Lud Wurtz '78 was a member of Ripon's men's golf team, but it was as a basketball player where his star shone the brightest. A two-time First Team All-Conference player, Wurtz graduated as Ripon's career scoring leader with 1,327 points. He was inducted into Ripon's Athletics Hall of Fame in 1989.

The crowning moment of Wurtz's career came on February 17, 1978 against Lake Forest College when he drove full court for a graceful layup, which broke the program's 28-year-old career scoring record, which was held by Wurtz's head coach at the time, legendary "Doc" Weiske '50. That same season, Wurtz broke Ripon's single season scoring scoring record when as a senior, he scored 697 points, despite never playing with a 3-point line. That record stood for 39 years until Ty Sabin '17 shattered that mark.

"Lud is as good of a player that has ever played at Ripon. He was a prolific long range shooter who played before the three point line rule, which realistically would have given him many more points," legendary Ripon men's basketball coach Bob Gillespie said. "Lud was a matchup nightmare for opponents because he was extremely tall for a Division-III guard, and could really elevate on his jumper."

As a freshman, Wurtz broke into the college basketball world by averaging 10.3 points per game, which was second on the team. The following season, Wurtz had a similar season, averaging 10.2 points per game, whichc again was second on the team.

After averaging a second-best 13 points per game as a junior, Wurtz broke out in a big way as a senior, averaging a team-best 27.9 points per game, which was one of the top averages in all of Division-III that season.That scoring average was a single season school record for 39 years, and is still tied for second in program history, 43 years after his graduation. His 283 field goals made that season remains a single season school record, while his free throws made (131) that season rank eighth in program history.

Another crowning moment of Wurtz's career came at the end of his senior season when he helped Ripon win the 1978 MWC Championship, which advanced Ripon to the NCAA Tournament in program history. Although the Redmen lost to eventual national champion in the first round of that regional tournament, Wurtz still helped Ripon finish with a 15-10 record. During his four years with the team, the Redmen never finished with a losing record, compiling a cumulative mark of 51-37 during that span.

Wurtz currently resides in Ripon, where he is a Lawyer. His nephew Aris '12 was an All-American for Ripon's basketball team more than three decades after Lud last laced up his sneakers. 


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