Shawano Community High School will induct four new members into its Athletic Hall of Fame at noon Saturday in the school commons as part of the annual homecoming events.
Anton Anderson (1932-1936), Fred Opperman (1953-1957), Dean Mauel (1978-1982) and Jim Krenger (1984-1988) constitute the 16th class of inductees.
Anderson was a three-sport athlete for the Shawano Indians, earning nine combined varsity letters in football, basketball and track. He was the third athlete in Shawano history to win an individual state track and field title. Anderson was inducted into the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1980 after leading the Luxemburg and then Luxemburg-Casco football program for 26 years.
Opperman was a major part of Shawano High School’s back-to-back state championship teams in 1956 and 1957. He was a true team player, passing all credit onto his coaches and teammates despite leading the team in scoring during the run, saying, “Individuals do count, but a team will always beat an individual.”
Mauel earned seven varsity letters: two in football, two in basketball and three in baseball. He was a member of the SCHS basketball team that made it to the state semifinals in 1982.
Krenger, another three-sport athlete, was athlete of the year and received the prestigous Martzke award for commitment and excelling in his sport. He then went on to be named the American Legion baseball team’s most valuable player for two consecutive seasons and played in the Legion All-Star Game at County Stadium in Milwaukee as the starting catcher.
Hall of Fame board members had to sort through a list of 52 nominees to decide who would be inducted.
Although all of the inductees are known for their athletic prowess, they also impacted their communities.
“It’s not necessarily who is the best athlete,” board member Woody Davis said, “but who was good for Shawano and the community.”
Davis, who has been a board member since its creation in 1999, said the decisions can be difficult.
“Some of them are from quite a few years ago,” Davis said. “Oftentimes, we have to do due diligence and have to look things up in the library.”
Any graduate-athlete can be nominated for the Hall of Fame. There is a nomination form on the school’s website. SCHS Athletic Director Charmaine Schreiber said one to three people have been nominated each year during her two-year tenure at the school.
In June, the 10 board members meet to discuss the nominees. Each nominee needs a majority vote to be included in the hall.
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