Bio

In the two years Jim Gantner attended UW-Oshkosh, the baseball standout led the Titans to a third-place finish in the 1973 NAIA World Series and fifth-place in 1974. During those two seasons, UW-Oshkosh won the WSUC title, the NAIA District 14 crown and the Area 4 championship.

The former Titan shortstop is also a member of the NAIA 20-Year Bicentennial All-National Tournament team.

Gantner's name still appears in the Titan baseball record books. He is fourth on UW-Oshkosh’s career hits list with 54 in 1973 (Ken Hartwig is the leader with 58 in 1974). Gantner is also tied for fourth in career runs with 43 (Gary Varsho, 1981, has the most with 54).

Gantner played baseball four years at Cambellsport High School and also led the conference in scoring in basketball his senior year.

He signed with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1974 and progressed through their farm system to the New York-Penn league.

Gantner was a member of the All-star team in 1974 in that league and then a member of the Eastern League All-Star team in 1976. In 1977 he was a member of the Pacific Coast League All-Star team and played second base for the American League champion Milwaukee Brewers in the 1982 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

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.