3 former Shawano athletes to join school’s Athletic Hall of Fame

Shawano Community High School will induct three players into its Athletic Hall of Fame on Sept. 25.

The Class of 2021 induction lines up with the school’s homecoming events and takes place the day the football team hosts Xavier. The Athletic Hall of Fame induction is set for 12:30 p.m. before the 1 p.m. game.

Art Cantwell

Art Cantwell, known to his classmates as “Red Dog,” attended Shawano High School from 1951-1954.

Cantwell was a four-year football player and earned multiple letters and all-conference awards. He was a triple-threat halfback and hard-hitting defensive back. From the 1954 Shawanee, “Art, captain of the Indian team, was the main stay in Shawano’s scoring attack, with his hard-hitting defensive play and sparkling broken-field running. Red Dog broke loose on many long runs, which dazzled the opposing defensive team and impressed the coaches enough for unanimous election to the All-Conference squad.”

Described as a playmaker and scorer, Cantwell also earned multiple letters and all-conference honors as a four-year basketball player. In 1952-53, his guard play helped the team to 13-1 conference record and a share of the Mid-Eastern Conference title. In his senior season, the team finished with an overall record of 18-6.

In the spring, Cantwell played baseball during his freshman and senior years and competed in track and field in his sophomore and junior years.

Two of Cantwell’s most important values were education and athletics. He embraced commitment in every phase of his life — body, mind and spirit.

In addition to athletics, Cantwell was valedictorian of his class and also a member of the National Honor Society, Badger Boys State, Latin club, student council, freshman class president, homecoming committee and prom committee.

After high school, Cantwell earned a bachelor’s degree from UW-Madison. He then earned his M.D. from Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago in 1961. He served his internship at Cook County Hospital in Chicago from 1961-62. He joined the U.S. Air Force from 1962-64 as a captain/flight surgeon. From 1964-68, he completed a four-year surgical residency at Santa Barbara Cottage-County Hospitals in California. He was a fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS).

He returned to Shawano in 1968, where he began a 30-year surgical practice, joining his father and uncle. He and his wife, Carol, had three children. Cantwell passed away in 2003.

Julie (Raasch) Radtke

Julie (Raasch) Radtke attended Shawano High School from 1973-1977. Her career in athletics can be summed in three words: determination, development and dedication.

Radtke was an athlete at the time Shawano High School was transitioning to interscholastic athletic competition for women. She was very involved for three years in the Girls’ Athletic Association (GAA) and participated in interscholastic track, basketball and volleyball. Her leadership role in GAA garnered her the GAA scholarship as a senior. She was also instrumental in developing and establishing women’s athletics, and particularly girls’ basketball, in the Shawano School District.

Radtke was a three-year member of the volleyball team. In her sophomore season in fall 1974, she was a participating member of the team that won the Wisconsin Valley Conference Championship and went on to win regional and sectional championships. The team finished third at state with a 17-2 record.

In her junior season in 1975, her contributions helped the team win regional and sectional championships and finish sixth at state with a 23-4 overall record. In her senior season in 1976, she was a starter and led the team to a share of the Wisconsin Valley Conference Championship. She lettered and led the team in scoring and aces.

In her junior year, Radtke was a member of the intramural basketball team. She was instrumental in petitioning the school board to include girls basketball as an interscholastic offering. In her senior year, she earned a varsity letter in the team’s inaugural season as an interscholastic sport.

In track and field, Radtke was a four-year participant, and she earned two varsity letters. She set the school shot put record and twice qualified for sectionals in discus. She earned letters in her final two seasons, and she was a team co-captain in her senior season.

Radtke’s athletic success led her to be named the 1977 Shawano Female Athlete of the Year.

Radtke continued to be an inspiration to young women by staying involved in athletics after high and college. She was a WIAA official in the sports of volleyball and basketball and volunteered in Oshkosh and De Pere with their women’s programs. She was an assistant coach in volleyball and track in Shawano for several years. She also coached volleyball, basketball and track at “Ol’” Franklin Middle School.

Julie (Haas) Myers

Julie (Haas) Myers attended Shawano High School from 1977-1981 and had a distinguished athletic career in the sports of volleyball and track and field.

Myers was a four-year volleyball player, earning two varsity letters. In her junior season, she helped the team to a share of the Bay Conference championship. As a senior, she led the team to a runner-up finish in the conference and a regional championship.

Myers was a four-year letter winner in track and field. In 1979, she was part of the 440-yard and 880-yard relays that were Wisconsin Valley Conference champions. The team also won regional and sectional team championships. She qualified for the state meet in the 440-yard relay, 880-yard relay and the 220-yard dash.

The 880-yard relay team finished in the top 10 in the state. That season, she also jumped 16 feet, 8 inches in the long jump, the third-best jump in school history.

In 1980, the team went on to win the sectional championship, and Myers qualified for the state meet in the 800-meter relay and 220-yard dash.

She established her name in the school record books that year by setting school records in four events. She set the school record in the 220-yard dash (26.9 - 26.74 converted). Until 2021, she also held the school record in the 110-yard dash (11.8 - 12.94 converted). To date, she still holds the records in the 4x100-meter relay (51.54) and the 4x200-meter relay (1:47.14).

After high school, Myers attended the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. While attending UW-L, she met her husband, Steve. The two settled in Minnesota and raised their son, Dan and daughter, Laura. Myers has enjoyed a 28-year career as an associate financial representative and field underwriting consultant in the life insurance industry.