Upper Peninsula Sports
Hall of Fame
Awarded forExcellence in athletic sports
LocationIron Mountain, Michigan
CountryUnited States
Reward(s)Honorary
WebsiteUPSHF.com[1]












Year of Induction Name Sport Accomplishments Location
1972 Taffy Abel Hockey Member of the U.S. ice hockey team at the 1924 Olpmpics, 2x Stanley Cup Champion with the Chicago Blackhawks and the New York Rangers. Sault St. Marie, Michigan
Heartley "Hunk" Anderson Football Member of the College Football Hall of Fame and named to the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team, played football for Notre Dame and the Chicago Bears, coached at four schools and two NFL teams. Calumet, Michigan
Eddie Chambers Basketball Coached Crystal Falls High baseball team to 312 wins and 16 district titles including 12 consecutive from 1936-1947. Crystal Falls, Michigan
John L. "Doc" Gibson Hockey Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, established the Portage Lakes Hockey Club in Houghton. Moved to
Houghton, Michigan
George "The Gipper" Gipp Football 1920 All-American for Notre Dame under coach Knute Rockne. Laurium, Michigan
John MacInnes Hockey Coached Michigan Tech to 555 wins and 3 NCAA Championships from 1956-1982. 2x NCAA Coach of the Year. Moved to
Houghton, Michigan
Fred Norcross Football Quarterback for Michigan from 1903-1905 achieving a 33-1-1 record and 2 national championships. Menominee, Michigan
Gene Ronzani Football Running back for the Chicago Bears for eight seasons and head coach of the Green Bay Packers for three. Iron Mountain, Michigan
Gus Sonnenberg Wrestling 1929 World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. Played football for Marquette High School and Northern Michigan Ewen, Michigan
C.C. Watson Basketball Coached the Ishpeming High School basketball team to 18 district and eight U.P. titles. 1950 Michigan State Coach of the Year. Ishpeming, Michigan
Billy Wells Football Drafted in the fifth round of the 1954 NFL draft from Michigan State after being awarded MVP of the 1954 Rose Bowl, played in the NFL and AFL from 1954-1960. Menominee, Michigan
1973 Walter Bietila Ski Jumping Competed in the 1936 Winter Olympics and the 1948 Winter Olympics for the United States Ishpeming, Michigan
Ray Bray Football 3x NFL Champion, 4x Pro Bowl lineman, a member of the Helms Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame, and number 49 on the 100 greatest Bears of All-Time. Vulcan, Michigan
Lyman Frimodig Basketball The only 10-letter winner in Michigan State University history, he spent two years as the basketball team's head coach from 1920-1922. Calumet, Michigan
Herman "Winks" Gundlach Football Captained the 1934 Harvard Crimson football team, played in the 1935 College All-Star Game, and was a member of the NFL's Boston Redskins for one season. Houghton, Michigan
Ralph Heikkinen Football Two-time MVP at Michigan, unanimous All-American in 1939, and spent the 1939 season playing in the NFL with the Brooklyn Dodgers. After professional football, he coached football at Virginia and Marquette. Bessemer, Michigan
Wayne McClintock Football, Basketball Coached the Northern Michigan Wildcats in football and basketball from 1915-1917. Organized the U.P.'s first high school basketball tournament in 1917. Marquette, Michigan
Web Morrison Football Coached Pickford High track to 25 straight U.P. titles from 1952 to 1976. He additionally coached Pickford High's basketball, football, and baseball teams to three district titles, 21 straight wins, and 74 wins, respectively. Pickford, Michigan
Tauno Nurmela Skiing, Track and Field Won 97 first place medals and ribbons in track and field events throughout the Midwest in the 1920s and 1930s. Covington, Michigan
Bernhardt "Ben" Pederson Football 3x letter-winner at Michigan and played in the 1951 Rose Bowl. Marquette, Michigan
Allan Ronberg Basketball Star athlete at Northern Michigan, coached for 31 years at Norway High School. His baseball team won nine district and three U.P. titles, his football team won the 1938 U.P. Championship. Negaunee, Michigan,

Norway, Michigan

Mary Agnes Wall Golf Won three Michigan championships, competed on the national tour with the USGA Women's amateur program, and finished tied for 6th at the 1948 U.S. Women's Open. Menominee, Michigan
1974 Willard Anderson Football, Basketball Played for Stambaugh High School's football and basketball teams in the 1920s and went on to coach both sports for 24 years. Stambaugh, Michigan
Omar Crocker Boxing 1939 welterweight boxing champion in Wisconsin, a Golden Gloves champion in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, and a finalist in the 1936 U.S. Olympic boxing trials as a teenager. Iron Mountain, Michigan
Angus Goetz Football A member of Sault St. Marie High's unbeaten 1913 team, spent four years at Michigan, and two years playing pro for the Buffalo All-Americans and the Columbus Tigers DeTour Village, Michigan
William "Pud" Hamilton Hockey, Rugby Played in the first pro hockey league in the U.S. and Canada during the early 1900s and named the best rugby player in Canada in 1898. He also played pro football and lacrosse and coached college rugby. Sault St. Marie, Michigan
[[|Charles B. Hedgcock|C.B. Hedgcock]] Football Coached all sports at Northern Michigan University and was head of the department of health, physical education and recreation for 34 years. NMU's C.B. Hedgcock Building is named for him. Marquette, Michigan
Eldon "Cappy" Keil Football, Basketball, Golf Coached football, basketball, and golf at Gladstone High. He led each team to multiple U.P. titles. Marquette, Michigan
Omar LaJeunesse Football All-Big Ten lineman for Michigan's championship football teams in 1930 and 1931. He was a member of Iron Mountain High School's undefeated 1925 football teams and taught football and basketball at Iron Mountain for 12 years before serving as the head football coach at Michigan Tech for five. Iron Mountain, Michigan
Walter Niemann Skiing, Track and Field Covington, Michigan
John Ralston Football Marquette, Michigan
George Rudness Basketball Negaunee, Michigan,

Norway, Michigan

Charles Uksila Golf Menominee, Michigan
1975 Tony Bukovich Football, Basketball Painesdale, Michigan
F.L. "Frosty" Ferzacca Boxing Iron Mountain, Michigan
William Girard Sr. Football Gladstone, Michigan
Ed Helakoski Hockey, Rugby Chassell, Michigan
White Pine, Michigan
Peter Kutches Football Escanaba, Michigan
Martin "Mubby" Mahlberg Football, Basketball, Golf Stambaugh, Michigan
Carl "Buck" Nystrom Jr. Football Marquette, Michigan
Mel Peterson Skiing, Track and Field Wallace, Michigan
Dewey "Butch" Urquhart Football Ishpeming, Michigan
George Weingartner Basketball Rock, Michigan