Class of 1974 - Track

Linn Grieb (Wright) - a legacy of and for change!   
Linn began her Nicolet running career as a member of a Nicolet girls track “club” which had to practice at 5:30 am because, as she put it, “we would be too distracting to the boys.” But despite the early training time that “club” managed to take 2nd place in the 1972 Class A WIAA State Meet and thus in 1973 was finally allowed to become a “team” and practice on the track after school. Still equality moved slowly and in 1974 instead of a receiving a chenille varsity letter Linn received a silver charm with a small blue stone.  

Linn was a three-time state champion setting a new state record in the 100-yard dash with a time of 11.1 in 1972 and winning the long jump the same year with a mark of 16-11.  Her sectional time of 11.0 that year ranked her 5th in the nation. (Converted to the 100-meters race today her time would be 12.03) and that conversion still remains the top Nicolet mark for that distance.  Linn also won the 100-yard dash in 1974 with a time of 11.23.

After high school, Linn went on to compete in college at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  In those days there were no recruiters for female athletes or many scholarships.  Those few scholarships that did exist were partial scholarships (tuition only) and were only given to female athletes (at most institutions) only after two years of winning performance at the collegiate level. Linn set various records at the U of I in the 100, 60, 200 and 300—some were in meters and some were in yards—though most meets still used yards for competition. Two of those marks still stand in the Top 5 of U of I school history.

In addition to minimal scholarship opportunities, there was barely any travel budget for female college athletes, that meant Linn and her teammates were basically confined to in-state meets, Big 10 Conference meets and Nationals.  In addition, all women’s coaching positions were part-time and usually staffed by a graduate student. The team bought much of its own equipment, shoes and workout uniforms.  Women’s team members were required to have a B average in school to qualify for participation, which, incidentally, was higher than the required C average for the men.

Linn is proudest of being a significant part of the change to open up opportunities for women in sports.  That came when Linn and her teammates decided to press for changes after two of their athletes—one a former gymnast Olympic silver medalist and another gymnast ranked #1 in the nation out of high school were denied scholarships.  She said that they were told that they had not proven themselves sufficiently in their sport and like everyone else would have to wait two years before being considered for a scholarship.  So she and her teammates found a young attorney to represent them . . . they won . . . and things improved.
 
Most high school female athletes today take their equality with male athletes for granted.  Linn was part of a generation of young women who though threatened with being banned from participating in their sport were willing to risk giving up what they loved even though they knew that when change came, it would not benefit them. They simply did it for future generations. 

Records are just rungs in the ladder for future athletes to reach and surpass - once surpassed the legacy of that record ends and another takes over.  But the legacy of change, in women’s high school and collegiate sports is one that will last a very long time. Linn owns that legacy!

Class of 1969 - Football, Wrestling, Track

To excel above most all others in one sport is impressive. To excel in two at such a level is rare. And then there are those extraordinary athletes who excelled at three sports. Kurt Krueger was one such athlete. Whether it be in football, wrestling, or track, Krueger was one of Nicolet’s best all-around athletes and his senior year was on par with the greatest single years in school history. On the gridiron in his senior season, he led the conference in rushing and was selected Team MVP propelling him to being named 1st Team All-Milwaukee by the Milwaukee Sentinel. That success would carry over to the wrestling mat as Krueger was 1st Team All-Conference in his weight class as well as earning Team MVP honors. He would reach the pinnacle at the conclusion of that season as he qualified for the state meet. Not finished yet, he would cruise to conference championships in the 100-yard dash and the 880-yard relay as a member of the track team. Krueger would also qualify for the state meet in both of those events. And for good measure, he also placed at the conference meet in both the shot put and discus. For those achievements, Krueger was selected as Nicolet’s first recipient of the prestigious Glenn Kukla Scholarship Award in the spring of 1969. After such a stellar high school career, Krueger went on to letter for 4 years at UW-Lacrosse in football including 3 as a starter. Without question, Krueger will go down as one of Nicolet’s best multi-sport athletes.

Coach, Administrator (1955-1978)

Mr. Schoenfeld was one of the 24 original faculty members when Nicolet High School first opened its doors in 1955.  In his 23 years, he served in many ways at Nicolet including: Math Teacher, Science Teacher, first Head Baseball Coach, Athletic Director, Assistant Football and Basketball Coach and Time Clock Operator.

A native of Plymouth WI, “Wally” graduated from Lacrosse State Teacher’s College in 1938.  He then started his multi-faceted career that eventually brought him to Nicolet.  He was a teacher and basketball coach at three different high schools in Steelville, IL , Tremont, IL and Green Lake, WI where he was also a football coach.  A second facet of his career found him working for seven seasons as a professional baseball umpire in the Wisconsin State League, the Three I League and the Northern League.  Staying with his love of baseball, in 1948 he was employed by the Chicago Cubs baseball organization as the General Manager of their minor league team in Centralia, IL.

