With exceptional creativity, unusual power and effortless twisting abilities, Ron Hanson was a striking personality on UW-Oshkosh men's gymnastics teams from 1973 to 1976.

Specializing in the floor exercise and the vault for head coach Ken Allen's Titans, Hanson captured three NAIA and three WIAC event championships. He also performed to a total of five NCAA Division II All-America awards and four NAIA All-America medals.

A graduate of Menomonee Falls East High School, Hanson began his UW-Oshkosh career in 1973 by helping the Titans to WIAC and NAIA titles. At the WIAC Championship, Hanson finished second in the floor exercise with a score of 8.925. The following weekend at the NAIA Championship, Hanson gained All-America status in the floor exercise by placing third with a score of 8.95. The national title won by UW-Oshkosh was the first in school and WIAC history.

In 1974, Hanson again helped UW-Oshkosh to championships at the conference and national level. At the WIAC Championship, Hanson finished first in the floor exercise with a score of 9.06 and second on the vault with a mark of 8.825. At the NAIA Championship, Hanson won the floor exercise with a score of 9.08 and received All-America status on the vault by finishing fourth with a figure of 8.72.

Hanson seized a pair of league titles in 1975 as the Titans finished second to UW-La Crosse at the last WIAC Championship held. Hanson won competitons in the floor exercise with a score of 8.86 and on the vault with a mark of 8.65. At the NAIA Championship, Hanson helped UW-Oshkosh to a second-place finish by gaining All-America honors in both the floor exercise and on the vault. He took first place in the floor exercise with a score of 9.25 and second on the vault with a number of 8.96. Hanson also competed at the NCAA Division II Championship, gaining All-America accolades with a third-place score of 9.40 in the floor exercise and a fourth-place mark of 9.20 on the vault.

The Titans finished fifth at the 1975 NCAA Division II Championship to conclude their first year of NCAA Division II competition.

In 1976, Hanson captured the floor exercise title at the NAIA Championship with a score of 9.35. He also received All-America awards in both the floor exercise and vault at the NCAA Division II Championship, with a second-place score of 9.40 and a fifth-place mark of 9.10, respectively. The Titans finished second in the team standings at the NAIA Championship and fifth in the team rankings at the NCAA Division II Championship. Hanson also qualified for the NCAA Division I Championship that year, placing 11th with a score of 9.40 in the floor exercise.

Hanson, who joins teammates Mike Bellos, Casey Edwards, Chris Grainger, Mike Kavanagh and Bill Sands as members of the UW-Oshkosh Hall of Fame, lives in Menasha with his wife, Gail, and two daughters. Hanson is a physcial education teacher in Appleton, where he recently helped develop a national pilot program "Education For Healthy Kids" for the Appleton Area School District.

With 12 league championships to her credit, Phyllis Hardt's success as head coach of the UW-Oshkosh women's gymnastics team is rivaled by few in the history of the presently-called WIAC.

UW-Oshkosh also claimed three national titles under Hardt's guidance, winning the AIAW Division III Championship in 1980, the NAIA Championship in 1986 and the NCGA Championship in 1989.

Hardt's team accomplishments are matched with several individual accolades as well. During her tenure at UW-Oshkosh she coached athletes to four NCAA Division II, eight NAIA and 49 WWIAC event championships. In addition, she was named NCGA Coach-of-the-Year in 1985, NAIA Coach-of-the-Year in 1986 and WWIAC Coach-of-the-Year in 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1987 and 1991.

The Denver, Colo., native graduated from Southern Illinois University, where she was a three-time AIAW Division I All-American and a member of the 1973 AIAW Division I national championship team. Following the 1973 season, Hardt was selected as an alternate to the World Games for Team USA.

Hardt resides in Oshkosh, where she has been president and owner of the Oshkosh Gymnastics Center since 1992. Under her leadership at the club, eight gymnasts have qualified for the USAG Junior Olympic Trials.

At just five-foot-seven and 172 pounds, George Hightdudis was undersized even by the relatively smaller college football standards of the 1950s.

But, during a four-year career as linebacker and offensive guard, Hightdudis led the UW-Oshkosh football team in spirit and heart, thus, earning All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) accolades and team most valuable player and team captain honors.

A graduate of Menasha High School, Hightdudis enrolled at UW-Oshkosh in 1954 following a tour in military service and immediately became a starter for head coach Bob Kolf. After starting every game for UW-Oshkosh in 1955, the "Terrible Titan," as he was nicknamed, received All-WIAC first team recognition and became a defensive captain for UW-Oshkosh in 1956.

In 1957, Hightdudis' senior campaign, UW-Oshkosh posted a 4-3 record to mark the Titans' first winning season since going 5-0-1 in 1935. Hightdudis played a major role in the Titans' success that season and was rewarded with All-WIAC first team honors and team most valuable player recognition.
Hightdudis played virtually 60 minutes of every game for UW-Oshkosh during his four-year career, and will be remembered as one of the finest to ever wear a Titan uniform. A news clipping following his senior season quoted Kolf as saying, "We've had several all-conference guards in the past, but George was as good as any, and has been for the past three years."

In addition to playing football, Hightdudis also was a member of the men's outdoor track and field team at UW-Oshkosh in 1955 and 1956.

