UW-Oshkosh Hall Of Fame Welcomes Three Inductees
The UW-Oshkosh Athletics Hall of Fame increased its roster to 183 members with Sunday’s (May 3) induction of Tiffany (Fox) Otte, Casey Kopitzke and Pat Ebel. The ceremony was held at UW-Oshkosh’s Alumni Welcome and Conference Center.
The UW-Oshkosh 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 UW-Oshkosh campus and since graduation.
Tiffany (Fox) Otte achieved All-America status four times in aiding UW-Oshkosh to three NCAA Division III team championships from 1986-90. Fox was a three-time cross country All-American from 1986-88 and helped UW-Oshkosh win its first two national titles in the sport in 1987 and 1988. She placed sixth individually at the 1987 NCAA Division III Championship, 16th in 1988 and 20th in 1986.
Fox is one of nine runners in the storied history of the UW-Oshkosh women’s cross country program to finish in the top 10 at the NCAA Division III Championship. Fox and teammate Cheryl Niederberger, a 2000 UW-Oshkosh Hall of Fame inductee, became the program’s first top-10 NCAA finishers in 1987.
Fox also was a member of UW-Oshkosh’s first four WIAC women’s cross country championship teams from 1986-89. She helped the Titans claim those titles by recording individual conference finishes of third in 1986, second in both 1987 and 1988 and fifth in 1989. The Markesan High School graduate was named to the 15-member WIAC All-Time Cross Country Team in 2011.
Fox is one of just three UW-Oshkosh runners to place in the top five at four consecutive conference meets. She was the first Titan to accomplish the feat from 1986-89 and was later joined in the exclusive club by 2012 UW-Oshkosh Hall of Fame inductee Tiffany (Speckman) Ebensperger during the 1994-97 seasons and Christy Cazzola from 2008, 2010-12.
On the indoor track, Fox claimed the 5,000-meter run title at the 1988 WIAC Track & Field Championship. She also helped UW-Oshkosh to its first three conference indoor team championships from 1988-90.
Outdoors, Fox was a 1987 All-American in the 3,000-meter run and a redshirt member of the Titans’ 1990 NCAA Division III championship team. Fox’s fourth-place finish in the 3,000-meter run stands as the program’s second-best showing in the event at the national meet.
The 1990 UW-Oshkosh graduate also contributed to three WIAC outdoor team titles from 1988-90. She was a member of the winning 3,200-meter relay team at the 1989 WIAC Championship.
After graduating from UW-Oshkosh, Fox entered the U.S. Army Reserves in the 84th Training Support Brigade and then entered the Wisconsin National Guard as a commissioned Adjutant General Officer in the 32nd Infantry Brigade. She received military training certification as a U.S. Army Master Fitness Trainer.
Fox currently works at Sheboygan Falls High School as an aquatic manager and a cross country and track & field coach. She was previously a business banking associate and an accounting clerk in Sheboygan as well as a bookkeeper, a church library chairperson, treasurer and Sunday school teacher in Sheboygan Falls.
In 1992, Fox married Chuck Otte, a former track & field athlete at UW-Oshkosh. They have two sons, Will and Clark.
Casey Kopitzke was a two-time All-American before being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 27th round of the 1999 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. The De Pere High School graduate helped the Titans to a 102-19 record, three WIAC championships and one NCAA Division III World Series appearance from 1997-99.
In 1999, Kopitzke was named a First Team All-American at the catcher position after batting .366 and leading the Titans with 42 runs, 13 doubles and nine home runs. He listed second on the squad with 38 runs batted in to help UW-Oshkosh to a 34-4 overall record, a 13-1 conference mark and a runner-up showing at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional. Kopitzke caught a UW-Oshkosh pitching staff that produced a conference-record 13 shutouts and a 1.38 earned run average.
Kopitzke earned Second Team All-America accolades in 1998 after helping UW-Oshkosh to a school record tying 41 wins and a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Division III World Series. He paced the team with a .383 batting average, 18 doubles and 68 runs batted in. His season RBI total ranked fourth in WIAC annals at the time and now lists ninth all-time. Kopitzke was second on the club with 10 home runs and 121 total bases. The Titans won the WIAC championship before winning the Midwest Regional and going 1-2 at the World Series.
