1929 Football Team
There have been several legendary football teams in the history of Menominee athletics, but perhaps none as overpowering as the 1929 edition of the Maroons. With Coach Bernard H. McCann stalking the sidelines, the 1929 Maroons returned nine players from a team that went 5-1-1 the season prior. Armed with a roster of 28 Maroons, with all 11 starters playing on both offense and defense, Menominee embarked on a campaign that one may describe as “scorched earth”.
Menominee outscored its opposition by a staggering 404-12 margin, pitching six shutouts in eight games. In a season awash with impressive victories, none was more awe-inspiring than the 150-0 obliteration of Kingsford, a score that stands as the third highest scoring game in the history of Michigan. Menominee wrapped up the 1929 season with a 49-0 annihilation of archrival Marinette on Armistice Day.
Leonard Umnus
Whether on the gridiron or the hardwood, Leonard “Len” J. Umnus’s coaching acumen was second-to-none. He graduated from Menominee High School in 1920 as class president and went to play center and guard on the University of Illinois football team under head coach Robert Zuppke, where he was a teammate of Pro Football Hall of Famer Red Grange. Illinois went 16-61 during Umnus’s three seasons (1922-24 including an 8-0 season in 1923 that saw the Illini shut out five of their eight opponents en route to a share of the Big Ten Conference Championship with the University of Michigan. Umnus also boxed during his time as an Illini. After founding the football program at Jordan College in Menominee, Umnus embarked at a highly decorated coaching career at Northwestern College in Watertown, Wisconsin. During his 39 years at Northwestern, a school for ministers with less than 200 students, Umnus helmed the football, basketball, baseball, tennis, and wrestling programs, often doing so without any assistance. He compiled a 135-64-9 record in football with 11 conference titles either won or shared. His 1946-47 hoops squad went 20-1. Umnus died in 1996. He was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.
William & Benjamin Fernstrum
Twin brothers William and Benjamin Fernstrum rewrote the track and field record books during their time at Menominee. Bill, the firstborn, and Ben were both standouts for Coach Bernard McCann’s Maroon thinclad teams in 1937 and 1938. Ben set the Menominee School Record in the 200-yard dash with a time of 0:23.6 as a senior in 1938. The Fernstrum brothers teamed with Ben Buckley and Herky Bourion to establish a new U.P. record in the mile relay (3:34.0), a mark that stood for 32 years. Not to be outdone by his little brother, Bill set a U.P. record of his own in the 440-yard dash (0:53.6), which was broken 27 years later. The Fernstrums attended Michigan State University and were both participants in the school’s ROTC program. Both brothers entered the military after graduation, Ben achieving the rank of 1st Lieutenant in the Army and Bill earned the rank of 1st Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps. Both brothers were involved in the Boy Scouts, each achieving Eagle Scout, becoming the first pair of twins to receive the honor in the U.P.
Bob Theuerkauf
Bob Theuerkauf was a leader, both on and off the field. A two-sport standout in football and track during his tenure at Menominee, Theuerkauf excelled at both in addition to excelling in the classroom. Theuerkauf served as captain of both the track and football teams in 1970, but he truly excelled with a pigskin in his hands for coach Ken Hofer. Theuerkauf was a two-time All-GNC and All-U.P. selection (1969-70), Defensive Player of the Year selection by the U.P. Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association, and an All-State choice at defensive back. He also holds the record for the longest run from scrimmage for a touchdown (97) in the illustrious history of Blesch Field. Theuerkauf won the Barbara Silverthorn Award as a senior before moving on to Michigan State University where he played football for Coach Duffy Daugherty. Theuerkauf obtained his Bachelor’s degree from Michigan State in 1974 and his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1977, the only football player to be in the veterinary doctorate program and graduate with honors. His veterinary hospital, North Gratiot Veterinary Hospital, has been voted best veterinary hospital of Macomb County Michigan multiple times. Theuerkauf served as the president of the Macomb Veterinary Medical Association and as a member of the Macomb Chamber of Commerce in addition to contributing to the James Hodge Pulmonary Fibrosis Run for research and treatments.