Following graduation from UW-Oshkosh in 1958, Hightdudis went on to teach and coach football, track and field and wrestling at Marion High School. Besides his duties at Marion High School, especially that of coaching a first-year wrestling program, Hightdudis also pursued an advanced degree in counseling.

After six years at Marion High School, Hightdudis' journeyed into administrative positions with CESA 13 and with school districts in Abbotsford and Oshkosh. In 1990, a lengthy career in education ended for Hightdudis when retired as assistant principal at Oshkosh North High School, a position he had held since 1985.

Hightdudis, who resides in Oshkosh with his wife, Ruth, still remains active with UW-Oshkosh through his longtime involvement with the school's Alumni Association and National "O" Club, with the latter featuring participation for over 30 years.

Competing in men's gymnastics, Alan Hobson established himself as one of UW-Oshkosh's best. A four-time varsity letterwinner, Hobson was a member of the 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981 NAIA national championship teams. A five-time NAIA All-American, Hobson captured the 1981 horizontal bar national title.

The four-time NCAA Division II All-American was also a member of the NCAA Division II 1980 and 1981 championship teams. In 1981, Hobson was named UW-Oshkosh's outstanding male senior scholar-athlete.

Now residing in Calgary, Canada, Hobson plans on swimming the English Channel in September of 2000. With the tides he will be required to swim 30 to 40 miles in water averaging about 53 degrees Fahrenheit. His quest will take him 15 to 20 hours to swim from England to France. Further, in 2002, Hobson is to dive to the North Pole, the first time this has ever been done in history.

In 2003, as part of The Ocean Everest Expedition, he will dive to the deepest point in the ocean, The Challenger Deep of the Mariana Trench. It is 36,000 feet deep and the purpose of this historic expedition is to open up two-thirds of the Earth's surface to human exploration and take the first bold step in uncovering unimagined stores of biotechnology that could eventually lead to a cure for cancer. The expedition will be the marine equivalent of the first exploration of the moon. If successful, Hobson will become the first person in history to visit both the highest and lowest points on the earth.

In the past, Hobson has been honored as one of Canada's best citizens. In 1991, he was nominated for The Order of Canada, the highest award that can be bestowed on a Canadian civilian.

Fluently bilingual in English and French, he is a member of Who's Who in Canada and is a full-time professional speaker and author who makes 60 to 80 professional speaking presentations annually worldwide. He is the author of five books, including the national bestseller, The Power of Passion.

With a total of 16 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) and four National College Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III individual event championships to her credit, Laura Horejs is one of the most heralded distance runners in the history of the UW-Oshkosh women's cross country and women's track and field programs.

Horejs competed in women's cross country at UW-Oshkosh from 1988 to 1991 and in women's indoor and outdoor track and field from 1989 to 1992. During that time the Oshkosh Lourdes High School graduate helped head coach Deb Vercauteren's Titans to four NCAA Division III championships and 11 WIAC titles.

In cross country, Horejs was a NCAA Division III All-American three times, with finishes of 10th in 1989, fourth in 1990 and first in 1991. Her national title in 1991 was the first in the history of the UW-Oshkosh women's cross country program. Thanks to Horejs' four-year efforts, UW-Oshkosh finished first in the team standings at the NCAA Division III Championship in 1988 and 1991 and second in 1989 and 1990.

Running at the WIAC Championship, Horejs took top honors in 1990 and 1991 as the Titans won the league title all four seasons. Horejs also finished third at the WIAC meet in 1989.

In track and field, Horejs helped UW-Oshkosh to NCAA Division III outdoor titles in 1990 and 1991. The Titans also won WIAC indoor titles from 1989 to 1992 and WIAC outdoor championships from 1989 to 1991.

Individually, Horejs' track and field resume contains three national titles, six All-America performances and 14 conference championships. Her listings are headed by 1,500 meter run victories at the 1992 NCAA Division III Indoor and at the 1991 and 1992 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships. Horejs' six All-America mentions were also in the 1,500 meter run, with indoor and outdoor efforts in 1990, 1991 and 1992.

Horejs' WIAC Indoor Championship performances include first-place finishes in the 1,000 yard run in 1989, 1,000 meter run in 1990, 1991 and 1992, 1,500 meter run in 1991 and 1992, 3,000 meter run in 1991 and 1992 and the distance medley relay in 1990. At the WIAC Outdoor Championship, Horejs finished first in the 800 meter run in 1989, 1,500 meter run in 1991 and 1992 and in the 3,000 meter run in 1991 and 1992.

Today, nearly 11 years since she last competed for the Titans, Horejs still holds UW-Oshkosh records in the 1,000 meter run, 1,500 meter run and 5,000 meter run indoors and in the 3,000 meter run outdoors.

Following graduation from UW-Oshkosh in 1992, Horejs has worked as a personal trainer for Club West, marketing coordinator for Suburban Electric, sales representative for U.S. Cellular and director of sales for Town & Country Electric, all located in the Fox Valley.

Horejs currently lives in Winchester with her husband, Dave, who also will be inducted tonight in UW-Oshkosh's Hall of Fame, and children, Valerie and Mitchell. Horejs and her husband's induction mark the first husband-wife membership in UW-Oshkosh's Hall of Fame.