From left are 2026 Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame inductees Mark Simon, Dave Miller, Erica (Helmila) Smith, Janet (Hallfrisch) Sbar, Lori Juntila Rupert, Stepanie (Boyer) Lovell,Fred Teddy, Andy Crouch, Gary Sparpana, and Chris Angeli, representing his brother, the late Burt Angeli. (Adam Hinch/Escanaba Daily Press photo)

HARRIS — Ski jumping competitor and judge Gary Sparpana of Iron Mountain and longtime Daily News sports editor Burt Angeli were among 10 inductees into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame at a banquet and ceremony at the Island Resort and Casino convention center.

The 54th Annual U.P. Sports Hall of Fame banquet on May 9 included the awarding of four $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors. Recipients were Ashley Carlson of Norway, Jack Kriegl of Kingsford, Emma Besonen of Ewen-Trout Creek and Dylan Adkinson of Munsing.

Each U.P. school is invited to nominate one boy and one girl. Two boys and two girls receive scholarships each year.

Angeli, who passed away in 2020, was the voice of local sports across the Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin for decades. His writing blended knowledge, humor and heart.

Beyond the newsroom, he was known for his kindness and quick wit. As noted in his Hall of Fame biography, his work not only chronicled athletic achievements, but also celebrated the character of the people behind them.

Angeli’s legacy will endure through the thousands of stories he penned and the countless lives he touched.

Sparana won the U.S. national ski jumping championship in the junior class in 1967 in Leavenworth, Wash., and three weeks later was a double winner in the junior class at Pine Mountain.

He landed a berth on the U.S. Ski Team during the 1968-69 season, but in the summer of 1969 he was drafted into the Army and sent to Vietnam.

Sparpana later became a national ski jumping judge and in 1985 became an 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.

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 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Sparpana was inducted into the American Ski Jumping Hall of Fame in Red Wing, Minn., in 2012.

The UPSHF Class of 2026 inductees also included:

— Andy Crouch, football, Lake Linden-Hubbell. Crouch was a member of the Lake Linden-Hubbell football teams that finished as state runners-up in 1989 and 1991. As a head coach of Lake Linden-Hubbell football, he produced a record of 120-57 and 13 playoff appearances.

— Stephanie (Boyer) Lovell, track/basketball, Rapid River. Lovell was a 10-time U.P. champion in track. She was also a member of the 2000 state runner-up basketball team and scored 1,387 career points. She ran track for five seasons at Northern Michigan University and is currently an assistant coach of the track team at Superior Central.

— David Miller, basketball coach, DeTour. Miller guided the DeTour varsity girls program for 23 years and won the Class D state championship in 1983. During his tenure he had four state semifinal appearances, six regional titles and eight district titles. Miller also led the boys program for three years with a 45-20 record and two district championships.

— Erica Helmila Smith, track and field, Marquette. Smith is recognized as one of the U.P.’s most accomplished female track and field athletes. She attended Grand Valley State University and qualified for the 3200 meter run all four years. She was a two-time NCAA Division II All-American and was GLIAC All-Conference first team all four years.

— Lori Juntila Rupert, basketball, Ishpeming. Rupert played at Westwood High School from her sophomore through senior seasons. She was named to the Mid Peninsula Conference and All-U.P. First Teams in 1975 and 1976. She attended Northern Michigan University and scored 1,342 points, a record that stood for 10 years.

— Janet (Hallfrisch) Sbar, track, Menominee. Sbar graduated from Menominee High School in 1977 and played every sport offered to women. At the University of Michigan, she competed in the discus, shot put and javelin, lettering on Michigan’s first women’s varsity track team. She was inducted into the University of Michigans Women’s track team Hall of Fame in 2009.

— Mark Simon, basketball, Stephenson. Simon led the Stephenson Eagles to a state championship in 1981. He was a two-time All-U.P. selection and scored 1,166 points in his career and broke several school records. Simon coached the girls basketball team in Stephenson to a 20-3 record during the 2013-14 season. At NMU he finished with 1,078 career points and 571 rebounds in 116 games. He was inducted into the NMU Hall of Fame in 2004.

— Fred Teddy, track/cross country, L’Anse. Teddy’s U.P. record in the two-mile run of 9:22:7 in 1972 will always stand as the event was changed to the 3200 meter run in 1973. Teddy went to Michigan State University where he lettered in track and cross country all four years. He spent 30 years teaching and coaching at L’Anse High School.