For immediate release, March 10, 2026

Soccer legend Bob Gansler to be inducted 
into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame 

Milwaukee soccer legend Bob Gansler, who coached the 1990 U.S. team that qualified for the World Cup, the first American team to participate in the global event in 40 years, will be among the class of inductees for the 76th anniversary induction of the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame presented by Network Health on July 8. 

The much-anticipated induction ceremony will be held at the Marcus Performing Arts Center in downtown Milwaukee, with a pre-event reception beginning at 5 p.m. The inductees will be honored at an awards ceremony beginning at 7 pm in Uihlein Hall.  

The Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame, founded in 1951, was created to preserve the legacy and history of sports and athletic achievements in the state. Past inductees include Vince Lombardi, Hank Aaron, Donald Driver, Bob Uecker, Barry Alvarez, Brett Favre, Jordy Nelson, Oscar Robertson, Al McGuire, Bonnie Blair and Ernie Johnson, Jr.

Gansler, a graduate of Marquette University, is linked at nearly every level to Milwaukee's soccer history. He founded the Milwaukee Marquette High School soccer program and later coached at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee from 1984 to 1988. He played and coached for the Bavarian Soccer Club and was a fixture on some of its nationally prominent teams in the 1960s and 1970s.

He coached the Milwaukee Rampage in the A-League in the mid-1990s, leading the Rampage to the league championship in 1997. He went on to coach the Wizards in Major League Soccer for eight seasons, including an MLS Cup title in 2000 and a U.S. Open Cup trophy in 2004.

"We are excited to celebrate Bob Gansler for his impact both on the soccer field and in the community,” said Brian Lammi, Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame co-owner. “You can not talk about the success of soccer in the Milwaukee area and in the United States without talking about the impact that Bob Gansler has had. We look forward to honoring him as part of our 76th anniversary.”

Gansler was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame in 2009 and the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in 2011.

“I am honored and thrilled to be inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame,” Gansler said. “Soccer provided me with some amazing opportunities in my life and I am forever grateful for all that I was able to accomplish in this incredible sport. To be recognized and enter a Hall of Fame with the likes of Hank Aaron, Bud Selig, Vince Lombardi and Donald Driver is humbling. I look forward to celebrating with all of you on July 8.”

The remaining inductees for the 76th anniversary of the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame will be announced over the next several weeks.  

You can purchase tickets and sponsorships to the induction event at https://www.wihalloffame.com/induction-ceremony. Please reach out to Mark Kass at mkass@team-lammi.com for more information.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE REACH OUT TO MARK KASS OF TEAM LAMMI AT MKASS@TEAM-LAMMI.COM.