Class of 1982 - Gymnastics

It’s a great accomplishment to be a member of a state championship team.  It’s an incredible accomplishment to be a member of a state championship team three years in a row.  And to be the star athlete and leader of those three teams is the most rare of feats.  Arguably the greatest female gymnast in Nicolet history, AJ Greene was the driving force of the girls’ gymnastics team during its three-year state title run in 1980, 1981, and 1982.  To win at the highest level in any sport, a team needs a collection of talented individuals.  In fact, a Milwaukee Sentinel article from the time highlighted the team philosophy of “WE’RE OKAY or we are all going down together” and elaborated about their collective will to succeed as a team.  However, to win at that exceptional level for a multi-year span, a team also needs an elite performer.  Greene was that athlete.  The Individual State All-Around Champion (best overall performer in all events) as a junior, she also won the Individual State Championship in Vaulting that year.  She followed that up her senior season with her second consecutive title in Vaulting.  For her efforts she was awarded the Glenn Kukla Scholarship her senior year.  Naturally gifted, Greene’s dedication to her craft set her apart from all others in her individual performances.  And her leadership of her teammates helped carry them all to the most successful three-year run in gymnastics in school history.  After graduation, AJ went on to compete in the Big Ten at the University of Iowa.

Distinguished Service: Ferne Hecker (1987-Present)

Ferne Hecker came to Nicolet in the Fall of 1982 as a parent of an athlete.  Soon after, Ferne joined an organization called “PONY” (Parents Of Nicolet Youth).  Through PONY, she organized volunteers to sell tickets and promote Nicolet basketball.  PONY eventually became PTSO (Parent Teacher Student Organization) where Ferne continued to be a volunteer member promoting Nicolet Athletics.  Soon after, a large group of parents, including Ferne met in support of more recognition for Nicolet athletes. From these group discussions, Senior Athletic Awards became a separate annual event and the Nicolet Athletic Booster Club was born.  In the early days of Booster Club, Ferne ordered banners for teams, recognized athletes with plaques and set-up the athletic awards programs.  In 1987, Ferne was hired by Nicolet as a part-time employee tasked with starting an alumni association.  She was involved in several athletic fundraisers including the Joe Entwisle Fundraiser, which raised more than $70,000 to fund a handicap accessible van for a NHS student who suffered paralysis during a wrestling accident.  She also organized a group of craftsmen to remodel the student’s home making it handicapped accessible.  This endeavor earned her a personal thank-you from Superintendent James Reiels through a Letter to the Editor in a local newspaper.  Because of her constant positive presence at Nicolet, Ferne was eventually offered a full-time position in 1990 as an assistant in the student office. In 1991, Assistant Athletic Director Cindy Wilburth nominated Ferne for the “Walt Disney Volunteer of the Year” award.  In 1992, in conjunction with the Nicolet Alumni Association, Ferne and the President of the Association worked together to bring the UW-Madison Badger Football team’s annual Spring Scrimmage to Nicolet.  In 1994, 1997 and 1998 when Nicolet basketball teams earned a WIAA State Tournament berth, it was Ferne who was given the responsibility of soliciting donations to fund fan buses to take students and parents along for the ride.  In 1994, she became the assistant to the Superintendent, a position she still holds today.  Among her proudest accomplishments is the creation of the Nicolet Athletic trophy cases which prominently highlight each Nicolet athletic team and its highest achievements.  In her now 28 years at Nicolet, Ferne has served in many athletic roles including but not limited to: soliciting professional coaches for career day, organizing team banquets, consulting with Athletic Director Frank Wolf on the creation of the JV patch, working concessions, selling school spirit wear, chaperoning and selling tickets at athletic events, working the annual golf outing and organizing the Athletic Hall of Fame Breakfast.  Ms. Ferne Hecker is a pioneer athletic volunteer who helped develop many groundbreaking athletic endeavors that are still enjoyed today at Nicolet High School.  

Class of 1969 - Football/Basketball/Track

Tom Lonnborg was an accomplished three-sport athlete at Nicolet High School from 1966 through 1969, earning seven varsity letters.

In football, Tom was the starting center as a sophomore on the 1966 Braveland Conference championship team.  As a junior and senior, he starred as a tight end on offense and linebacker on defense.  After receiving honorable mention all-conference honors on offense as a junior, Tom was named first-team all-conference on both offense and defense the following year.  Team captain his senior year, he lead all conference receivers in receptions, yards and touchdowns.

On the basketball team, Tom was a starting forward during his junior and senior seasons.  As a senior, he served as co-captain of the team and earned honorable mention all-conference honors.  In 1969, Tom scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds in the team’s 78-73 upset win over Milwaukee Lincoln in Nicolet’s first-ever appearance in the WIAA State Basketball Tournament.

In track, Tom competed in the 440-yard run and was a member of the mile relay team which won or placed second in multiple meets and set a school record his senior year.  He was selected as a member of the Nicolet Hosts and was given the Good Citizenship Award as a junior.

