List compiled by Elizabeth Bragstad - Social Media Intern
Celebrating 50 years of UWGB — what better time to look back on the unique history and fun tidbits about our university?
- Eddie Lacy and Randall Cobb filmed a commerical at the Kress Event Center.
2. Speaking of the Kress…
The first physical education building on UWGB’s campus was the Phoenix Sport Center, built in 1975. In 2005, construction began around the old facility and in 2007 the Kress Event Center opened.
3.UWGB Alumnus, Mark King (‘81), is the current president of Adidas Group North America, and former CEO of TaylorMade-Adidas Golf. Fun fact, King appeared on the TV show “Undercover Boss” as the CEO of TaylorMade.
“Fore!” 4. An 18-hole golf course once occupied land that is part of the UWGB campus. The remaining nine holes now operate as the Shorewood Golf Course.
5. The circle pattern on the second floor of Cofrin Library was intended to be the center of campus. All of the academic buildings branch off of the library.
6. Not to toot our own horn but…
In 1968, the Green Bay Packers donated funds for instruments and uniforms to outfit a 130-piece marching band and color guard. The UWGB Marching Band performed halftimes at Lambeau Field and Milwaukee County Stadium during Packers games.
7. UWGB was named “Eco U” in Harper’s Magazine in the early 1970s. UWGB has had the nickname trademarked. The university was imagined to be the model for environmentally conscious higher education. UWGB continues to provide an environmentally focused curriculum to students.
8. In the early years, UWGB was a 2-year campus. The university began to offer 4-year bachelor degree programs in 1968, with the first graduating class being in 1970.
9. Over the past 50 years, UWGB has had only 6 chancellors. “What does a chancellor even do?” UWGB’s chancellor holds many responsibilities, but to keep it simple — the chancellor is the executive head of the university. Our founding chancellor, Edward Weidner, was the university’s first employee in 1966.
10. Although Edward Weidner was UWGB’s first employee, he was not without good company. Vince Lombardi was Chancellor Weidner’s athletics advisor in the late 1960s. Lombardi advised against UWGB having a football team because of its expense and the fact that it would be competing with the Green Bay Packers. But, he encouraged the idea of a fùtbol team, which is why soccer is UWGB’s primary fall sport.
