1993 UW-Oshkosh Hall of Fame

OSHKOSH, Wis. (5/2/1993) – The UW-Oshkosh Athletic Hall of Fame increased its membership to 86 with the addition of three former UW-Oshkosh athletic standouts who were inducted during a ceremony held May 2 at the Pioneer Inn in Oshkosh.

The 1993 inductees were Casey Edwards, Linda Hobbs and Myrlon Seims. Seims was inducted posthumously.

The UW-Oshkosh Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1974 to give tribute and deserved recognition to former athletes, coaches and friends of the University. It is also intended to enhance school tradition by honoring those people who have shown such exceptional ability while on campus and since graduation.

Casey Edwards is not only the finest gymnast in UW-Oshkosh history, but he is also one of the finest athletes to ever compete in the WSUC.

His 22 individual national titles and 37 All-America honors as a member of UW-Oshkosh men's gymnastics teams from 1976 to 1980 stand as school and conference records. Edwards, a Manitowoc native, was a member of UW-Oshkosh's NAIA Championship teams in 1978 and 1980, and its 1980 NCAA Division II Championship squad.

Edwards made his impact felt immediately at UW-Oshkosh, becoming the school's first three-event NAIA All-American as a freshman. His first collegiate season saw him win the vault and finish second in the still rings and all-around. The following year, he won all-around titles in both the NAIA and NCAA Division II Championships.

In 1978, Edwards repeated as NAIA and NCAA Division II all-around champion. In winning the NCAA Division II all-around title, he qualified as a team member of an NCAA International All-Star squad that competed against Mexico in Mexico City. Also during his junior year, he was inducted into the Manitowoc Sports Hall of Fame.

Edwards did not compete collegiately in 1979 in order to test his talents internationally. That year he traveled as far as South Africa and competed as a member of the United States team at the World University games in Mexico City. Edwards was the top United States finisher at the World University Games, placing fourth in the floor exercise and fifth in the vault.

Edwards returned to collegiate competition in 1980 and won NAIA titles in the all-around, floor exercise, vault, still rings, parallel bars, and high bar. He also won NCAA Division II titles in the all-around, floor exercise, still rings, vault and high bar. At the time he became the only gymnast to win NAIA and NCAA Division II all-around titles three times. His efforts earned him NAIA Gymnast of the Year honors and made him a finalist for the Nissan Award. And in perhaps his greatest honor, Edwards made the 1980 United States Olympic Team. But unfortunately for Edwards and his teammates, the United States later chose to boycott the Olympic Games.

In 1983, Edwards filled in for Ken Allen as head coach of the Titans and guided the team to the NAIA title and second-place finish at the NCAA Division II Championship. That same year, he was named NAIA Coach of the Year.

Edwards, a 1981 UW-Oshkosh graduate, lives in Mason with his wife, Crystal, and three children. He is self-employed as a realistic and folk-art wood carver, specializing in wildlife.

Linda Hobbs was a standout field hockey player for UW-Oshkosh in the early 1970s.

In 1973, the Fond du Lac native's greatest thrill came when she was named the All-Midwest Sectional Team. That same year she also was selected to participate in the National Field Hockey Tournament in Boston, Mass.

However, Hobbs was not only a fine field hockey player at UW-Oshkosh. She was also a fine all-around athlete, competing in badminton, softball, track & field and volleyball. In 1971, she was a member of the UW-Oshkosh State College Championship softball team.

Hobbs maintained an interest in field hockey after graduating from UW-Oshkosh in 1974. She played women's club field hockey following graduating for seven years, competing in seven national tournaments throughout the United States. She later organized a field hockey club for women and held office in the North Central Section for the United States Field Hockey Association. Hobbs also became involved as a sectional official for college field hockey, officiating one Big Ten Championship as well as games for UW-Stevens Point and UW-Oshkosh.

Hobbs has also been involved in cross country ski racing. She has competed in 12 Birkebeiner ski marathon races, finishing first in her age group and 10th overall in 1986. Hobbs normally participates in four ski marathons a year and has skied in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Hobbs is currently employed by the United States Forest Service in Hayward.

The late Myrlon Seims was one of the finest high school basketball coaches in the history of the Fox Valley. From 1939-53, he coached Appleton High School basketball teams to six league titles and a 247-63 record.

In 1980, the Wisconsin High School Basketball Coaches Association inducted Seims into its Hall of Fame. In 1966, Appleton West High School also honored Seims by naming the school's gymnasium after him.

From 1923-26, Seims was a member of the UW-Oshkosh football team. In 1923, Seims helped the Titans win a league championship. He also played on the basketball team while at UW-Oshkosh, leading the team to a conference title in 1925.

With his induction, Seims joins former college teammate Gerald Braisher, Ted Curtis, James Ambrose Gahan, Ed Hall, Harry McAndrew, Harvey Pugh, Robert Williams and Richard Wilson as UW-Oshkosh Hall of Fame members.

After graduating from UW-Oshkosh in 1927, the New London native taught and coached at Hudson High School. He then moved on to Appleton High School, where he coached both basketball and football. He left coaching in 1953 and taught classes until his retirement in 1966.