Tom later joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison football team as a walk-on.  He earned a scholarship and was awarded two varsity letters, playing tight end and starting during the 1971 season.

Coach: Gymnastics/Diving/Track

Vicki Thompson was one of the most versatile Multi Sport athletes to come out of Nicolet High School.  Earning 12 letters in Diving, Gymnastics and Track, she also was a Varsity cheerleader.   She still holds the top spot on the record board for the 100 Meter Hurdles.    A two- time defending Braveland Conference Champion in the hurdles, she broke her own conference record the second year.  She also qualified for the WIAA State championships all four years of high school, and placed in the top two at the state meet.  As the tracks team’s MVP, she was inducted into the “Woman’s Who’s  Who of American High School Athletes”.  Further, she was voted Best Female Athlete by her high school class.  In college, Vicki competed for the UW La Crosse Women’s Track team, where she continued her success as a Conference Champion.

In 1984, Vicki was recruited by her former high school gymnastics coach to become the new Varsity Gymnastics Head Coach at Nicolet High School.  The next ten years would prove to be the most exciting of journeys.   In her first year, she led her new team to a Braveland Conference title and the team runner-up position at the WIAA State championships.  The next year was even better, not only winning the North Shore conference title, but also claiming the WIAA State Championships and breaking the WIAA state record.  That same year she was voted Coach of the Year by the North Shore Conference.  During this period, Vicki coached over 20 young women to individual conference champions and brought over ten individual qualifiers to the WIAA State meet, where they all placed in the top ten.  In 1986 and 1987, she was also the assistant Varsity Track coach where she worked with relay teams, hurdlers and jumpers.

In 1989 she was invited by the Varsity swim coach to join his team as the Diving coach.  For the next five years, Vicki lent her talents to the development and success of the diving program.  Through Vicki’s efforts , the team gained recognition in the local print and television media.  She facilitated the creation of the Nicolet Diving Invitational, which the team won each year of her tenure. Always delivering, she qualified two to three individuals each year to the WIAA State meet, with one placing third and another placing sixth.  Some of her athletes still hold spots on the school record board.  Her involvement did not end with coaching.   Vicki believed in impacting the lives of her team members, and provided support and guidance through their college and careers years well beyond high school. She is still in touch with many of them to this day. “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift”.

In all, Coach Mickschl coached at Nicolet for 11 years from 1984-1994 and left her indelible mark on Nicolet Athletics.

Class of 1963 - Wrestling

Not many times in school history can an individual lay claim to being a three-time most valuable player of one’s team.   But when one is arguably the best wrestler in school history, not only can he claim that, but so much more.  And that’s what James Wolff can easily do.  As a sophomore, he would win more than 20 matches against just 2 defeats.  At the conclusion of the season, he would be named team MVP for the first time.  As a senior, he would duplicate that record – more than 20 wins against just 2 defeats. He would receive the third of his team MVP honors. He also had his fastest career pin – 18 seconds!  But as grand as those seasons were, it was his junior season in 1962 that would be truly magical for Wolff.  Once again, more than 20 wins.  As he entered the state tournament that winter, this time he carried an undefeated record with him.  That mark would remain intact as he would go on to capture the WIAA State Wrestling Championship in the 103 lb weight class with an overall 26-0 mark on the magnificent season.  He would cap off his Hall of Fame career with a 3rd Place finish in the State meet as a senior.  With nearly 70 career wins against just 4 losses, two Braveland Conference titles, and both a state title and 3rd place finish to his resume’, Wolff’s legacy is unmatched in Nicolet history.

Class of 1970 - Football/Basketball/Baseball/Track

Some Hall of Fame athletes are superior in one particular sport.  Others achieve excellence in multiple sports.  This would be the case regarding Ken “Hammer” Zganjar.  A true multi-sport star, Zganjar earned 11 varsity letters across four different sports in his prolific high school career:  baseball (3), football (3), track (3) and basketball (2).  As a junior, he earned 1st Team All-Braveland Conference honors as well as being named Team MVP as an outfielder in baseball. He followed that up with a 2nd Team All-Conference selection his senior season.  In the fall of 1969, he was the workhorse in the backfield for the football squad as he set school records for most carries in a season (207) and most yards gained in a season (1033) as he became the first Nicolet running back to ever crack the 1000 yard mark for single season.  As team captain, he averaged a lofty 4.99 yards per carry for the year.  For this success on the gridiron, he was named 1st Team All-Braveland Conference at running back as well as Team MVP.  As a senior, he was recognized for his athletic prowess with the Milwaukee “W-Club Award” and as a student-athlete with the distinguished Glen Kukla Athletic Award.  After high school, Zganjar would go on to play collegiate baseball at Drake University.  In an era marked by several elite level athletes at Nicolet, Zganjar stood above as one of the very best.