The 2019 class of the UW Athletic Hall of Fame has been selected and one new member will be announced each day from June 25 - July 6.
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MADISON, Wis. — Pat Christenson's recruiting visit to Wisconsin in 1972 was one he'll never forget.
He left his family home in Oak Creek, Wisconsin and caught an early-morning Badger Bus that ran from Milwaukee to Madison. Upon arrival, he was met by second-year wrestling coach Duane Kleven and his assistant Russ Hellickson.
Christenson received a walking tour of campus, visited the wrestling room located on the sprawling, aging second floor of Camp Randall Stadium and had lunch at the old Brat 'n Brau on Regent Street.
At one point Christenson received an offer from the coaches to walk on. He accepted then headed for home.
"I came back on the 5:30 bus," Christenson said. "Not your typical recruiting trip."
He didn't know it at the time, but that was the moment Christenson found his path in life.
It led him to achievement and fulfillment.
It guided him to a family and a career.
It left him with an enduring sense of appreciation for the culture and people of Wisconsin wrestling.
It also provided Christenson with the honor of being added to the University of Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame. One of 12 honorees, Christenson will be recognized at a banquet at Union South on Sept. 6 and at the football home opener on Sept. 7.
This isn't the first time that Christenson has been singled out by a hall of fame. He's enshrined in the Nevada Sports Hall of Fame and that state's wrestling hall.
"This, by far, is the most rewarding induction," he said of the nod from his alma mater. "That's an exclusive club."
If there is a mountaintop moment in Wisconsin wrestling history, it was the NCAA championships in 1976 and Christenson was there for the breathtaking view.
He was one of three Badgers to win national individual titles that March weekend in Tucson, Arizona. Jack Reinwand prevailed at 126 pounds. Lee Kemp won the first of his three straight crowns at 158. Christenson, meanwhile, reigned at 167 pounds.
Three NCAA champions, an unprecedented and unmatched feat at Wisconsin, equaled the output of Iowa, which won the overall title. The Badgers placed fourth in the team race, their highest finish ever, subsequently matched in 1978.
"I'm getting goosebumps now just thinking about it," Christenson said of the moment.
Gallery: (6/30/2019) Hall of Fame 2019: Pat Christenson
All five principals from that achievement will be Hall of Famers at Wisconsin come September. Kemp was inducted in 1991, Hellickson in '95, Kleven in 2006 and Reinwand in '13.
It was a watershed period for Wisconsin wrestling. From 1974 to '80, the program produced seven individuals who claimed nine NCAA titles. Rick Lawinger was the first champion in school history, winning at 142 pounds in 1974. Following the threesome in' 76, Kemp and Jim Haines (118) stood atop the podium in 1977, Ron Jeidy (177) joined Kemp in winning national championships in '78 and Andy Rein captured the title at 150 in 1980.
Worth noting is that Kemp was the only non-Wisconsin-born product. Lawinger was from Mineral Point, Haines from Arcadia, Reinwand from Lodi, Jeidy from Fennimore and Rein from Stoughton.
In addition to NCAA titlists, the Wisconsin wrestling room featured a host of U.S. Olympians, including the likes of Haines (1976), Hellickson ('76 and '80), Kemp (1980) and Rein (1984). Ben and John Peterson, brothers from Cumberland, Wis., who also competed at the Olympic level, were frequent visitors as well.
Kemp, a three-time world freestyle champion in addition to his three NCAA titles, came to Wisconsin from Chardon, Ohio, in 1974. He remembers walking into the wrestling room and being impressed by the talent within, especially Christenson, whom he described as a "humble and hard-working" guy.
"My goal when I got there was to win a national championship and when I got into the room I was very impressed," Kemp said.
"I was impressed with Pat. I knew he was good because I felt I was good. I felt we were pretty even. Some days in practice he'd get the best of me. That motivated me.
"Whenever I worked out with him I really couldn't beat him. That gave me something to shoot for."
Video: Pat Christenson wrestling in the 1975 Northern Open vs. Adams (Lee Kemp Youtube)
Christenson credits Kleven and Hellickson, both from Stoughton, for creating a championship-style culture at Wisconsin.
"They created a program where we had an opportunity to compete at a national level and get better," Christenson said.
"They built a program that allowed a guy like me, who walked on, to win a national championship. If it weren't for that program, I would never have been a national champion. I was fortunate in the early '70s to be a part of that.
"Had (Kleven and Hellickson) not built that program from scratch, I would not be doing what I'm doing right now."
Christenson parlayed his NCAA title into a job as an assistant coach at Nevada-Las Vegas. From there he became director of the Thomas & Mack Center and the Sam Boyd Silver Bowl facilities at UNLV.
Since 2001, Christenson has been president of Las Vegas Events, tasked with the responsibility of securing signature attractions for the city and ensuring their growth and success.
Christenson and his wife, Vicki, have been married 34 years and have two grown daughters, Nicole and Danielle.
"Look at my whole life," he said. "If it weren't for that experience at Wisconsin, I wouldn't be where I am."
Christenson qualified for the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association state meet as a sophomore and junior and won his first 27 matches as a senior, 21 by pin. But he was upset in the sectional semifinals as a senior, prompting his coach to call Kleven and put in a good word on Christenson's behalf.
"The fact they even showed interest was huge to me," he said of Kleven and Co.
Christenson placed fourth in the Big Ten Conference meet as a freshman and third as a sophomore, but battled walking pneumonia and a knee injury as a junior and failed to qualify for the NCAA meet. He vowed to himself that his senior season would be his best.
"I was at least going to be an All-American," he said of a top-eight finish. "The pieces just fell together."
Christenson finished third in the Big Ten meet, then found himself unseeded for the NCAA tournament because, he said, Iowa coach Dan Gable got stuck in an elevator and missed the seeding meeting. Gable was the Big Ten representative for his coaching colleagues at the meeting.
But Christenson knocked off second-seeded Jerry Villecco of Penn State in his first match 5-2; staged a furious third-period rally to knock off third-seeded Joe Carr of Kentucky 12-10 in the semifinals; then toppled fifth-seeded Dan Wagemann of Iowa 9-7 in the title match.
Kemp said he wasn't surprised in the least that Christenson rose to the occasion.
"No one was paying any attention to him. All he had to do was perform and he did," Kemp said.
"I was capable of winning it," Christenson said. "It was just a matter of putting it together."
Christenson remains an engaged supporter of wrestling at his alma mater. He feels the program is in great hands with second-year coach Chris Bono. He stands ready to do whatever he can to help the Badgers, including an annual Desert Classic golf outing for coaches and boosters.
"Given the experience I had there," Christenson said, "I feel obligated to be a part of whatever future Wisconsin Athletics has."
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UW Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2019
