Calumet Athletic Hall Inductees Announced

Six new members will be inducted into the Calumet High School Hall of Fame this fall. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, September 12th at 11:00 in the school commons. The public is invited.

The Calumet High School Athletic Department has provided these biographies of the new members:

Dave Aird lettered in football, hockey, and track at Calumet High School between 1978-1982. He was named to the Superior Six All-Conference Football Team as a lineman in both the 1980 and 1981 seasons and as an honorable mention on the 1981 All-U.P. Team. In two years of hockey, he scored 33 goals and 33 assists for 66 points while earning all-conference honors in 1982. He placed in the U.P. Track Finals twice in the shot put, while setting a new CHS discus record of 154’10” in 1982. Dave received the George Gipp Award as the outstanding senior male athlete in the class of 1982. In baseball, he was an American Legion 1st Team all-star and was the league’s MVP in 1982. With Wolverine, Dave was named MVP of the C.C. Twilight Baseball League in 1984. At MTU (1983-1985), he earned three letters in football, was an All-GLIAC selection in his senior year, and won the Gene Timmer Award for three consecutive years (1983-1985). He served as president of the Kappa Delta Psi fraternity and graduated from MTU in 1987 with a Business Administration degree in Management Information Systems. Dave has also coached youth softball and hockey in Orland Park, Illinois (2000-2010), and is currently the Director of Applications and Development for Corporate Systems for Kraft Foods.

John Aird was originally from Marquette where he lettered in basketball at Bishop Baraga High School. John served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War (1952-1955) before joining the Michigan State Police in 1957. After being assigned to the Calumet Post in 1970, he became a tireless organizer, supporter, and worker for numerous organizations which raised funds for local charities and youth oriented programs. John was an avid supporter of Calumet High School and its athletic programs, and was a key individual in the establishment of the Calumet All Sports Booster Club in 1982. He was instrumental in its early success, and continued to serve in positions of leadership in the booster club for over two decades. John also coached American Legion baseball (1971-1974) and teams in the CLK-TL Senior Little League (1976-80). John retired from the MSP as a detective in 1984.

Howard Barrons lettered in both football and basketball while attending Calumet High School from 1935-1939 where he was chosen to captain both teams. He was a three-year starter in football as a running back, punter, and drop kicker (1936-1938). Howard set school single game records by scoring 5 touchdowns and 33 points against Menominee in 1938. He was named to the Copper Country All-Star Team as a running back for three consecutive years (1936-1938) and was selected twice as a 1st Team All-U.P. running back (1937-1938). Howard was designated as the quarterback and captain of the All-U.P. Team in 1938. He was honored by The Detroit News as their 1st team fullback on the 1938 All-State Team. Howard was also a starting forward on the CHS basketball team for three seasons (1936-1939) and received the George Gipp Award as the outstanding senior athlete in the class of 1939. Howard served in World War II with the 8th Army Air Force (1942-1945). After the war, he graduated from Michigan Tech with a degree in metallurgical engineering (1949). Howard had a distinguished 34 year career with the Michigan Department of Transportation from 1951-1985.

John Gipp lettered in football and track at Calumet High School while also playing hockey and baseball in local leagues (1947-1951). John was a standout end on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, punted, and also returned punts and kick-offs. He set school records in both receptions and receiving. John was twice chosen to the C.C. All-Star Team as an offensive end (1949 & 1950), and was a unanimous selection as an end on the All-U.P. 1st Team in 1950. He was honored by The Detroit News as a 1st team offensive end on the 1950 All-State Team. John also developed into an excellent hockey player on junior and intermediate teams, and became a very solid baseball player. John was recruited by Michigan State head football coach Biggie Munn to play football, but transferred his scholarship to play hockey for the Spartans (1951). He earned three letters in hockey at MSU while playing both as a forward and defenseman, recording 10 goals, 21 assists, and 31 points (1952-1955). After graduating from MSU, he served in Korea with the U.S. Army, and then went on to a distinguished career as a district manager for General Motors Corporation (GMC) in Detroit, New York, and Cleveland.

