Four individuals with long-standing ties to the northern Idaho athletic scene as well as a former University of Idaho and pro football player are among the 2025 inductees into the North Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame.
Former Coeur d’Alene and Lake City High basketball coach Jim Winger, track throwing coach Bart Templeman, former University of Idaho volleyball coach Debbie Buchanan, former Coeur d’Alene High and University of Montana football athlete and community booster Rick Rasmussen, and Mike Iupati, former UI and NFL defensive lineman, are the honorees this year.
The five will be inducted during the Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet, which is set for Saturday, April 12, at the Coeur d’Alene Resort. Tickets for the banquet, which also features the North Idaho High School Awards, are $40 each and can be purchased online either by going to www.nihof.org after Wednesday, March 19, and clicking on the “Purchase Tickets” brown box. Reserved tables for eight also can be purchased for $400. New University of Idaho football coach Thomas Ford will be the featured speaker.
Current and former student-athletes from northern Idaho high schools and colleges also will be honored that night. The finalists for each award will be announced on March 20. Each student-athlete nominated for an award that night can obtain a free ticket to the banquet. Information on how to obtain that ticket will be announced at the same time as the finalists.
