Members
Inductee
WISHNEVSKI, MICHAEL
WISHNEVSKI, MICHAEL
Born on
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Inducted On
May 1, 2022
Location Inducted
Merrillville, Indiana
Region Number
1
Portage High School
Player
Portage High School
1978
Mike made the varsity football team as a sophomore. In his junior year, Portage finished 9-1 making the playoffs. Portage defeated 1976 State Champion Merrillville in a rematch 3-0 on a last-minute field goal. This is still considered one of the biggest upsets in Northwest Indiana football. A regional win over SB Washington (14-7) placed Portage in its first State Championship game against #1 ranked Evansville Reitz.
Indiana Central
1990
While at Indiana Central, Mike was a varsity letter winner (1979-81, 1989), set the school record for rushing 1,106 yards, let the conference in rushing (1981), was a member of the All-Conference team (1980,1981), was a member of the Conference Championship team (1981) and was Most Valuable Offensive Player (1980,1981) as well as the Greyhound Outstanding Male Athlete Award.
Mike also stood out in baseball where he was a varsity letterwinner, Team MVP and Conference MVP. He was third in hitting in NCAA Division II in 1981 and set 15 U of I career and individual school records and was an All-American. After his junior year, he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 2nd round.
After six years of professional baseball, mike returned to U of I to finish his degree. In the spring of 1989, he received an offer to return for his fourth year of eligibility. Mike lettered again and was named Most Valuable Offensive Back and the Kelso Reid Mental Attitude Award.
State Championship individual records set by Mike Wishnevski: Most points scored 26, most touchdowns 4, most touchdowns rushing 4, most rushing attempts 29, most yards gained 221.
Mike and his wife Jennifer have two children, Leslie and Rebecca.