGabrielle (906-250-1882), Mike Maki (906-282-0439), Mike Ludlum (906-250-4597), Don Gustafson (906-298-0174), Cathy Shamion (906-364-0961) or Anne Okonek (906-280-2587).
The deadline for making reservations for seats is April 22nd. Council members encourage UPSHF inductees from previous years to join the celebration!
A block of rooms has been reserved for those interested in staying overnight. To book your room, call the Island at 1-800-682-6040 and tell them that you’re attending the U.P. Sports Hall of Fame banquet to obtain the special rate. Reservations for rooms must be made no later than April 24th.
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