Traverse City Record-Eagle

Sports

August 19, 2012

Hansen’s No. 54 to be retired

Kingsley will retire jersey at season-opening game

BY DENNIS CHASE dchase@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY — Kingsley will retire fallen Marine Justin Hansen's No. 54 on Friday when the Stags host Traverse City St. Francis in a season-opening football game.

Hansen, who was killed in combat last month in Afghanistan, wore No. 54 during his playing days at Kingsley. An offensive guard-defensive end, Hansen was a captain on the 2002 team that finished 8-2.

"Immediately after we heard the bad news, we thought, 'What can we do to honor him?'" former Kingsley coach Tim Wooer said. "When I talked at the funeral I said there are two things we need to do — we need to make sure we remember all the wonderful people traits Justin had and we need to make sure we take a little piece of Justin home with us and try to be the person he was.

"He paid the ultimate sacrifice for us."

Wooer, who now coaches at Traverse City West, has been working with Kingsley school officials on the ceremony. West plays its opener Thursday night.

Some 2,000 red, white and blue T-shirts have been purchased for the occasion. The T-shirts will have USA on the front, and Hansen's name and jersey number on the back.

"St. Francis has been very supportive," Wooer said. "They pre-bought 500 T-shirts. We're hoping to have the entire place decked out in red, white and blue."

The T-shirts go on sale at Kingsley High School on Monday.

Wooer said Elmer's purchased a huge U.S. flag that Hansen's former teammates will carry out on to the field at halftime. Framed jerseys will then be presented to Hansen's parents and his number will be officially retired. Military personnel will be on hand, as well as members of the Patriot Guard Riders.

"It's an honor to be able to do something for him," Kingsley principal Mike Moran said.

Moran, who had Hansen in class when he was a teacher, said he was "shocked" by his death.

"You had an understanding of what he was doing in Afghanistan and Iraq, but he was one of those people that you just assumed was going to be OK," he said.

"He was the first in his special forces class out of 60 marines. He was just unreal — an amazing person, solider, American hero."

Hansen was one of the reasons Wooer left a successful football program at Farwell to take over at Kingsley, which had been struggling.

As he was weighing his options, Wooer remembered a conversation he had with his father, Bill, a Hall of Fame track coach at Kingsley.

"He said, 'I don't even know if the junior high team won a game or even scored a point," Wooer recalled his father saying. "But as I was walking down the hallway the other day to the teacher's lounge, I heard these three kids talking about how they've got to get better, how they've got to get in the weight room, how they want to a have a great football team.' When he turned around it was three eighth graders — Justin Hansen, Al Olds and Dave Zenner. At that point I decided to go all in (for the job).

"They made due on their promise, too. They did everything they could to be the best. That was Justin as a marine, too. It goes to show you what attitude and hard work can do over time."

Hansen earned Record-Eagle Dream Team honors his senior season. That team raised expectations at Kingsley — and the Stags won a state title in 2005.

Wooer said he talked to numerous marines at Hansen's funeral. He said a general, who was in charge of the war in that part of Afghanistan, paid the utmost respect to Hansen.

"He took the two stars off his shoulder and put them on Justin's casket as he was paying his final respects," Wooer said. "All the marines said that never happens. He (Hansen) was a bigger figure (in the military) than anyone knew."

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