ESCANABA — Reservations for the 53rd Annual Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet are now being taken. The induction ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 10, 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. Eastern time, followed by a brief introduction and meal at 6 p.m. The induction ceremony follows dinner.

For more information or to reserve a seat, you can reach council members DeeJay Paquette at 906-387-4673, Dan Hinch at 906-458-8536, Don Gustafson at 906-298-0174, Cathy Shamion at 906-364-0961 or Anne Okonek at 906-280-2587. The deadline for making reservations for seats is April 23.

Council members encourage UPSHF inductees from previous years to join the celebration.

There are two inductees in the UPSHF Class of 2025 that hail from Iron River — Jamie Angeli and Nick Baumgartner.

James “Jamie” Angeli graduated in 1980 from West Iron County where he played basketball and led the conference in scoring twice, was a two-time unanimous All U.P. First Team selection, and chosen All-State as a senior.

After graduating from UW-Stout, he embarked on a successful 40-year coaching and administrative career in three countries and seven states. Angeli’s head coaching record is 221-136 (.619).

He won a district championship at Norway HS in 1997 and multiple professional titles in the country of Qatar (2004-2007), including the coveted Asian Cup (2005). He was NCAA Coach of the Year at City College of New York (2016) and a 12-year assistant at the Division 1 level, most notably with UCLA (1998-2004), competing in the NCAA tournament five times and Sweet 16 three times. Angeli is a best-selling author on basketball strategy and is known throughout the U.P. and NE Wisconsin for his Basketball Camp of Champs.

Nick Baumgartner is a 4-time U.S. Olympian, winning gold at the 2022 Beijing Games in the inaugural mixed snowboard cross event, standing atop of the podium alongside his teammate Lindsey Jacobellis. While at West Iron County High School, Nick was an All-U.P. selection in football, won a U.P. wrestling title and a U.P. hurdles championship all in the same school year. He later played football at Northern Michigan University. Baumgartner also won gold and silver in SBX at the ESPN X-Games. A 3-time world snowboard cross champion, Nick’s accolades off the snow included 2011 Rookie of the Year honors in the TRAXXAS Torc Series (off road truck racing) and later racing in the Super Truck Series and Baja Series. Baumgartner’s book, “Gold From Iron” hit store shelves in January 2024 and quickly rose to the top of the Amazon charts for sports books.

The remaining eight UPSHF Class of 2025 inductees are Rachel (Folcik) McClure (Carney-Nadeau), Lesley (Noel) Delvaux (Escanaba), Jeff Olson (Ishpeming), Denise Porath (Escanaba), John Prokos (Escanaba), Barb Sickler (Lake Linden-Hubbell), Jeannie Thoren (Marquette) and Dave St. Onge (Ishpeming).

A block of rooms has also been reserved for both Friday and Saturday nights 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 March 29.

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 UP Sports Hall of Fame website. Nominations are due by June 1 annually.