THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: Tears, T’s, teases and other stuff from the hall of famers

Bart Templeman, long-time area throws guru, getting choked up as he praised “the best coach I ever had ... my wife.” 

Rick Rasmussen community booster extraordinaire and former Coeur d’Alene High and Montana athlete, holding up his dad’s hall of fame ring as he spoke. “I miss him every day,” Rick said of the man referred to as “Big Dad.” 

Debbie Buchanan, former St. Maries High volleyball star and long-time Idaho volleyball coach, saying in her 22 years as a Vandal coach, “I was able to blend the love of the sport with family.” 

The dinner to honor the inductees into the North Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame is a (somewhat) intimate affair on Friday night, the night before the North Idaho Sports Awards Banquet on Saturday night, both at The Coeur d’Alene Resort. 

If Saturday is for the kids and the coaches, Friday is for the hall of famers — a chance to thank, and reminisce. 

Several members of the hall of fame, like Dennis Erickson and Ryan Phillips, are in attendance. Many in the crowd of roughly 180 are already in the hall of fame — an impressive and somewhat awe-inspiring sight to those being inducted on this night. 

OTHER SNIPPETS from the five inductees at the hall of fame dinner on Friday night ... 

Jim Winger, long-time Lake City High boys basketball coach and athletic director, upset when he wasn’t originally offered the head coaching job at his alma mater, Coeur d’Alene High, when he was 26: “Once I got into administration, I figured out how the game was played,” he said. “I wouldn’t have hired me either.” 

Mike Iupati, former Idaho and NFL offensive lineman from American Samoa, talking about his early introduction to football: “I was placed on the defensive line, and told to find the guy with the football,” he recalled. 

Templeman, recalling the origin of the wildly popular Iron Wood Throwers Camp: Years ago, he and “Bud” Rasmussen, Rick’s brother and fellow throws coach, went to a throwers camp in Seeley Lake, Mont. “We can do better,” Bud suggested. The first year attracted 18 throwers to a camp at Coeur d’Alene High. Now, hundreds attend. 

Rick Rasmussen, talking about his days as a bench warmer on the Viking boys basketball team: “I used to put water on my head so when fans walked in, they thought I’d played.” 

Buchanan, noting the circle of athletics — Iupati, when he was at Idaho, used to ref youth basketball games played in by her son, Blake, who went on to star at Lake City and is now at Iowa State after transferring from Virginia. 

Rasmussen, recalling the time “Big Dad” was keeping book during a Viking boys basketball game, yelled something from the scorer’s table after his son was whistled for a blocking foul — and “Big Dad” received a technical foul, charged to the Vikings, of course. 

Buchanan saying she wouldn’t trade anything about her coaching career, because “it’s made me a better mom.” As a club volleyball coach in “retirement,” she now coaches kids of her former players. “My athletes told me I became a lot nicer after I had kids,” she said. 

Iupati talking about the “culture shock” of relocating from Orange County, where he grew up, to Moscow, Idaho. “Parents, be involved in your kids’ education,” he said.  

Winger, after guiding Lake City to a 26-0 record and a state boys basketball championship in 2023, politely stayed out of the debate when asked if he thought his team was the best boys basketball team in state history. But on Friday night he said, “I would say this was the best team in Idaho history.” 

Rasmussen, noting the time “Big Dad” coached at Clark Fork, in a football game against a John Drager-coached Mullan squad. That was on the old Clark Fork football field, which had just one goalpost. “Clark Fork scored, and ‘Big Dad’ says, ‘we’re kicking,’” Rick said, as the story goes. “So everyone went to the other end of the field, where the goalpost was ... and he runs a fake.” 

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 1205, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @CdAPressSports.