Schools

Duke Pride Announces First Hall of Fame Class

Counsell, Wangerin, Dean among inductees with glittering resumes.

Two-time World Series champion Craig Counsell leads a list of eight people selected for the first Duke Pride Athletic Hall of Fame class at .

Other inductees are Bill Hilgendorf, Jack Nagle, Mary Manning, Chet Wangerin, Sheldon B. Lubar, Randy Dean and Robert "Bob" Bradley.

The induction ceremony is planned for early 2012, date to be determined. Information on the nomination and selection process is available here.

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Here are some brief biographies on the inductees.

Bill Hilgendorf was a three sport athlete, letterman and co-captain of the 1962 Whitefish Bay High School football team that won the Suburban Conference Championship with an 8-0 record. Bill was an all-conference halfback for that team. Bill was also Valedictorian for the Class of 1963 and went on to study at Yale University where he graduated cum laude, majoring in history. He died at the age of 22 in an accident in Hong Kong.

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Jack Nagle spent 30 years as an English teacher and the boys’ and girls’ basketball coach, after having been basketball coach at Marquette University. He is thought to be the only coach in national basketball history to lead a team to the NCAA tournament as well as lead both a boys’ and girls’ basketball team to a high school state tournament. Jack was inducted into the first class of the Wisconsin State Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame.

Mary Manning participated in volleyball, cross-country, basketball and track. She was all-state in basketball and a state champion in the discus, as well as valedictorian of her class. She attended the Air Force Academy and served in both active duty and reserves. She spent 10 years as an instructor at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School. Mary was a six-time recipient of the Test Pilot School’s Outstanding Instructor Award and retired from the reserves with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Craig Counsell starred at Whitefish Bay and the University of Notre Dame prior to a 15-year Major League career. He scored the winning run in the 1997 World Series and was the most valuable player in the 2001 National League Championship Series. He still is a member of the Milwaukee Brewers and preparing to go to the playoffs for the fourth time.

Chet Wangerin was the first male teacher ever hired by the Whitefish Bay School District in 1930 and he was also Bay’s first Athletic Director in the newly formed Suburban Conference in 1932. He held both positions until his retirement in 1967. Chet was also a highly successful coach of the high school track and field teams from 1935 to 1957. His teams won 16 consecutive Class B state titles, a mark that is third all-time nationally.

Sheldon B. Lubar, who attended Cumberland School and graduated from Whitefish Bay High School in the class of 1947, made the final and most generous contribution in the community-wide campaign to renovate the high school athletic field. His contribution helped provide the community one of the finest high school stadium facilities in Wisconsin.

Randy Dean starred in both basketball and football at Whitefish Bay High School and was named first-team all-state as a quarterback in 1972. After a standout career as a quarterback and punter at Northwestern University, he played three seasons with the New York Giants of the NFL. Dean, along with his twin brother Rob, also was a member of the U.S. Olympic handball team in 1976, and Randy led the team in scoring. He is now director of the Pettit National Ice Center.

Bob Bradley taught physical education and health at Whitefish Bay High School from 1968-99. In his early years at Bay, Bob coached boys gymnastics, swimming and track and field. During the 1970s and 1980s, Bob operated a gymnastics club which helped fuel the exponential growth in gymnastics throughout the North Shore. Bob coached girls’ gymnastics at Whitefish Bay High School from 1986-99. During that time, his teams won nine conference championships, three state championships and finished second in state twice.


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