In 1997, Kopitzke started all 37 games and batted .285 with 31 runs, four home runs and 20 runs batted in as the Titans compiled a 27-10 record.
Kopitzke ended his UW-Oshkosh career batting .350 with 23 home runs, 35 doubles and 126 RBIs in 121 games, all starts. For his efforts in the classroom, the College Sports Information Directors of America named Kopitzke to the 1999 Academic All-America Third Team.
After his collegiate career, Kopitzke played eight seasons in the Chicago Cubs minor league system, reaching the Triple-A level before becoming a minor league manager in the organization from 2008-12. The 2001 UW-Oshkosh graduate was the Cubs’ minor league catching coordinator from 2006-08.
In 2003, Kopitzke was named the most valuable player for the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, the Cubs’ Double-A affiliate, and was chosen to play in the prestigious Arizona Fall League after batting .261 with 27 runs, 20 RBIs and 10 doubles in 106 games. In 2006, Kopitzke was named the Triple-A Iowa Cubs’ Man of the Year for his contributions to the community.
His professional playing career also included four invitations to the Chicago Cubs spring training, where he had the opportunity to play alongside the likes of Major League Baseball hall of famer Greg Maddux as well as all-stars Aramis Ramirez, Sammy Sosa and Kerry Wood.
After serving as the youngest minor league catching coordinator in all of baseball in 2006, Kopitzke was added to the Cubs staff as an assistant coach. He managed the Single-A Short Season Boise Hawks during 2009 before managing the Single-A Peoria Chiefs from 2010-12.
Following the 2012 season, Kopitzke left the Cubs organization to enroll in law school at Marquette University. Kopitzke will graduate in December 2015 and hopes to combine his law degree and experience in baseball to continue a career in the sports industry.
Kopitzke lives in De Pere with his wife, Erin, and son, Samuel. They are also parents to daughter, Catherine, who passed away as an infant.
Pat Ebel played a strong coaching role in helping the UW-Oshkosh women’s track & field program capture eight national championships and six conference titles from 2002-12.
As head coach from 2010-12, Ebel guided the Titans to a pair of NCAA Division III championships and three WIAC crowns. UW-Oshkosh’s most dominant season came in 2011 when it swept both the indoor and outdoor titles at the national and conference championships. Ebel’s indoor and outdoor teams placed second in the country in both 2010 and 2012. He coached athletes to 53 All-America citations during his three years as head coach, including 15 national titles.
As an assistant coach from 2002-09, Ebel helped UW-Oshkosh to three consecutive NCAA Division III indoor championships from 2004-06 and NCAA Division III outdoor titles in 2004, 2006 and 2007. He coached athletes in the throws to 59 All-America awards, including 17 national championships. Ebel helped guide the Titans to three WIAC titles – two outdoor and one indoor.
The Waterloo High School graduate also served as an assistant men’s track & field coach from 2002 12. In 2009, he helped the Titans sweep the NCAA Division III indoor and outdoor titles. Ebel coached athletes in the throws to 45 All-America mentions, including five national championships.
Ebel was named NCAA Division III Women’s Indoor Coach of the Year in 2011 and NCAA Division III Men’s Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year in 2012. He was also the recipient of three WIAC Coach of the Year awards.
Among his many accomplishments as an assistant coach, Ebel was named the NCAA Division III Midwest Region Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year in both 2010 and 2011 and the National Throws Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2009.
In 2011, Holly Ozanich was selected NCAA Division III Women’s Athlete of the Year after she won national indoor shot put and 20-pound weight throw titles and the hammer throw at the outdoor championship. The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association also named Ozanich and fellow UW-Oshkosh thrower Terri Schwamb NCAA Division III Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2010 and 2007, respectively.
Ebel also coached Ellie Sitek to NCAA Division III Athlete of the Year honors in 2010 and Robyn Jarocki in 2006. Under Ebel’s guidance, Jarocki won 10 national titles and added NCAA Division III Field Athlete of the Meet accolades at both the indoor and outdoor championships from 2004-06.
Ebel has been an assistant track & field coach at NCAA Division I Pennsylvania State University since 2013. He has coached Nittany Lion throwers to six All-America performances, six Big Ten titles and four program records.
Ebel is a 1992 graduate of UW-La Crosse, where he was a member of the football and track & field teams. Ebel and his wife, Sandy, reside in Port Matilda, Pa. They have two children, Lauren and Erik.