Wrangell basketball legend selected to Alaska High School Hall of Fame
- Klas Stolpe
- Mar 1
- 9 min read
Fred Angerman Jr. represented the best of Southeast Alaska’s unique sports culture
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
If you were lucky enough to have watched Fred Angerman Jr. play basketball, then you witnessed what is so pure about the sport: the delicate balance between a highly skilled player’s artistry and his unselfish and humble character that placed team success above personal ego.
If you were lucky enough to witness his dedication with a whistle, then you saw his deep love and knowledge of the game, his honesty and integrity, and emotional control that hundreds of youth across the state have been privy to.
Frederick “Fred” Clarence Angerman Jr. was selected posthumously in February to be inducted into the Alaska High School Hall of Fame (AHSHOF) on Sunday, April 26, at the Special Olympics Alaska building, located at 3200 Mountain View Drive in Anchorage. His induction is for lifetime achievement.
“I feel proud and emotional seeing Fred recognized for his decades of dedication as both a basketball player and a referee,” his widow, Sumi Angerman, said. “It is not something he was ever seeking, but basketball was a big part of his life, and our family and close friends feel it is important to honor the quiet leadership and commitment he has shown for so many years.”
Fred Angerman started all four high school seasons for the Wrangell Wolves, from 1972-75, and led the Wolves to the ’75 Southeast title when schools had no classifications based on school enrollment and small school championships came infrequently. He scored 33 points and had 17 rebounds in the 75-70 title win over Sitka. The following week at state he scored 37 and 29, respectively, in two losses. He earned All-Region V first-team honors as a junior and senior and All-State honors his senior season.
“You had to show up before half time of the JV game if you were going to get a seat to watch the varsity and Fred play,” said Petersburg High School coach Rick Brock, a 1982 Wrangell High School grad. “The place was packed every night. The programs had a place where you could keep statistics on each player. Fred’s boxes were always full. He was the team leader, a relentless competitor who played much bigger than his size. He played as hard as he could every game and did it with humbleness, even though he was usually the best player on the floor. As I got into coaching, Fred was already an established official. He brought to the court the same qualities he exhibited as a player. I always felt that you were going to get his best each time, that he was there to make sure the game was played the right way. All of his sons played for Wrangell. As an opposing coach, I knew Fred was going to officiate the game the way it was supposed to be officiated. I was fortunate enough to coach in the 2007 3A state championship game and lucky to have Fred there as one of the refs. I knew we had the best official in the state on the floor. It meant the world to me when my basketball hero congratulated me after the game on our state title and he was obviously very proud.”
Angerman started his referee career in 1991. The first Region V tournament he officiated was in 1995 and he became one of the first officials to be thought of and selected for close to 30 seasons. He was selected to be a state tournament official eight times.
“Fred loved refereeing and the camaraderie that came with it,” Sumi Angerman said. “He got his start because his lifelong friend Jeff Jabusch convinced him to give it a try. For nearly 30 years, they called hundreds of games together. Because he was selected to officiate numerous Southeast and state basketball tournaments, Fred got to meet so many great people who are still part of our family’s lives to this day.”
Fred Angerman would volunteer with Wrangell’s Elks Hoop Shoot for over 45 years and volunteered to time officiating numerous youth and middle school basketball games for over 30 years.
In a letter of recommendation to the hall of fame, Jabusch said, “I grew up on the same playgrounds as Fred in Wrangell...have known him most of my life…I know he was one of the best players in Southeast. I can verify his dominance as both a player and referee during his adult years.”
Other letters speak volumes of his character:
Metlakatla coach and teacher Tony Scott - I moved to Metlakatla in 2012 to teach and coach…One of our first trips that year was to Wrangell. Fred was there with his truck to help with luggage and introduced himself to me. When we got everything unloaded, he found me and walked in, and we talked basketball for about an hour. He talked about the glory days of when he played, the great teams from Wrangell and Metlakatla over the years, and then finished talking about his family. He was incredibly personable and welcoming. The next day I was surprised to see that he was actually the head referee for our game. He was always a fair referee and I respected that.
Former Sitka official Marty Martin: I have reffed many games with Fred, including the state tournament when Fred was selected in the 3A division. As the tournament games proceeded and as the other referees worked and talked with Fred in the locker rooms and break rooms, they began to stop and spend some time watching the 3A games so that they could watch Freddy control the court. It began to be very apparent that he was a very special official and a very special man.
Former Wrangell coach Ray Stokes: The entire state benefitted from Fred making the decision to be a referee…He was one of those rare people that could keep a level head and make sound decisions regardless of the situation, others must have felt the same way because he kept getting nominated by the participating schools to officiate the tournaments. Although we had countless enjoyable memories on the court, I think I am most fond of the nearly daily chats we would have at school whether it be in or out of the gym. He was almost always in a great mood and he always had time to share a story and they always made my day better.