David Haglund
David Haglund was money every time he stepped up to the free throw line. Haglund was a 65-game starter for the Menominee basketball team from 1967-69, winning a Class-B state title as part of the Maroons’ historic 1967 squad, still the only Menominee hoops team to win a state title. The 1968 and 1969 Maroons made it to the state semi-finals before eventually being defeated by the winners of the state title. He was a three-time All-Great Northern Conference and two-time All-U.P. performer at Menominee. He was also a two-time Eagle-Star selection as well as an AllTwin City First Team pick in 1969. Haglund’s unmatched court vision allowed him to dish out 286 assists in three seasons. He went 267-350 on free throws, a career percentage of 76.7 As a senior, Haglund led the GNC scoring with 222 points, first in assists with 41, and second in free throws (70-88). He was first in the league in assists and second in free throws as a junior. Haglund set three GNC records during his career: most points in a season (222), most free throws attempted (88) and most free throws made (70) He also tied Menominee Hall of Famer Pat Miller for most field goal attempts in a single game (27). He was elected to play in the Fox Valley American legion All-Star Game in 1968. Haglund attended the UW Green Bay on a full athletic scholarship, where he scored the program’s firstever basket on an old fashioned 3-point play.
Dr. Burnell Stripling
Every football team needs a good sideline doctor, and for nearly 30 years, Menominee was blessed with one of the best. Dr. Stripling volunteered as the physician for the Menominee Maroons’ football program from 1977 until 2005, caring for hundreds of Maroon athletes during that time. If a Maroon athlete needed a physical, Dr. Stripling’s house was always open. Stripling was a veteran of the United States Navy and graduated from Columbia University in New York in 1951 before receiving his medical degree from the New York City Medical School. He served as doctor at the Great Lakes Naval Base in Waukegan, Illinois. As a local physician, he served the Menominee-Marinette communities from 1968 until his retirement in 2001.
Mike Photenhauer
Mike Photenhauer never ran a course that he couldn’t dominate. Photenhauer, a 1980 graduate of Menominee, is one of the most decorated runners in Maroon history. He was a three time U.P. champion in cross country (1977-79) and set the U.P. Class A-B track records in the mile, 1,600 meters, and two mile run. Photenhauer also set the Michigan state record in the mile in 1980. Photenhauer was the course record holder for every course he competed at in cross country as a senior. He attended Central Michigan University and competed in both cross country and track for the Chippewas, where he was a four year letterman.
Photenhauer was the Mid-American Conference cross country Freshman of the Year in 1980 and was a two time MAC All-Star in track and cross country (1981 and 1983). He finished second in the NCAA Regional two mile run in 1983. Photenhauer was inducted into the U.P. Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. He was a four year letterman in cross country and track at Central Michigan University, was Mid American Conference cross country freshman of the year (1980) and was a MAC all-star in track and cross country (1981 and 1983). He was second in the NCAA regional two mile in 1983.
Pete Pericolosi
Despite coming from Iron Mountain, Pete Pericolosi is about as Maroon as one person can be. A 1974 graduate of Iron Mountain, Pericolosi established himself as a Menominee legend by carving out an unquestionable resume of success as the head coach of the Maroon boys’ basketball program. Pericolosi piloted the Maroons to a 366-253 record during his 30 seasons at Menominee (1988-2017), winning 11 Great Northern Conference titles, six District crowns and one Class-B Regional championship. His Maroons were also a State semi-finalist. Pericolosi was named the U.P. Class A-B-C Coach of the Year twice and his Menominee teams were honored as the U.P. Class A-B-C Team of the Year an astounding 13 times. Before coming to Menominee, Pericolosi coached the Norway High School girls’ JV basketball team for one season (1979), going a perfect 20-0. He served as an educator in the Menominee School District for 35 years and volunteered as an MHSAA official for 48 years. He was inducted into the U.P. Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
Gary Stewart
Dropping dimes was Gary Stewart’s specialty at Menominee. Menominee’s record holder in single-season and career assists, Stewart’s unparalleled passing ability made him a virtuoso guard for Menominee's boys’ basketball teams in the late 1980s. Stewart set the single-season assist record at 126 as a junior in the 1986-87 season before breaking his own record one-year later with 130 in 1987-88. Stewart, who averaged 13.2 points and 5.7 assists per game in his career at Menominee, is the school’s all-time assist leader. His talents were not limited to the hardwood, as Stewart earned A-B-C All-U.P. honors at defensive back and tailback in 1986 and 1987. He also tied the MHS school record for most interceptions in a game with three against De Pere Abbot Pennings. Stewart continued his football career at Northern Michigan University, earning the Wildcats’ Most Valuable Receiver Award from 1990-1992. He was also first team MIFC All-Conference and an All-American selection during his career. He also set the single game receiving yards record in 1990 against Ashland University with 245 yards. He also tried out for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. He coached the M&M Hornets youth football program for 11 years, and coached his daughters’ U8, U10, U12 and U16 soccer teams. Stewart also helmed the 3-8 grade girls’ traveling basketball team. He coached the M&M Hornets youth football program for 11 years resulting in several conference championships. He also coached the 3rd-8th grade girls’ traveling basketball team.
