Lawrence Today magazine, Fall 2002
By Joe Vanden Acker
Since its founding in 1996, the Lawrence University Intercollegiate Athletic Hall of Fame has selected as members some 48 individuals whose contributions as athletes and coaches (and one team doctor) have added strength and brought luster to the college's athletics programs. At its annual banquet, to be held this year on Saturday, October 5, the Hall of Fame will install six new members: Coach Mark Catlin, Richard G. Miller, '47, Robert Smith, '61, James D. Miller, '80, James R. Petran, '80, and Sarah O'Neil, '92. Here are their stories.
Mark Catlin, football coach, 1909-18, 1924-27
The words to describe Mark Catlin are many and varied: athletic star, attorney, sportsman, conservationist, elected official, and "Coach of Champions."
The latter was the moniker Catlin earned during the nearly two decades he spent in service to Lawrence University. As the football coach from 1909 to 1918 and from 1924 to 1927, he won five conference championships and established many legends. Catlin's record of 55-29-7 ranks him third on the school's all-time wins list, behind only previous Hall of Famers Ron Roberts and Bernie Heselton.
Born in Aurora, Ill., in 1882, Catlin was an athletic legend at the University of Chicago. He played for the legendary Amos Alonzo Stagg and personally accounted for Chicago's 1905 victory over the University of Michigan, when he tackled a Wolverine in the end zone for a safety and the game's only score.
Catlin, who spent his boyhood in Ashland, earned All-Western honors as an end and was named second-team All-America. Also a great track athlete at Chicago, he competed in the hurdles and discus at the 1904 St. Louis Olympics, winning gold medals in the broad jump and high and low hurdles. He went to law school at the University of Iowa and was named football coach there, compiling a 7-10 record while coaching the Hawkeyes from 1906-08.
Coach Catlin began to make his mark on Lawrence football in 1910, when the Vikings played to a 6-6 tie with the University of Wisconsin. For the next four seasons, Lawrence was the unquestioned powerhouse of small college football in the state. Catlin's teams won four consecutive Wisconsin Intercollegiate championships from 1911-14 and gave up just one touchdown to a small college opponent. In that stretch, Lawrence outscored its opponents 485-143.
After stepping away from football following the 1918 season, Catlin returned in 1924 and coached the Vikings to a 4-1-1 record and their second Midwest Conference championship. He coached for three more seasons before leaving Lawrence for good in 1927.
Catlin was a master strategist and psychologist when it came to gridiron tactics. He insisted on skin-tight dark blue jerseys, to make his team look smaller. This was the rough-and-tumble age of football, and Catlin wanted his men to be the toughest.
He allowed minimal padding, and the men wore no shoulder pads or helmets. Catlin once said, "My theory on shoulder pads is that they are unnecessary because nature has provided protection at the vital points."
During his stint away from Lawrence football after World War I, Catlin served in the state assembly from 1920-22. After being defeated in the Republican primary in 1922, he returned to his law practice and to football. He worked as an attorney until his death of a heart attack in 1956.Back to top
Known as a punishing tackle on the football team, Miller was also a silky smooth forward on the basketball squad. He earned All-Midwest Conference (MWC) honors five times and led his teams to three league championships.
Miller came to Lawrence from Evanston, Ill., and made an impact as soon as he hit the field in the fall of 1941. He helped the Vikings to a 4-2-1 record on the gridiron and was a big hit inside Alexander Gymnasium as well, earning second-team all-conference honors in basketball, as the Vikings put together an 11-6 record in the 1941-42 season, Lawrence's best mark since 1933-34.
Also the Vikings' place-kicker, Miller became the nation's highest-scoring tackle when he scored 25 points in 1942. Nicknamed "Boom Boom," he kicked 19 points-after-touchdown and scored a touchdown. His play on both sides of the line and as a kicker earned him first-team all-conference honors and pushed Lawrence to a 6-0 record and the MWC championship.
As good as he was that fall, he may have been even better during the winter of 1942-43, when he was named first-team all-conference. A 6-foot-2, 205-pound forward, Miller powered Lawrence to a 10-5 record and the MWC title, its first since 1925. He used the combination of a one-handed outside shot, which was just becoming popular, and a deft touch around the basket to wow fans and opponents alike.
Miller volunteered for the Marine Corps in 1942. Piloting torpedo bombers, he served from 1943 to 1945 and returned to Lawrence in the fall of 1946. He was called back to duty during the Korean War as a flight instructor.
Rejoined in 1946 by many of his contemporaries who also had gone off to war, Miller took Lawrence back to the top of the Midwest Conference football standings. With Miller doing the blocking on the bread-and-butter play of the Lawrence single wing, strong off-tackle right, and Hall of Famer Carl Giordana, '48, carrying the ball, the Vikings went 6-1-1 and won the MWC championship again. Miller earned first-team all-conference honors for the second time in his career.
