University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Athletics

Robert Kolf was on the Titan athletic scene from the year 1919. He lettered in three sports while at Oshkosh. Kolf was a three-time letterman in football and basketball and earned two in baseball.

Kolf captained the 1920 championship football team and the 1919 basketball squad. While Kolf enrolled at Oshkosh as an undergraduate, there were 580 students.

In 1922, Kolf was a history teacher and coach at Shawano High School and it began a long a successful career as a successful builder of teams. His basketball team at Shawano won the 1923 consolation championship at the state tournament.

He returned to Oshkosh Normal School as a teacher and assistant coach, took a year off to attend Ripon College. He resumed coaching and teaching at Oshkosh in 1927.

In a career that spanned five decades Kolf's success as a coach is attested to by the 29 championships won by his teams. In basketball, there were eight Titan championships in 1938, 1939, 1947 and 1948, while Titan football teams won crowns in 1928 and 1935. Track championships were won in 1932 and 1949. In golf, Oshkosh counted four titles in 1948, 1955, 1965 and 1967, his last season before retirement. In 1924, the Titans won the baseball title and ten times Kolf's tennis teams won crowns, 1932-33-34-39-42-46-47-48-49-50.

Kolf took a leave of absence while he earned his master's degree in 1920 at the University of Wisconsin, but Oshkosh was delighted to have him back the following year.

Upon his return, Kolf was named athletic director as well as coach, the only coach the Titans had. He continued in the AD-coach capacity until 1956 with time out for service in the U.S. Navy during the Second World War.

By the time Kolf retired from the University in 1967 after 48 years in the UW-Oshkosh Athletics Department, there were 16 members of the athletic department staff and there were almost 10,000 students.

The Kolf Sports Center was dedicated in February 1972 and the program closed with - "Sports fans' memories of most coaches quickly recede as the years pass but it is doubtful if time will ever dim the fond memories of 45 years of dedicated coaching and guidance to the athletes of Oshkosh".

Kolf, who remained an avid supporter of the Titans after his retirement and could be found in the stands at many UW-Oshkosh games, passed away on May 30, 1991 at the age of 92.