Editor’s note: The Menominee High School Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2024 induction ceremony takes place May 4 at the Pullman House in Menominee. Tickets are on sale at the Superintendent’s office at Blesch School and the Principal’s office at the high school for $35. Each week, the EagleHerald will spotlight one of the 12 inductees. This week’s feature is on Mike Photenhauer, Class of 1980.
MENOMINEE — Mike Photenhauer never met a race that he couldn’t win.
One of the most decorated athletes to ever grace the halls of Menominee High School, Photenhauer dominated courses and set records during his time as a Maroon.
An already staggering list of accolades will add another milestone on May 4, when Photenhauer is inducted into the Menominee High School Athletic Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2024.
The induction ceremony takes place at the Pullman House in Menominee.
Born May 14, 1962, Photenhauer was a three-sport standout at MHS, but the fields of cross country and track were where he truly excelled.
Photenhauer authored one of the most impressive running careers that Menominee has ever seen, and one need just glance at the Maroons’ trophy case or gaze at the school’s record books for proof.
As a three-year captain on Menominee’s cross country team, Photenhauer was a three-time Upper Peninsula champion from 1977 through 1979 and helped guide the Maroons to a runner-up finish at the U.P. Finals in 1976.
Perhaps most impressive, Photenhauer was the course record-holder for every course that he ran as a senior in 1979.
Photenhauer’s cross country success carried over into track and field, where he was a three-time champion in both the one-mile and two-mile runs (1978-80), going undefeated in both events as a senior to help the Maroons capture their first U.P. team title since 1968.
Photenhauer still holds the Menominee High School record in both events, setting the standard of 4:27.58 in the one-mile as a senior and the two-mile (9:44.4) as a sophomore.
He also set the Michigan state record in the one-mile run as a senior, a mark that was broken in 1997.
Photenhauer also participated in wrestling and was named Menominee’s Most Valuable Wrestler in 1980 after finishing third overall at the U.P. Finals.
Photenhauer won the Barbara Silverthorn Award as a senior and finished his four-year career with 12 major letters, the first Maroon ever to accomplish that feat.
After graduation, Photenhauer attended Central Michigan University and was an All-Mid American Conference selection in both cross country and track all four years, helping guide the Chippewas to the MAC cross country crown in 1982.
He graduated from CMU with a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Supervision and was a member of the United States Army Reserves.
Photenhauer was inducted in the U.P. Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.
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