Wisconsin Dartball
Hall of Fame
Inductees

Archie Dadian

Lives in South Milwaukee.

Was introduced to Dartball in about 1945 at the age of 12 years old at the South Milwaukee Boys Club. Didn’t started playing league Dartball until 1960 in the South Suburban Church League. In 1965 he started playing in the West Allis Classic League when he formed and managed his “Metal Spun” team. He also played in the South Side Tavern League. In 1981 he helped to start the South Milwaukee 4 man league, which he still shoots in to this day. His highest season average was in that league when he batted .601. He maintained a yearly average above .520 for 45 years. Also during that time he was a team manager for at least one team each year. Shot in tournaments with Metal Spun for many years, and won the Oshkosh tournament at least 3 times with that team. He also won a state championship with the Binder Plumbing team in 1978.

Nominated by Bob Leskovar, Marty Gaudian, and Bud Bolling.

Bernie VandenAvond

Lives in Green Bay.

Started playing Dartball at the age of 18 back in 1952 in the Industrial League, now the Green Bay Dartball League. He has played for 58 years in that league, and also played for over 14 years in the Tuesday Holy Name League. He has many seasons batting over .500, with his best season in 1956-57 when he hit .534. He was the main triple shooter on the Rentmeester Oil team that finished first or second 26 times over a 40 year span in a league that had as many as 18 nine man teams, all playing in one division for many years in Green Bay. He won the batting title and RBI title in 1973-74 and 75-76 seasons. He was also league President for a time in the Wednesday League. He rehabbed to come back from a sore shoulder in 2009 to continue playing. He has shot with his son (BJ) for many of the years, and has been on the same team as Hall of Famer Burt Berglin for 58 years!

Nominated by Kevin Kohlbeck.

Bert Berglin

Lives in Green Bay.

Started playing Dartball at the age of 15 years old in 1948. He started in the Wednesday night Industrial League, now the Green Bay Dartball League, and played for over 50 years, including serving as league president for a time. He has also played in the Tuesday Holy Name League for the past 55 years, and despite Parkinson’s disease, continues to play to this day. He has also played over 20 years in the Monday Protestant League. His highest season average was .570 in 1975-76, and most have been over .500, including batting .500 at the age of 77 during the 2009-10 season. He has been on many league championship teams, and participated in many state and local tournaments during his time. He has also won individual awards for high average and doubles several times. He was honored with the Presidents Award for 50+ years of play in the Green Bay League, and the player of the year award in the Holy Name league. In 62 years of Dartball, he said he only missed a handful of nights, because he enjoys the game and the guys he played with.

Nominated by Kevin Kohlbeck.

Chuck Spahn

Lives in Milwaukee.

Started playing Dartball in 1972 at the age of 12 in the United Church, played and managed teams in several Milwaukee area tavern leagues, and still plays in the South Milwaukee 4-man League, where he recorded his highest league season average of .642 in 2008. Has also won 12 high triple league awards. Has been on many league championship teams, as well as numerous tournament champions. He has won 33 shoot-off titles, including over 20 high qualifiers, as well as many round robin titles. Known as one of the best triple shooters from Milwaukee, he has been on 5 state championship teams, winning his last 4 titles with Hickory Inn. 

Nominated by teammate Bob Leskovar

Curt Yahr

Lives in Farmington.

Started playing Dartball at age 12 in the Boltonville Church League in 1943. He also played in the Church League, and has played in the Amerahn League for the last 35 years. He has been the sponsor for his Yahr Oil Dartball team for over 35 years. The Yahr team has always been one of the top league and tournament teams, and Curt always made sure his teams had Dartball shirts and jackets. He was a .500 to .550 batter for many years, and was sponsor of the 3 Yahr Oil state champion teams, winning the titles in 1975, 1988, and 2008.

Nominated by Mike Yahr.

Dale Lenius

Lives in Watertown.

