Donna Amerell was in the first class to graduate from Nicolet High School.  She attended Nicolet during an era that offered limited opportunities for female athletes. In the years following her graduation, Donna was a big supporter of Nicolet Athletics.  At first as a parent as her children participated in sports and later as the Administrative Assistant in the Nicolet Athletic Department.  She held the position of Athletic Administrative Assistant for more than 18 years before retiring in 2011.   During her tenure at Nicolet, Donna worked closely with athletes, parents, coaches, and officials while working for three different athletic administrators. The major components of her responsibilities consisted of making sure athletes were W.I.A.A compliant and academically eligible.  She coordinated the hiring of game officials, and game workers for all home athletic events.  Donna also worked closely with the Booster Club and the end of year Senior Athletic Awards program for graduating senior athletes.  In addition, she worked at many athletic events in a wide variety of formal positions, as well as finding time to regularly cheer on a multitude of school events.  Ms. Amerell is a true “Nicolet Treasure” and her efforts and dedication to Nicolet Athletics will always be remembered fondly.

Randee Drew was a highlight reel type of athlete during his tenure at Nicolet.

Starring in three sports, he racked up numerous verbal accolades from spectators, teammates, and opposing coaches alike.

In football, he accounted for points in an astonishing 11 different ways over his career (TD catch, TD run, field goal, extra point, 2-point conversion catch, 2-point conversion run, interception return, punt return, kick off return, fumble return, and TD pass).  In basketball, he once stole the ball 4 times in the last 49 seconds of the game to single handedly turn a 3-point deficit into a 3-point victory.  In track, he set the school record in both the 110-meter hurdles and 4x100 relay team.

These superior talents earned him several honors.  In football (4 letters), he was named as a senior to the CNI All-Suburban Team and played in the Shrine All-Star game despite being hampered by injury that year.  As a junior, Randee earned all-conference recognition for 3 positions:  running back, defensive back, and punter. In track (4 letters), Randee was conference champ in the indoor 60 yd high hurdles in both 1998 and 2000.  In 1999, he was conference champ in the 4x100, 4x200, and outdoor mile relays.  The pinnacle of his track career came with state titles in high hurdles in 2000 and in the 4x100 relay in 1999.  Also in 1999, he helped lead his team to the conference title in basketball (2 letters) as the starting point guard.

Randee continued his grid iron success at Northern Illinois University where he was a 2-time all-conference pick at defensive back, had 14 career interceptions, and set a school record with 38 career pass break ups.

As a professional, Randee signed as a free agent with the San Francisco 49ers and ultimately played in NFL Europe, the Arena League, and for several years in the CFL with Montreal and Edmonton.  He was named Montreal’s Defensive MVP in 2007.  With excellence as such, Randee Drew will go down as one of the very best all-around athletes in Nicolet sports history.

Dick Huxtable coached at Nicolet High School for 29 years and left as one of the school’s most successful coaches ever.

“Hux” coached football for the Knights for 15 years, with 6 of those years as the Freshman coach.  He also coached 17 years for the High School track and field program.  During his time as track coach, Dick’s teams won 6 conference championships.  He was the very first President of the Wisconsin High School Track Association and the originator of the individual Event Coaching Clinics in Wisconsin.  But his most successful coaching endeavors came on the baseball diamond.

Dick coached high school baseball for 31 years with 23 of those years as the Nicolet Knights Head Baseball Coach.  He coached his Knights to five conference championships (1980, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1989)and five state tournament appearances (1976, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985).  Dick also led the Knights to their first Wisconsin State Summer Baseball Championship in 1985, where he coached Major League pitcher and fellow Nicolet Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Lance Painter.

In 1983, Dick was inducted into the Wisconsin High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and in 2011 he was inducted into the Wisconsin Old Time Ball Players Association Hall of Fame.

“God does not subtract from your allotted time on earth those hours coaching baseball.”

Dick is a proud World War II Veteran and very proud to have been a mathematics teacher at Nicolet High School for 27 years.

Doug Irwin coached at Nicolet High School for 26 years from 1964 to 1990 and left an indelible mark  on Nicolet Athletics.

Doug coached football for 8 years from 1964-1971 with the high water mark being the 1968 season in which his team captured the Braveland Conference Championship.   He also coached swimming from 1964-1968 and basketball in the 1968-69 seasons. 
Perhaps his most success came as the Nicolet Track coach from 1964-1975.  Doug led his teams to back to back conference championships following the 1968 and 1969 seasons.  He created and conducted the “Nicolet Vaultathon”, a pole vaulting clinic for area coaches and vaulters from 1968-1972.  Doug coached several  15’ vaulters including fellow Nicolet Hall of Famer Jeff Swenson who became the first Wisconsin prep athlete to jump 15 feet.

