2012 Inductees

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES 2012

The Competitors

Greg Benson (1965)
Greg was a standout football, basketball and baseball player for the Rangers and played on District 25 champion basketball squads in 1964 and 1965, the first back-to-back district championship in school history. He was one of the anchors of the great Ranger basketball team of 1964-65, which at the time was one of the top rebounding teams in Minnesota history. Greg was named to the District 25 All-Tournament Team his senior year.

Angie Berg-Ryan (2000)
An intense and dedicated player, Angie was a three-year starter at shortstop on the Forest Lake softball team and an All-Conference selection each year. She helped lead the 2000 Rangers team to 2nd place at state and was named to the Star Tribune All-Metro team that year. In basketball, she was also a three-year starter at point guard and earned All-Conference Honorable Mention her senior year. Angie attended St. Cloud State on a Division II softball scholarship and earned four varsity letters with the Huskies. At the time of her graduation, she was No. 2 among the college’s career hits leaders with 243.

Dan “Danny” Bever (1950)
Dan’s athletic talents were evident at an early age, and he was good enough at basketball as an 8th grader to earn a spot on the varsity team and a letter that year. During his high school career he won 12 varsity letters - five in basketball, three in baseball, three in track and one in football. In baseball Dan played center field, and in track he ran the 100-yard dash, the high hurdles and was a member of the relay team. He was also class president and president of the student council. After graduation he attended St. Thomas College in St. Paul and played both baseball and basketball for the Tommies.

Andy Elvester (1997)
The first of the Nordic Ski champions from Forest Lake, Andy also excelled at cross country and track, earning a total of 12 varsity letters, and he was named All-Conference a combined eight times. He lettered every year in Nordic skiing from 8th grade until his graduation in 1997, and he won the state Boys’ Nordic Skiing Individual Championship that year. He was named All-State in both 1996 and 1997. He also was named All-Conference in track three times and four times in cross country. Andy attended the University of Alaska-Anchorage on a Nordic skiing scholarship and graduated in 2002.

Bobby Ewings (1993)
A track star and standout football player for the Rangers in the early 1990s, Bobby won state individual championships his senior year in both the 100-meter and 200-meter events to help Forest Lake place third at the state meet. His point total that year was the second highest in school history. He was named All-Conference and All-State each year from 1991 - 1993 and graduated as the school record-holder in the 100-meter dash (10.78 seconds). He also earned two varsity letters in football. He attended St. Cloud State University where he earned All-Conference and All-America honors in track.

Jessica Fedderly (1998)
An elite athlete in hockey and softball, Jessica was also an outstanding student. As a Forest Lake freshman in 1995, Jessica made an immediate impact by leading her hockey team in scoring and earning All-Conference honors. She would earn three more All-Conference awards in hockey and two in softball. As a senior, she was an Athena Award winner, one of five finalists for the Minnesota Ms. Hockey award and was named to two All-State softball teams. She graduated with a 3.97 grade-point average and attended Princeton University where she was named to three ECAC All-Academic hockey teams.

Paul Furrer (1953)
Paul was a four-sport athlete who earned 16 varsity letters during his high school career - four each in football, basketball, baseball and track and field. He was a standout player on the East Central Conference champion Forest Lake basketball teams from 1950 to 1953. Paul was the first Forest Lake player to lead his team in scoring three different seasons and the first Ranger to score 20 points in a game more than 10 times, winding up with 16 such games in his career. He also was the center on the football team and team captain, third baseman in baseball and competed in the shot and discus in track.

Amanda Gage-Didier (2001)
Amanda earned All-Conference honors four times - three times in softball and once in basketball - during her career at Forest Lake. She played on three state tournament teams, helping the Rangers softball team finish 6th at state in 1999 and place 2nd the next year. In her senior year, the Rangers won the Section 6AAAA basketball title. After high school, she attended Hamline University, and the second-baseman was named both All-MIAC and All-American three times. As a senior she received the Hamline Senior Female Athlete award and was nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year award.

Angela Granquist (1996)
A three-sport athlete, Angela earned a total of eight varsity letters at Forest Lake - two in volleyball, and three each in basketball and softball. In softball as a second-baseman and outfielder, she helped lead her team to a 2nd place finish at state in 1995, was All-Region as a junior and senior, and All-Conference and All-State as a senior. Angela was also an All-Conference guard / forward in basketball and was a member of the National Honor Society. She attended Winona State University on a Division II basketball scholarship and also played softball all four years.

Don Hapka (1956)
Don Hapka and Ivars Kauls were the two-man Forest Lake “wrecking crew” on the 1954-1955 and 1955-1956 basketball teams. Both of those teams were conference champions, with the 1955-56 team also winning the District 25 championship. The Rangers were a combined 36-5 those two seasons. Don is one of the few Ranger players to have more than one 30-point game in his career.

