Stritch Magazine

Tracing the history of Stritch Athletics through the years

By Scott Rudie

The October 1971 quarterly Stritch newsletter announced the birth of intercollegiate sports at Stritch with typical Franciscan modesty.

The small blurb on page 5 reported that Stritch had added a regulation-sized softball diamond and volleyball court, and erected a basketball backboard nearby as well.

“In response to a growing student interest in sports, the College has made a modest beginning toward the development of outdoor athletic facilities on campus,” the article reads.

Those small steps, implemented by an ad hoc committee of students and staff members, marked the beginning of an incredible journey. More than 40 years later, the Stritch Athletics program enjoys a legacy of success, measured not only by the accomplishments on the field, but the character development and high academic achievement of student athletes off the field.

Even a passing glance of the most basic statistics reveals this high level of accomplishment. In their history, Stritch’s ten teams have made more than 39 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Tournament appearances, 32 conference tournament appearances, 33 regular season conference championships, and 18 conference tournament championships. In addition, Stritch boasts more than 100 all-conference athletes, 23 NAIA All-Americans, 40 Stritch Scholar Athletes, 51 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Scholar Athletes, and 25 NAIA Scholar Athletes.

The birth of the teams

The University’s long history of athletics actually begins with intramurals and club-related sports, dating back to 1947. The women competed in such activities as softball, basketball, swimming, archery, skiing, and horseback riding. Some also engaged in cheerleading, rooting for other organizations that needed an infusion of spirit.

The birth of Stritch’s athletic programs as they are known today began in 1971, a year after Stritch became coeducational. The school formed the men’s basketball team at that time, joining the Wisconsin Conference of Independent Colleges basketball league.  Although Stritch had settled in to its Fox Point/Glendale location by that time, on-campus basketball facilities did not exist, so the team practiced at Mother of Perpetual Help School in Milwaukee and played its home games at Messmer High School.

Many individuals became invested in the growth of Stritch athletics. For example, when the fledgling basketball team did not have the required number of student athletes, faculty members often filled in. And the team was first coached by Richard Waski, a graduate student at Stritch at the time of his hiring.

Dr. Robert Flahive, an administrator at Stritch for decades, worked especially hard to build the athletic program, knowing it was one way in which the newly admitted male population could feel at home.

“Dr. Flahive played an important role,” said Sister Camille Kliebhan, OSF, Ph.D., Stritch president from 1974 to 1991 and current chancellor. “He took a very active role for our male students.”

As the 1970s continued, Stritch added programs in women’s basketball, women’s softball, and women’s volleyball, and the men’s basketball team continued to improve under the direction of William Stier, who was hired as athletic director in 1976. By 1977, the team ranked ninth in the nation.

In the early 1980s, Stritch added a men’s soccer program at Stier’s urging.

New facilities

The growth of the athletics programs in the ’70s and ’80s necessitated a fresh look at available facilities. The administration saw an opportunity to bring games to campus and enhance school spirit, so the Fieldhouse opened in 1985 as part of an expansion that also included the library, Great Hall, and Campus Center.

“We simply needed more space,” Sister Camille said. “When we opened it, we were so proud of it. The games here brought a lot of energy and student involvement. It just added another dimension.”

The new Fieldhouse attracted attention beyond the Stritch community. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Milwaukee Bucks practiced there.  In those years, Stritch students enjoyed chance encounters with Bucks mainstays such as Sidney Moncrief and Terry Cummings or other NBA players, including hall of famers like New York Knicks great Patrick Ewing.

“The word would go out that a team would be practicing, and the students would come down to see who they could meet,” Sister Camille said.

Eventually, the Bucks’ practices relocated to the Cousins Center. But many fondly remember their time at Stritch. For years, Sister Camille’s desk held a placard that stated, “The Bucks stop here.”

Further expansion

When Sister Mary Lea Schneider, OSF, Ph.D., arrived as president in 1991, she began plans to further develop Stritch’s athletic programs, which led to the addition of the women’s and men’s cross country, women’s soccer, men’s baseball, and men’s volleyball. An avid sports fan, Sister Mary Lea remains especially proud of the hiring of Denny Fox, the former athletic director and men’s basketball coach, and Rich Panella, who helped build the women’s basketball program and then served as women’s basketball coach and assistant director of athletics.Fox coached for 18 seasons at Stritch, developing the men’s basketball program into one of the more successful NAIA Division II programs. Panella coached for 23 seasons with Stritch, with an overall record of 548-139, an 80 percent career winning percentage. A close friend of college basketball legend Rick Majerus, Panella worked with Majerus to develop and host the annual summer Rick Majerus Basketball Camp at Stritch.

Sister Mary Lea also is pleased by the high-profile exhibition contests that have occurred over the years, including National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and Division III opponents such as University of Wisconsin System schools and Marquette University. Last month, the men’s basketball team took on the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The games with these imposing opponents proved quite competitive – perhaps too competitive for some, according to Sister Mary Lea.

“After a while, many of those teams didn’t want to play us anymore,” she said. “They didn’t want to take the chance of losing to us.”

Character-building experiences

Many members of the Athletics Department fondly recall overseas experiences that allowed student athletes not only to compete in new environments, but also have enriching cultural experiences.

John Pfaffl , the current women’s basketball coach who since 1989 served in a variety of roles in athletics, including sports information director and cross country coach, fondly recalled an exhibition game against the University of Alaska- Anchorage. This excursion also involved full-day basketball clinics for villagers, which took place amongst reindeer and caribou “in a town without any cars.”

For Patrick Clemens, current athletic director who also coached men’s and women’s soccer, the growth of athletics has contributed greatly to making Stritch a highly attractive destination for international students.

“Through athletics, we’ve been able to add cultural diversity to the school,” he said.

Over the years, student athletes have represented such countries as Argentina, Australia, France, Ghana, Great Britain, Greece, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, and several others.

The overall achievements of Stritch’s student athletes is exemplified and memorialized in Stritch’s Athletics Hall of Fame, created in 2001 to honor former athletes, coaches, and friends who have made significant contributions to the athletics programs at Stritch, whether on the field or from the sidelines.

“We’ve been blessed with good coaches and wonderful student athletes,” Sister Mary Lea said. “We graduate our athletes, and they have done so much off the field; they always represent our school wonderfully.”

This article appeared in the Fall 2012 issue of Stritch Magazine.