Doug served as President of the Braveland Conference Principals in 1984 and the President of the North Shore Conference Principals in 1988.

He continued to support Nicolet athletics serving as an Administrator at Nicolet High School until his retirement in 1990.

Bobbi Keuler was one of the most accomplished female athletes to ever attend Nicolet High School.

A two-sport star in volleyball and soccer, Bobbi earned numerous accolades and played on several championship teams.  She was a member of Nicolet’s 1st ever State Tournament qualifying Girls Volleyball team.  After capturing the Conference Championship in 1981, Bobbi’s girls volleyball team placed 5th in the WIAA State Tournament.  In 1982, she earned Honorable Mention All-Conference as a member of the volleyball team but missed the 1983 season due to a serious injury suffered during the soccer season.  Bobbi stayed on as the team manager that year and lettered before being named Captain of the girls volleyball team her senior year where she again was named Honorable Mention All-Conference.

Bobbi was an even bigger star in soccer.  As a freshman, she was a member of the 1982 Nicolet girls soccer team that finished as Co-Conference Champions.  During her sophomore year in 1983, Bobbi was the team’s MVP and earned 1st Team All-Conference while leading her team to the WIAA State Tournament.  Bobbi’s 1984 junior season saw her team win the conference championship and finish runner-up at the State Tournament, as she was again named Captain and selected 1st Team All-Conference.  Bobbi followed up her sensational junior season with a big senior year in 1985.  Along with being named team Captain, team MVP and 1st Team All-Conference for the third straight year, Bobbi also earned 1st Team All-State honors.

In the Fall of her junior year in 1983, Bobbi was named to the Wisconsin State Select U-19 Soccer team and played in the Mid-West Regional Soccer Tournament in the summer of 1984 in Illinois.

Bobbi went on to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to play for the Badger Women’s Soccer team in the fall of 1985.

Jules “Skip” Kendall may have gained national fame for his golf game, but he was indeed a stellar 3-sport star during his high school years at Nicolet. 

In just the second year that soccer (2 letters) was offered at Nicolet, Skip made the All-State team as a senior.  On the basketball court (2 letters), he was Team MVP and Team Captain in 1982.  Of course, it was in golf (4 letters) that Skip would become ultra successful.  He would show his greatness early in his high school career as he would finish 2nd in state as a sophomore.  A National Honor Society student, he would follow this up with another 2nd place state finish his senior season.  His excellent play would carry his teams to four consecutive conference championships and the state championship in 1980.  His teams would also claim a 5th place finish and two runner-ups at the state meet. 

Skip would take his considerable skills professional in 1987.  With 5 pro wins to his name, Skip also had three Top 20 finishes in Major Championship play:  the 1998 PGA Championship (T10), the 2004 British Open Championship (T11), and the 2004 US Open (T17).

Aside from playing himself, Skip has shown his huge heart by sponsoring the Skip Kendall Pro-Am fore Kids as he has helped raise an incredible $4.5 million for Children’s Hospital of Milwaukee.  A true gentleman of the game, Skip Kendall is one of Nicolet’s all time sports greats.

Douglas Mueller is a classic example of an all around athlete. Doug participated in four sports every year of his high school career. Those sports were Cross Country, Basketball, Track and Baseball, in which he lettered all four years in Cross Country and Track, three years in Baseball and two years in Basketball.  In addition, Douglas
was chosen Most Valuable in all these sports at least once during his career at Nicolet and was a captain of the Basketball team in 1983 and 1984 as well as captain of the Baseball team in 1984.

Douglas received many honors at the conference and area level, including first team all conference in both Cross Country and Baseball during his junior and senior years as well as Honorable Mention  all conference listing in 1983 and 1984 for Baseball and Basketball.  During his senior year, he took first place in the 400 m run at the conference indoor meet with a record time of 51.4 seconds.  In addition, Douglas received the Outstanding Distance Runner trophy at the Nicolet Track Invitational meet in 1982 and 1983.  He also participated multiple times as an individual or on a team in State meets/games in cross country, track and baseball.

In addition to his extensive accomplishments on the athletic field, Douglas was a recipient of the esteemed Kukla Athletic Scholarship Award, the Milwaukee Elks Club Scholarship award for outstanding athletic performance while in high school. As a senior he also received the U.S. Army National Guard National scholar-athlete award.  After an outstanding high school career, Douglas went on to play baseball at North Carolina State University.