Started playing Dartball at the age of 13. Played in the Lutheran Dartball League for 50 years, and had his highest league average of .530 in 1981 in that league. He averaged between 481 and 530 from 1974 to 2010. He helped to start the Rock River 4 man league at Turner Hall in 1995 and was the league President for the first 13 years of the league. He helped grow the league to 18 teams. Was also the key person in bringing the State Tournament to Watertown for the first time in 2001 and again in 2008, and was on the state committee 1999 to 2010.

Also played in many tournaments, including state for many years.

Nominated by Erv Fiedler.

Eddie Hall II

Lives in Athens.

Started playing Dartball at the age of 25 in the Little Rib Church League in 1969. He played in that league for 35 years, and also played in the Wausau Inter-church League, the Mar/Lin Mixed Couples League (a league he helped to create), and the Mid-state League, which he has played in for 40+ years and counting. From 1970 to 2005 he averaged between .474 and .625, with his highest average coming in the Little Rib Church League, where he won the high average title for 16 consecutive years. His combined average during that time was around .523. He has been on many league champions, and was on 2 class B state champions with Barley Pop Pub in 1993 & 94. He has also served as league secretary, and as team captain. He continues to shoot with a positive attitude, living with Parkinson’s disease since 1996.

Nominated by Eddie (III) and Nicole Hall.

Gaylord Traeder

Deceased (1922-1990).

Started playing Dartball in 1952 at the age of 30 in Rome, (Rome). Also played a few years in the Okauchee Lake and Jefferson County League. He was a consistent 500+ shooter from 1952 to 1980, with a season high of .601 in the 1969-70 season. He won the high average and high RBI trophy in 22 of the 28 years he played in the Lutheran League. He was also the team captain every year and a principal recruiter for the league. He would encourage the youth to join the church Dartball team when eligible after confirmation. He also organized teams to play in the annual Lebanon and Rome tournaments. Many of the players he recruited are still playing Dartball today in leagues in that area. He was also a model for the younger shooters because of his high average and love of the sport.

Nominated by Randy Stauffer.

 

Henry VandenElzen

(Deceased) lived in Green Bay.

Began playing dartball in 1939 when the Industrial Dartball (Wednesday) League was formed in Green Bay in 1939. Played dartball in two of the Green Bay Dartball leagues for over 50 years each. Was the league secretary and treasurer for the Wednesday Green Bay Dartball league from 1942 to 1994 (52 years). He was also the league secretary/treasurer for the Holy Name (Tuesday) Green Bay league from 1944 to 1984 (40 years). Henry helped to maintain league records for the Green Bay Wednesday league going back to the beginning of the league in 1939. Henry was a mid .400 hitter for many years and won several league championships with the Verifine Dairy and Swan Club teams. He also played on several tournament teams each year with teams that placed in several tournaments.

Nominated by his son Bernie VandenElzen.  

His daughter, Jan accepted the plaque on behalf of the family.

Jeff Jentsch

Lives in Francis Creek.

Started playing Dartball at the age of 14 in 1964. His 2nd year in the league he won the league batting title with a .565 average. In 46 years of league play, his career average is .555 with four seasons over .600, including his highest average of .621, which he did twice. Over the years he has gathered over 400 trophies and Dartball awards, including batting titles, RBI titles shoot off and tournament awards. He often played 3 times a week, and one time played in either a league or tournament for 16 straight nights! He has many state shoot off awards, and shot in at least 30 state tournaments. He was on the Sauve’s teams that won 7 state championships in 11 years. He was also on the first two state 4 man tournament champions. He even met his wife in 1980 thru Dartball, when she beat him in a shoot off in Reedsville.

Even though he doesn’t play much anymore, he really enjoyed all the players and good times in Dartball over the years.

Nominated by Mike Goetsch

Jim "Gus" Gospodarek

Deceased (1943-1991).

Started playing Dartball in 1960 in the Holy Name league, and then played in the Manitowoc County League. Was the league President of the Two Rivers Cool City League from 1974-1991 (17 years). Had a lifetime average of .520 and won numerous shoot off and high average awards. He was the captain of the 1991 State Champion Sauve’s team for over ten years until his death. He was involved in a grade school football program in the 1980's and often recruited young Dartball players from the program.

