For several decades now, we’ve seen Michigan’s Upper Peninsula produce some all-time great athletes.
Whether it’s football, hockey, snowboarding or anything else, those elite U.P. athletes have represented the state well and earned great success in the process.
As we honor the 250th anniversary of the United States of America this July, here’s a look at the U.P.’s 10 all-time greatest male athletes.
George Gipp (Laurium) – Known as the “Gipper” from the famous Ronald Reagan film in the 1930s, Gipp was Notre Dame’s first all-American in 1920 under Knute Rockne. He scored 83 touchdowns in 32 games with the Fighting Irish.
Nick Baumgartner (Iron River) – At 40 years old, Baumgartner captured a gold medal in the mixed team snowboard cross at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. He also qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics and earned a gold and silver medal at the 2010 and 2011 Winter X-Games.
Mike DellAngelo (Ishpeming) – Led Ishpeming to its first-ever football state championship by beating Hudson – who was on a 72-game winning streak heading into the title game – in the first year of the MHSAA playoffs in 1975. After rushing for 4,267 yards in three years as a tailback at Ishpeming, he played football at Northern Michigan University.
Steve Mariucci (Iron Mountain) – An Iron Mountain native along with legendary Michigan State University men’s basketball coach Tim Izzo, Mariucci led Northern Michigan University to its only national football title in 1975. Mariucci went on to be an NFL head coach with San Francisco and Detroit.
Kevin Tapani (Escanaba) – The Escanaba native played 13 years in MLB and was a starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins during their 1991 World Series triumph. He also spent time with the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox.
Todd Lindeman (Felch) – Standing close to 7-foot tall, Lindeman was a basketball standout at North Dickinson before playing four years for Bobby Knight at Indiana in the 1990s. Following IU, Lindeman played basketball in the CBA and overseas.
Jeff Finger (Houghton) – After playing at St. Cloud State University during his college hockey career, Finger was a defenseman with the Colorado Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL, scoring 17 goals from 2003-2012.
Clarence John “Taffy” Abel (Sault Ste. Marie) – Hailing from Sault Ste. Marie, Abel had stints with the Chicago Black Hawks and New York Rangers in the late 1920s and early 1930s. In 1924, he was a silver medalist for Team USA hockey in the 1924 Winter Olympics in France.
Tom Izzo (Iron Mountain) – At Northern Michigan University, where he was roommates with best friend and future NFL head coach Steve Mariucci, Izzo was a NCAA Division 2 all-American with Northern Michigan University men’s basketball in 1977. After his basketball-playing days, Izzo went on to build a powerhouse and become a Hall of Fame head coach with MSU men’s basketball.
Bob Mariucci (Iron Mountain) – A four-time Upper Peninsula state wrestling champion from 1981-84, Mariucci is the only U.P. wrestler to earn USA Scholastic all-American dream team honors like he did in 1983. Mariucci went on to wrestle and play football at Northern Michigan University.
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Looking at greatest male athletes from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
Reporting by Jared Greenleaf, Cheboygan Daily Tribune / Cheboygan Daily Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jared Greenleaf, Cheboygan Daily Tribune | USA TODAY Network