Wade Hodge
Anyone who buys into the stereotype that athletes can’t be smart have obviously never met Wade Hodge. Hodge, a 1992 MHS graduate, was equally adept in the classroom as he was competing in the pole vault for the Maroons’ track and field teams. Hodge, the Menominee school-record holder in the pole vault, was a U.P. champion in track and field in 1991, but his signature moment came the following season. Competing at the U.P. Finals, Hodge’s leap of 14 feet set a new MHSAA Michigan record in the event, a mark that still stands over 30 years later. More importantly, Hodge was a standout in the world of academics, graduating Summa Cum Laude and Valedictorian of his class, achieving a 4.0 grade point average in all four of his years at MHS. Hodge moved on to Michigan Tech University, where he set the school’s record for pole vault with a jump of 14’10”. He graduated from Tech in 1996, still sporting a 4.0 GPA, with a degree in Chemical Engineering. He currently lives in Vermont with his wonderful wife Whitney and their furry friend Peter.
Jason Boucher
Jason Boucher eats, sleeps, and breathes the game of basketball. Boucher was a three-year starter for Coach Pete Pericolosi’s Menominee teams and helped the Maroons win their first District championship in seven years in 1998. He was the Great Northern Conference Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year in 1997-98 and was an All-U.P. Dream Team choice that same season, in addition to earning All-State Class B Honorable Mention honors. Boucher attended Grand Valley State University on a full scholarship, playing in 106 games for the Lakers. He is the program’s all-time leader in steals with 242, and third all-time in assists. Boucher played professional basketball for 11 years in the United States, Mexico, and Germany. He suited up for six German teams, averaging 28 points per game for Heimerer Schulen Basket Landsberg, 15.6 PPG for Big Oettinger Rockets Gotha, and 19 PPG for the Dresden Titans. Boucher wrapped up his pro career with a 54-point outburst for the Rattlesdorf Independents in 2015. Boucher spent three years (2005-2007) in the USA Minor League, playing for the Grand Rapids Flight (IBL), Michigan Mayhem (CBA), Battle Creek Knights (IBL) and Albany Patroons (CBA). He also had tryouts with the NBA’s Washington Wizards and Milwaukee Bucks. Boucher is currently the head coach of the boys’ basketball program at Peshtigo High School.
Ashley (Taccolini) Hansmann
Ashley Taccolini excelled at the varsity level from her freshman year. During her four years as a varsity starter, Taccolini helped lead Coach Pete Mayhew’s Lady Maroons to two UP Class AB team of the years honors, three district titles, multiple regional finals and one state quarterfinal berth. Taccolini is the only female hoopster to be selected as an AllGNC performer each of her four years. She was also a threetime AllUP choice as well as receiving AllState honorable mention as a junior and senior; making the top 100 players in Michigan list. Taccolini finished her basketball career scoring over 850 points, shooting 55% from the field and grabbed over 600 rebounds. She also doubled as one of the top point scorers for varsity track over her four years, earning AllGNC, AllUP, and AllState honors in multiple events. At the UP track finals, she medaled 14 times, including a championship in the 100 meters as a senior, breaking the D1 record with a time of 12.68 seconds, along with anchoring the winning D1 800 meter relay team as a junior. Over 20 years later, She still holds the MHS record in the 100 meters with a time of 12.58. In addition, Taccolini was a stalwart at the net for the Maroon varsity volleyball team, leading the team in blocks and still holds the school record for most digs in a game.