He also is a member of the Lakeshore All Sports Hall of Fame.

Nominated by his brother Jerry ‘Gus’ Gospodarek.

His plaque was accepted by his wife and brother.

Mark "Doc" Drow

Lives in Oak Creek.

Learning about the game from his grandfather, Mark started playing Dartball in 1974 at the age of 21 for the “Kids from West Allis” team in the West Allis Classic 9-man League, where he batted .493 his first year. Has hit over .600 in multiple leagues, including a career high of .627 in 2001 in the South Milwaukee 4-man league. His team has won over a dozen league championships in 27 years. He once went 21 for 23 in a single game, to help his team to a league record 58 run game! He continues to play in that league, as well as the West Allis-West Milwaukee 4-man league, where he won the high average title six times.

Mark has won over 24 individual shoot-off and round robin awards. He has been on 8 state champion teams: Pleasant View (1981), Cruz Trucking (1983, 84, 86, 87) and Hickory Inn (1997, 98, 2006). He helped in the start and the running of the Milwaukee 2-man tournament from it’s start until the mid 1980’s.

Doc attributes much of his success in Dartball to his long time collaboration with teammate Bob Leskovar.

Nominated by Bob Leskovar

Martin Gaudian

(deceased) Lived in Oak Creek.

Started playing Dartball in 1939 at the age of 18 in Paulina, Iowa. From 1962 to 1989 he played in the South Suburban Church League in Milwaukee. He also played in the West Allis Classic (9-man) League from 1964 to 1980, ad then the Hickory Inn 4-man league from 1980-2008, as well as the Kelly Senior Center League. His highest average was .642 in 1987, and had 9 seasons over .600. Between 1970 and 1995 he never hit less that .556 in any of the leagues he was shooting in. He won several batting titles in the very competitive West Allis Classic League, as well as a State Championship with Panzers in 1971. In 1978 he won the round robin state shoot-off, hitting all 5 targets with only 5 darts. In addition to being on of the top shooters of his time, he was also the league secretary for the South Suburban League from 1963-1988, and for the Kelly Senior Center League for over 25 years.

Nominated by Archie Dadian.

Rich Yahr

Lives in Kewaskum.

Started playing Dartball at age 12 in the Boltonville Church League in 1956. He retired from Dartball in 2010, and had played for 51 years, missing only a few years because of military service. He has played in the West Allis Classic league some, but mostly in the Boltonville and Amerahn Leagues. He has shot over .600 five times, with his best averages of .653 and .651. He usually batted 4th in the line-up, and led his leagues in RBI’s many years. He has over 200 Dartball trophies, and won state championships with Yahr Oil in 1975, 1988, and 2008.

Nominated by Mike Goetsch and his son Mike Yahr, who has shot with him for over 30 years.

Robert W. Cox Sr.

Lives in Kewaunee.

Started playing Dartball at the age of 20 in 1950 in the Lutheran Church league. Helped to form the Kewaunee League in 1965 and he still plays in that league. He had his high season average of .601 in that league in 1976-77. He has also had 21 seasons over .500, with a career average of .513. Won several league high average, RBI, triple and most hits awards in the league, as well as 19 league team championships over the years. He started doing a Kewaunee league booklet in 1969 and continues to help with it to this day. He has shot in many tournaments and was a member of the legendary Cobra’s tournament team.

Nominated by Chico Saxby.

Tom "Wilt" Walter

Lives in Oshkosh.

Began playing Dartball at the age of 14 in 1962. He has played in the St. Vincent League for over 48 years, and has batted between .490 and .573 for that span. His .573 high season occurred in 1972 in the Sacred Heart League, which he has also played in for 44+ years. He has been on over 50 league championship teams, 56 tournament champions, and two state championship teams: Pinky’s in 1979 and Castaways in 1990. He also has been the league secretary for both leagues for a combined 26 years. Since 1962 he claims to have missed only 2 nights in each league, and to have had the same lucky stone in his pocket the entire time. He is also well know for his signature “Chamberlain” jump after a hit!

Nominated by Scott Footit.

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