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Named to the hall: 10 Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame honorees include several from area

Baraga native John “Gus” Koskinen putts on the first playoff hole during the final day of the Upper Peninsula Golf Association championship tournament on Aug. 12, 2017, at Wawonowin Country Club in Champion. (Journal file photo by Steve Brownlee)

ESCANABA — The first inductee class for the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in 1972 included some legendary figures who were standouts in various fields of play.

The 2023 inductee class includes someone who relied on horse power to create his legacy.

Joe Casagranda, a native of Crystal Falls, has earned $3.2 million racing harness horses and has also built a huge reputation as a trainer.

He is one of 10 new people to be inducted next year on May 13 at the 51st UPSHF banquet at the Island Resort & Casino in Harris.

The other honorees hail from more traditional sporting activities such as golf, running and coaching.

Baraga native John “Gus” Koskinen lines up a putt at the 18th hole during the final day of the Upper Peninsula Golf Association championship tournament on Aug. 12, 2017, at Wawonowin Country Club in Champion. (Journal file photo by Steve Brownlee)

They include runners Chris Lett of Houghton and Ginger Polich of Ironwood, coaches Jeff Blashill of Sault Ste. Marie, the late Jim Mattson of L’Anse, the late Don McDonald of Iron River and Lisa Twardzik of Calumet, golfer John Koskinen of Baraga, basketball standout Katie (Hoy) Batten of Newberry and all-around athlete David Cvengros of Wakefield.

Here is a brief biography of each inductee:

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Joe Casagranda — He has won an astounding 1,123 harness races and finished in the top three in more than 40 percent of his races in a sport where winning 30 percent of the time is considered outstanding. He accomplishments come from nearly 9,000 races despite frequently taking older, unsung horses, correcting their ailments and issues, and turning them into top horses.

In 2017, his PV Miracle Mary broke a 12-year-old track record in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, and became the fastest horse in that state’s history. He has raced throughout the upper Midwest.

Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill, left, argues his point with linesman Ryan Galloway, right, during the first period of a game against the Edmonton Oilers in Detroit on Nov. 6, 2016. (AP file photo)

Casagranda received the peer-chosen Dan Rathka Award as the top horseman of the year and in 2015 he was Michigan’s headliner of the year and was Michigan Pacer of the Year.

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Jeff Blashill — He was head coach of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings from 2015 until earlier this year and has since joined the two-time Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning as an assistant coach.

He was 204-261-72 with the rebuilding Detroit team. Prior to joining the Red Wings, he was head coach at Western Michigan University and led them into the NCAA playoffs, directed the pro minor league Grand Rapids Griffins to the AHL Calder Cup in 2014 and directed the USHL Indiana Ice to the Clark Cup in 2009. He also spent time as an assistant coach with the Red Wings, Miami (Ohio) University and Ferris State University.

He was a goalie as a youngster, helping Sault Lynn Auto Parts win the 1987 U.S. Hockey Tier II national championship. He was also a goalie on the Ferris State hockey team from 1994-98.

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Jim Mattson — He spent 41 years in education and athletics as a coach and official. His L’Anse track and field teams won three U.P. titles. He played football and basketball at Baraga High School and Northern MIchigan University, and was MVP of his Suomi College basketball team in the 1955-56 season.

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John Koskinen — He won the 2002 U.P. Golf Association annual championship tournament title with a record four-day total of 269, topping a field of more than 400 players. He also qualified for and played in the U.S. Open in 2006 at Winged Foot, New York, and in 2007 at Oakmont, Pennsylvania.

He was an all-conference golfer at Baraga High School four times and won every tournament as a senior, when he averaged a score of 35.0 per round. While golfing at Michigan State University, Koskinen earned all-Big Ten and all-Midwest first-team honors.

He was the University of Miami (Florida) associate women’s golf head coach the for five years and spent a total of 12 years as an assistant coach with the Hurricanes, helping them win the 2016 NCAA Division I title and earning 12 straight NCAA appearances.

He became head women’s golf coach at Division II Barry University in Miami in July.

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Katie (Hoy) Batten — She was a four-sport letterwinner at Newberry High School and scored more than 1,000 points in basketball, was a two-time All-U.P. cager and was U.P. Dream Team as a senior. She was also MVP of Newberry’s golf and volleyball teams.

She was selected a scholar-athlete by the Detroit Free Press and received a basketball scholarship to Lake Superior State University. She was LSSU’s defensive player of the year in for the 1995-96 season and was LSSU’s nominee as Female Athlete of the Year in the GLIAC.

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Don McDonald — He was 29-10-3 while coaching football at Stambaugh High School from 1962-67, then spent three years at West Iron County, where he was U.P. Coach of the Year in 1963 and was 17-6-1, and helped steer the consolidation of the Stambaugh and Iron River schools.

He also directed Bates High School to a Class E district basketball title in 1953. He was a two-year starter at center in football and a three-year starting guard in basketball at Iron River, played baseball at Western Michigan University and then joined the U.S. Navy, played baseball for the Iron River Red Legs and coached American Legion baseball.

McDonald died Friday at age 96 while living at the D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans in Marquette.

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David Cvengros — He was a five-sport athlete at Wakefield, earning 17 varsity letters during the mid-1950s. He teamed with UPSHF inductee Rom Gilbert to win two U.P. doubles tennis titles.

He played for three UPSHF coaches at Wakefield, then played four seasons of basketball and tennis at Michigan Tech from 1958-62. He scored 1,032 points in basketball, the first to reach that level at Tech. He played for UPSHF inductee Verdi Cox in basketball and tennis.

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Ginger Polich — She earned eight running letters at Ironwood High School and added 12 letters running at Amherst, Massachusetts, College, where she twice earned All-American relay team honors. She helped Ironwood win seven U.P. relay titles and in 2002 won the U.P. 800 title.

At Amherst College she broke individual 600- and 800-meter indoor track school records and helped her team break the 4-by-800 relay school record. She qualified to race the 800 and distance medley relay at the NCAA nationals, and her relay team twice earned All-American honors.

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Lisa Twardzik — She earned 11 varsity letters at DeTour High School, then spent 20 years from 1997-2016 coaching volleyball at Calumet High School. Her Calumet teams won 10 conference titles, 11 MHSAA district titles and 10 regional crowns and made three state Final Four appearances, including Class C runner-up in 2008. She compiled a 656-142-50 career record.

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Chris Lett — He was a two-time U.P. cross country champion at Houghton High School and twice was named U.P. Runner of the Year. In track, he won every mile and two-mile race over his final three years and won seven U.P. titles.

He received a scholarship to run at Michigan State University and earned all-Big Ten and all-NCAA regional honors in track and cross country. He qualified for the 1996 Olympics Trials.

Since graduating, he has won two 10-mile Canal Run titles in Hancock, the 1997 Copperman Triathlon and has run in the Boston and Chicago marathons.

Dennis Grall is the executive secretary of the U.P. Sports Hall of Fame and is a former sports editor of the Daily Press of Escanaba.

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