Three Selected For UW-Oshkosh Hall Of Fame Induction

UW-Oshkosh increases its Athletics Hall of Fame membership to 183 when two former student-athletes and one former coach are inducted at the school’s 42nd Annual Hall of Fame & Senior Awards Banquet on Sunday, May 3.

This year’s induction class features cross country and track & field standout Tiffany (Fox) Otte, baseball player Casey Kopitzke and women's track & field coach Pat Ebel.

Fox 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 Championship, 16th in 1988 and 20th in 1986.

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 claimed the 5,000-meter run title at the 1988 WIAC Indoor 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 national championship team. The 1990 UW-Oshkosh graduate also contributed to three WIAC outdoor team titles from 1988-90.

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 team with 42 runs, 13 doubles and nine home runs.

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 World Series. He paced the team with a .383 batting average, 18 doubles and 68 runs batted in.

Kopitzke ended his UW-Oshkosh career hitting .350 with 23 home runs, 35 doubles and 126 runs batted in.

Kopitzke played eight seasons in the Cubs minor league system, reaching the Triple-A level before becoming a minor league manager in the organization from 2008-12. Prior to becoming manager, the 2001 UW-Oshkosh graduate was the Cubs' minor league catching coordinator from 2006-08.

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. The Waterloo High School graduate helped guide the Titans to three WIAC titles, two outdoor and one indoor.

Ebel 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. The 1992 UW-La Crosse graduate 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 is the recipient of three WIAC Coach of the Year awards.

Ebel has been an assistant track & field coach at NCAA Division I Pennsylvania State University since 2013.

This year's banquet will be held at UW-Oshkosh’s Alumni Welcome and Conference Center (625 Pearl Avenue). Festivities begin with a social from 4:15 - 4:45 p.m., followed by the banquet at 5 p.m.

UW-Oshkosh will also honor its seniors at the banquet. The event includes the presentation of the John Taylor Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards.

Banquet tickets are available at a cost of $23 per person. People may also sponsor a senior-athlete’s dinner for $23. To purchase tickets or sponsor a senior, contact Susie Gustke at (920) 424-1383 or gustke@uwosh.edu. Tickets will be available until April 27.

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.