History of the U.P. Sports Hall of Fame

A sports hall of fame to honor men and women from Michigan's Upper Peninsula was a dream for many years. It had been talked about often in the '50s and '60s.

The U.P. Sportswriters Association, forerunner of the current U.P. Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association, got as far as organizing a committee in 1960 to investigate the project.

Former Northern Michigan University President Edgar L. Harden talked about it in 1965 and expressed a willingness to having it housed on the NMU campus.

The dream came true in March of 1972 when the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame Council held its first induction dinner in the Great Lakes Rooms of NMU's Don H. Bottum University Center.

Among the many who worked to get the Council organized were the late C.V. "Red" Money, Northern's former athletics director, coach, and physical education department head, and the late Jim Trethewey, long-time sports writer who became editor of the Marquette Mining Journal.

The members of the first Council, who were selected because of their interest in U.P. sports as administrators, coaches, officials, and media members met to approve a Constitution and By-Laws, prepared by Trethewey, in January of 1971.

They were long-time coach Art Allen of Iron River, coach and administrator Dick Bonifas of Manistique, Michigan Tech Athletic Director Al Bovard and Ted Kearly of Houghton, NMU Athletic Director Gil Canale of Marquette, Lake Superior State Athletic Director Ron Cooper of Sault Ste. Marie, newspaper editor Ray Crandall of Iron Mountain, newspaperman Larry Ebsch of Menominee, Gogebic Community College coach Gene Farrell of Ironwood, MTU Sports Information Director Dennis Hanks of Houghton, NMU Sports Information Director Gil Heard of Marquette, Norman “Boots” Kukuk of Marquette, newspaperman Dick Loranger of South Range, newspaperman Gene Maki of Wakefield, LSSU Sports Information Director Dennis McPherson of Sault Ste. Marie, newspaperman Tom Pellow of Gwinn, broadcaster Jim Pinar of Escanaba, Paul Suomi, ex officio NMU, Money, and Trethewey.

Trethewey was the Council's first Executive Director and Bovard served as the first President.

Criteria for Council membership has changed over the past 20 years. All members are now selected at large, based on attrition.

The 1972 organizing meeting also marked the first election of inductees, selected from a list of legendary U.P. sports figures compiled by Trethewey.

Charter inductees were: Taffy Abel, Hunk Anderson, Eddie Chambers, Doc Gibson, George Gipp, John MacInnes, Fred Norcross, Gene Ronzani, Gus Sonnenberg, C.C. Watson, and Billy Wells.

Hall of Fame plaques were first publicly displayed in the Superior Room of the Bottum University Center. When the displays outgrew the wall space, the City of Marquette, offered space in the Marquette Lakeview Arena. Lakeview was home to the Hall of Fame until 1997 when it was moved to the Pine Mountain Resort in Iron Mountain.

Hall of Fame-sponsored activities include All-Star Basketball games, for boys and girls (started in 1986). All proceeds from these events go to the Hall of Fame Academic/Athletic Scholarship Program which began in 1997.

The Council currently honors ten people annually, three of whom must be from the Pre-1970 category.

Nominations must be submitted on the UPSHF website nomination form HERE. Nominations must be one page in length or approximately 600 words. Additional materials such as clippings and letters of support are not accepted. All nominations remain on file and may be amended at any time. Nominations must be received by June 1st to be considered at the next annual UPSHF meeting. Council members cast their ballots solely on the basis of the one-page written nominations. Only in extremely rare cases is there discussion. Non-Council members cannot speak at the selection meeting.”

The nominee must be a native of the Upper Peninsula or a person who has accomplished his/her feats while residing in the U.P.