John Vucinovich, a legendary figure in the local high school coaching circles who was among the first 12 individuals to be inducted into the UMD Athletic Hall of Fame, died this past Thursday in Duluth at the age of 98.

Born and raised on Minnesota's Iron Range,, Vucinovich, enjoyed a sparkling, albeit brief, athletic stint at UMD  (then known as Duluth State Teacher's College) after transferring from Virgina Junior College in 1934. He captained the Bulldogs to a 19-2 overall record and a Northern Intercollegiate Conference basketball crown as a senior in 1935-36 en route to securing All-NIC honors for a second straight season.  In track, Vucinovich, a two-year Bulldog football letterman (halfback), competed in eight different individual events and once personally outscored Bemidji State University 28-25 in a 1935 dual meet. Following his graduation from UMD, he held the positions of athletic director, head football, boy's basketball, and boy's golf coach at Duluth Cathedral High School for 13 years (1936-49) . Vucinovich later served as the head football and hockey coach at Duluth Central High School from 1949-72 and coached football Trojans to 10 City Conference championships. His 1953-54 hockey squad was the first Duluth team to ever qualify for the Minnesota State High School Tournament. Vucinovich, who scouted professionally for the Houston Oilers of the National Football League, went on to work as a radio color commentator for Bulldog football with WEBC and WDSM. Besides UMD, he was also a member of four other Hall of Fames -- Minnesota Football Coaches Association  (1978), NIC (1990), Duluth Marshall High School  (2003) and the DECC (2004).

Among the scores of young men Vucinovich mentored during his time at Central and Cathedral High School was future UMD All-American running back and six-year NFL performer Ted McKnight (Central Class of 1972).