Peterson: Gremlins, Jets 1970 matchup memorable

February 12, 2020

The 1970 basketball game between Houghton and Jeffers could only be described as a one-of-a-kind happening. Even though I wasn’t there to witness it, I’ve probably heard more about it than most other local athletic events since then. The score of the game — a 134-62 victory by Houghton almost exactly 50 years ago — wasn’t notable because of the number of points scored. It drew headlines because Gary Lange and Barney Salo of the Gremlins combined to score 109 points — still a state record for most points by two teammates in a single game. Lange notched 60 points, which ...

Peterson: Two seniors still going strong

February 5, 2020

It’s been said that advancing age is merely a state of mind. But don’t tell that Bruce Coppo of Calumet or Harold Filpus of Tapiola that. The two senior citizens have shown clearly that age is just a matter of mind for some people. In Coppo’s case, he went out on the ice recently for the CLK Wolverines in a game against Eagle River. Nevermind that Coppo, better known as “Cukie,” was playing against players forty or fifty years younger. He was out on the ice for a purpose — the game marking his eighth decade as a hockey player. I used to kid him that he first ...

Peterson: Super Bowl again is Super Hype

January 29, 2020

I can honestly say that I’ve watched every Super Bowl that’s ever been played. And with very few exceptions, all of them have been overhyped by the media. Of course, probably a half of the people in this country can make the same claim as I have done. The Super Bowl is like Thanksgiving, the Fourth of July and Labor Bay wrapped into one party-filled extravaganza for Americans. Sometimes, it seems like there’s more interest in just who will provide the halftime entertainment. Will it be Hootie and the Blowfish? Or maybe even Janet Jackson (without a wardrobe gaffe). And ...

Peterson: Playoffs show NFL’s future

January 22, 2020

Those football fans who are curious about the future of the National Football League got a good look at it this past weekend. I don’t think there’s much doubt that younger — and much quicker — quarterbacks are the wave of the future. Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and San Francisco’s Jimmy Garrapolo clearly showed they are ready to replace such legends as Tom Brady of the Patriots and Aaron Rodgers of the Packers. And there are a handful of other quarterbacks in their 20’s who are on the cusp of success in the league. Age is the one thing even the all-time football ...

Peterson: More to the game than winning

January 15, 2020

It’s a subject that has been discussed endlessly ever since the first cavemen started playing competitive marbles. Is winning the main objective to any activity? Vince Lombardi had it all figured out. The legendary Green Bay Packers football coach simply said: “There is no substitute for winning, it’s the only thing.” After watching sports, amateur or professional, for the better part of 65 years, I’ve come to the conclusion that it all depends on the level being played. I’ve watched teams that were outstanding in the regular season. And many more that often struggled ...

Peterson: Tech’s Monroe similar to ‘Duke’

January 8, 2020

The first time I saw Kyle Monroe put up a shot I was instantly reminded of another player. It was, as they like to say, deja vu all over again. Monroe, who will likely become the all-time leading scorer in Michigan Tech men’s basketball history this winter, reminded me of Dominic Jacobetti of Negauee St. Paul High. Now, only sports fans over the age of 50 are likely remember Jacobetti. He played his ball between 1962 and 1965 for a team that lost in the 1963 Class D state finals to Britton-Macon by a single point. Britton-Macon was a two-time state champion and boasted of a ...