Titan Community Mourns The Passing Of Tom Taraska

OSHKOSH, Wis.- The UW-Oshkosh community mourns the loss of former student-athlete and coach Tom Taraska, who passed away October 15 in Hartland at the age of 72.

The West Allis High School graduate attended UW-Oshkosh from 1971 to 1975 and earned four varsity letters in football for the Titans.

Taraska was a member of the 1972 UW-Oshkosh football team that won the WIAC championship with an 8-2 record.

Upon graduating with an education degree from UW-Oshkosh, Taraska started his coaching and teaching career at Franklin High School. He remained at Franklin for seven years before taking a job at Hartland's Arrowhead High School.

Coaching, mentoring and motivating teenagers since graduating as a student-athlete from UW-Oshkosh in 1975, Taraska was recognized by many as the most successful high school football coach in Wisconsin.

Taraska, who served as head football coach at Franklin High School from 1978-1981 and Arrowhead Union High School from 1982-2010, produced four WIAA Division 1 state championship teams (1993, 1994, 1996, 2007), five WIAA Division 1 state runners-up (2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008), WIAA Division 1 state-records with nine state championship game appearances and 47 postseason victories, three undefeated and nationally ranked teams and an overall record that most coaches only dream of reaching, 265-96.

Taraska coached 12 high school All-Americans, 34 All-State players and numerous collegiate athletes. The most recognizable Arrowhead alumni include former University of Wisconsin quarterback Tyler Donovan; former University of Wisconsin defensive tackle Nick Hayden, who was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft; and former Dallas Cowboy, Baltimore Raven and Tampa Bay Buccaneer center Mike Solwold.

Taraska was chosen as the 2007 Associated Press State High School Coach of the Year. He also was a three-time Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Area Coach of the Year (1993, 2002 and 2007) and a three-time Wisconsin Football Coaches Association District Coach of the Year (1991, 1996 and 2002).

Taraska, who was also a physical education teacher at both Franklin and Arrowhead Union high schools, graduated with a master's degree from UW-Whitewater in 1992.

Giving back to the UW-Oshkosh community, Taraska served as the first president of the College of Education and Human Services Alumni Association from 2006-07. He also was a lifetime member of UW-Oshkosh's National "O" Club, was an assistant coach on the UW-Oshkosh football team in 2014 and 2015 and served on the UW-Oshkosh Alumni Association Athletics Hall of Fame Chapter Committee. He was inducted into the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2004, the UW-Oshkosh Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Arrowhead Union High School Hall of Fame in 2013. He also earned the UW-Oshkosh Distinguished Alumni Award in 2011 and the Russ Young Leadership and Achievement Award in 2013. Arrowhead Union renamed its football venue Taraska Stadium in 2009.

Public visitation will be Saturday (October 28) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Brookfield.

Flowers can be sent to St. John Vianney through this link.