May 28, 2012 at 11:05 a.m.
Hodag Hall welcomes Kroll, Stein, Thoms
Hodag Hall welcomes Kroll, Stein, Thoms
State champion swimmers Alan Kroll and Justin Thoms were inducted as was former all-state lineman and Wisconsin Badger Jeff Stein.
Alan Kroll and Justin Thoms
Former RHS swim coach Dan Jesse combined the induction speeches for Kroll and Thoms, both members of the class of 1994. The speech lasted over 20 minutes The majority of the time was spent listing off the awards for two of the most decorated swimmers in Rhinelander High School history.
Kroll was a five-time state champion, eight-time sectional champion and 11-time conference champion. Thoms won two state titles and was on the podium at state eight times.
"The one thing that keeps coming back to me is how blessed I was as a coach, not only to have the top swimmers in the history of Rhinelander High School, but to have the both of them at the same time," Jesse said in his presenting speech. "They definitely elevated the program and everybody around them. It was amazing to watch and see these guys getting faster and getting better."
Kroll and Thoms teamed up to win the state championship in the 200-yard medley relay in 1993 and Kroll and Thoms went 1-2 in the 50 freestyle.
In 1994, the two scored a state title in the 200 freestyle relay. Kroll added wins in the 100 butterfly and the 400 freestyle relay.
Jesse said discovering Thoms' abilities in the butterfly was key for the Hodags in 1993.
"We had some good butterflyers and he was a distance swimmer, so we really never tried him out," he said. "He swam the (individual medley), did very well in it, but the butterfly is the first leg, so we really never got to see what he could do for speed. Just for the heck of it, we put him in the butterfly leg of the medley relay and a big piece of the puzzle just came together."
Both continued to excel after their time at RHS. Kroll went on to swim at the University of Kansas, and was named a team captain in 1997 and 1998. He met his wife, Trisha, a volleyball player at KU and now has three sons and resides in Denver. He is employed by a major medical company as part of its nationwide program for call services. He is in the process of training for an Ironman triathlon.
Thoms ended up at Division III powerhouse Kenyon College, where he helped the program break the record for consecutive national championships. He had 13 All-American awards. Dr. Thoms is married to his wife, Kate, has three daughters and is in private practice, specializing in joint replacement.
Kroll thanked a multitude of people during his acceptance speech, most notably his parents, Jesse and fellow Hodag Hall of Famer and WIAA state swimming champion, Dave Heck.
Kroll recounted a story of crashing RHS swim practice one time as a seventh grader and the message Jesse delivered.
"I remember the first time I swam with the high school team, I think I was in seventh grade and snuck in there, walked down from the junior high and got in the pool," Kroll said. "Dan made it real clear at that point what he expected out of me. He wasn't going to let me get in the lane with the youngest guys and ease along. He wanted the best out of me."
Later in the speech, Kroll said, "I especially want to thank Dave Heck for mentoring me my last couple years of high school and making me see the goals I needed to achieve. He was really just a guiding light to me through that process... I want to thank my family. I wouldn't be here today without them. There's no way to thank them adequately for the time and the effort they invested in me."
Thoms echoed those sentiments, in a more direct approach.
"First and foremost I would like to thank my family, for getting my butt up at five in the morning," he said, drawing laughter from the audience.
Thoms, who started swimming as an eighth grader, recalled how unrefined his stroke was as a beginner.
"I started in eighth grade and when I first jumped in the pool, I did the sidestroke," he said. "There was a fairly dramatic change in what my understanding of what a swimmer was over the course of the next few years, but it was a good one and I wouldn't give it up for the world."
Jeff Stein
Stein, of the class of 1983, was a standout on the football field and in other strongman competitions.
The list of Stein's accomplishments includes All-Wisconsin Valley Conference recognition as an offensive and defensive tackle his sophomore, junior and senior seasons, two all-state honors as a defensive tackle, a state powerlifting championship in 1983 and a runner up finish at the WIAA state track meet in the shot put the same year.
"He was one tough hombre, let me tell you that," Stein's football coach at RHS, Jeff Scandin, recalled. "I've been around football since 1969 here and he was as tough as they ever came."
Scandin told a story of when Stein broke onto the scene as a defensive tackle.
"When he was a sophomore, we went to Park Falls and we scrimmaged four teams," Scandin said. "Park Falls did three (plays) and punted, did three and punted. The assistant coach, David Greenwood, who played at the University of Wisconsin and (for) the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came over to me and said, ' Coach could you do us a favor? Could you get that d--- Stein kid out of here so we can run some plays?'"
Bill Makris, who mentored Stein, said he thought of him as a "younger brother," and shared the story of Stein's first encounter with Rhinelander greatest football legend, Mike Webster, which came after Stein broke his nose during the middle of his junior season.
"He was really upset because he thought it would upset his chances for a scholarship in football and that's what he really wanted," Makris said. "So I go on the phone and called Web(ster) and said, 'Web, I want you to give this kid a call. He's kind of down in the dumps. When you come back to Madison from Pittsburgh, you're probably going to recruit him. You want to talk to him?' About a half hour later, I get a call from Jeff, 'Guess who called me. Iron Mike, he called me.' I said, 'Wow, that's great. Does that make you feel good?' That was his first introduction to Mike."
Stein was eventually recruited to play for the Badgers and personally signed to a scholarship by the coach Dave McClain.
"Coach Dave McClain was the Badger coach when Jeff was a senior," Scandin said. "I got to go out at lunch. I went out and picked Dave up at the airport. He came up to Rhinelander to sign Jeff. As he came into the high school, he stopped in the cafeteria, and all the kids were looking at him. He signed autographs and he talked to the kids. What a cool guy. It was really cool for him to do that."
Makris credited Stein for his excellent ethic.
"I could see that Jeff had desire, determination, had a work ethic and just loved working out and being a part of football," he said.
Stein concurred.
"Just like Bill said, all these coaches are going to tell you that good things will happen if you keep doing the right things, you get up at 5:30 in the morning and go work out," he said. "You start getting letters your junior, senior year and you start going to visit those campuses. It's an incredible feeling at that point in time."
Stein played for the Badgers for four years, according to the Wisconsin Badgers all-time roster. He spent his first three seasons at nose guard, and was listed as an offensive lineman and long snapper his senior year.
Stein said getting to Madison was a real eye-opener.
"Your freshman year, you go in and your first week is all with underclassmen and the second week is all upperclassmen. They walk in the door and you want to ask your mother for a warm glass of milk," he said. "That's when it hits you. Things have changed. You've better do the things you've done before, but even better and even more of it."
Nearly 30 years after he last played a down for Rhinelander, Stein was honored to make it into the hall.
"It's a huge honor and something that was totally unexpected," he said. "(The ceremony) was done incredibly well. It's awesome and I think it's incredible."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.