Haidet To Be Inducted Into Miami Hall Of Fame

Oct. 14, 2005

MILWAUKEE - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee athletic director Bud Haidet will be among six people inducted this weekend into the Miami University Athletics Hall of Fame.

Haidet, who earned his undergraduate and masters degrees from Miami and then worked for 20 years as an administrator at the school, will be honored at halftime of the RedHawks' football game with Akron Saturday.

At Miami, Haidet was the director for ticketing, marketing and sales. He was promoted to assistant athletic director for ticketing, marketing and sales in 1984 before leaving for UWM in 1988.

"It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by Miami University and to be inducted into the hall of fame," Haidet said. "Miami has always meant a lot to be and I am grateful for all of my experiences there. I am also proud of everything we have done here in Milwaukee and feel like everyone who has made us successful here is a part of this honor."

Since coming to UWM, Haidet has built one of the most successful Division I programs in the country.

This past year, UWM won the McCafferty Trophy, the Horizon League's All-Sports Trophy, for the third time in five years. UWM won eight league titles and claimed a second-straight regular season league title in men's basketball. UWM has also won the women's all-sports award in four of the
last five years.

The success at UWM started long ago, though. UWM finished second in the McCafferty Trophy standings during the 1997-98 school year and during the 1999-2000 school year. In fact, following the 1999-2000 season, UWM finished just one point out of first place and won the MCC men's all-sports championship. The Panthers then won the league's all-sports trophy for the first time after the 2000-01 season, and then won it again after the 2003-04 campaign.

Many of UWM's teams have also gained national recognition under Haidet. The great success of the men's basketball team also includes a Sweet 16 berth in 2005, an NCAA berth in 2003 and a National Invitation Tournament appearance in 2004. The men's soccer team has qualified for the last four NCAA Tournaments and has been ranked as high as eighth in the nation. The women's
volleyball team has qualified for five of the last seven NCAA Tournaments. The women's basketball team made the NCAA Tournament in 2001 and teams in women's soccer and baseball have also been regulars in the NCAA Tournament.

In the classroom, 63 UWM student-athletes were named to the Academic Honor Roll this past spring. Numerous Panthers have also won league and national academic awards. And, the current cumulative grade point average of all student-athletes is above 3.0.

Haidet has also directed an upgrade in facilities for all of UWM athletics. The ongoing Klotsche Center renovation will vastly improve the office and training space for the athletic department, while a new tennis facility is also planned. Haidet has also led the extremely successful move by the men's basketball team to the U.S. Cellular Arena in downtown Milwaukee and shown the way for improvements at Henry Aaron Field and Engelmann Field.

Over Haidet's tenure, athletics at UWM has moved from NAIA Division II to NCAA Division I status, and from independent status to membership in two athletic conferences, raising the bar of competition each time. Haidet notes that the strong commitment to athletics by the institution and student association has greatly contributed to the rapid and successful growth of the program. He also feels past student-athletes, coaches and administrators helped set in motion the success UWM enjoys.

Haidet is active in numerous NCAA activities. He has completed Level I-III NCAA Athletics Management courses and was a member of two NCAA Division I Peer Review Certification teams and two NCAA committees. He is also the chair of the Horizon League's Executive Council and is active in all of the league's activities.

Story provided by Kevin O'Connor, UW-Milwaukee Sports Information