He finished his basketball career in style by averaging an astronomical, for the time, 19 points per game in 1946-47. He led the Vikings to a 10-7 record, to complete one of the most successful eras in Lawrence basketball history. Miller, who was first-team all-conference, led his teams to a 31-18 record. Miller's basketball career didn't end at Lawrence, however. He went on to play for the Oshkosh All-Stars of the National Basketball League, the precursor to the NBA.
A resident of Indianapolis, Ind., since 1955, he is the owner of Miller Sales Corporation.
Back to top
Smith was dominant for the Lawrence wrestling team for three seasons, from 1958 to 1961, winning three Midwest Conference championships. He compiled a 30-2 record, with those two losses coming at the hands of major college opponents. Smith also played three seasons of football, earning All-MWC honors as a junior and senior, and competed for the track team.
A native of Beaver Dam, Smith was an instant sensation on the wrestling mat. Wrestling at heavyweight as a sophomore, he went 7-1, with his only loss coming to a wrestler from the University of Wisconsin at the State College Meet. He rolled through the competition at the 1959 MWC Championships, pinning all three of his opponents on his way to the heavyweight title.
As good as his debut season was on the mat, Smith was even better in 1959-60, when he wrestled at 191 pounds. He went 12-1 and became the first Lawrence wrestler to earn a berth in the NCAA Championships. Smith again trounced the competition at the conference championships, pinning all three opponents on his way to the title at 191. When he finished off John Burton of Cornell College in 1:08 in the championship match, Smith had spent only 8:07 on the mat to win the title.
He went on to wrestle in the NCAA meet in College Park, Md., but lost to Iowa State University's Gordon Trapp in his opening match, for his only setback of the season.
Smith, who served as team captain for two years, wrapped up his wrestling career by going undefeated in his senior season. He posted an 11-0 record at 191 and won the State College Meet title for the second consecutive year. He became the first Lawrence wrestler to win three conference titles when he defeated Bob Hartman of Coe College 7-1 in the championship match.
Smith stepped into a starting role at tackle for the football team in the fall of 1958. He earned honorable mention on the All-MWC football team as a junior in 1959 and helped the Vikings to a 4-4 record. A powerful blocker and pulling lineman, Smith led the way for talented backfield mates like Hall of Famers David Mulford, '59, and Jim Schulze, '61, as well as Gary Just, '63. He was just as good on the defensive side of the ball from his linebacker position, stuffing other teams' inside rushing attacks and generally causing havoc in the backfield. He also handled the punting chores and doubled as place-kicker.
As co-captain and Most Valuable Player in 1960, Smith enjoyed a stellar senior season and was named second-team all-conference. He even got into the act as a ball carrier, running for a key first down a fake punt in Lawrence's 20-16 upset of eventual conference champion St. Olaf College.
He also ran track for three seasons, throwing the shot put, discus, and javelin and also running sprints and doing the pole vault. He grabbed third place in the javelin at the 1961 MWC Championships.
Smith, who was a teacher for 35 years, is retired and lives in Marshall. He also coached football, wrestling, and track and currently is a track coach at Marshall High School.
Back to top
James D. Miller, '80, cross country, track
For Jim Miller, the farther, the better.
Miller was one of the greatest distance runners in Lawrence history, and the greater the distance, the better he ran. He earned All-America honors in cross country and track and won two Midwest Conference titles.
A native of Grand Forks, N.D., Miller hit his stride during his sophomore year at Lawrence, the fall of 1977, when he placed third at the Midwest Conference cross country meet, earning all-conference honors for the first time. He went on to qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships, the first of three times he would run at the national meet.
Miller started a spectacular 1978-79 school year by winning the cross country title at the MWC Championships. He again qualified for the NCAA Championships and ran to 12th place to earn All-America honors.
He capped his outdoor track season in the spring of 1979 by winning the six-mile run at the MWC Championships, setting a conference record in the process. He also qualified for the 10,000 meters at the NCAA Division III Championships and finished sixth to become an All-American.
In the fall of 1979, he began his senior cross country season by placing sixth at the conference championships to earn all-conference honors for the third time. He also qualified for the NCAA Championships for the third consecutive season and finished 40th at the national meet.
In all, Miller, who held school records in the two-mile, three-mile, and six-mile runs, placed in six events at the MWC Championships in indoor and outdoor track. He missed the conference outdoor meet as a senior because he was running in the 1980 United States Olympic Trials in the marathon. He returned to compete at the NCAA Championships and finished 16th in the 10,000 meters.
Today, Miller, who continues to run competitively, lives in Essex Junction, Vt., and is a senior trust officer at Merchants Trust Company and a certified financial planner.