Matt Helminen earned 12 letters while participating in football, hockey, and track at Calumet High School. In football, Matt was named Offensive Player of the Year in the WestPAC Conference and selected to the Class ABC All-U.P. Team as both a running back and special teams player in 2001. Matt was selected as a running back on the WestPAC All-Conference Team and the All-U.P. Dream Team in 2002. In 2002, Matt was named WestPAC Offensive Player of the Year and U.P. Offensive Player of the Year. He set a school record with 2130 all-purpose yards in a season in 2001. His 84 yard return on an intercepted pass against Gladstone also set a school record in 2001. Matt also established school records with 240 rushing attempts and 1585 yards gained in 2002. He still holds CHS career records with 319 points, 48 touchdowns, 565 rushing attempts, 3885 rushing yards, and 6392 all-purpose yards (1999-2003). Matt resurrected a kicking style that hadn’t been used on a regular basis since the 1930’s by drop kicking 17 extra points. Matt was named to the Michigan All-State Football Team in both 2001 and 2002. In hockey, Matt was a three-time Great Lakes Hockey Conference All-Conference selection between 2000-2003, and holds the CHS hockey single game scoring record with 6 goals against Ironwood in 2001. Matt scored 77 goals and assisted on 78 others during his four year hockey career (1999-2003). He captained the Copper Kings to the Michigan Division 3 State Championship in 2003 and was named to the Michigan Hockey Coaches All-State Team in both 2001 and 2003. In track, he was a member of the U.P. champion 800 meter relay team which set a school record of 1:32:65 in 2001, and also set the school record (at the time) in the 100M Dash with a time of 11.22 in 2000. Matt received the George Gipp Award as the outstanding senior male athlete in the class of 2003. His combination of speed, power and determination in three sports, made him one of the finest athletes to ever compete for the Copper Kings.

Karen (Crouch) Rastello lettered in basketball, track, and gymnastics while attending Calumet High School between 1975-1979. She earned two varsity letters on the CHS basketball team and led the Superior Six Conference in scoring with 14.6 points per game and rebounding with 13.4 per game (1978-1979). Karen was named to the Superior Six All-Conference 1st Team, and the Class A-B All-U.P. 2nd Team in 1979. She earned three varsity letters on the CHS track team (1976-1979). Karen was a member of the 880 relay team that set a school record with a time of 1:52.14 in 1976. She helped set a school record as a member of the mile relay team that recorded a time of 4:20.84 in 1977, and recorded individual school records by running the 880 in a time of 2:27.60 in 1978, and the 440 in 1:02.10 in 1979. Karen was selected to receive the Outstanding Senior Female Athlete Award which is now known as the Holly Jean McCullah Award in 1979. Karen is regarded as one of Calumet High School’s greatest female athletes from the early years of girl’s interscholastic sports.

Jay Rowe lettered three times each in basketball and track, and twice in football while attending Calumet High School between 1953-1957. Jay was selected to the All-U.P. Football Team as a two-way end and punter in 1956. In a game against Hancock in 1956, Jay set a school record for the longest punt (90 yards). He led the Copper Kings basketball team in scoring for three consecutive years (1954-1957). Jay set a school and conference record of 17 free throws in a game. He also set three single game school records with 36 points, 22 points in one quarter, and 10 straight free throws against Ironwood in 1957. He was named to the Copper Country Conference and All-U.P. Basketball Teams in 1957. In track, his 5’ 8” high jump and 49’ 10’’ shot put were both school records at the time. His shot put record was not surpassed for 20 years. Jay placed 2nd in the high jump at the U.P. Track Finals in his sophomore and junior years (1955 & 1956), and also finished 2nd in the shot put finals in both his junior and senior years (1956 & 1957). His combination of size, strength, and agility made him an intimidating opponent in three different sports for the Copper Kings. Jay continued his education at Michigan Tech where he participated in football, basketball, and track while earning a degree in mechanical engineering in 1961. Jay had a successful career as an engineer and insurance agent prior to getting involved in the energy storage field where he holds a number of patents.