On Oct. 13 former Platteville High School basketball standout Jim “Louie” Lawinger will be inducted as a player into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2012.
     The  induction banquet will take place at the Madison Marriott Hotel in Middleton. Cocktails begin at 4:30 p.m., dinner at 5:30 with an induction program and video to follow.
     Lawinger graduated from Platteville High School in 1967, after a very successful four-year varsity career.
     He was part of four consecutive SWAL champions (1964–67) and helped the Hillmen compile a 78–5 overall record during his four years and a trip to the 1967 state tournament.
     Lawinger’s teams were eliminated from the WIAA playoff each year by either the top-ranked team or the eventual state champion.
     During those days there was only one division for high school basketball in Wisconsin.
     Lawinger was the leading scorer in the 1967 state tournament with 76 points in three games (25.3 per game).
     He still holds three state tournament records: most free throws in three games (39), most free throw attempts in three games (48) and most consecutive free throws in one game (11–11).
     Lawinger was the leading scorer in the entire state of Wisconsin in 1967 with 696 points. He set the SWAL single-season scoring record with 352 points in 14 games (25.1 per game) in 1967 and set the all-time Platteville scoring record which still stands with 1,121 points.
     He was an AP and UPI first-team All-State selection in 1967 and was named to the Royal Crown Cola All-American High School team.
     Lawinger was a fine all-around athlete that also excelled at football, baseball and track.
     He was a member of Platteville 1967 state champion baseball team, he earned All-State special mention as an end in the fall of 1966, was a two-time state champion in track in the 880-yard run as a sophomore and junior, the state runner-up in the 440-yard run as a senior and the fifth-place finisher in the broad jump as a junior. He earned 14 varsity letters.
     After high school Lawinger took his talents across town to UW–Platteville where he continued to excel athletically.
     He became UWP’s all-time leading scorer in basketball and earned first-team all-conference honors in football, basketball and track.
     On the track he won the 880-yard conference championship four years in a row and set the school record. He was also a three-time conference champ in the mile relay as well as a four-year member of the 440-yard relay.
     On the gridiron Lawinger was named and NAIA All-American at safety in 1970 and later had a tryout for the Dallas Cowboys.
     One of Lawinger’s fondest memories from football is scoring touchdowns on five straight times he had possession of the ball over a four-game span.
     The Pioneers went 10–1 in 1970 and won a third straight WSUC championship that year with an 8–0 mark.
     After college Lawinger went on to have an equally successful coaching career.
     He has spent the past 32 years coaching basketball at five different schools: UW–Platteville (one), Palmyra (one), Sussex Hamilton (21) and most recently Germantown (eight), coaching or assisting eight state qualifiers, including last year’s Division 1 state champs from Germantown.
     Lawinger has also coached football for 32 years at Palmyra, Hamilton and Milwaukee Pius, and has been Hamilton’s head softball coach for 35 years making seven appearances in the state tournament.
     Lawinger would like to thank his grade school and high school coaches; Ross Vivian, Charlie Dobson, Chuck Misky, Mick McKichan, Don Colbert and Royce Reeves, as well as his parents Joseph and Avis Lawinger, his wife Donna, his daughter Jaime (Jason) Bell, hi son Jess, and two grandsons Jacob and Joshua Bell.
     To get tickets to the induction banquet or for more information on the ceremony contact Joan Petitgoue at 608-744-2585 or 608-778-2524 or email tristate@jdpjmp.com.