Northland College to Induct Miller and Blissett in Athletic Hall of Fame during Athletic Reunion

ASHLAND, WIS.—Northland College will honor two former alum and two former athletic teams during this year’s Athletic Reunion. The banquet gets underway at 7 pm, Friday Sept. 15, in the Alvord Theatre on-campus. Cost is $16 per person. The public is encouraged to attend.

This year, Northland College will honor the 1956 hockey team and the 1995-1996 men’s basketball team. The 1956 Northland College Hockey Team was the first hockey team in Northland’s history. The team finished the season off 8-1, despite a shortage of players resulting in team members playing all three periods. The 1995-1996 men’s basketball team, under first-year coach Joe Brennan, tied a school record of 19 wins and advance to the NAIA National Basketball Tournament for the first time in school history.

Christopher Blisset ’96 and Ross Miller, III ’97 will be inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame. Blisset, who played on the 1995-1996 basketball team, was a two-time All American NAIA Region selection. He finished his career at Northland with 1,397 points, 471 rebounds, 238 assists and helped the Lumberjacks to an NAIA Division II national tournament berth in his senior year. Known to his teammates as “Captain America,” he was co-captain of the team with the most wins in Northland’s history. Miller, came to Northland from Long Beach, California where he was an honorable mention performer in the Moore League, one of the finest conferences in California. In his freshman season, Ross earned Rookie of the Year. He played 1080 minutes and started 33 games. By his senior year, Ross helped the Lumberjacks men’s basketball team to a first ever NAIA Regional Championship, and a berth in the NAIA National Tournament. He finished his career at Northland with 1001 points, 528 rebounds, and 238 assists. Ross shared MVP honors with Blissett in their senior year.

The Athletic reunion will round out with a variety of games on Saturday. Men’s baseball starts at 10:30 am. Softball and volleyball games start at 1:00 pm. Hockey starts at 2:30. Women’s basketball starts at 3:00. Soccer gets underway at 4:00 and men’s basketball starts at 5:00. The evening ends with a pizza and beer party in the student lounged located in the basement of the Ponzio Center on-campus.

Northland College is an environmental liberal arts college located in Ashland, Wis., near the shores of Lake Superior. The college has been recognized as one of the top colleges in the nation for science and mathematics, as a model environmental campus for the Lake Superior Basin, and as one of Wisconsin’s true liberal arts colleges. Founded in 1892, Northland now enrolls more than 750 students from 45 states and 13 other countries.