Five to be Inducted into UW-Platteville Hall of Fame

NEWS RELEASE
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Matt Stanek * Sports Information Director * 780 Regent Street * Madison, WI 53715 * Phone: (608) 265-6406 * www.uwsa.edu/wiac/

RELEASED: Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Five to be Inducted into UW-Platteville Hall of Fame

Platteville, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Platteville will induct five people into its Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, Nov. 5.

This year's class includes Laura Finnegan-Hauser, Dana Gempler, Mike Hintz, Steve Showalter, and the late Patrick Simmons. They will be honored at a morning ceremony and then introduced during the Pioneer football game vs. UW-Stevens Point.

To reserve tickets for the 10:30 a.m. induction and the 11:30 a.m.lunch, contact the UWP Alumni Office at alumni@uwplatt.edu or 342.1181 in Platteville or toll-free at 1-800-897-2586. Tickets are $12 per person. Tickets for the 2 p.m. football contest are sold beginning one hour prior to kickoff.

Finnegan-Hauser was a three-time all-conference basketball player who earned all-district honors in 1988-89. She finished her career as the third all-time leading scorer with 1,444 points, She also has the second-highest single-game point total, accounting for 38 points in one contest.

Gempler served the UW-Platteville athletic department in a variety ways, from secretary to program director. Gempler was a ticket manager, eligibility coordinator and more. She retired in 2004 after a 38-year career helping Pioneer student-athletes, coaches and fans.

Hintz earned the Wisconsin State University Conference football player of the year and a Kodak All-American in 1986 as a defensive back. He earned academic all-America honors in football and was a three-time NAIA national qualifier in track and field. Hintz was the 110-meter hurdle conference champion who would eventually sign a free agent contract with the Chicago Bears and played for the team in 1987.

Showalter was the leader of Coach Bo Ryan's first conference championship team in 1988. He was a four-year letterwinner who led the team in scoring in 1987 and 1988. He holds the two highest-scoring game records in Pioneer history, 47 points in 1986 and 46 in 1988, both against UW-Oshkosh. He was a 1988 NAIA All-American. He played professionally in Austrailia and Ireland.

The late Simmons was a four-year letterwinner in both football and track. He set school records in the javelin (208-9 in 1976) and decathlon (6405 in 1977), both of which still stand. He also earned all-conference honorable mention football honors in 1976 as a defensive tackle. Simmons was tragically killed in a car accident in March.

For a complete listing of the UW-Platteville Hall of Fame, visit http://www.uwplatt.edu/athletics/hall.html.

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