Menominee's Man Among Maroons

June 28, 2012

Ken Hofer walked high school football sidelines as a head coach  for nearly a half-century. That, in itself, is an incredible accomplishment.

But Menominee's recently-retired and legendary coach packed plenty of success into his 48 seasons, a tenure that began in his hometown of Stephenson.

  • Hofer is retiring with a record of 342-136-3 and after three straight nine-win seasons. 
  • His teams have made the MHSAA playoffs at the ends of the last 16.
  • The Maroons won 29 straight games from 2006-2008, with back-to-back 14-0 finishes in 2006 and 2007.
  • His teams won three MHSAA championships, in those two perfect seasons and in 1998.
  • In three of the last six seasons, his offense scored more than 500 points.

"His impact has been felt for generations, and his legacy will continue to inspire students into the future," Menominee superintendent Erik Bergh wrote when Hofer made his announcement.

Click to read our Q&A with the longtime Maroons coach, who stepped down earlier this month. 

PHOTO: Ken Hofer, center in gray sweatshirt, coached Menominee to a 41-6 win over Madison Heights Madison in the 2006 Division 5 Final at Ford Field.

Be the Referee: Field Goal Falls Short

By Sam Davis
MHSAA Director of Officials

September 30, 2021

Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.

Below is this week's segment – Field Goal Falls Short - Listen

Three things can happen if a field goal attempt crosses the line of scrimmage but comes up short of the goal line. Do you know all three?

First, the ball can go out of bounds. If that happens, the ball is dead and on the change of possession, the team newly on offense takes over where the ball went out of bounds.

Second, the kicking team can be the first to touch the ball. When that happens, this is the first touching and again the team newly on offense takes over where the ball was downed.

And third, the receiving team can return the kick. And they would take over on offense after the returner has been tackled or goes out of bounds.

Think of a field goal attempt as a punt, and you’ll always know what’s possible if the kick comes up short of the goal line.

Previous editions

Sept. 23: Volleyball Obstruction - Listen
Sept. 16: Catch or No Catch Listen
Sept. 9: Intentional Grounding – Listen 
Sept. 2: Pass Interference – Listen 
Aug. 26: Protocols and Mechanics  Listen