A Negaunee Miner football team from the past is seen. (Photo courtesy of the Negaunee Historical Society)

By VIRGINIA PAULSON

Negaunee Historical Society

NEGAUNEE — Negaunee High School has one of the oldest interscholastic programs of any school in the Upper Peninsula.

It dates back to the 1894-95 school year, only 15 years after the first graduating class of 1879. The only activities of athletic nature before that was a game of Hares and Hounds, usually played in the fall and indoor baseball played by neighborhood teams at an indoor rink.

In 1894, the first athletic encounter involving two Upper Peninsula high schools was held. It was a football game between Negaunee and Marquette that resulted from a challenge issued by Negaunee.

Responsible for initiating the program was H.B. Krogman, Negaunee High School superintendent. Krogman came to Negaunee from the University of Michigan where he had been involved in football.

Krogman persuaded the school board to sponsor a football program and he agreed to coach a Negaunee team. Three games were played in the fall of 1894.

Apparently the new sport received an enthusiastic welcome from the high school students and residents because the following year four games were played by Negaunee including one that marked the start of football at Ishpeming High School.

Following is an account of a game played between Negaunee and Marquette that appeared on the front page of the Negaunee Iron Herald, Oct. 13, 1895.

In the game of football Saturday afternoon at Union Park, a game was played between Negaunee and Marquette high school football clubs. The visitors were not in it from the beginning, the home team, Negaunee, having 11 points at the close of the game while their opponents had none. It was a pretty game all the way through, and although kind of rough at times no one was seriously hurt.

However, skinned noses and players limping were conspicuous after the game. In the evening, the visitors were taken in hand by the Negaunee High School Athletic Association and brought to the McDonald Opera House where afine supper was served. After all had fully appeased their appetites, the floor was cleared and the balance of the evening was spent dancing to the fine strains of the Twin City Orchestra.

The visitors returned home on a special train at 11 o’clock and were loud in their praise of the treatment received. The above account was one of the first sports stories ever published by an Upper Peninsula newspaper. There was not sufficient interest to sponsor a team in 1896 and 1897 and only two games were played due to the death of Coach Ktogman.

No games were played until 1901 with two games played and the following year only one game was played. Another gap in football history occurred from 1903-05 because the high school only had an enrollment of 33 students in the upper grades and only 10 were boys.

Football was revived again in 1906 and Negaunee has been represented on the gridiron every year since. In a quote from 1914, it says, “Football in our high school has never been considered a major sport because of the short season and a scarcity of willing material.”

In the first 30 years, Negaunee had two undefeated seasons. In 1918, Coach Carroll’s club had four games wiped out by the influenza epidemic that swept the country.

Starting in 1924 Negaunee moved to an eight game schedule and was in effect for eight years when lack of funds resulted in cutbacks, plus two years in World War ll when travel restrictions caused curtailments in 1942-43. In a 1928 quote, it says our football season was the most successful in years under the coaching of Ed Shadford, who also won a championship in 1930.

He left to coach Eastern Michigan University, where the football field is named, Shadford Field.

Dick Koski took the reins in 1968 and was a very successful coach with over 200 wins in his 33rd season of coaching.

Koski was a Wakefield and Northern Michigan University football standout and played for the Boston Patriots of the old American Football League before a knee injury ended his playing days. Dick Koski was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame. He was also named to the Wakefield High School and NMU halls of fame, as well as the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association.

He took the Miners to the state playoffs seven times. Coach Paul Jacobson, had this to say about his coach Dick Koski. “I learned a lot, not only about the game of football but also about myself. He pushes his players to be the best they can be and at times it can be tough. It was an honor to play for him.”

Coach Paul Jacobson has gained a reputation for himself as being one of the best football coaches for the Negaunee Miners. He has been at the helm for 25 years. Jake played football for Negaunee High School and for Central Michigan University. Coach Jacobson brought the Miners to a Division six state championship in 2002 and runner-up spot in 2022.

Coach Paul Jacobson has earned the honor of being inducted into the Michigan High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame.

The Negaunee Historical Society congratulates Coach Jacobson for this honor and gives thanks to all coaches who take the time to instill the love of the game for our athletes.