Wayne Sickler is pictured at his Hall of Fame induction into the Calumet Sports Hall of Fame. (Calumet High School/Courtesy Photo)

CALUMET — As one of the most decorated athletes in Calumet High School sports history, you know that Wayne Sickler had talent.

But Sickler also had the knack of showing up at the right time, whether it was playing or coaching.

Take the 1957 Ironwood-Calumet basketball game as an example.

With the Copper Kings trailing the Red Devils in Calumet by a 66-40 score with one quarter left, Sickler helped his team rally for an 83-78 victory.

“I never could really explain it,” Sickler later said. “We all just got hot at the right time and Ironwood kind of froze up.”

The 43 points in one quarter was an Upper Peninsula prep record for points in a quarter. It stood for more than 40 years.

Jay Rowe was the big gun for CHS in the game with 36 points — 22 coming in the final quarter. Sickler, a senior forward, added nine points to the output.

Sickler, who earned 10 letters in football, basketball and track at Calumet, was also the George Gipp All-American award winner as a senior.

Northern Michigan University football coach Frosty Ferzacca recruited him after he gained All-U.P. and All-State honors at an end.

The Wildcats didn’t regret that decision as Sickler set records for most touchdowns in a season (seven) and career (14).

He also handled the place-kicking chores at NMU. In 1963, he led all state collegiate players with 63 points.

“Wayne Sickler was one of the finest players we ever recruited up here,” Ferzacca said. “He did everything well.”

After graduating from NMU, Sickler would eventually return to his alma mater as football coach.

While his teams had success right from the beginning, he would suffer one bitter loss.

That was in 1966 when Calumet and Ironwood met on a rainy night in Ironwood.

Paced by the running of the late George Oikarinen, the ‘Kings were holding a slim one-point lead late in the contest of Class B powers.

But Ironwood — quarterbacked by Don Koivisto (later a state representative) — scored on a late controversial touchdown pass to George Hill to win, 26-21.

Most people at the game felt that Hill was out of bounds when he caught the winning TD pass.

“It was one of the most disappointing losses I was ever involved in,” Sickler said in a 2005 interview. “We should have never lost that game.”

Oikarinen, who gained nearly 1,500 yards that season, was chosen as the Class A-B-C Back of the Year.

Calumet’s fortunes improved in a 1976 game against perennial powerhouse Crystal Falls.

Both teams came into the game at Agassiz Field tied for the conference lead.

The CHS defense bottled up the Trojans ace running back Dan Lato. and scored an impressive 16-6 triumph over the defending state Class D champions of coach Dick Mettlach.

“I was never prouder of a defensive effort by one of our teams,” Sickler said after the game. “Beating Crystal Falls is always a big accomplishment.”

Sickler was the athletic director at Calumet until his retirement.

He was inducted into the NMU Sports Hall of Fame, the U.P. Hall of Fame and the Calumet High School Hall of Fame.