The full council of the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame is shown here with its 22 members during its July 2025 annual meeting. (Photo courtesy U.P. Sports Hall of Fame website, upshf.com)

HARRIS — Reservations will be accepted through April 22 for the 54th annual Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet to be held at the Island Resort & Casino in Harris, 15 miles west of Escanaba, on May 9.

The evening begins with a social hour at 5 p.m. EDT, followed by a brief introduction and meal at 6 p.m. EDT. The induction ceremony follows dinner.

A block of rooms at the Island Resort has been reserved for those who want to stay overnight. To book a room, call the Island Resort at 1-800-682-6040 by April 24 and mention the U.P. Sports Hall of Fame banquet to obtain a special rate.

For banquet reservations, call one of these UPSHF Council members — Phil DeGabrielle of Negaunee at 906-250-1882, Anne Okonek of Cornell at 906-280-2587, Terry Duval of Iron Mountain at 906-286-1371, Chuck Vercoe at 906-396-2271, Mike Caruso of Iron Mountain at 906-396-9270, Mike Maki of Laurium at 906-282-0439, Don Gustafson of St. Ignace at 906-298-0174, or Cathy Shamion of Ontonagon at 906-364-0961.

Council members also encourage past UPSHF inductees to join the celebration.

The Hall of Fame class of 2026 includes these inductees based out of our local area — Erica Helmila Smith of Marquette in track and field, Lori Juntila Rupert of Ishpeming in basketball, and Fred Teddy of L’Anse in track and field and cross country.

The induction class also includes the late Burt Angeli of Iron Mountain, a newspaper sports writer and sports editor, Andy Crouch of Lake Linden-Hubbell in football, Stephanie (Boyer) Lovell of Rapid River in track and field and basketball, David Miller of DeTour in basketball, Janet (Hallfrisch) Sbar of Menominee in track and field, Mark Simon of Stephenson in basketball, and Gary Sparpana of Iron Mountain in ski jumping.

The UPSHF also accepts nominations from anyone for future induction into the hall of fame. Complete a nomination form by June 1 for consideration in the following year’s class. The form is available at the UPSHF website at upshf.com by looking under the “About” header on the home page, then clicking on “Procedure for Nomination of Candidates.”

Story contents based on email received from U.P. Sports Hall of Fame council member Anne Okonek. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.