Back to top
He starred in football and baseball, and the teams he played on won four Midwest Conference championships and went to two NCAA Division III tournaments.
Petran was the starting quarterback for three seasons and had a 24-4 record as a starter. The Vikings were 31-6 during his four years of football and captured the 1979 conference title with a 9-1 record. The record-setting Mr. Petran earned All-MWC honors as a senior and received honorable mention on the Associated Press All-America team.
During his senior season, he completed 134 of 248 passes for 1,492 yards and 18 touchdowns. He capped that conference championship season of 1979 by tossing a pair of touchdown passes in a 52-7 rout of Carleton College in the title game. Lawrence led the nation in total offense in 1978, due in large part to Petran's magic left arm. He completed 165 of 306 passes for 2,102 yards and 19 touchdowns in 1978, finishing fourth in the nation in passing and third in total offense. In an unexplainable vote by conference coaches, both Petran and All-American wide receiver (and 2001 Hall of Fame selection) Paul Gebhardt, '79, were left off the all-conference team.
Despite being more than two decades removed from active play, Petran remains Lawrence's most prolific passer. The native of Mount Prospect, Ill., held 18 records when he graduated from Lawrence and continues to hold game, season, and career records for passing and total offense. The lefty quarterback threw four touchdown passes twice in a game, and he also holds the record for touchdown passes in a season (20 in 1977) and a career (59). He has the season record for passing yards per game (233.6) and the career record in the same category (169.7). In addition, Petran is the career leader in attempts (844), completions (452), and passing yards (5,431) and also holds the season marks for total offense (2,260 yards) and average per game (251.1). He is the career leader in total offense, with 1,051 plays, 5,948 yards, an average of 5.66 yards per play, and 185.9 yards per game.
Playing alongside high school teammate and previous Hall of Fame selection Bill Simon, '80, Petran was a key cog for a group of powerhouse baseball teams. He earned All-MWC honors three times and served as co-captain during his senior season.
In baseball, he helped the Vikings to a 66-43 record from 1977-80; MWC championships in 1977, 1979, and 1980; and NCAA regional appearances in 1977 and 1979.
A rarity in baseball -- a left-handed shortstop -- Petran compiled a .296 lifetime batting average with 13 home runs and 64 runs batted in. He had his best season in 1978, when he hit .329 with six homers and 24 RBIs. He still ranks in Lawrence's top ten in career runs scored, doubles, home runs, and RBIs.
Petran also saw time on the mound during three seasons, posting a 1-5 career record in 43-1/3 innings. His four saves in 1979 bought him the record for a single season, and the five career saves put him second in the Lawrence record books. He also ranks tenth in the strikeouts to innings pitched category at .76 strikeouts per frame.
Petran works in sales for Andrews Paperboard Company and lives in Park Ridge, Ill.
Back to top
Spurred by O'Neil's brilliant all-around game, the Vikings won two conference championships, and she finished as Lawrence's all-time leading scorer. The native of Whitefish Bay is first in career scoring at 1,225 points and is one of only two players in the program's history to score more than 1,000 points. She still ranks fourth in career scoring average, at 13.2 points per game; is fifth in career rebounds, with 489; and 12th in assists with 149.
O'Neil, a 5-foot-9 forward, was steered to Lawrence by her grandmother and arrived just in time for the rebirth of the women's basketball program. The previous season had been canceled and the coach's contract not renewed. Enter new coach Amy Proctor and O'Neil, who combined with players like Hall of Famer Tracie Spangenberg, '90, Holly Skaer, '91, and Gina Seegers, '92, to energize a program that went 59-38 over the next four seasons, one of the best stretches in Lawrence women's basketball history. The Vikings captured the 1989 Lake Michigan Conference title and won the 1990 Midwest Conference (MWC) crown.
Lawrence finished the season with four consecutive wins, including a 72-70 overtime victory over Lakeland College to capture the Lake Michigan Conference title. O'Neil, a fierce competitor, earned first-team All-Lake Michigan Conference honors.
The Vikings bowed out of the Lake Michigan Conference following that season, to concentrate on MWC play in 1989-90, and put together the finest season in school history, compiling an 18-6 record and defeating Grinnell College 53-50 in the MWC championship game.
O'Neil became just the third Lawrence player to earn first-team All-MWC honors after she averaged 12 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
O'Neil, who had the ability to play inside or on the perimeter, helped the Vikings to a 16-8 record during her junior season and led the team in scoring, at 14.2 points per game. She again earned first-team All-MWC honors.
A true team leader, she served as captain for her senior season, 1991-92, and earned first-team All-MWC honors for the third consecutive time.
The Vikings posted a 12-12 record, and O'Neil averaged a team-high 14 points per game and was second with 4.8 rebounds per contest.
Currently, O'Neil lives in Chicago and works as an associate brand manager at World Kitchen.
Back to top