The West Iron County Wall of Fame committee is proud to announce the eight newest members of the Wall of Fame. The West Iron County Wall of Fame has been established to honor past distinguished graduates, community members, athletes, and others who have been contributors to life in the general West Iron County geographical area, including the former Stambaugh, Bates, and Iron River school systems. The Wall of Fame Class of 2024 represents that geographical area very well. The newest members will be honored at their induction in September.
The West Iron County Wall of Fame Class of 2024 (alphabetical order)
James “Jamie” Angeli
Jamie graduated from West Iron County H.S. in 1980. As a Wykon, he led the conference in scoring and while on Varsity, was a two-time unanimous All-U.P. First Team selection, and All-State as a senior. He continued to play basketball at UW-Stout and graduated in 1985. He then embarked on a successful coaching and administrative career that has spanned 40+ years in three countries and seven states.
As a head basketball coach, Mr. Angeli has an overall record of 221-136 (.619). He led Norway High School to a 1997 district championship. From 2004-2007, he won multiple titles in the country of Qatar and in 2005, the coveted Asian Cup. In 2016, he was named the collegiate Coach of the Year (CCNY). Jamie was an assistant coach at the Division 1 level for 12 years, most notably with UCLA Basketball from 1998-2004, reaching the NCAA tournament five times and the Sweet 16 three times.
He is the author of 20+ best-selling publications on basketball and was a featured clinician for USA Basketball and the Women’s Final Four. He is known throughout the Upper Peninsula and Northeast Wisconsin for his Basketball Camp of Champs. Currently the Associate Director of Athletics at The City College of New York, Jamie is married to Christy Tomlinson, father to Riley, Steven, Jordan, Jacob, and stepfather to Joshua.
Jerome “Jay” Barry
Jay has lived much of his life in Iron River and is a 1959 graduate of Iron River High School where he participated in several sports and activities. He attended the Brown Institute of Broadcasting in Minneapolis, MN, then went to work at WLDY in Ladysmith, WI for a few years before returning to Iron River and joining the WIKB radio station. During his 44 year career at WIKB, and over 30 years as the general manager, he became known for the call-in talk show Telephone Time which he created and began on January 5, 1965, continuing until his retirement in 2009.
Jay would announce at several different sporting events, including 10 years at the U.P. Championship Rodeo in Iron River, where he was also a parade grand marshal. He has worked as a football referee all over the Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin. He was a manager at the Delft Theater, Plaza Cinema and Iron County Reporter, where he also had a sports column titled “Behind the Mike”. Jay served the Iron County community as president of the Kiwanis Club and president of the Jaycees.
Nick Baumgartner
Nick Baumgartner was born and raised in Bates Township and graduated from West Iron County High School in 2000 as an all-state athlete in 3 sports. He then played football while attending Northern Michigan University.
He won the 2011 Winter X Games just 12 days after clavicle surgery, where 15 screws and a plate were inserted. He was also the 2017 World Champion.
Nick represented Team USA in the Winter Olympics of 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022, winning the gold medal in 2022.
Nick has been a member of the U.S. National Snowboard Team for over 20 years. He uses lessons learned from his journey to try and inspire more stories like his to come out of the U.P.
Frank “Chub” Kopenski
Frank was born and raised in Iron River, Michigan and was a renowned athlete and educator. He was the first athlete to earn major letters in four sports at Iron River High School from 1945-1948. In 1947, he was an All State running back for the State of Michigan. He received numerous NCAA D1 scholarship offers, including Michigan, and chose to attend Marquette University in Milwaukee, where he played football and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in History in 1952. Frank taught American History at Marquette University High School for 37 years and coached football and track, leading MUHS teams to seven Catholic Conference championships and five track team state championships. He also served as director of athletics and was instrumental in creating the football and soccer state playoffs for the Wisconsin Independent Schools Association (W.I.S.A.A.) for which he was honored as “Man of the Year” in 1977. Frank was inducted into the U.P. Sports Hall of Fame in 1983, the Wisconsin Track Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1991 and the MUHS Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993. Frank was married to his high school sweetheart, Josephine Dinco for 63 years and has four children. Frank passed away in 2022.
Yvonne Kralovec
Yvonne was truly the pioneering force of bringing girls’ basketball as an organized sport to the West Iron County area. Over 1,000 girls had their first experience with organized basketball under “Mrs. K’s” guidance.
Mrs. Kralovec graduated from Stambaugh High School in 1958 and coached girls’ basketball for 38 years to 4th-10th graders. She was instrumental in starting the elementary and junior high girls basketball programs in the area through Iron County Community Schools.
Mrs. K was responsible for West Iron County’s original entry into the Michigan-Wisconsin Junior High Basketball League, which the Wykon 7th and 8th grade girls still play in today. Yvonne was also an avid bowler and softball player. She was married to Charles Kralovec for 47 years and raised three boys, Bill, Jim and Andy.
Don McDonald
“Coach” Don McDonald was an athlete for Iron River, participating in football, basketball and track from 1941-1944. He started his 32 year teaching career at Bates, and after his Navy service, continued at Stambaugh. Don was head football coach at Stambaugh from 1962-1967 achieving U.P. Coach of the Year in 1963. He then coached at West Iron from 1968-1970 (17-6-1) and retired from West Iron County in 1982. He was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.
Don was instrumental in establishing the “Wykon” moniker during the consolidation of Stambaugh and Iron River. He enjoyed sports officiating at the high school and collegiate levels. He was active in the community and has had a lasting effect on so many people whose lives he touched. Don passed away in 2022.
Jan Quarless
Jan Quarless (Coach Q) was an All-U.P. state honorable mention and co-captain of the 1968 Wykon Football Team. A 4-year starter and letterman, Jan was named Captain of the 1972 NMU Wildcats and graduated Cum Laude. Coach Q spent 30 years as a college football coach serving as head coach at Eastern Michigan and Southern Illinois Universities. He was an assistant coach at seven NCAA Division I universities. In 2005, he coached NFL Europe with the Rhein Fire. Throughout his career, he has coached and recruited 20 players who played in the NFL and has been a featured speaker at various coaching clinics throughout the country. Upon retirement from coaching, Jan completed his PhD, a distinction held by only a few collegiate head football coaches. He has since been inducted into the NMU Sports Hall of Fame and the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame.
Albert Rizzardi
Al was born in Caspian and was a lifelong resident. He attended Stambaugh High School where he was an outstanding all-around athlete earning All-U.P. honors for the Hilltoppers football team. From 1935-1939, he attended Hillsdale College and earned nine varsity letters in basketball, baseball and football. Al captained the 1938 Hillsdale football team to an 8-0 record and was named Hillsdale’s first NAIA All-American. After teaching, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving in the Philippines during WWII where he was seriously wounded and awarded the Purple Heart.
Al married the former Eva Ruth Dominici, and had four children, Marsha, Dennis, Sherree and Robin. He spent the remainder of his life working for the M.A. Hanna Mining Co. as a chemical analyst and was also a scout for the Philadelphia Phillies. He was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Hillsdale Hall of Fame in 1999. Al was humble, kind, a great father, husband and friend. A true All-American.
