Blue Devil Alumni Spotlight: Tom Slupe

Name – Tom Slupe
UW-Stout graduation year – 1971 and Masters in 1984
Major – Technology Education and Masters in Vocational Education
Sport – Hockey
Years Played – 1968-71
Hometown (High School) – Austin, MN
Currently Reside – Menomonie, WI

 

 

Why did you choose to be a collegiate student-athlete at UW-Stout?
I chose UW-Stout because of the Electronics Program and I was recruited to be on the football team.  I did play on the football team but in my very first game as a freshman I had a shoulder injury.  This was my second shoulder injury and decided football was not going to work out.

What did you like most about competing in collegiate athletics? 
The best part about competing in collegiate athletics was the relationships that I built with my teammates.  They were all a bunch of good guys and I cherish that time with them.  It was also neat to get to know other collegiate student-athletes.

What is the greatest lesson you learned from being a collegiate student-athlete? 
The greatest lesson that I learned is the dedication and commitment it takes to be successful at things in life.  In order to be the best you can be at something, you need to be committed.

Who was the most influential person in your athletic career?
There have been a lot of people that have influenced me throughout my life but I would have to say Max Sparger and Ken Erickson were a couple of the most influential people.  Max was the football coach that recruited me and became the athletic director and then Ken was our hockey advisor while I was playing.

What is your most memorable or favorite sports moment at UW-Stout? 
I have been around Stout hockey for a long time so there are a lot of great memories but a couple come to mind.  I was coaching in 1975 and we defeated the US Air Force Academy 4-3 in overtime.  That was a big win for us.  I also coached in two NAIA national tournaments and served on the NAIA board of directors for 6 years.  It was also gratifying to watch the team play at Lake Placid in the NCAA Division III national tournament a couple years ago.

How did your teammates describe you as a person and a student-athlete? 
My teammates would probably describe me as a person that was dedicated to the game of hockey.  I received the "Best Hustler" award twice along with being named the MVP during my junior year.

Outside of athletics, what other activities were you involved in at UW-Stout? 
I was a member of the Stout "S" (letterman's) club for four years.  This was a select number of individuals from each team that wanted to get involved.  We volunteered on campus and helped set up and run events.

 

Give us a brief synopsis of your life since graduating from UW-Stout, include job and family?
I became the Stout hockey coach in 1972 until 1983.  During all of those years we played on "natural ice" at the Dunn County Ice Arena.  I raised a family with my wife Jane (1973 Stout grad) we have two grown children Erin and Greg and five grandchildren.  Currently Erin teaches in Superior and Greg (1998 Stout grad) teaches in the Engineering and Technology Department and is an assistant hockey coach at Stout.  I taught technology education and drivers education at the Menomonie High School for 30 years.  Now I have been back for the past seven years at UW-Stout teaching in the Engineering and Technology department, mainly in the electronics area.

Did you have a hand in starting the Stout hockey program?  What was that process like? 
There were many players from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois that had an interest in starting the hockey program in the fall of 1968.  It was spearheaded by Jay Watkins.  It was a collective team effort and everyone had a big role in starting the program.

Can you share any stories about setting up the rink for the Stout season on the lake by Wolske Bay?
We constructed and painted the boards the first year and by mistake we put it on Wolske Bay in north Menomonie.  It looked great until a heavy snow storm sank the boards into the lake.  They ended up freezing two feet under the ice.  Since this was over winter break, only a few people were around to chain saw them out and reconstruct them on the Stout practice football field.  That is where we played the remainder of our schedule.  Ken Erickson coordinated the rescue of the sunken boards because the city did not want to get involved after two of their tractors fell through the ice while performing maintenance tasks. 

How has goalkeeping changed over the years? 
Today, the goalies have a completely different strategy.  They stay down on the ice in a butterfly stance and use positioning to deflect the pucks.  In the old days we used the standup style where my glove did a lot of the work.  Also, today's goalies are more involved with the offensive play by using their sticks more to start the breakout plays.  My job was to stay in the crease and stop pucks, nothing else.