UWEC Athletics Hall of Fame
Mike Ratliff developed into what arguably was the most dominant basketball player in school history. Coming to Eau Claire as a skinny 6-7 freshman from Racine Horlick, Ratliff left as a 6-10 leaper who was drafted by and played one year in the NBA with the Kansas City-Omaha Kings. He was an NAIA First Team All-American on the 1972 team which posted a 29-2 record and finished runner-up in the 32-team NAIA National Tournament at Kansas City. Ratliff started 108 consecutive games and scored what was then a school record 1,994 points for his career with 1,492 rebounds and 274 blocked shots as the Blugolds registered a 94-14 won-lost mark during his tenure. Ratliff set school single season and career rebounding and blocked shot records. Ratliff was a three-time All-Conference pick and was named the conference Player of the Year three times, sharing it with teammate Frank Schade as a senior. Behind Ratliff, the Blugolds won three straight conference championships, including unbeaten 16-0 seasons in both 1970-71 and 1971-72. After one season in the NBA, Ratliff continued his pro career in Italy and France and then went to work for UNICEF in Paris.