Former Wrangell teammate Keith Appleman: Having played HS basketball in Wrangell from 1969 through 1972 myself, hundreds of open gyms with Fred and others, and in tournaments with players from that era for the next 30 years and then watched games up to the present, I feel I have a good grasp of the top players from Wrangell over the past approximately 55 years. As anyone who follows basketball in Southeast Alaska or statewide knows, Wrangell has produced many great outstanding ball players over the years. In my opinion, I can say that the two finest overall basketball players I’ve seen (and played with and against both of them) in the past 55 years or so, are Fred and Archie Young. There are many others that were great, but Fred was absolutely at the very pinnacle, the best of the best.
Fellow referee and friend Keith Perkins: Fred loved what he did as a sports official both in the world of competitive high school games and tournaments. He was well respected across the state in that capacity. He loved officiating the “community schools-”style youth games. Those were students he knew in the hallways of Wrangell Schools. And within his role as the maintenance director for Wrangell Schools, he had a unique way of being a good listener when needed for staff, teachers and students on that Wrangell Schools campus during his career. When I was in town and walking the hallways, you saw the adoration of the students, staff and teachers for Fred. He was a source of inspiration and pride for them about being associated with him – he was such a good friend to many, without seeking anything but wanting to help make good things happen on that campus for the students. To that end, I believe his impact is worthy of a lifetime achievement consideration for the ASAA Hall of Fame. His impact within his school as an athlete helping lead small town Wrangell to a state championship game, as a well-respected basketball referee who was selected for multiple Region V and state tournament events, as the school maintenance director with so much more of an impact in the hallways of the school, and his dedication to youth basketball officiating. It is the sum total of his body of work around student athletes, students in general are ASAA Hall of Fame worthy for lifetime achievement.
Angerman died unexpectedly on March 9, 2025, at the age of 68. At that time, the Wrangell Wolves, coached by his son Cody (Wrangell High School class of 2000), were about to begin the state tournament. They honored him by wearing “Fast Freddy” shooting shirts, playing with the strength, skill and sportsmanship he would expect on the court.
Cody Angerman said he was overwhelmed with emotion when he learned his father was selected to the hall of fame.
“Dad did not really do well with celebrating himself,” he said. “He was always humble when talking about his playing days and maybe felt a little uncomfortable when it came to talking about himself. Because I know how he would feel about all this. I think it is funny in a way. I do understand it is not just his playing but his time spent in the community and officiating locally, regionally and in many state tournaments and championships… I think how his friends, family, school and community feel is the same way that everyone felt about him as a person - that he was a beast on the court, one of the best officials in the state and an even better human. I could go on for days about how my dad was Superman but this whole hall of fame induction is a real honor.”
Son Brad Angerman (WHS class of 2002) was with his grandmother Mercedes when he heard the selection news.
“It is humbling that ASAA would recognize my dad, and it is also humbling that the people closest to us would take the time to nominate him,” Brad Angerman said. “My brothers and I were raised in the house next door to where my dad grew up, right across the street from a playground, so basketball was always a part of our lives. It probably wasn’t until I was a teenager before I ever beat my dad at a game of HORSE, and it didn’t happen many more times after that either…My dad was such a humble guy that when we’d talk basketball, he’d never talk about his own stats or accomplishments — he’d always talk about others. He never had anything bad to say about anyone, including the people he played against. I can’t even tell you how many times people throughout southeast Alaska approached me over the years just to talk about my dad. I was always proud of that… He was the kind of guy who never would have wanted the attention, but he impacted so many lives, and I’m grateful he’s being recognized for it."
Son Aaron Angerman (WHS ’98) said, “My dad was my hero. As humble as he was, he'd probably dodge that praise and be slightly embarrassed by this hall of fame recognition. But between playing, refereeing, coaching, volunteering — he was unbelievably impactful on the lives of countless people who shared a gym with him. He was a hall of famer off the court, too.”
A letter from ASAA Executive Director Billy Strickland to the Angerman family noted Fred Angerman’s exceptional contributions to high school activities, as well as his subsequent exemplary career and dedicated service to the Wrangell community.
“It was always an honor to be a part of and support Fred in his refereeing and basketball journey, especially as it happened alongside our sons growing up to become ballplayers themselves,” Sumi Angerman said. “Whenever we traveled to tournaments, people of all ages would sit and talk basketball with Fred, whether they were coaches, students, or just people reminiscing about their high school days. He clearly impacted a lot of lives and made a lot of friends along the way.”
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@gmail.com.
