A class of 10 coaches, athletes and a broadcaster with roots stretching from Calumet to Kingsford will enter the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame next spring, the organization's 23-member council announced Wednesday, Aug. 5.
The 55th annual induction ceremony is set for Saturday, May 8, 2027, at the Island Resort and Casino in Harris, according to UPSHF Executive Secretary Anne Okonek in a WZMQ-19 report.
The class spans nine communities across the peninsula. Three inductees share ties to Ishpeming's Westwood High School alone.
John Croze, football and track coach, Calumet
Croze compiled a 209-100 record coaching Calumet football from 1991 to 2021, according to the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association. His teams reached the state playoffs 22 times, won eight WestPAC conference titles and posted undefeated regular seasons in 1996 and 2018. He was named U.P. Coach of the Year in 2009 and inducted into the Michigan High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame in 2022. His boys track teams added eight WestPAC titles and three U.P. championships.
Kevin Luke, men's basketball coach, Houghton
Luke left Michigan Tech with the best winning percentage in men's basketball program history after 27 seasons, finishing 471-302, according to the Michigan Tech athletics department. He guided the Huskies to 10 NCAA Tournament berths and five GLIAC titles. His 2002-03 squad went 29-3, earned a No. 1 national ranking in the final regular-season poll and earned Luke the Basketball Times National Coach of the Year award. A Michigamme native, Luke earned All-U.P. honors at Westwood High School in 1976-77 before playing three seasons at Tech. He retired in April 2021.
Troy Mattson, basketball player and coach, Ishpeming/Marquette
Mattson grew up in Ishpeming and graduated from Westwood in 1981. He scored 1,018 career points as a point guard at Northern Michigan University from 1982 to 1985 and ranks third in program history with 486 assists, according to NMU athletics. He later coached the NMU women's basketball team from 2005 to 2022, compiling a 240-231 record with 11 straight GLIAC tournament appearances and three NCAA Tournament bids.
"For over 55 years, it has been my home and truthfully the only place I have ever wanted to be," Mattson said of Marquette and the surrounding area upon his retirement from NMU in June 2022.
Angela Guisfredi VanWagner, basketball player, Lake Linden-Hubbell
VanWagner was an all-state basketball player at Lake Linden-Hubbell High School and a key member of Michigan Tech's team that reached the NCAA Division II semifinals in 2011, as reported by the Keweenaw Report.
Charles Lucchesi, football player, Hancock
Lucchesi was a tackle on Hancock's undefeated 1961 team who earned All-American honors at Michigan Tech and was signed by the Houston Oilers before a late-season cut.
Gordy Chinn, coach, Ishpeming — Coached championship basketball, baseball and track at National Mine High School, then led Westwood to seven U.P. track titles and five U.P. cross country championships.
Kelly Jean Allen, Paralympic canoeist, Kingsford — Represented the United States in the Paralympic Games and is a member of the National Athletes with Disabilities Hall of Fame, according to Team USA.
Don Carlson, multi-sport athlete, Kingsford — A receiver on two Class B state champion football teams, U.P. tennis champion and four-year starter on the Lake Superior State basketball team.
John McCormick, football/basketball/track, Marquette — Starred in three sports at Marquette High School and started at linebacker for Michigan State for two seasons.
Mike Ludlum, sports broadcaster, Negaunee — Spent years at TV-6 before joining WZMQ-19 in 2024. He has won multiple awards from the Associated Press and the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. In a notable twist, Ludlum wrote the WZMQ-19 article announcing the class that includes his own induction.
Banquet details for the May 8 ceremony will be released in early 2027, according to Okonek.
