Tim Peterson
Tim Peterson set the standard for all UW-Stout quarterbacks to follow. Peterson led the Blue Devils football team from 1986-89. After latching onto the starting role, Peterson began to rack up numbers that eventually would set 16 school records.
With Peterson at the command of a high powered offense, the Blue Devils led the NCAA Division III in passing in 1987. Peterson finished his career with 8,881 passing yards and 9,703 yards in total offense, both still school records that will be hard pressed to be broken.
After leaving Stout, Peterson played with the Orlando Thunder of the short-lived World League of American Football, and had tryouts with the Minnesota Vikings and in the Canadian Football League. Upon completion of his playing career in Europe, Peterson turned to coaching with the Swedish national team, then returned to Minnesota as an assistant coach at Hutchinson High School.
Peterson currently resides in Hutchinson, Minn., where he is employed as a process engineer for Hutchinson Technology.
Michelle Espe-Walsh
Mish Espe was instrumental in the advancement of the Blue Devils women's volleyball program. As the team's setter from 1984-87, Espe set the standard for volleyball's quarterback position.
A team captain her final three seasons, Espe was an honorable mention all-conference choice as a junior, a first team pick as a senior and the team's most valuable player as a junior and senior.
Known for her pinpoint accuracy with the set, Espe graduated from the Blue Devils program with the most career assists. She currently ranks third on the all-time Stout assists list.
Following her Stout playing career, Espe was an assistant coach for the Blue Devils for one season, then continued to play in a number of amateur leagues and tournaments around the country.
Espe currently resides in Elko, Minn., with her husband, Jamie Walsh, a former Stout football player, and one child. Espe works for Telex Communications as an accounting supervisor.
Bill Lyons
Not only did Bill Lyons give the Blue Devils a scoring punch, he also provided the Stout basketball team with leadership both on and off the court during his Stout career from 1970-74.
"One of the best team leaders ever to come out of the program," said long time Stout coach Dwain Mintz.
And Lyons' leadership was a big part in the Blue Devils' success. During his Lyons' career, the Blue Devils posted a 67-30 overall record.
Lyons was a two-time all-conference pick and was a NAIA District 14 choice in 1973-74 when he scored 563 points for a 21.6 points per game average, a total that is second on the Stout all-time single season list. Lyons scored 1050 career points, currently ranking him 14th.
Lyons took his leadership, team concept and winning attitude into the business world, working as a general manager for McDonalds Corp., an area associate for STA Corp., vice president of operations from Applebees Franchise, and vice president of operations for Fairmount Capital Group, a position he currently holds while residing in Ohio.
Mike Beaupre
When Mike Beaupre looks back at his gymnastics career, the year 1984 stands out. As a member of the Blue Devils men's gymnastics team, Beaupre saw both individual and team success.
The Blue Devils won the NAIA Gymnastics Championships, the only Stout team to ever win a national championship. As a team, the Blue Devils qualified to the NCAA Division II Gymnastics Championships, placing sixth.
After finishing second at the NAIA championships on the pommel horse to his teammate Paul Speltz, Beaupre kicked his routine into high gear and won the NCAA Division II pommel horse championship, qualifying to the NCAA Division I championships where he placed 65th. But the thrill of competing at the highest levels in an Olympic year left an imprint on Beaupre.
Beaupre competed against six members of the Olympic team at Pauly Pavilion at UCLA, the same location the Olympics would be held later that summer.
During his Stout career from 1979-84, Beaupre was a three-time NAIA All-American, a two-time NCAA Division II All-America and twice qualified to the NCAA Division I Gymnastic Championships.
Beaupre continued to work with the gymnastics program after leaving Stout. Beaupre received his master's from Stout in 1987, and returned to Menomonie in 1997 where he is the executive director of Indianhead Enterprises. Beaupre and his wife, Cindy, have four children.
John Zuerlein
John Zuerlein can only be termed as Stout's "Mr. Gymnastics." After coming to Stout as a student in in 1959 from Lincoln, Neb., Zuerlein played a year of football. Zuerlein left Stout for two years, but returned in 1962 and turned his attention to gymnastics, starting the Blue Devils men's gymnastics program while still a student, and quickly turning the program into a national contender.
Zuerlein graduated from Stout in 1966, then joined the physical education and athletics department where he coached the men's program from its inception until 1983 and took over the women's program in 1979. Zuerlein was twice named the national coach of the year, and the conference coach of the year in 1992. Zuerlein coached seven individual national champions, 15 NAIA and five NCAA men's All-Americans, four NCGA women's All-Americans and numerous all-conference gymnasts. Zuerlein's men's team placed in the top four of the NAIA every year from 1970-83, and twice placed fifth in the NCAA Division II.
An avid outdoorsman, Zuerlein parlayed his interest into the classroom, establishing classes in map and compass, backpacking, canoeing and other similar classes. It was on one of Zuerlein's outdoor adventures with a class that Zuerlein would deal with his biggest setback. Zuerlein was severely injured in a fall in a remote part of a state forest. After his students evacuated him, Zuerlein was hospitalized, then required additional physical therapy.
Zuerlein prevailed and returned to both the classroom and the gymnasium. Zuerlein retired from coaching gymnastics in 1994 and retired completely from the classroom this past spring. He intends to enjoy the outdoors and his grandchildren.