Throughout my softball career, I’ve been fortunate enough to have many positive role models: my dad, former Monroe head coach Dale Buvid; my aunt Noel Herbst, who still coaches Monroe; my travel ball coach, Brett Ambrose; and my collegiate softball coach, Scott Beyer. Although I only spent one summer with him as my head coach, Kennan Timm also made a great impact on my softball career.
The summer before college, I was searching for a travel softball team. Monroe Challengers, my hometown travel softball team, didn’t have enough players, and I needed to play that summer to prepare for my first year of collegiate softball. Former UWO assistant coach Lynn Anderson told me there was a team based out of Green Bay that was looking for an outfielder, and I jumped on the opportunity. That’s when I met Kennan, one of the coaches.
Because the team was brand new to me, Kennan made sure I felt welcome and comfortable. As the summer went on, he looked out for my well-being. One tournament, after pitching two games in 90-degree heat, I told him I was ready to go for another game — all with a cool rag around my neck and ice on my feet to cool down. He told me there was no way I was pitching, and he’d rather forfeit the game than risk me suffering a heat stroke.
During my freshman season of college softball, whenever Kennan saw me on campus, he’d ask me how I was liking softball. I was honest with him, explaining that my playing time wasn’t what I had hoped because I wasn’t measuring up with everyone else on the team. He reassured me in my skills and encouraged me to keep working hard — it would pay off. At the end of the year, I made the NCAA All-Tournament team. He was right.
That’s why, when I heard he had won the Tom Butler Award, I wasn’t surprised. He is nothing but deserving.
UW OSHKOSH PRESS RELEASE
Kennan Timm, who served as sports information director at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse from 1983-85 and UW-Oshkosh from 1986-2022, has been named the 2023 recipient of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Tom Butler Award.
The Tom Butler Award has been presented annually since 1998 to a representative of the print or electronic media for outstanding coverage of WIAC athletics (former WIAC sports information directors may also be considered). The league’s sports information directors select the winner. The award is dedicated to Tom Butler, who served the conference faithfully as its sports information director from 1967-96.
Upon arriving on the UW-Oshkosh campus in August 1985, Timm publicized one of the most successful athletics programs in NCAA Division III history. UW-Oshkosh captured 35 national and 120 conference titles during Timm’s tenure.
Timm was also fortunate to watch several student-athletes grow and take their athleticism to the next level, including two Olympians (Melissa Mueller & Rod Figueroa), one National Football League Player (Tom Newberry), and three Major League Baseball players (Terry Jorgensen, Jack Taschner & Jarrod Washburn).
For the full press release, visit: https://uwoshkoshtitans.com/general/2022-23/releases/20230719mj9pt0