Rollie Strehlow attended Wausau High School and participated in four sports: football, boxing, hockey and track.  During his years as a Wausau Lumberjack, Rollie was an All-Conference halfback and led the conference in scoring and rushing for two years.  He was elected 1st Team All-State halfback in 1948.  Among his other high school achievements were placing 2nd at the state track meet in the 880 relay and he was also a heavyweight Golden Gloves boxing champion for 3 years while serving as team captain.

Rollie went on to play college football for the Wisconsin Badgers from 1949-1951.  He was a 3-year letter winner and leading ground gainer for the Badgers in 1950.  Rollie was selected as All-Conference 3rd team in 1951 and went on to play in the Blue-Gray game that year in Montgomery, Alabama.  He was the leading rusher of the game and scored a touchdown in a 20-14 loss.

Rollie signed on with the Dallas Texans of the National Football League in 1952, but never played a game.  Instead, he served in the U.S. Army as a First Lieutenant in Japan.  In 1955, Rollie tried out with the NFL’s Baltimore Colts.  Instead of staying with the Colts, he pursued a teaching and coaching career back in Wisconsin at Waupun High School.  He coached wrestling, football and track.  Rollie started the wrestling program at Waupun and coached them to the Little Ten Conference Championship twice with a 27-8 record.

In 1960, Rollie came to Nicolet High School and started the wrestling program that same year.  In one year, Rollie managed to recruit 79 wrestlers.  He coached the freshman, junior varsity and varsity alone for eight years.  He was later assisted by Joe Whelan and Norris Ross.  In 1962, he coached Jim Wolf to a state championship and went on to take at least one wrestler to state for 16 straight years.  During his coaching tenure, Rollie coached the Knights to two Braveland Conference Championships, five regional championships and two sectional championships along with Fond Du Lac and West Bend invitational titles.

Rollie states, “I’ve always liked coaching wrestling best because of the wrestler’s commitment to training, weight control and knowing that his success was only due to his own talent, determination and dedication.”
During his 26 years at Nicolet High School, Rollie also taught Physical Education, Driver’s Education and helped coach football.  He was also the head track timer for 20 years.  Rollie never missed a day of coaching or teaching in 30 years.

Cindy Wilburth’s contributions to Nicolet High School Athletics were varied and very significant.  During her first 10 years at Nicolet High School, Cindy served as assistant and head girls volleyball coach, head girls track coach, physical education teacher, health teacher and department coordinator. 

She coached girls volleyball for 10 years and girls track for 12 years.  Cindy coached many female track athletes at the State level.  Those roles eventually expanded into a position as the Nicolet Girls Athletic Coordinator, which she held for 5 years from 1985-1990.  Cindy followed that up by being named the Assistant Athletic Director for 10 years from 1988-1997, where she established guidelines and procedures that helped shape the athletic program as we know it today.  Cindy then moved on to Shorewood High School.  Within these roles, Cindy expanded Varsity Club into a service organization for 15 years.  She was the director of the National Women in Sports Recognition Day for 5 years while completing her certification as a Certified Athletic Administrator in 1997.  Of all these accomplishments, Cindy is most recognized as a role model and person of integrity that lead students, athletes and staff to perform at their highest level.

During his four years at Nicolet High School, Dan Winn earned 3 letters in baseball, 3 letters in football and 2 letters in basketball.  He also participated in track, filling in at meets when needed.  Dan attended Nicolet from 1986 through 1990. 

In 1988 and 1989, Dan earned 2nd team All-Conference and 2 North Shore Conference Championships in baseball.  In 1990, he won 1st team All-Conference with a .522 batting average and a .805 slugging percentage, was named CNI All-Suburban Player of the Year, was named co-captain of the Nicolet Knights and was selected to play in the High School All-Star Game in Appleton, WI.

Dan played Nicolet varsity football as a sophomore in 1987.  In 1989 he was selected 1st team All-Conference as a defensive back and Honorable Mention as a punter.  That same year, Dan was named to the All-Region team, the Milwaukee Journal All-Star team and was recognized by ESPN Scholastic Sports of America as one of the top 20 punters in the nation.  Dan set a Nicolet High School record with a 71 yard punt.

Dan earned a baseball scholarship to Division I Eastern Kentucky.  In 1990 he was selected by Baseball America as the Pre-Season Freshman Player of the Year.  He had a career batting average of .300 at EKU including a .372 average as a Senior in 1995.  Dan was selected to be on the Ohio Valley Conference 2nd Team, and was selected to the Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll, maintaining  a grade point of over 3.0.  Dan also received the Eastern Kentucky University Colonel Scholar Award.