Gantner, Mueller, Tiedemann To Join WIAC Hall Of Fame
Former UW-Oshkosh student-athletes Jim Gantner and Melissa Mueller along with coach Russ Tiedemann have been selected for induction into the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Hall of Fame.
The 30-member class will be honored at the WIAC Hall of Fame Banquet on Saturday, Aug. 1 at UW-Platteville. The WIAC, the ninth-oldest conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), inducted its first Hall of Fame class in 2012.
In announcing its second group of inductees, WIAC Commissioner Gary Karner noted once again how difficult the selection process is given the 102-year history and incomparable success of the conference.
“Quite frankly, there are dozens, if not hundreds, more individuals deserving of this honor,” Karner said. “Therefore, it is our intention to continue to induct future Hall of Fame classes every three years with the ultimate goal of recognizing those student-athletes, coaches, administrators, officials and others whose contributions and achievements have established and solidified the WIAC’s status as the most accomplished Division III conference in NCAA history.”
The inaugural WIAC Hall of Fame class included former UW-Oshkosh student-athletes Casey Edwards and Jarrod Washburn and coach Deb Vercauteren.
Jim Gantner earned a pair of National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-America honorable mention awards before leaving UW-Oshkosh after two seasons to sign a professional baseball contract with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Gantner helped the Titans to a 56-20 record and two NAIA World Series appearances, a third-place finish in 1973 and a fifth-place showing in 1974. Following the 1974 season, the Brewers selected him in the 12th round of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.
Gantner made his major league debut on Sept. 3, 1976, and was a mainstay in the Brewers’ lineup through his final season of 1992. In 1982, he helped Milwaukee reach the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Gantner continues to be among the Brewers’ all-time offensive leaders. He ranks third in team history with 1,801 games and 2,722 at-bats; fourth with 1,696 hits, 726 runs and 38 triples; fifth with 137 stolen bases; sixth with 262 doubles; and ninth with 568 runs batted in.
Defensively, Gantner led the American League twice in both double plays turned and putouts and once in assists. The Campbellsport High School graduate finished his 17-year career with a stellar .985 fielding percentage.
Gantner was elected to the UW-Oshkosh Hall of Fame in 1984 and named to the WIAC’s All-Time Baseball Team in 2012. He was selected to the Brewers Walk of Fame in 2004 and the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.
Melissa Mueller earned 11 NCAA Division III All-America awards and three individual national titles to help the UW-Oshkosh women’s track & field team to two national titles and five WIAC championships from 1991-94 before excelling as a pole vaulter after her collegiate career.
Mueller led UW-Oshkosh to the outdoor national championship in 1991 and the indoor title in 1994. The nine-time conference champion was also a member of WIAC Indoor Championship teams from 1991-93 and WIAC Outdoor Championship squads in 1991 and 1994.
Individually, Mueller won the 1993 outdoor national crown in the high jump and added indoor titles in 1994 in both the high jump and 55-meter hurdles on her way to being named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III Track & Field Athlete of the Year.
Mueller, a member of the WIAC All-Time Women’s Track & Field Team announced in 2012, earned five All-America awards in the high jump, two in both the 55- and 100-meter hurdles, one in the long jump and one as a member of the Titans’ 400-meter relay team.
Mueller’s pole vault career included qualifying for the 2000 Olympic Games, setting two national indoor records and winning the 2003 Pan American Games by establishing a meet record.
The McFarland High School graduate was inducted into the USTFCCCA Division III (2004), UW-Oshkosh (2006) and Pole Vault (2013) halls of fame.
Mueller earned a bachelor’s degree in education from UW-Oshkosh in 1995.
Russ Tiedemann was at the helm for 15 conference and regional baseball titles in 20 seasons (1968-69, 1971-88), including 10 straight WIAC championships from 1979-88. He led UW-Oshkosh to eight NCAA Division III World Series appearances, including the 1985 national championship, and three NAIA World Series.
Tiedemann concluded his 20-year baseball coaching career at UW-Oshkosh with a 501-165-2 record. His win total and .748 winning percentage both rank third in WIAC history. Twenty-eight of Tiedemann’s former players played professionally, including major leaguers Dorian Boyland, Jim Gantner, Terry Jorgensen, Dan Neumeier and Gary Varsho.
The NAIA in 1974 and the NCAA Division III in 1985 named Tiedemann national coach of the year. Tiedemann earned the honor of being named a Co-coach of the WIAC’s All-Time Baseball Team in 2012.
Tiedemann, who served as UW-Oshkosh’s director of athletics during the 1987-88 school year, was a letter winner at UW-Oshkosh in football, basketball and track & field. The Kimberly High School graduate ended his Titan basketball career with 991 points and two all-conference awards.
Tiedemann’s accomplishments have led to inductions into the halls of fame for UW-Oshkosh (1978), the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association (1983), the NAIA District 14 (1990), and the American Baseball Coaches Association (1992).
UW-Oshkosh named its baseball field after Tiedemann in 1989.
2015 WIAC Hall of Fame Class
UW-Eau Claire: Ken Anderson, Steve Kurth, Sandy Schumacher
UW-La Crosse: Tori Neubauer-Muesing, Tom Newberry, Andrew Rock
UW-Oshkosh: Jim Gantner, Melissa Mueller, Russ Tiedemann
UW-Platteville: John Barth, George Chryst, Ben Hoffmann
UW-River Falls: Byron James, Emogene Nelson, Judy Wilson
UW-Stevens Point: Randy Boelk, Michelle Jacob, Kari (Groshek) Zdroik
UW-Stout: Wendy Heinecke, Dwain Mintz, John Peterson
UW-Superior: Dominic Moselle, Lydia Thering, Ted Whereatt
UW-Whitewater: James Fischer, Nancy Nelson, Ed Schwager
WIAC Office: Mark Braden, Otto Puls, Carol Yanna
For more information on the 2015 WIAC Hall of Fame Class, visit www.wiacsports.com.