Wabash College Athletics Hall of Fame
William S. Kepler, when you came to Wabash in the fall of 1989, the College figured it had seen the last of its three-sport athletes. Single sport specialization was on its way into Division III athletics and no Little Giant had lettered in three sports since Hall of Famer Scott Boone in 1981. But having earned 11 varsity letters and all-conference honors in football, wrestling, and golf at Highland High School, you figured to be the guy to break the trend. And you did.
You would letter all four years in football at Wabash, starting at corner three consecutive seasons on two conference championship teams; a daunting task in the high-flying, pass-happy Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference. Among your gridiron honors, you were named the team’s Most Improved Player in 1991, captain and Mental Attitude Award winner in 1992, and you were the ICAC and NCAA Division III Defensive Regional Player of the Week after making a pair of interceptions in a huge win over Hanover College.
As a freshman on Max Servies’ wrestling team, you set the all-time record with 29 wins. You would go on to letter three times, captain the team as a senior, earn the Sportsmanship Award twice, and earn All-Conference accolades. And then there was golf: you lettered three times and played the round of your career to earn All-Conference honors in your sophomore year. All that, by our count, adds up to 10 varsity letters over three sports at Wabash! We know, too, that had you not chosen to study at the University of Aberdeen as a junior, you would have lettered in every season in every sport you played.
For resurrecting the College’s age-old tradition of multi-sport, versatile athletes, the National Association of Wabash Men is proud to induct you, Billy Kepler, in the Wabash Athletics Hall of Fame. Some Little Giant!
