University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire

Frank Schade was inducted into the Blugold Hall of Fame in 1983.

The 6-foot-1 Schade transferred to UWEC as a sophomore in 1969 after being recruited out of Wausau High School by Texas Western which had won the NCAA Division I national championship in 1966. He started 86 straight games during which time the Blugolds were 80-6 and captured three conference and district championships while advancing to the NAIA tournament in Kansas City three times. Schade earned NAIA First Team All-America honors in 1972 as the Blugold basketball team posted a 29-2 record and finished runner-up in the 32-team NAIA National Tournament. Schade was named the Stevenson Hustle Award winner for the 1972 NAIA tournament. He was a three-time all-conference pick and shared the conference MVP award with teammate Mike Ratliff as a senior.

Schade was drafted by the NBA’s Kansas City-Omaha Kings, which were coached by legendary Boston Celtic Bob Cousy. Schade spent one year on the Kings’ squad, then began an outstanding coaching career in Wisconsin, starting at Plymouth High School where he was the 1981 Wisconsin Coach of the Year. He later coached Oshkosh North High School and ended his coaching career with 610 victories — which ranks in the top 10 of all time among Wisconsin high school boys basketball coaches — before retiring in 2017.