2018 UW Athletics Hall of Fame Alando Tucker men's basketball

Football

UW Athletics welcomes Hall of Fame Class of 2018

Induction ceremony to be held Friday, Sept. 7

Football

UW Athletics welcomes Hall of Fame Class of 2018

Induction ceremony to be held Friday, Sept. 7

MADISON, Wis. – The UW Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2018 will officially be enshrined during a ceremony to be held at Union South on Friday, Sept. 7. The 11 inductees include former student-athletes Jolene Anderson, the all-time leading scorer for basketball; Simon Bairu, a two-time NCAA cross country champion; Allie Blomquist, the first UW women's golfer to qualify for the NCAA championship; Bill Chandler, the 1918 men's basketball national player of the year; Tim Gillham, a three-time Big Ten fencing champion; Jim Johannson, a member of the 1983 men's hockey NCAA championship team; Kevin Stemke, the nation's best punter in 2000; Kris Thorsness, a gold-medal winner in women's rowing; and Alando Tucker, a first-team All-American in men's basketball. Ed Nuttycombe, the winningest men's track and field coach in Big Ten Conference history, was selected in the coach/administrator category while former chancellor Donna Shalala will be inducted for her special service.

The Class of 2018 will also be recognized at halftime of the Badgers' football game this Saturday against New Mexico.
 

UW Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2018

 
Anderson competed for the Badgers from 2005-08, wrapping up her career with 2,132 points, which broke the UW's all-time scoring records for men and women. The 5-8 guard was named the 2008 Francis Pomeroy Naismith National Player of the Year for players 5-8 and under. A two-time All-Big Ten pick, Anderson was named the 2008 Big Ten Player of the Year and the 2005 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. She was also a two-time all-district selection, averaging 18.8 points per game over her career. A three-time member of USA Basketball national teams, Anderson was drafted in the second of the 2008 WNBA draft. She has played professionally in Europe for the last 10 years.

Bairu won the 2004 and 2005 NCAA cross country championships, leading the Badgers to the team title in 2004 and a runner-up finish in 2005. A three-time Big Ten individual champion in cross country, the first consecutive three-time champion in UW history, Bairu led Wisconsin to four straight conference team titles. He was a seven-time All-American in cross country and track and field, and won one Big Ten track title in the 10,000 meters. Bairu was a 12-time Canadian national champion, competing in numerous World Championships, while also setting the Canadian record in the 10,000 meters.

Blomquist qualified for the 2001 NCAA Championship, tying for 18th and tying her own school record for 72 holes. A two-time All-Big Ten selection, Blomquist was a three-time NCAA Regional qualifier. The Afton, Minn., native won two tournament titles as a Badger and was also a two-time Academic All-American. Blomquist won the 2000-01 Big Ten Medal of Honor for academic and athletic excellence, earning four Academic All-Big Ten and four National Golf Coaches Association Academic Scholar awards. She subsequently played on the LPGA Tour, qualifying for the U.S. Open in 2002, the Futures Tour and the Canadian Tour before devoting her time to being a golf instructor in 2007.

Chandler was named the 1918 Helms Foundation National Player of the Year, leading the Badgers to the Big Ten championship as team captain. UW also won the conference title in 2016 with Chandler earning All-Big Ten honors. He went on to coach at UW-River Falls, Iowa State and Marquette for nearly 30 years. Chandler also served on two committees, one that established many modern day rules and one that formed the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Gillham was a three-time Big Ten champion in the epee, the only three-time winner in conference history. He earned first first-team All-America honors in 1983 and was a member of Big Ten championship teams in 1984 and 1985. A team captain as a senior, Gillham compiled a career record of 174-47 and aided the Badgers to four top-11 finishes at the NCAA championships.

Johannson played for the Badgers from 1983-86, seeing action in 148 games. He scored 63 goals and registered 67 assists and 130 points during his career. A two-time U.S. Olympian, Johannson played nine seasons professionally in Germany and in the International Hockey league, where he was awarded the 1990-91 IHL Ironman Award. He served as the head coach and general manager of the United States Hockey League Twin City Vulcans from 1995-2000 and also served on the Team USA staff for 19 World Championships, five Olympic Games and nine U.S. National Junior Championships. During his USA Hockey time, USA captured 64 medals, including 34 gold. He served as the general manager of the 2018 U.S. Men's Olympic Team.

Stemke was named the 2000 Ray Guy award as the nation's best punter and a first-team All-American. A two-time first-team All-Big Ten pick, Stemke set UW's season and career records for punting average from 1997-2000, leading the nation in net punting in 2000. A member of the 1998 and 1999 Big Ten Championship teams, Stemke signed with the Green Bay Packers as a free agent and played in the NFL with Oakland and St. Louis. Stemke's wife Lizzy Fitzgerald, a two-time volleyball All-American, was inducted into the UW Hall of Fame in 2015.

Thorsness was a member of the Badgers' 1979 national championship varsity eight boat and was also a member of runner-up crews in 1980 and 1982. She went on to compete for USA Rowing, winning a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics in the women's eight boat, the first U.S. women's crew to win Olympic gold. A native of Anchorage, Thorsness was the first-ever Olympic medalist from Alaska. A member of seven U.S. national teams, Thorsness also competed in the 1988 Olympics. She was inducted into the USRowing Hall of Fame in 1984 and is a charter member of the Alaska Hall of Fame.

Tucker graduated as the all-time men's basketball leading scorer with 2,217 points after setting the UW single-season record with 2,217 points in 2006-07. In 2007, the 6-6 forward was UW's first consensus first-team All-American since John Kotz in 1942. Tucker was named the 2007 Big Ten Player of the Year and was a finalist for every national player of the year award that season. Tucker wrapped up his career ranking first or second in eight different UW season statistical categories while topping career charts in five categories. A first-round NBA draft pick, Tucker played professionally for more than 10 years.

Nuttycombe led the Badger men's track and field teams to 26 Big Ten championships, 13 indoor and 13 outdoor, from 1984-2013. UW also won the 2007 NCAA Indoor Championship, the first and only Big Ten school to win an indoor national title. During his tenure at Wisconsin, Nuttycombe coached six Olympians, 11 NCAA individual champions and 165 Big Ten individual champions. He was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year 22 times, the regional coach of the year 11 times, and national coach of the year once. Nuttycombe also hired three cross country coaches who all won at least one NCAA championship during his tenure. In his 30 years as head coach, the Badgers won 10 'Big Ten Triple Crowns,' sweeping the cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field titles in an academic year.

Shalala served as the UW Chancellor from 1987-1993, overseeing the renaissance of the athletic department. She hired Pat Richter as the director of athletics on Dec. 15, 1989 which led to the hiring of Barry Alvarez as the head football coach. In just three years, Alvarez coached the Badgers to a Big Ten title and Rose Bowl championship. Shalala left the UW in 1993 to become the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Bill Clinton, a position she held for all eight years of the administration. She also served as the president of the University of Miami from 2001-15 and as the president of Clinton Foundation from 2015-17. Shalala was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, by President George W. Bush in 2008.

Print Friendly Version