1997 UW-Oshkosh Hall of Fame
OSHKOSH, Wis. (5/4/1997) – The UW-Oshkosh Athletic Hall of Fame inducted five new members during a ceremony held May 4 at The Pioneer Inn & Marina in Oshkosh.
The 1997 inductees were Michael Bellos, Robert Luedtke, Richard Schumacher, Joe Townsley and Robert White.
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 exceptional ability while on the campus and since graduation.
A cornerstone in the UW-Oshkosh men's gymnastics program of the 1970s, Michael Bellos helped build the Titan dynasty with his talents in the all-around and his specialty, the still rings.
Bellos was a four-time letter winner on the men's gymnastics team from 1973-76, with UW-Oshkosh winning the NAIA championship in 1973 and 1974. The 1973 team was the first WSUC athletic team to win a national championship. In 1975 and 1976, the Titans finished second at the NAIA championship.
Bellos was named NAIA All-America twice, in 1974 and 1975, while being named a NCAA Division II All-America in 1975. He captured the NAIA still rings championship in 1975 with a score of 9.3 and placed second nationally in 1974 with a score of 8.83.
While attempting to defend his national title in the still rings at the 1976 NAIA championship, Bellos finished third despite suffering from a 103-degree temperature. He also qualified for the NCAA Division II championship in 1975 and 1976.
A leader on his teams, Bellos was named team captain in 1975 and 1976. Bellos's teams won the WSUC championship in 1973 and 1974, while he won the WSUC still rings title in 1975.
Scholastically, Bellos was on the honor roll at UW-Oshkosh from 1973-76, and graduated from UW-Oshkosh in 1976.
Since his days competing for UW-Oshkosh, Bellos entered the work world with the same standards and competitiveness he developed in college athletics. Bellos has taken up demanding individual sports such as sailboat racing, rock climbing, downhill skiing and golf.
A Lincolnwood, Ill., native, Bellos competed at Niles (Ill.) West High School earning four letters in boys' gymnastics. He still goes back to his high school alma mater to help coach the boys gymnastics team.
A successful businessman, Bellos started his own company, Gabco Enterprises Inc., after several years as a national accounts executive for the Seiko Watch Co. In this area, Bellos has educated young people for sales education based on developing professional and ethical selling skills.
One of the most accomplished and decorated individual athletes in UW-Oshkosh history, Robert Luedtke set a standard in men's tennis that is unmatched in school and conference history.
Luedtke competed in the sport from 1968-71, qualifying for the NAIA national championship tournament in singles and doubles competition all four years. During this span, Luedtke was a NAIA All-District 14 first team selection, participated on four WSUC team champions and won four WSUC singles and four WSUC doubles championships.
In WSUC competition, Luedtke finished his career unbeaten in singles and doubles play, fashioning an unprecedented 44-0 record in both. He finished his career record with a 68-23 singles mark and a 62-29 doubles ledger. Luedtke was named UW-Oshkosh Senior Scholar-Athlete in 1971.
An Oshkosh native and graduate of Oshkosh West High School, Luedtke was All-Fox River Valley Conference in boys tennis for three straight years, advancing to the WIAA state tournament all three years and reached the state semifinals during his senior season. He also played football for three years at Oshkosh West High School.
Currently an elementary physical education instructor in the Oshkosh School District, Luedtke has used his tennis prowess in the coaching field. From 1975-90, Luedtke was the head boys tennis coach at Appleton Xavier High School, compiling a record of 88-56. He was named Fox Valley Christian Conference Coach of the Year three times (1981, 1982, 1985). Luedtke has also been a member of the United States Professional Tennis Association for the past 24 years.
Richard Schumacher had a brilliant basketball career for UW-Oshkosh and then later came back to contribute to his alma mater even further as an educator and athletic booster.
Schumacher played men's basketball at Oshkosh State Teachers College from 1947-50, participating on the WSUC championship teams in 1947 and 1948. He received All-WSUC first team accolades as a junior in 1949, serving as team captain that same year. Schumacher also participated in track & field in 1947 and 1948. Two highlights during Schumacher's basketball career were scoring 12 points during his first collegiate game against UW-Stout and scoring a career-high 29 points at UW-Platteville.
