Prep, college and pro sports: Madison Sports Hall of Fame names 2016 induction class – Madison.com

The Madison Sports Hall of Fame will induct its 54th class on June 1.

The class features hockey goalie Marc Behrend, football player Tyrone Braxton, basketball player Karen O’Malley-Crowley and professional golfer Dennis Tiziani.

The dinner and enshrinement ceremony is scheduled June 1 at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center.

According to a release from the Madison Sports Hall of Fame:

Behrend was a multi-sport athlete at Madison La Follette. He played baseball, football, golf and hockey. As a senior, he was an all-city and all-conference defensive player and an all-city and all-conference goalie. Recruited by coach Bob Johnson, Marc went on to lead the University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team to the 1981 and 1983 NCAA national championship, receiving the tournament MVP award both years. He still holds the UW record for career and season win percentages. Behrend was inducted into the school’s hockey hall of fame in 1989 and the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006. After his college career, he played on the 1984 Olympic team, as well as three seasons in professional hockey.

As a Madison Memorial athlete, Braxton played basketball, football and track and field. He was first-team all-city and all-conference as a defensive back, first team all-city as a guard in basketball and the city outdoor long jump and triple jump champion. At North Dakota State, Braxton played on three Division II NCAA football championship teams and one runner-up team. He was a first-team North Central Conference cornerback and a standout long and triple jumper on the school’s track and field team. After college, he played for 13 years in the NFL, primarily for the Denver Broncos, where he was part of four AFC championships, two Super Bowl championships and was selected once for the Pro Bowl.

O’Malley- Crowley was an exceptional athlete at Madison East, playing basketball, softball and volleyball. In all three sports she was recognized as a first-team all-city and all-conference player numerous times and in her senior year she was a first-team all-state athlete in basketball and softball. She attended UW in the mid-1980s and lettered three years as the starting point guard. She remains on the career record list for number of assists in a game and in a season, and for steals in a season. O’Malley was inducted into the 2014 Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame for her high school and college career.

For over four decades, Tiziani has been recognized by the Madison and Wisconsin golfing communities as a premier player, coach and teacher. He won the State Open in 1976, was a two-time winner of state match play, a three-time state medal play champion and was the Wisconsin PGA player of the year four times. As the UW men’s and women’s golf coach, he was named Big Ten Conference coach of the year three times and led his teams to three NCAA tournament berths. Tiziani has written extensively about golf, conducted numerous clinics and appeared on weekly television golf series and worked with various professional players, including son-in-law, Steve Stricker. The Wisconsin PGA named him teacher of the year twice and honored him for his contributions to professional golf education. He continues his involvement in golf education today with the First Tee program of South Central Wisconsin.

These athletes will join more than 200 athletes already in the Madison Sports Hall of Fame.

Tickets for the event cost $50 and will be sold until May 25. The event is open to the public. Contact Peg Mueller (238-5907) for tickets.

The Madison Sports Hall of Fame Club began in 1963 to recognize and honor great athletes and sports figures from Madison. The group hosts weekly luncheon meetings from August through June and holds the induction ceremony every June.