Bowling Green State University Athletics
Wade Diefenthaler: 2007 Hall of Fame Inductee
September 06, 2007 | General
Sept. 6, 2007
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - The Bowling Green State University Athletic Hall of Fame welcomes seven new members on the weekend of Sept. 21-22. The 2007 class will be inducted during a formal dinner on the BGSU campus.
The Class of 2007 includes Antonio Daniels '97 (men's basketball), Wade Diefenthaler '59 (baseball), Talita (Scott) Braddix '94 (women's basketball), Charles Simpson (gymnastics coach), Tom Stubbs '49 (swimming and diving), Paul Talkington '69 (men's cross country and track) and Bernard White (football).
The official induction ceremony will take place Friday, Sept. 21, in the grand ballroom of BGSU's Bowen-Thompson Student Union. The social hour begins at 6:00 p.m., with dinner served at 7:00 p.m. and the program starting shortly thereafter.
In addition to the induction ceremony, the class will be introduced at halftime of the Sept. 22 BGSU-Temple football game at Doyt Perry Stadium. The game begins at noon and is designated as Hall of Fame Day.
Tickets for the Sept. 21 dinner are $35 ($30 for Varsity BG members), and advanced reservations are required. Tickets can be reserved by calling the Falcon Club office at (419) 372-7100. Football game tickets can be purchased through the ticket office by phone, at 1-877-BGSUTICKET, or on the web at BGSUFalcons.com.
The public is invited to attend the induction dinner.
The following is the second of a seven-part series that takes a brief look at this year's inductees...
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Wade Diefenthaler was a Falcon baseball standout, earning three letters from 1957-59. He was a first team All-MAC selection as a junior and a third-team district IV pick the same season. That season, he tossed a no-hitter against eventual MAC champ Ohio University, handing the Bobcats their only league loss. Diefenthaler became the first BG pitcher to toss a no-hitter in a MAC game. He had a 6-2 mark as a senior with a 3.08 ERA to earn additional All-MAC accolades. Diefenthaler also led the team in hitting in `59, with a batting average of .400. He started every Friday game in every MAC series during his three years of eligibility, completing 16 of those 18 games, and was a two-time team MVP.
Upon graduation, Diefenthaler had several offers from professional teams, but turned them down to begin his career in education. He received his master's degree from BGSU in 1963, and taught at Old Orchard School (a junior high) in Toledo for seven years while also coaching. He then spent 10 years as a principal at Oakdale School in Toledo and one year as principal at Spring School, also in Toledo, and spent nearly a decade and a half as attendance officer in the Toledo School system.
Diefenthaler spent a total of 32 years working in the Toledo Public School system, as a truant officer as well as a teacher and principal. In addition to his athletic achievements at BG, Diefenthaler played 12 seasons (1955-66) of semi-pro baseball in the Federation League in Toledo, playing in 11 state tournaments and two American Amateur Baseball Congress tourneys (the top amateur tournament in the country). Diefenthaler was inducted into the Lake High School Hall of Fame in 1982. He is presently a gentleman farmer in Lake Township (Wood County). He and his wife, Priscilla, have five children and 11 grandchildren.
The 2007 class of inductees, the 44th class in history, will bring membership in the Athletic Hall of Fame to 206. The 1983-84 national championship hockey team is also in the Hall of Fame.
