Former University of WIsconsin Green Bay Head Basketball Coach Mike Heideman passed away over the weekend at the age of 70 after a battle with cancer.
Heideman was a fixture on the Northeast Wisconsin basketball season for nearly twenty years, first as head coach at his high school alma mater Appleton Xavier where he spent 8 seasons with the program.
He took over the St. Norbert Green Knights in 1982, taking SNC to the Division III sweet 16 before he joined Dick Bennett’s staff at Green Bay in 1986. After Bennett became the Head Coach at the University of Wisconsin, Heideman was promoted to the head job with the Phoenix and won a conference title and NCAA tournament berth in his first season, leading Green Bay to a 25-4 mark.
Heideman was eventually let go after seven years and after spending one year at Valparaiso, he re-joined Bennett at Washington State, assisting both Dick and then his son Tony with the Cougars.
Heideman eventually returned to the Fox Valley where he became Athletic Director at St. Mary’s Catholic High School in Menasha.
At a ceremony honoring Heideman for his years with Green Bay last season, Bennett said, “While I received the credit for our success at Green Bay, the real credit should go to Mike who was a tireless, dedicated and loyal assistant.”