Pete Hegseth (1999)
Pete was an outstanding student, athlete and leader. The valedictorian of his 1999 senior class and starting point guard in basketball, Pete graduated as the school’s all-time leader in both career and single-season three-point shots made (156 and 76, respectively) and single-season three-point shooting percentage (49.7). He was twice named All-Conference and earned All-State honors as a senior. He also earned two varsity letters in football as a wide receiver. He attended Princeton University, lettering four times in basketball and playing in both the NCAA and NIT Division I Basketball Tournaments. 

Stephanie Howe (2002)
Stephanie excelled at several sports before focusing on distance running and Nordic skiing. As a skier, she was All-Conference three times and All-State twice, and in 2002 she won the state championship in the Classic Technique division. She was also a three-time All-Conference cross country runner, and she won the Section 7AA championship as a senior. In track, Stephanie was All-State as a junior member of the Rangers’ 4x800 relay team and the next year was All-State in the 1600-meter event. She attended Northern Michigan University where she was twice a Div. II All-American Nordic skier.

Ivars Kauls (1956)
Ivars was one of the finest all-around athletes in Forest Lake history, excelling in basketball, football and track and field. He was one-half of the “wrecking crew” of the 1954-1955 and 1955-1956 Ranger basketball seasons, and he had four career 30-point games. In 1956 he set a District 25 record in the 100-yard dash (10.1 seconds) and led the Rangers track and field team to the Region 7 Championship that year. After graduating from Forest Lake High, Ivars attended the University of Minnesota on a football scholarship and was also the captain of the Gophers’ track and field team.

Juris Kauls (1960)
Juris was a multi-sport athlete who, along with Bill Morehead, led the Rangers basketball team to a record 21 straight wins in the 1959-1960 season. That team claimed both the East Central Conference and District 25 championship titles. Juris twice set school individual game scoring records during that season, and he is one of the few FL players ever to score 33 or more points in a game more than once. After high school, he and brother Ziggy both attended Hamline University and played basketball there. Juris, Ivars and Ziggy later played together on the Latvian-American national champion team.

Zigurd “Ziggy” Kauls (1959)
Ziggy was a standout athlete at Forest Lake. In his senior year, he led the Rangers basketball squad to a fantastic 20-1 record, winning the East Central Conference title. In 1967 he became head basketball coach at Mounds View and coached there for 45 years, becoming one of the most successful high school basketball coaches in Minnesota history. His 720 career wins were the third most in state history, and two of his teams won state championships. Ziggy is also a member of the Minnesota State High School League Hall of Fame and the MN Basketball Coaches’ Association Hall of Fame.

Mitchell Marr (1998)
Mitchell ended his outstanding high school wrestling career in 1998 with a spectacular 163-37-0 career mark that included five All-Conference nods, twice being named All-State and one state individual championship at 140 pounds. That championship capped a perfect 37-0 senior season, earning him National High School All-American Honorable Mention recognition by Wrestling USA Magazine. Mitchell went on to compete at the University of Minnesota where he lettered twice, and in 1999 he was a Junior National All-American in Greco-Roman style.

Troy Marr (1994)
Troy was the first Ranger wrestler to become a two-time individual state champion, and he was also a key member of the 1993 squad that won Forest Lake’s first team state championship. He claimed individual titles at 145 pounds in both 1993 and 1994. During his wrestling career he was named All-Conference six times, and he ended his high school career with a 164-34-1 record. He also earned Academic All-State honors as a senior. After high school, Troy attended the University of Minnesota where he became a Division I All-American in 1999 and finished his college career with a 105-39 record.

Bill Morehead (1960)
Bill was an outstanding basketball and baseball player for Forest Lake High School. During the 1959-1960 basketball season he helped lead the Rangers to the East Central Conference and District 25 championships, and Bill was named to both the All-Conference and All-District teams. That season, he and teammate Juris Kauls each had games where they scored 36 points - a school record that stood for 17 years - and Bill alone established the school’s single-season scoring record that year with 469 points. After graduating from high school, he attended St. Cloud State University.

Don Jon “D.J.” Morehead (1964)
D.J. excelled in basketball, baseball and football, and in 1964 he broke the school’s single-season basketball scoring record of 469 points - previously held by his brother Bill - with 475 points of his own. D.J.’s record lasted for 31 years until it was broken by fellow hall of fame member Todd Poepard. Following high school, D.J attended the University of Minnesota where he played Division I baseball for legendary coach Dick Siebert. In 1968, D.J. won the Big Ten batting title by hitting .333, helping lead the Gophers to the Big Ten championship. He died in 1987 at the age of 40.

Bernard “Bud” Nygren (1936)
Bud Nygren was a great all-around athlete for the Rangers in the 1930s, but football was arguably his best sport. After graduation he played college football at San Jose State University and later became the first Forest Lake graduate to play professional football. Curiously, Bud is the answer to the sports trivia question, “Who was the first athlete to score points for a professional sports team from Los Angeles?” On Sept. 13, 1946, Bud scored the very first touchdown for the Los Angeles Dons of the All-American Football Conference. He has also been inducted into the San Jose State Hall of Fame.

