Three Blue Devils join elite group into WIAC Hall of Fame

PLATTEVILLE (August 1, 2015) - Three former UW-Stout standouts were among the 30 outstanding athletes, coaches and administrators that were inducted into the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Hall of Fame Saturday on the UW-Platteville campus.

Twenty-three time All-American swimmer Wendy Heineke, former Olympic gold medal winning wrestler John Peterson and 27-year men's basketball coach Dwain Mintz were inducted into the conference-wide honors hall before more than 300 people.

Wendy Heineke
During her UW-Stout career from 1986-89, Wendy Heineke captured four NAIA national titles, was a 23-time All-American, won 14 conference titles, held conference records in three evens, set 14 UW-Stout records and was selected the NAIA District 14 Swimmer of the Year in 1989.

She won national titles in 1988 in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke, and in 1989, repeated in the  50-yard freestyla dn took the 100-yard freestyle. Heineke captured conference championships in the 50-yard freestyle (1988, 1989); 100-yard freestyle (1987, 188, 1989); 100-yard backstroke (1986, 1988); 200-yard backstroke (19860; 100-yard butterfly (1986, 1988, 1989); and as a member of the 400-yard freestyle relay team (1989).

She was inducted into the UW-Stout Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2012, Heineke was named to the WIAC Women's Swimming and Diving All-Time Team in conjunction with the conference's Centennial Celebration.

She earned a bachelor's degreee in hotel, restaurant and tourism managment. Heineke currently residesin Annapolis, Md.

Dwain Mintz
Dwain Mintz, currently fourth on the WIAC all-time men's basketball coaches wins list with a record of 285-290, coached league contenders throughout his tenure at UW-Stout from 1963-89, including conference championships in 1966, 1969 and 1975. He was the NAIA District 14 Coach of the Year in 1966 and 1973, and NAIA ARea IV Coach of the Year in 1969. During his 27 years at UW-Stout, Mintz turned out 26 all-conference first team players.

Four years after Mintz arrived at UW-Stout, the school won its first conference title in 20 years. The Blue Devisl won the 1966 championship with a 20-3 overall record (15-1 in conference play). The 1969 title team (22-4, 4-2 conference) featured three all-conference first team players, including the Player of the Year, and made a deep run into the fourth round of the NAIA national tournament.

An outstanding baseball player who played in the Brooklyn Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals farm systems, Mintz also coched the UW-Stout baseball team from 1963-68.

Mintz has been inducted into the UW-Stout, NAIA District 14, Bethany Lutheran College (Minn.) and Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association halls of fame.

He earned a bachelor's degree in physical education and health, along with a master's degree in cardiovascular endurance, from Mankato State Universty and a Ph.D in vision fatigur and endurance from Utah State University. Mintz currently resides in Menomonie.

John Peterson
John Peterson used his career at UW-Stout as a stepping stone. After winning three conference wrestling titles, Peterson went on to earn national and international laurels, including an Olympic silver medal in 1972 and a gold medal in 1976.

Peterson wrestled for the Blue Devils from 1968-71, earning three conference titles (1969 - 160 pounds; 1970 - 167 pounds; 1971 - 167 pounds ). The 1970 squad captured the conference team title. Peterson earned NAIA All-America honors in 1971, when he finished fifth at 167 pounds.

He qualified for the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, in teh 180.5-pound freestyle class and won the silver, with his only loss coming to the gold medal winner. Four years later, overcoming illness and injury, Peterson won gold in Montreal, Canada in the same weight class. Peterson's brother, Ben, captured a gold medal wrestling title in 1972, and a silver medal in 1976.

In addition to his Olympic feats, Peterson was a four-time AAU National Champion, a silver medal winner at the 1971 World Championship and a bronze medal winner at the 1973 World Championship.

Peterson is a member of the National Wrestling, NAIA District 14 and UW-Stout halls of fame. The award for the top wrestler at the WIAC championship is named in his honor. In 2012, Peterson was named to the WIAC Wrestling All-Time Team in conjunction with the conference's Centennial Celebration.

Peterson earned a bachelor's degree in industrial education and currently resides in Comstock.


The WIAC Hall of Fame was established in 2012 in conjuction with the league's 100th anniversary celebration and is intended to provide for the recoginitions of those individuals who have made a significant contribution to the conference and to help preserve the storied history of the WIAC and its member institutions, said WIAC commissioner Gary Karner.