Andy Crouch (left) and Fred Teddy are two of the 10 inductees in the 2026 Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame class. (Photos courtesy of the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame)

Reservations for the 54th Annual Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet are now being taken. The induction ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 9, at the Island Resort and Casino in Harris, located 15 miles west of Escanaba.

Banquet reservations are $40 per person. The evening begins with a social hour at 5 p.m. (all times Eastern) followed by a brief introduction and meal at 6 p.m. The induction ceremony follows dinner.

Two local names are of interest in this year’s class, Fred Teddy, of L’Anse, and Andy Crouch, of Lake Linden-Hubbell. Eight others join them.

Teddy is considered one of the premier runners to ever come out of the Upper Peninsula.

He set numerous records during a sterling career at L’Anse High School. He was three-time U.P. champion in both the track and cross country finals, and was unbeaten in cross country his sophomore, junior, and senior years. 

He was unbeaten in the two-mile run for three years. His record 9:22:7 in the two-mile run in 1972 will always stand, because the event changed to metric in 1973. He was All-State in both track and cross country as a senior. 

Teddy went on to Michigan State University, where he lettered in track and cross country all four years, and medaled seven times in Big Ten competitions. He was team captain in cross country for three seasons and received the outstanding senior award.

Following graduation, Teddy spent 30 years teaching and coaching at L’Anse High School.

Crouch was a member of the Lake Linden-Hubbell football teams that finished as state runners-Up (Class DD) in 1989 and 1991. He was an All-Conference quarterback as well as All-UP and All-State defensive back. 

As an all-around athlete at Lake Linden, he also received honors participating in basketball and track.

As head football coach at Lake Linden, Crouch was 120-57 with 13 playoff appearances.  During that time his teams won six conference championships, earning four U.P. Team of the Year selections. 

He was an eight-time conference coach of the year, four-time regional coach of the year, two-time U.P. Coach of the Year, and State Coach of the Year in 2010. 

He was an assistant coach when Lake Linden won the Class D State Football Championship in 1997. He also coached basketball and track at Lake Linden, where his teams experienced great successes. He was instrumental in the development of the U.P. Football All-Star game, serving as head coach three times.

The eight remaining UPSHF Class of 2026 inductees are Burt Angeli (sports writer/editor, Iron Mountain), Stephanie (Boyer) Lovell (track/basketball, Rapid River,), David Miller (basketball coach, DeTour), Erica Helmila Smith (track and field, Marquette,), Lori Juntila Rupert (basketball, Ishpeming), Janet (Hallfrisch) Sbar (track, Menominee), Mark Simon (basketball, Stephenson), and Gary Sparpana (ski jumper, Iron Mountain).

Book your ticket

For more information or to reserve a seat, please call one of the following council members: Mike Maki (906-282-0439), Cathy Shamion (906-364-0961) or Anne Okonek (906-280-2587). The deadline for making reservations for seats is April 22. Council members encourage UPSHF inductees from previous years to join the celebration.

A block of rooms has been reserved for those interested in staying overnight. To book your room, call the Island at 1-800-682-6040 and tell them that you’re attending the U.P. Sports Hall of Fame banquet to obtain the special rate. Reservations for rooms must be made no later than April 24.

Looking ahead

Do you know someone that should be considered for induction into the UP Sports Hall of Fame? Anyone can nominate a candidate for membership in the UPSHF by completing the nomination form that can be found on the U.P. Sports Hall of Fame website at upshf.com. Nominations are due by June 1 annually.