Just as the voting period for the 2013 Living Legend comes to a close, we received an email from a fan alerting us to a truly legendary story about a small-town football team, just down the road from us.
In the spirit of legendary-ness, we felt compelled to be sure all of you read it too.
Each year, Sports Illustrated does a series called, “Underdogs: Inspiring Stories in High School Football.” Not only was Ishpeming High School (right here in the Upper Peninsula) named a finalist, they won this year’s prize.
Daniel Mears/AP
Their winning story, which you can read here, centered around Eric Dompierre, a 19-yr old student with Down’s Syndrome. You see, Eric was the back-up kicker for the team, but because of his age, had to fight the Michigan High School Athletic Association for the right to play his senior year. A fight he, his father and the entire Ishpeming community took on wholeheartedly, and won.
The amazing thing is, this is only a portion of the inspiring story behind this Ishpeming Hematite Football Team. If you want to know “the rest of the story,” we encourage you to check out this wonderful blog posted yesterday on SI.com. Trust us, you won’t regret the time you spend on it.
Are there any other legendary team stories we need to know about? (And don’t forget to get your Stormy Kromer Living Legend votes in by 12/16.)
