You’ve heard the old saying, “it feels as good as putting on those old pair of shoes.” We all like to have something we can feel good about and depend on when we just need to take a breath and enjoy life.
Sports may do that for you or someone you know, and many in Manitowoc County are regulars at high school athletic events, enjoying student-athletes giving it their all to succeed.
Adding to the ambiance is a voice that’s just as much a part of the game to educate and entertain you every single time. Manitowoc County is fortunate to have four such people who truly love what they do and have done so for a very long time.
Paul “Biff” Hansen at Manitowoc Lincoln, Charlie Lemberger at Valders, Al Kliment in Mishicot, and Jamie” Newman” Mangin in Reedsville.
All four appeared on WOMT Sports Talk recently to share their decades-long experiences at their educational institutions.
Biff, as he’s been referred to since he was a child, was asked at the ripe old age of 19 if he would like to give public address work a shot. He thought, “Why not”? Little would he know that this would turn into a 38-year gig and is still going. He was asked how he got his nickname ‘Biff’.
”At Heartarama this year, Bill Jartz was there helping on stage and told me he got his nickname “Biff” while playing football at Northwestern University, so he asked me how I ended up with the nickname Biff. Well, as a baby, I’d punch my mother when she would try to change my diaper.” Hansen adds —
“The only people who would call me Paul were the nuns at Silver Lake College. I think they didn’t know what a biff was, so they just would call me Paul.”
Calling him Paul is almost an insult these days, but “Biff”, who’s now retired from Lincoln, has not yet decided when to totally divest from announcing, and there are many who pray that he’ll be around for many more years announcing their child’s name over the speakers at the JFK or Rubick Field.
Jamie “Newman” Mangin eats, sleeps, and breathes Reedsville sports and says his nickname came about as part of a Homecoming prank on a friend.
”My younger brother and I, with permission from his parents, let ourselves into the house and proceeded to put 125 rolls of cut-up toilet paper in his small eight-by-ten-foot room.
My buddy comes home only to find his room has been totaled with TP. He got on the phone and called Freddy (Aaron Fredric), asking who, what, how, and why this happened to him.” Newman continues—
“Freddy was watching an episode of Seinfeld at the time and yelled out “NEWMAN!” in reference to how Jerry and his friends would do when the Seinfeld character was up to no good. I guess the nickname sort of stuck.”
His career began in the early 1990’ s as a scorekeeper for the boys’ basketball team. Mike Behnke was the “voice of the Panthers” for many years before leaving, and an opportunity opened for someone to take the reins.
Newman said he couldn’t believe that the school would entrust him with such an important job. He admitted he was as nervous as could be, but eventually grew into the role, and nearly thirty years later, it wouldn’t be a Panther football or basketball game without hearing the enthusiastic and comforting voice of Jaime” Newman” Mangin.
Al Kliment doesn’t have a nickname but those who attend Mishicot athletic events for generations have grown very comfortable with the voice of the man very affectionately known as ‘Al”.
He’ll begin his 40th year behind the mike this fall and says he’s blessed beyond measure to be just a small part of people’s lives by providing the voice people depend upon at Indians’ athletic events, adding he never has or will take that responsibility for granted.
” Your name reflects yourself. You want to try to be as impartial as possible. It’s hard at times when the home team (Mishicot) scores a touchdown or hits a three-point shot, but you never want to make yourself bigger than the game itself. I’m not there for that reason.” Al adds—
“You need to make sure that the game experience is a great one for all who come out and watch these kids compete.”
A similar perspective is taken by the voice of the Valders Vikings, Charlie Lemberger. Charlie is a fixture in Valders, having taught and coached various subjects and sports for thirty years.
Much like his compatriots, Lemberger found the job came to him when he least expected it. He was asked to fill in during a game at the old Valders High School, and many were impressed with his work.
The opportunity came up for him to do it full-time, and he jumped at the chance and didn’t look back.
When asked what the key to being a good public address announcer is, he agreed with Al (Kliment) that you can’t get caught up in being bigger than the game itself.
” It’s always going to be about the kids. People don’t come out to watch and listen to us; they come out to support the student athletes. We need to make sure that what we do shows that we care. I want people to know that I was there to help them enjoy their time as a student-athlete.”
All four gentlemen have fond memories of great moments at their schools. Manitowoc Lincoln’s then state-record 48-game winning streak in football (1983 to 1987), the Valders boys basketball team playing for a state championship in 2018, Mishicot winning the state girls softball and basketball titles in 2021, and Reedsville capturing their first state football championship in 2021 and, most recently, their second only state boys basketball title this March (1946 ).
They’re all great accomplishments and will live in perpetuity. But all four men agree that the most important thing is that, through athletics, student-athletes become better people.
Gentlemen, we’re all blessed in Manitowoc County to have you be that comforting voice behind the mike to make us all feel like we’re at home, making the game-time experience all that much better.
Keep up the great work, we all hope for many years to come!
