Related Links:
WIAC Celebrating 50 Years of Sponsoring Women's Championships
Former Softball Coach Kate Vonderau Honored (April 26, 2015, via uwwsports.com)
As the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference celebrates 50 years of sponsoring women's championships (1971-2021), University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Athletics profiles women's leaders who helped blaze the trail for female student-athletes, coaches and administrators who are a part of Warhawk athletics in the present day. UW-Whitewater Athletics will recognize several of the institution's female leaders throughout the 2020-21 year for this initiative, which is presented by Whitewater Family Dentistry.
Dr. Kate Vonderau made her mark as a trailblazer far before coming to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she served as a professor in the Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Coaching from 1966-88, including a stint as Department Chair from 1986-88, and coached the Warhawks' softball and volleyball teams.
Prior to joining UW-Whitewater, Dr. Vonderau was a player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) from 1946-53. A pioneer in softball and women's baseball, Dr. Vonderau played for five different teams, leading the Fort Wayne Daisies to the league championship in 1952 and earning a spot on the All-Star team as a member of the Muskegon Belles in 1953.
Dr. Vonderau was primarily a catcher during her time in the league, playing in more than 600 games during her career. She is lauded for her work ethic and defensive ability on her
AAGPBL bio page. Dr. Vonderau retired from her playing career following the 1953 season, and the AAGPBL ceased operations one year later. She later became part of the Baseball Hall of Fame's
Women in Baseball display, which highlights the AAGPBL, in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Following her playing career, Dr. Vonderau taught physical education at the elementary, junior high and high school levels before joining UW-Whitewater's faculty in 1966. She served as head softball coach for the Warhawks from 1967-73 and head volleyball coach from 1972-74. Dr. Vonderau retired from the university in 1988.
Dr. Vonderau was inducted into the UW-Whitewater Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996 as a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award. Ten years later, fellow trailblazer and HPERC colleague Dr. Dianne Jones collaborated with Warhawk Athletics to organize a dedication and display to recognize Dr. Vonderau and fellow AAGPBL alumna Dr. Corky Clark, a former HPERC member and department chair, for their achievements in the pioneering league. The display is located near the intercollegiate athletics offices and across from Room 100 in the Williams Center.
The Vonderau/Clark Scholarship was established as part of the dedication in 2006. It is awarded annually to a student pursuing a major in physical education.
In 2015, UW-Whitewater Athletics installed a plaque in honor of Dr. Vonderau at the softball team's renovated facility at van Steenderen Softball Complex.
