It’s a term that isn’t used often, but generational describes Michigan Tech’s Kyle Monroe and Houghton High’s Brad Simonsen to a tee.

In my some 49 years of covering sports around here, I can only recall a handful of athletes who would fall into that classification.

There was Calumet’s Mike Usitalo, Houghton’s Chuck Klingbeil and Hancock’s Elizabeth Pietila. And a couple more who certainly deserved the title.

Usitalo is still regarded by many observers as the finest all-around athlete ever produced in the Copper Country. He stood out in hockey, football and track before going to Michigan Tech. He was on his way to stardom before injuries sidelined his hockey career.

The late Walt Kitti, a legendary coach at Calumet High, believed Usitalo also had the talent to play linebacker in the Big Ten.

Klingbeil, who passed away a year ago, was also versatile in many sports. But football was his main sport.

After attending Northern Michigan university, he played a couple of years in the Canadian Football League. He was named the defensive MVP in the 1989 Grey Cup.

Signed by the Miami Dolphins as a nose tackle, he played seven years in the National Football League.

Pietila was an amazing athlete at Hancock. She earned something like 11 letters for the Bulldogs, competing in basketball, volleyball, track and cross country.

A tireless and fierce competitor, she gained All-State and All-U.P. honors and led the Bulldogs to the Class C state championship finals her senior season.

Monroe and Simonsen have followed in the steps of those three, although entirely in basketball.

Monroe broke the school record for points in a career with a silky smooth lefthanded shot.

He was the Player of the Year in the GLIAC twice and has led the Huskies into the NCAA Division II quarterfinals this season.

Simonsen, the most versatile high school player I’ve ever watched, did it all for the Gremlins. Facing special defenses designed for him, he managed to average 31 points a game.

He finished as Houghton’s all-time leading scorer and passed up several of the best cagers who ever played locally.

The nice thing about Simonsen is that he was recruited by MTU and will finish his career up here.

One other thing about the about the five players is that they were unfailingly nice people, who served as a great role model for young fans.

And you can’t ask for a better legacy than that.