Frank J. Bouressa, Class of 1979
The linchpin of the offensive line, Frank Bouressa brought local, state, and national attention to the Lawrence football team.
A 6-foot-3, 220-pound center, Bouressa remains the only two-time first-team Associated Press All-American in school history. He also earned All-Midwest Conference (MWC) honors three times and led the Vikings to an impressive 30-6 record and a conference championship during his four-year career.
A high school All-American, Bouressa spurned offers from larger universities and made the short move from his home in Kaukauna to Lawrence in the fall of 1975. He split time at center as a freshman yet still earned All-MWC honors. His play helped the Vikings to an 8-1 record and the team's first league championship since 1967.
The media also took notice of Bouressa, and he was the only junior named to the AP All-America first team in 1977 and just the third player in school history at that time to be a first-team All American. Bouressa wasn't done yet; he capped his senior season by earning AP first-team honors again in 1978, as the team led the nation in total offense.
After college, he decided to forego offers from NFL teams and start a career in business. Today, he is the field technical instructor for Rockwell Automation in Appleton and lives in Kaukauna.
Paul J. Gebhardt, Class of 1978
An All-American in both football and baseball, Paul Gebhardt's name still dots the Lawrence record books in both sports.
A native of Buffalo Grove, Ill., the wide receiver's three-year football career was astounding. He holds the career records for yards receiving (2,394) and receiving yards per game (88.7) and is second in career catches (149) and touchdown receptions (28). In addition, he holds the season record for catches (67) and is second in receiving yards (1,036), receiving yards per game (115.1), and touchdown catches (12). He also is second on the single-game list for receptions (13) and receiving yards (227).
Gebhardt earned All-Midwest Conference and honorable mention All-America honors in 1977 after finishing fifth in the nation in receiving. As a senior in 1978, he was fourth in the country in receiving and again earned honorable mention on the AP All-America team but was left off the all-conference team.
On the baseball diamond, he had a two-year career and a spectacular 1977 season. He is tenth on the college's career list with a .339 batting average and second with a .612 slugging percentage. In 1977, he hit .402 and set records with 35 runs batted in and 30 runs scored. He led the Vikings to the MWC title and a berth in the NCAA West Regional. He was named to the the All-MWC and the all-district squads and earned second-team All-America honors.
Gebhardt is national sales manager at Star Electronics and lives in Like Villa, Ill.
Tad B. Pinkerton, Class of 1960
Tad Pinkerton won five individual Midwest Conference (MWC) championships and helped the Vikings to a league title in cross country.
His track specialty was the mile, and he ran it in record-setting style. Pinkerton burst upon the scene in the fall of 1957 and was the final piece in Coach Art Denney's powerhouse team. Pinkerton won the MWC meet in 16 minutes, 34 seconds over the three-mile course. The Vikings took the team title with 26 points, and the Appleton Post-Crescent called Lawrence "one of the strongest teams in Midwest Conference history."
Known as "Pinks" to his teammates, the Waupaca, Wis., native went on to win the league cross country title again in 1959, going unbeaten that season.
He was virtually unbeatable in the mile run and won the MWC title three consecutive years, smashing the school and conference records along the way. During his junior season, he blew away the conference record in the mile by nearly five seconds with a time of 4:17.6. As a senior in 1960, he won the mile at five consecutive meets leading to the MWC Championships, and he capped his track career with his third straight league title in the mile.
Pinkerton, who lives in Madison, went on to earn three degrees in mathematics and received his doctorate in computer science from the University of Michigan. He recently retired from teaching and managing computer services at the University of Wisconsin.
Donald Strutz, Class of 1949
Don Strutz is one of the founding fathers of Lawrence golf. Perhaps the finest golfer in Lawrence history, he was a main cog in the powerhouse Viking teams of the 1940s and also starred in football and basketball.
An Appleton native, Strutz served as a bomber pilot in World War II before coming to Lawrence. Strutz, who was a team captain, helped Lawrence win Midwest Conference (MWC) golf titles in 1946, 1948 and 1949.
He was nearly unbeatable in a dual match and compiled an impressive 15-4-1 record in duals, with a career stroke average of 77.7. Dominating the 1949 conference meet, he won the title by six shots and led Lawrence to the team title. Strutz also won the 1946 State College Meet and helped the Vikings claim that team title in 1946, 1948 and 1949.
An end on the football team, Strutz was again a big part of a winning effort. A starter in each of his four seasons, he helped Lawrence to a 23-5-1 record and a pair of MWC titles in 1946 and 1947.
Strutz was a guard on the basketball team for three seasons and played a reserve role.
He later served for two years as a football assistant to Bernie Heselton and coached freshman basketball for Johnny Sines. His service to the athletic department continued this past spring, when he assisted golf coach John Tharp.
Strutz was vice-president of marketing at Albany International in a 51-year career with the same corporation. He is retired and lives in Appleton.
James L. Webers, Class of 1952
Jim Webers was a dominant force in both football and wrestling at Lawrence. Dubbed "Moose" by his teammates, the Racine, Wis., native was an offensive and defensive force on the gridiron and virtually unbeatable on the wrestling mat.
A three-year starter on the offensive and defensive lines, Webers was named to the All-Midwest Conference (MWC) team twice. As a junior, he was selected for the first team on defense and the second team on offense. He reversed his field as a senior by being named to the offense's first team and the defense's second. In his three years of football, the Vikings went 16-6 and won MWC championships in 1949 and 1951, the latter being one of just five undefeated seasons in Lawrence history.
After going 7-2 as a heavyweight in 1949-50, Webers didn't lose another collegiate wrestling match. He finished his career on an 18-match winning streak and compiled a 26-2 record. He was Lawrence's first MWC wrestling champion, taking the league title in 1951 and 1952.
Webers, who served as a captain in football and wrestling, taught for more than 30 years and has been retired for nearly two decades. He now works as a potter at his home in Grosse Pointe Park, Mich.
Laurence P. Wilson, Class of 1966
Larry Wilson was a study in excellence and versatility during his athletic career at Lawrence.
On the swim team he was one of the top divers in the Midwest and a two-time All-American. On the track, he did virtually everything, competing in events ranging from the discus to the two-mile run.
The native of Hamden, Conn., teamed with Dan Foster to form the best 1-2 diving punch in the Midwest. As a sophomore, Wilson placed second at the conference meet, as Lawrence won its first Midwest Conference (MWC) swimming title in 22 years and took fourth as a junior. Wilson, who served as team captain, went through his senior season unbeaten and easily claimed the MWC title. He went on the earn All-America honors at the 1966 NCAA National College Division diving championships by placing 14th on the high board and 16th on the low board.
The field events were Wilson's main area of competition during track season, and he was one of the team's top point scorers every season. He also competed in the club sport of soccer and was the team's captain and leading scorer in 1964 and 1965.
Wilson served in the United States Air Force for five years before attending law school. Today, he is an attorney in San Francisco, Calif., and lives in nearby San Mateo.