Allison Paitich (2001)
Allison played three sports while at Forest Lake, but she dominated on the softball diamond. She earned three varsity letters in hockey, two in tennis, and four in softball as one of the school’s all-time great pitchers. A member of the 2000 Rangers team that placed second at state, Allison provided one of the great highlights of that season by pitching a 4-0 perfect game against Elk River that gave the Rangers their 11th straight win. She finished the year with a 21-4 record, 0.62 ERA with 179 strikeouts, 13 shutouts and two no-hitters. She later attended Concordia College in St. Paul.

Pete Saxe (1968)
Pete’s place in the Forest Lake sports annals is forever secured as the first wrestler in school history to win an individual state championship, paving the way for many Ranger state champions to follow. He claimed his individual title in 1968 at the 125-pound weight class in what was his second straight trip to state. In college, he became a star wrestler for the Bemidji State University team where he was a three-time NAIA All-American and placed 2nd in the nation three times. His career record in college was 74-7.

Wayne Thompson (1949)
Wayne’s diverse interests and hard work were evident in his success in so many areas during his high school years in the late 1940s. A gifted athlete and student, he was valedictorian of his class and also lettered in basketball, baseball and track. He not only took first place in the region in the 880-yard event in 1948, but followed up the next year with a second place finish. He also took first place in the District 25 100-yard dash. After graduation, he attended the University of Minnesota where he earned both his bachelor’s degree and medical degree, and he went on to become a successful orthopedic surgeon.

Jim Trudeau (1958)
Jim was a star quarterback for the Forest Lake football team and ace pitcher for the baseball team during the late 1950s. He led the Ranger football team to two straight East Central Conference championships and a combined 14-2 record over that time, earning him both All-Conference and All-State Honorable Mention recognition as a senior. With an 8-2 record his senior year, Jim was not only the team’s top pitcher but he was also their best hitter, posting a .310 batting average that season, earning him team MVP honors. He once struck out 34 total batters in back-to-back starts - 17 in each game.

The Coaches

Jack Conley
This is the fourth Hall of Fame in which Jack has been inducted. In 1989 he was inducted into the Minnesota State High School League Coaches Hall of Fame, in 2007 he became a member of the St. Cloud State Hall of Fame and in 2011 he was elected to the Forest Lake Area Schools Hall of Fame. Jack was a highly successful basketball coach at Forest Lake from 1959 – 1971, and led some of the best teams ever from the school. In his very first year as coach his team won its first 21 games, setting a school record.

Chuck Gunderson
Chuck was head coach of the Forest Lake boys’ basketball team from 1992 - 2006. During his 14-year reign, Chuck’s teams won three straight Twin Cities Suburban Conference championships in 1993, 1994 and 1995, then another in 2003, and in 1994 and 1999 he led the Rangers to section titles and state tournament appearances. In 1994 the Rangers won the state consolation championship. Chuck was twice named Section Coach of the Year by the Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association: Once in 1993-1994 (in Section 7AA) and once in 2002-2003 (in Section 6AAAA).

Joan Paulson
Joan will long be remembered as a pioneering force for the advancement of girls’ athletics in Forest Lake. A gifted teacher and coach, Joan’s incredible perseverance paved the way for varsity athletics for girls, as she single-handedly started many of the Ranger girls’ teams that continue to be successful today. She coached volleyball and girls’ basketball, producing very competitive teams in both sports. But the achievements of her softball teams were probably her greatest claim to fame. Joan’s teams went to state in 1991 and 1995, and again in 1997 where they finished in second place.

John Reiman
John coached at Forest Lake from 1960 until 1993 and was known as a dedicated and caring person who always put the students first. John was an assistant football and baseball coach throughout the 1960s and 1970s, and he was the high school’s head wrestling coach from 1966 - 1975. He returned to being an assistant wrestling coach when Bob Dettmer became the head coach in 1975. John coached with Bob until 1993 and helped the program grow into one of the strongest in the state.

John Schumacher
One of the most popular coaches in Forest Lake history, John taught industrial arts at Forest Lake High School and helped develop student-athletes from 1957 - 1983. He coached students in grades 7 - 12 in football, basketball, track and baseball, and he served as Athletic Director of Central Junior High. After his retirement in 1982, the Minnesota State High School League Coaches’ Association honored John for his 25 years of coaching in Minnesota. Several facilities in the Forest Lake district are named after John, including Schumacher Athletic Field and the Schumacher Field Grandstand.

Suzanne Stennes-Rogness
Suzanne, an assistant coach for Joan Paulson for 10 years, took over the reins of the Forest Lake softball program in 1997 and continued Joan’s standard of excellence for the next seven years as head coach. She led her teams to three straight state tournament appearances from 1998 - 2000, earning her Section 7AAA Coach of the Year recognition each year. In 2000, the team finished 2nd in a state tournament that saw the tenacious Rangers’ pitching and defense hold opponents scoreless for 23 straight innings before facing Minnetonka in the championship game.