Dr. Jane Mertesdorf (1993) - Hall of Fame

Dr. Jane Mertesdorf

Induction:
1993

Jane Mertesdorf, a native of Lake Crystal, Minn., put the Northern Iowa softball program on the national map.

After graduating from Mankato State University in 1966, where she had played softball in a city league, Mertesdorf came to UNI for two years as an instructor in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. In 1968, she went to Ball State to obtain her master's degree in physical education and to find what she called "greener pastures on the other side of the fence."

After receiving her masters in 1969, she accepted an offer to return to UNI because "it is not necessarily greener on the other side of the fence." From 1973-87, Mertesdorf taught mostly in UNI's Division of Recreation and generated practicum sites for the developing recreation major. She started and coached the first Panther softball team in 1970, and remained head coach through the 1978 season, compiling an overall 128-33 record.

During her tenure, the Panthers won three Iowa Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) state titles, and won the 1977 AIAW Region 6 championship. The Women's College World Series saw the Panthers four times during Mertesdorf's nine-year coaching stint. UNI placed eighth in 1973, second in 1975, sixth in 1976, and won the national title in 1977. In 1987, Mertesdorf was granted professional Studies in Education with an emphasis in adult education. Mertesdorf then became the coordinator of the Leisure Services Division.