MAWC inducts three wrestlers into Hall of Fame
The Middleton Area Wrestling Club (MAWC) will induct three former wrestlers into its Hall of Fame Saturday. The second annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held at the Red Mouse in Pine Bluff beginning at 5 p.m.
This year’s Hall of Fame Class consists of Kevin Fisher, Luke Francois and Tim Root.
KEVIN FISHER
Fisher graduated from Wild Rose High School, where he qualified for the state tournament as a senior.
Fisher was an AAU USA Junior Olympics National Champion at 192 pounds in 1975. He claimed victory at the U.S. Wrestling Federal Freestyle Championship state championship in 1976 and finished in second place at the U.S. Wrestling Freestyle in the 178-pound category in 1976.
Fisher wrestled for the University of Wisconsin before his career was cut short by two knee surgeries.
He then served as an assistant coach at Middleton High School from 1980-2005. There, he coached numerous conference, regional, and sectional champions, state qualifiers and place winners.
LUKE FRANCOIS
Francois reached the state tournament in 1989, where he placed fifth. He captained the wrestling and football teams at MHS, playing linebacker on the 1987 state championship football team.
Francois continued his wrestling journey at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, contributing to the 1991 Wisconsin State University Conference championship team.
He also excelled academically as a Scholar All-American and competed in the NCAA Division III National Tournament in 1994.
Francois began coaching at Waterford High School in 1995. Under his guidance, Waterford produced three state champions, multiple state place winners, and a state runner-up finish in 1997.
His coaching prowess earned him awards, such as the District Coach of the Year by the Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Association.
Francois returned to MHS — his alma mater — in 2000 as the head wrestling coach.
At Middleton, he hosted wrestling events and coached the first girls-only wrestling team, pioneering all-girls state wrestling tournaments in 2003 and 2004. His contributions extended beyond coaching, as he held leadership roles in wrestling associations and advisory committees at both state and national levels, culminating with being named the first-ever Executive Director of the Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches’ Association.
Francois was also Middleton’s athletic director from 2004-2011.
TIM ROOT
Root was a state runner-up while at MHS in 1988.
He later engaged in coaching and wrestling roles at various schools and clubs, including Oakland Tech High School, Calif. (1992-1993) and Radford High School, Hi (1993-1997).
Root guided multiple state qualifiers and place winners and held the position of Hawaii National Freestyle and Greco Team coach from 1994-1997. He later contributed to KSV Pfungstadt Wrestling Club in Germany, and served as an assistant coach at Evolution Wrestling Club, Steinbrenner High School, and Caveman Wrestling Club.
Root retired from the U.S. Army with 22 years of dedicated service and currently serves as a high school JROTC teacher at Hudson High School in Florida.