On a business trip to Milwaukee in 1955, while managing an auto dealership in Wisconsin Dells, Wally stopped at the State Teachers Bureau and learned that a new high school to open in Glendale was in need of one more teacher.  He got an immediate interview with Nicholas Cupery, Nicolet’s first Superintendent, and was hired on the spot.

During his 23 years at Nicolet, Wally was Nicolet’s very first Baseball Coach (1956-61) and it’s first official Athletic Director in 1960.  He continued to work as a WIAA high school football and basketball official into the 1960s.  After his retirement from Nicolet in 1978, he continued to work as a volunteer Game Time Clock Operator both in the football press box and at the basketball scorer’s table. 

Wally had two sons who graduated from Nicolet High School and played sports, Wally Jr. in 1959 and Jim in 1963.

Alongside the other 23 original faculty members of Nicolet High School in 1955, Walter F.P. Schoenfeld left an indelible mark in not only Nicolet’s Athletic Department but also in the very foundation of Nicolet High School. 

Class of 1990 - Softball, Basketball, Volleyball

Amy Larsen was a terrific multi sport athlete at Nicolet High School in the late 80’s and early 90’s.  She had tremendous individual and team success on the volleyball court, basketball floor and softball diamond in high school at Nicolet, eventually taking her multiple sport talents to the college level.

Amy began her high school athletic career in the fall of 1986 playing volleyball for two years and earning her varsity letter as a sophomore.  Furthermore, she excelled on the hardwood playing four years of basketball, lettering her final three years.  As a Junior in 1989, her team went undefeated in conference play and she earned 2nd Team All-Conference.  As a Senior in 1990, Amy’s outstanding play earned her 1st Team All-Conference and was named to the CNI Newspapers All-Suburban Team.  She was named MVP her Senior year and Captained the Nicolet Girls Basketball team both her Junior and Senior seasons.  She also has the distinction of making the first 3-point shot in Nicolet Girls Basketball history as they added the 3-point line her sophomore year in 1988.

But it was on the softball diamond that Amy really shined.  She became a starting catcher her freshman year in 1987 before eventually moving to shortstop halfway through her sophomore season in 1988.  Buoyed by Amy’s stellar play, the Nicolet Girls Softball team made it to the WIAA Sectional Finals both her Junior and Senior seasons in 1989 and 1990.  She earned four varsity letters in softball and ended up with eight letters overall.  Amy earned All-Conference recognition all four years on the softball team, was team MVP three times and Captained the team her last two years.  All of this culminated in Amy being recognized as the North Shore Conference Player of the Year, her Senior season in 1990.

Amy Larsen earned numerous awards and accolades in high school including, the prestigious Kukla Award, WIAA Scholar-Athlete, US Army Award for Excellence, Marine Corps Award and the Jim Lubotsky Athletic Scholarship.

After high school, Amy went on to Cardinal Stritch University to play both basketball and softball with a combination of athletic and academic scholarships and graduated with a degree in Biology.  She attended graduate school at Regis University in Denver, Colorado earning a Masters of Science degree in Physical Therapy.  She is married with two children and currently lives on a Cattle farm in Manawa, Wisconsin and works as a physical therapist specializing in treating middle school and high school athletes.  

Coach: Basketball, Football, Golf (1981-2008)

In the world of sports, the word “icon” can be thrown around a bit too much at times. However, when it comes to coaches in Nicolet athletic history, this term superbly fits when attached to one such individual – Jim Sperl. As much as any coach in any era, Sperl was an iconic coaching figure at Nicolet. He is also the first coach to be elected to the Hall of Fame who was never a head coach of a sport but, rather, an assistant in multiple sports. The loyalty and dedication that he unequivocally displayed for Nicolet athletics over a 27-year tenure is unparalleled. During this time, he coached softball for 24 yrs, football for 9 yrs, and golf for 3 yrs. Basketball, however, was his true passion as he served for all 27 yrs at Nicolet and 37 yrs overall. A native of Waukesha, Sperl came to the Knights after successful coaching stints at Hustisford, Milwaukee Washington, and Dominican high schools, including two WISAA state titles while at Dominican. During his run at Nicolet, it was virtually a given that every person in the student body knew and adored Coach Sperl even if one had never played for him. In basketball, he coached 25+ Division I college players and accumulated 400+ career victories, including a perfect 17-0 season in 2001-02 with the boys’ freshmen squad. He is also a member of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. The legacy of Jim Sperl continues to live on in Nicolet athletics as he annually sponsors the Jim Sperl Athletic Scholarship to recognize the achievements of a deserving senior student-athlete.