The Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame will add three members this Saturday, April 29, in a ceremony at the UWM Panther Arena. This year’s inductees are long-time Green Bay Packer Charles Woodson, Heisman Trophy winner and former Wisconsin Badger Ron Dayne and three-time Women’s British Open champion and Madison native Sherri Steinhauer. Former Milwaukee Brewers president and CEO and Major League Baseball Commissioner Emeritus Bud Selig will also be honored with the Hall of Fame’s Lifetime Achievement award.
The Hall of Fame was created in 1951 to honor athletic achievement by state natives or by members of state teams. The Hall currently has 137 members, including area natives Al Simmons, Bob Uecker, and Harvey Kuenn. The Hall of Fame’s members are honored with bronze plaques along the “Walk of Fame” on Fourth St., outside of the UWM Panther Arena.
Charles Woodson will join a long list of Packers in the Hall, including former teammate Donald Driver, who will host this Saturday’s ceremony. Woodson played seven seasons with the Packers, during which he was named to two All-Pro teams, won the 2009 NFL Defense Player of the Year Award and was a key member of the Super Bowl XLV championship team. After the Packers cut ties with Woodson following the 2012 season, he returned to the Oakland Raiders for the final three seasons of his career. Woodson is considered to be a prime candidate for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible in 2021.
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Ron Dayne is one of the most honored football players in Wisconsin Badgers history. The Badgers starting running back for four years, Dayne set an NCAA Division 1 record (since broken) for most all-time career rushing yards and recorded a pair of 2,000 yard seasons. He led the Badgers to back-to-back Rose Bowl titles in 1999 and 2000, winning MVP honors in each game. In 1999, he became the second Badger ever to win the Heisman Trophy. The following year, Dayne was taken 11th overall in the NFL Draft by the New York Giants. He had an eight year NFL career, appearing with the Giants, Denver Broncos, and Houston Texans. Since his retirement he has been inducted into both the College Football and Rose Bowl halls of fame.
Sherri Steinhauer will just be just the seventh woman inducted into the Hall. Born in Madison, Steinhauer joined the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour in 1986. She won eight tournaments as a member of the Tour, including the 1992 de Mauier Classic and the Women’s British Open in 1998, 1999 and 2006. Steinhauer joined the Legends Tour in 2009 and has since won two more tournaments, including the 2009 Legends Championship. In 2014, Steinhauer opened a museum of her golf memorabilia in the south Catskills, NY. She earned more than $6 million during her career.
The induction ceremony is open to the public and half of the ticket proceeds will go to Special Olympics Wisconsin, the MACC Fund and Make-a-Wish Wisconsin. Tickets range from $23 to $82 and include a Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame bobbleahead doll. VIP tickets are also available that include access to ceremony pre-party. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.wihalloffame.com. Tickets are also available at the Milwaukee Theater box office or by calling 1-800-745-3000.
