Bobcat Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2015 announced

The Bobcat Athletics Hall of Fame was established in 2006 as a way to recognize the many great athletes, teams, coaches, administrators, and community members that have been a part of Bobcat athletics over the years.

The Hall of Fame induction will be held on Thursday, May 28 in conjunction with the All-Sports Awards Night at the HSCSD #1 Auditorium beginning at 6:30 p.m..

The Class of 2015 includes:

Allen Bucher (Male Athlete)

Allen Bucher was a three-sport letterman for the Bobcats in 1977-80. He was a three-year letterman in football, earning All-Conference honors in 1980 while leading the Bobcats in receptions and interceptions.

Bucher lettered in wrestling in 1977 as a 105 pound varsity wrestler. Swimming was the sport where Bucher excelled the most, earning three varsity letters in 1978-80.

Bucher was Honorable Mention All-State in one meter diving in 1978 and in the 100 yard breast stroke in 1980. He earned First Team All-State honors in the one meter diving in 1979 and 1980 and as a member of the 400 meter relay team in 1980. The highlight of his high school swimming and diving career was being a two-time State Champion in diving in 1979 and 1980.

Bucher went on to the University of Wyoming where he earned a degree in MIS/Computer Science, and later earned a Master’s Degree in Engineering from the University of Colorado.

He is currently the Senior Executive and Co-Owner of Advanced Solutions, Inc. in Littleton, CO.

Mark Whitt

(Special Contributor)

A graduate of HSCHS, Mark Whitt served as the “Voice of the Bobcats”, broadcasting Bobcat football and basketball games from 1998-2012.

Whitt was never shy in announcing that he “bled purple and gold” in his broadcasts.

He had the privilege of calling two boys basketball and two football state championships during his broadcasting career.

Whitt also served as the President of the Bobcat Booster Club from 1998-2005, raising funds for the Bobcat sports programs and for equipment for Bobcat athletes that could not afford the required equipment for their sport.

2004 Boys Basketball Team

The 2003-04 Thermopolis team is acknowledged as one of the greatest in Wyoming basketball history.

On the way to repeating as Class 3A State Champions, Thermopolis averaged 79.5 points per game and allowed just 45.4, a whopping 34.1 margin, all marks the best in the state. Yet the starting players sat out most fourth quarters due to large leads.

“The last month of the season the pressure to go undefeated and win started to build. They handled all of the adversity and took everyone’s best shot down the stretch”, said head coach Mike Ibach.

Thermopolis also won the Fremont Shootout, Absaraka Conference regular season and West Regional Tournament championships.

Eight members of that 24-0 team were also part of the Thermopolis team that won the state championship the previous season with a 24-1 record.

Six members were part of the Bobcat team the following season that finished second at state with a 22-5 record. (Those three Thermopolis teams won 49 games in a row at one point. If a game against last-place Rawlins had not been snowed out just before the 2004 state tournament, Thermopolis would have tied Wyoming’s longest win streak of 50 games by Wyoming Indian. As impressive, at one point Thermopolis won 61 of 62 games.).

“This group was special in a lot of ways. Losing was not in their vocabulary. They were a very confident group that had one common goal and that was to run the table and win a second state title”, said Ibach.

The 2003-04 Bobcats didn’t just play Class 3A teams; they proved they were Wyoming’s best.

Thermopolis won all four 2003 summer off-season tournaments in Billings, Mont.; Chadron, Neb.; the University of Wyoming and Thermopolis, defeating the top teams (some state champions) from large school divisions in Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Colorado and Wyoming, finishing 30-1.

The Bobcats were noted for their fast-paced passing attack, in one game recording a phenomenal 31 assists.

Defensively Thermopolis regularly held opponents without a field goal for entire quarters.

Two members of the team were named the best player in Wyoming in successive seasons, and several earned All-State recognition in the 2002-2005 seasons. Four Bobcats later played junior college or college basketball.

Ibach added, “I honestly feel that this was the best team in the state regardless of classification. I, along with the community, congratulate this team on a well-deserved induction to the Bobcat Athletics Hall of Fame. One of the things I am most proud of with this team is the fact that they carried themselves with class, integrity and character. They had a profound impact on the youth of our community just by how they carried themselves on and off the court. They were humble in victory and appreciated the people that appreciated them”.

Seniors: James Van Heule, Logan Stevenson, Jake Schmidt, Brant Kummerfeld, AJ Grieve, Blaine Christensen.

Juniors: Nathan Miller, Kyle Lash, Matt Larson, Brian Fuchs. Gary Benefiel.

Sophomore: Mat Cordingly.

Coaches: Mike Ibach, assistant coach Parke Price; freshmen coach Pete Hoffman

Hall of Fame Inductees

2007 2008

Ginger Baird Ward – Female Athlete Shawnda Mead Adams – Female Athlete

Jennifer Miller – Female Athlete Elizabeth Brown – Female Athlete

JB Roden – Male Athlete John Pilch – Male Athlete

Don Campbell – Male Athlete George “Moe” Radovich – Male Athlete

1922 Track Team Pinky & Goldie Warren – Special Contributor

Cal Voigt – Special Contributor

2009 2010

Shannon Jones Shaffer – Female Athlete Tammi Johnson – Female Athlete

Marta Raicevich Hartman – Female Athlete Bill Bush – Male Athlete

Joe McKethen – Male Athlete 1990 Football Team

Don Bracken – Male Athlete Joe Doak – Special Contributor

E.J. “Joe” Bush – Coach/Administrator

1954 Boys Basketball Team

Earl Myers – Special Contributor

2011

John Curtin – Male Athlete

Steve Rea – Male Athlete

1952 Boys Basketball Team

Pat Schmidt – Special Contributor