UW-Oshkosh Hall Of Fame Welcomes Three Inductees

The UW-Oshkosh Athletics Hall of Fame increased its roster to 166 members on Sunday (May 6) with the inductions of Tiffany (Speckman) Ebensperger, Jamie Ford and Braugeor Zeitler. The induction ceremony was held in UW-Oshkosh's Reeve Memorial Union.

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.

Jamie Ford played only two years at UW-Oshkosh, but her impact on the women's volleyball program was immense. She was a NCAA Division III All-American both seasons, while leading the Titans to a 75-18 record and their first Final Four appearance.

The St. Charles (Ill.) High School graduate started her collegiate volleyball career at Elgin Community College (Ill.). Ford guided that team to a 91-12-4 record over two years while earning National Junior College Athletic Association All-America honorable mention status in 1990.

Ford transferred to UW-Oshkosh for the 1991 season and helped the Titans compile a 42-8 record. The record, which included a 19-game winning streak, established the second-highest victory total in school history. UW-Oshkosh won both the WIAC championship and the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional to reach the Final Four in St. Louis, Mo.

At the Final Four, UW-Oshkosh fell to eventual national champion Washington University (Mo.) by a 3-1 score. Ford, a setter, posted 40 assists in that semifinal match. During the third-place contest, she totaled 45 assists as Juniata College (Pa.) defeated UW-Oshkosh, 3-1. For the season, Ford compiled 1,526 assists, 352 digs and 30 service aces to collect NCAA Division III All-America first team honors.

Ford missed the 1992 season with an injury. When she returned in 1993, UW-Oshkosh tallied a 33-10 record and made another national postseason appearance. In the first round of the NCAA Division III Championship, UW-Eau Claire ousted UW-Oshkosh in a five-set battle. Ford compiled 44 assists in that match as the Titans finished 17th in the nation. An All-America second-team pick, Ford finished with 1,422 assists, 230 digs, 57 service aces and a .378 hitting percentage.

In 93 career matches, Ford counted 2,948 assists, 582 digs and 87 service aces. The 1995 UW-Oshkosh graduate was also named twice to the NCAA Division III All-Central Region and All-WIAC first teams.

Ford lives in Milwaukee, where she has been a professional nail technician for the last 13 years. Ford currently owns a nail business in Wauwatosa while working as a national educator. Each summer, she returns to UW-Oshkosh to work as a clinician at the school's volleyball camps.