The UW Oshkosh Athletic Department is mourning the loss of Carol Anhalt, who died on Dec. 3. Anhalt, a former teacher and coach, was a trailblazer on the women’s athletic front.
“Carol was an educator and progressive at her core. She was a role model who was a leader in women’s athletics from the very beginning at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh,” UWO Assistant Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator Abby Gildernick said [Dec. 16]. “All of the UW Oshkosh family mourns her loss, and our thoughts are with her entire family during this difficult time.”
According to the UWO athletics’ website, Anhalt came to UWO in 1964, with zero women intercollegiate activities existing yet. However, by the time she retired in 1989 after serving as head women’s basketball coach for 19 seasons, UWO had nine women’s sports and had won five women’s national championships.
“Anhalt became an instructor in UW Oshkosh’s Physical Education Department in 1964 and voluntarily coached basketball, tennis, track & field, and volleyball in the women’s recreational leagues,” the athletic department stated in a press release. “While teaching and coaching, and amidst resistance from society and administration, Anhalt promoted statewide conversation to gather support for the passing of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and Title IX.”
In 1972, after the ERA passed, Anhalt and the Titans increased UWO’s sponsorship of women intercollegiate sports, becoming a member of what is now known as the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). That year, the UWO women’s basketball team put up a 9-5 record, which UWO athletics reports included a 40-32 victory over UW-Madison.
Anhalt coached women’s basketball at UWO on a voluntary basis until 1976, when it became a paid position. The St. Paul, Minnesota, native then coached the Titans through the 1989 season. Without the unpaid and selfless efforts of individuals like Anhalt, Helen Briwa, Janet Moldenhauer, and Patricia O’Connor, women’s athletics at UWO may never have taken flight.
“Carol Anhalt was a true trailblazer here at UW Oshkosh,” said current women’s basketball head coach Brad Fischer. “Not just for women’s basketball, but for women’s sports as a whole. We take for granted in the year 2024 what it took for people like Carol to help women’s sports become a normal part of the college experience. Her persistence, leadership, and influence helped establish our program and set the standard for all of us who have followed her lead.”
During her 19-year tenure as women’s basketball coach, she earned a 239-124 record and competed in the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) postseason five times, while also earning the 1985 WIAC title. Anhalt currently ranks eighth in the WIAC with her 239 career coaching victories. The Titans’ had a winning season under Anhalt every year from 1971 to 1979.
Anhalt coached 15 AII-WIAC First Team performers, including Terri Schumacher, who was named the NCAA Division III Player of the Year by the American Women’s Sports Federation in 1985.
By 1971, Anhalt had spent over 25 years in higher education and was among a small group of women from across the country who taught, coached, and owned a bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degree.
According to her obituary, Anhalt was a member of the UWO Hall of Fame committee for several years before being inducted herself in 2006. She enjoyed retirement at home in Oshkosh while participating in outdoor activities.
A visitation for Anhalt will be held on Jan. 8, beginning at 1 p.m. at Seefeld Funeral Home in Oshkosh. She passed away as the 2024 women’s basketball team enjoys a 7-0 start, something that hasn’t been accomplished since 2018.
