Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Lewandowski, Sonnentag, Tetzner
----Source: Thorp Courier (Thorp, Clark Co., WI) 4/09/2014
Lewandowski, Eric (Tetzner Award – 31 March 2014)
Eric Lewandowski
On Monday, March 31, head coach of the boys’ basketball team, Rich Sonnentag, announced that senior Eric Lewandowski had been named the recipient of the Tetzner Award, the highest honor for a Thorp basketball player. Chosen by the selection committee, including the head coach, High School Principal, Athletic Director, and the assistant coaches, Lewandowski earned this prestigious honor of displaying solid leadership on and off the court.
To be eligible for the award, a player must be a junior or senior and lettered at least twice in the sport. To be chosen, a player must display good sportsmanship and be a positive role model both on the court and in school. A high degree of dedication to the basketball program and a willingness to sacrifice personal goals for the sake of the team are also qualities the selection qualifies the selection qualities looked at in their choosing the recipient.
Lewandowski will have his name added to the list of high-achieving players who have given their all to the Thorp basketball program. The Tetzner Award is an esteemed honor that is rarely given, having only been granted to a select few Cardinal players. Having a player named the recipient of the Tetzner Award is a high honor.
The Tetzner Award is named after Jack Tetzner, one of the “heroes” of Thorp’s basketball program. Having coached the Cardinals from 1954 to 1988, Tetzner went down in history as not only one of the longest-running coaches in Wisconsin, but also holds a firm position in the top fifteen ranked Wisconsin basketball coaches in history, having 525 wins and 274 losses. Thorp High School honored the local basketball hero in 2006 by renaming the basketball court the “Tetzner Gymnasium” following his death in March of 2006.
This year was an especially distinctive year for the Tetzner Award, since the Thorp Cardinals played and won the Division 5 State Championship title on March 15, the very day Jack Tetzner passed away in 2006.
