Former Southside Raider and Madison Memorial athlete Tyrone Braxton has been named to the 54th Hall of Fame inductee class of the Madison Sports Hall of Fame Club.
He will join hockey goalie Marc Behrend, basketball player Karen O’Malley-Crowley and professional golfer Dennis Tiziani for the dinner and enshrinement ceremony at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center on June 1.
As a Madison Memorial athlete, Tyrone Braxton played basketball, football and track. He was first team all-city and all-conference as a defensive back, first team all-city as a guard in basketball and the city outdoor long jump and triple jump champion. At North Dakota State, Braxton played on three Division II NCAA football championship teams and one runner-up team. He was a first team North Central Conference cornerback as well as a standout long and triple jumper on the school’s track team. After college, Tyrone played for 13 years in the NFL, primarily for the Denver Broncos, where he was part of four AFC championships, two Super Bowl championships and was selected once for the Pro Bowl.
Braxton played in four Super Bowls (XXII, XXIV, XXXII and XXXIII) for the Broncos. In Super Bowl XXXII, Braxton intercepted Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre in the first quarter to help the Broncos defeat the Packers.
Marc Behrend was a multisport athlete at Madison LaFollette playing baseball, football, golf as well as hockey. As a senior he was an all-city and all-conference defensive and an all-city and all-conference goalie. Recruited by Bob Johnson, Behrend went on to lead Badger hockey to the 1981 and 1983 NCAA national championship receiving the tournament MVP award both years. He still holds the UW record for career and season win percentages.
Behrend was inducted into the school’s hockey hall of fame in 1989 and the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006. After his college career, he went on to play on the 1984 Olympic team as well as for three seasons in professional hockey.
Karen O’Malley-Crowley was an exceptional athlete at Madison East playing basketball, softball and volleyball. In all three sports she was recognized as a first team all-city and all-conference player numerous times and in her senior year she was a first team all-state athlete in basketball and softball. She went to the U.W. in the mid 1980’s where she lettered three years as the starting point guard. She remains on the career record list for number of assists in a game and a season as well as for steals in a season. O’Malley-Crowley was inducted into the 2014 Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame for her high school and college career.
For over four decades, Dennis Tiziani has been recognized by the Madison and Wisconsin golfing communities as a premier player, coach and teacher. He won the State Open in 1976, was a two time winner of state match play, a three time state medal play champion and was the Wisconsin PGA player of the year four times. As the U.W. men’s and women’s golf coach, Dennis was named Big Ten coach of the year three times and led his teams to three NCAA tournament berths.
Tiziani has written extensively about golf, conducted numerous clinics and appeared on weekly television golf series and worked with various professional players, including son-in-law, Steve Stricker. The Wisconsin PGA named him teacher of the year twice as well as honored him for his contributions to professional golf education. He continues his involvement in golf education today with the First Tee program of South Central Wisconsin.
These great athletes will join the more than 200 athletes already in the Madison Sports Hall of Fame. Tickets for the event are $50 and they will be sold until May 25th. The event is open to the public and everyone is encouraged to attend and salute this exceptional group of inductees. Tickets are available by contacting Peg Mueller at 238-5907.
The Madison Sports Hall of Fame Club began in 1963 to recognize and honor great athletes and sports figures from Madison. The group hosts weekly luncheon meetings from August through June and holds the induction ceremony every June.
