Steve Dahlby
After returning to Menomonie and his hometown college, Steve Dahlby led a very talented UW-Stout golf team that captured back-to-back conference and NAIA District 14 championships in 1987 and 1988.
Dahlby returned to Menomonie after two years at NCAA Division I Northern Illinois and helped Stout advance to their first ever national team competition. Dahlby was a two-time medalist at both the WSUC and NAIA District 14 championships. During the 1988 WSUC Championships, Dahlby fired a blistering 69 in the first round, and finished with a 54-hole score of 222. During his two years, Dahlby was the medalist at eight meets.
When the Blue Devils were at the national meet, Dahlby remembers Stout was the only non-scholarship school to make the top 15.
After graduating with honors, Dahlby played on the Florida professional golf tour for two years, then became a golf instructor, eventually leading him to Troon North Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., where he is responsible for all instruction activity.
Wendy Heineke
Wendy Heineke was perhaps the most dominant swimmer in UW-Stout history. During her four-year career from 1986-89, Heineke captured four NAIA national titles, was a 23-time All-America recipient, won 14 WWIAC titles, held conference records in three events, set 14 UW-Stout records and was the NAIA District 14 swimmer of the year in 1989.
Heineke, a native of Madison, won national titles in 1988 in the 50-freestyle and 100-backstroke and in 1989 repeated in the 50-freestyle and took the 100-freestyle.
Upon induction into the Stout Hall of Fame, her 100-freestyle conference record still stands and the 100-butterfly record was just broken during the 1998-99 WIAC swimming championships.
Heineke, a hospitality and tourism graduate, currently resides in San Diego, Calif., where she is the general manager of a Marriott Residence Inn, a facility she assisted in opening. Heineke has been employed by Sunstone Hotel Properties for seven years, quickly moving through the ranks and has been the general manager at three properties.
Dan Larson
Dan Larson had two stints on the diamond at UW-Stout, and both times made his name known.
An all-conference pitcher in 1982 and 1983, and again in 1988 and 1989, Larson, a Boyceville native, was a dominant left-handed pitcher who still holds school records for most victories pitched (24), most strikeouts (147), most games pitched (46) and is second in most innings pitched (203).
A three time all-district player, Larson was named the District IV player of the year in 1989, as he helped Stout to the NAIA World Series where the team placed seventh.
Larson resides in Menomonie, where he coaches the local American Legion baseball team and works with numerous youth recreation programs.
A business education instructor at Wabasha-Kellogg (Minn) High School, where he has coached baseball and football. Larson was also an assistant baseball and football coach at Stout in 1993.
Mark Rothwell
In just two seasons (1987 and 1988) with the Blue Devils, wide receiver Mark Rothwell possessed the soft hands that allowed him to hold school records that stood for 10 years. His marks of most touchdown receptions in a season (9) and most touchdown receptions in a game (3) were just erased from the top spot last season. Rothwell still holds the mark for most receiving yards in a single game when he ran for 213 yards against Platteville in 1987.
A 1988 GTE Academic All-America and an NAIA Scholar-Athlete, Rothwell was named second team All-America in 1987 and was team MVP in 1988.
Rothwell signed professional football free agent contracts with the Cincinnati Bengals and the Green Bay Packers. Rothwell went on to play professionally with Aquile Ferrara in the Federation of Italian American Football (FIAF), where he was three times named the team MVP and set six league records in a three year career.
Rothwell currently resides in Dunwoody, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta, where he is employed by Coca-Cola as the manager of brand development for the Sprite product line.
Sten Pierce
Sten Pierce came to Stout in 1965 as the head wrestling coach and an assistant football coach. During Pierce's tenure as wrestling coach from 1965-72, the Blue Devils won two conference championships -- in 1966 and 1970 -- produced 10 conference champions, five national qualifiers and five All-Americans.
Pierce was named the WSUC and NAIA District 14 wrestling coach of the year in 1966 and 1970. Pierce also helped in the development of John Peterson, who went on to win an Olympic gold and silver medal.
Pierce took over as head football coach in 1970, coaching the Blue Devils until 1976. He produced two All-Americans and five first team all-conference picks.
Pierce picked up the golf clubs in the mid-1980s, coaching the Blue Devils to three consecutive conference titles in 1987, '88, and '89, and NAIA District 14 titles in 1988 and '89.
Pierce retired as a full-time professor in the UW-Stout physical education department in 1995, but continued to teach on a part-time basis up until his death in February 1999.
An active member of the Menomonie Lions Club since 1970, Pierce held a number of local offices but his pet project with the Lions was as sight project coordinator for the Eye Bank. An avid outdoorsman, Pierce was a member of Pheasants Forever and Ducks Unlimited.