Fred Angerman Jr. of Wrangell led the Wrangell Wolves boys basketball team to a Southeast championship title in 1975.
“My dad was a much better person than he was a basketball player,” Cody Angerman said of his father, who unexpectedly passed away last year.
The Alaska School Activities Association will induct Angerman Jr. into the state’s 2026 High School Hall of Fame for his lifetime achievement in basketball and the Southeast community.
“The whole induction thing is kind of like a side quest,” Cody said. “He would find it, I think, a little bit foolish, in a way, that this is even happening.”
Cody said his father was humble and never talked about his accolades from his basketball days in high school. But Angerman served as an official for three decades for Region V basketball. Additionally, he coached youth basketball and devoted more than 40 years to the Elks Hoop Shoot – a free throw shooting competition for kids.
“My dad’s way of being with all that is like if you’re great at something, people are just going to talk about it,” he said. “You don’t need to talk about it yourself.”
And Angerman’s modesty is likely one reason he wasn’t inducted into the Hall of Fame sooner.
The nomination process
It wasn’t until the family’s friend, Jason Clark, heard a story about someone he knew who was inducted. That got him thinking more about Angerman and the impact he had on his life, so Clark nominated him.
“I was just a messenger,” he said. “He’s the one that put in the body of work.”
One thing Clark did was ask people who knew Angerman to submit letters of recognition supporting his induction. Some of these people were ex coaches, ex referees, ex players and coaches from other communities. He only needed about 10, but at least 30 people were more than willing to write one – letters Clark said he never even read himself.
“That was for the Angermans,” he said. “That was for Cody, Brad, Aaron and Sumi to read.”
Angerman’s youngest son, Brad, who lives in Las Vegas, says it was humbling to read the letters.
“These guys who I looked up to, talking about my dad as their hero,” he said. “It was emotional, and I think it was also just heartwarming.”
He said his father’s friends were the ones who talked Angerman up about how great of a player he was while Angerman just sat there, with a smirk on his face.
“It wasn’t just about what he did, it was how he did it,” Brad said. “The way he played basketball was simply for the love of the sport, he treated his teammates, his coaches, even his opponents, with respect.”
That spirit carried into everyday life too.
Angerman left a big basketball-shaped hole in Wrangell
Angerman’s oldest son, Aaron, said his father also played a significant role working his way up as the director of the high school facilities for 32 years.
He said, “He was the guy that kept the gym open and made sure that he’d be out(side) in between games with his reffing shirt on and snow boots, shoveling snow so that people can come to the game and not slip and fall.”
He said his father left a big basketball-shaped hole in all of their lives and Wrangell is a better place because he was in it.
Angerman’s impact was about connection and care for the community
Angerman’s family said the induction has brought them closer together amid their grief.
His wife, Sumi Angerman, said in a text message, “For me, this recognition of Fred being inducted is both an honor and a reminder of who he was.”
And she’s grateful for Jason Clark submitting Angerman’s nomination. She said it shows that his impact on his community was more than basketball — it was about connection and care that will not be forgotten.
The Alaska High School Hall of Fame induction will be held at the Special Olympics Alaska building in Anchorage on April 26 at 2 p.m.