Born in Watertown and raised in Janesville, Schumacher starred in athletics at Janesville High School. Schumacher earned three letters in basketball and was captain during his senior year in 1946, winning the Big Eight Conference that same year. He also was a three-time letter winner in track & field. He declined a professional baseball Class D contract offer from the Chicago Cubs in 1946 in order to retain amateur status and attend UW-Oshkosh.
After teaching and coaching at two high schools sandwiched around a stint in the United States Navy, Schumacher arrived as an educator in the physical education department at UW-Oshkosh in 1964. From that time until 1980, Schumacher coached UW-Oshkosh's alpine skiing club team.
In 1972, Schumacher added the role as the university's intramural sports director. He served the university in those two capacities until his retirement in 1990. As intramural sports director, Schumacher played an instrumental role in getting men's and women's soccer along with ice hockey instituted as club sports on campus.
Active in events on campus, Schumacher served as secretary and treasurer of the UW-Oshkosh Titan Booster Club from 1965-90. He also was on the UW-Oshkosh Athletic Hall of Fame Selection Committee from its inception in 1974 to 1990, serving as chairperson the last five years. Schumacher also served as an advisor for the Sig Tau fraternity for five years.
Schumacher and his wife, Doree, currently spend retirement in Montreal, where together they own and operate The Inn Bed and Breakfast.
Joe Townsley helped establish a standard of excellence in men's track & field during his record-setting seasons while competing in the pole vault for UW-Oshkosh from 1967-70.
Townsley, who graduated from UW-Oshkosh in 1972, came to campus from Racine Washington Park High School where he lettered in track & field three years, football two years and basketball one year. Townsley qualified for the NAIA national outdoor championship in 1968, 1969 and 1970, while setting UW-Oshkosh outdoor and indoor records of 14 feet, 8 inches and 13-9, respectively. He was a NAIA All-District 14 first team honoree and was a team co-captain during his junior and senior seasons.
Townsley won the WSUC outdoor championship in 1968, 1969 and 1970, while winning the league's indoor championship during the first two years the event was held in 1969 and 1970.
In 1970, Townsley made his height of 14 feet to stay in the competition and then went on to win his fifth conference championship. Paced by Townsley, UW-Oshkosh won WSUC outdoor team championships in 1969 and 1970. He also participated in men's gymnastics in 1968 and 1969.
After his career at UW-Oshkosh, Townsley served on the board of directors of the National 'O' Club and is the past president of that organization. He was still highly active in athletics, competing for the University of Chicago Track Club, an organization that made pole vaulting a part of his life for 26 years, until 1980.
Between 1980 and 1994, Townsley competed in 22 triathlons and one marathon, while golf and flying his Mooney aircraft are currently his favorite activities. Recently, Townsley has resumed his pole vaulting career and will compete in that event at the 1998 Nike Masters Games.
Townsley has been self-employed in wholesale and manufacturing in the furniture business since his graduation from UW-Oshkosh. He is also a director of marketing for Corinthian, Inc., a manufacturer of upholstered furniture in Corinth, Miss.
Arriving on the scene at UW-Oshkosh in 1964, Robert White immediately made his presence felt not only as an educator but as a coach. White turned the Titan men's basketball team into a formidable foe for opponents not only in the WSUC but at the national NAIA level as well.
White directed UW-Oshkosh to the NAIA National Tournament in 1967 and 1968. The 1968 squad finished third at the NAIA Tournament after the unranked Titans toppled No. 1 Guilford College (N.C.) and the NBA Seattle Supersonics' 1968 first-round draft pick, Bob Kauffman. White's UW-Oshkosh teams won WSUC championships in 1967, 1968 and 1978 while finishing second in 1966. He concluded his coaching career in 1984 with 232 victories.
While coaching two NAIA All-Americans and 16 All-WSUC first team selections, White was named WSUC Coach of the Year three times (1967, 1968, 1978), NAIA District 14 Coach of the Year three times (1967, 1968, 1969) and was selected NAIA Area 4 Coach of the Year in 1968.