• Brent “Boot” Koplitz, 2016 inductee to the “Wall of Fame,” was born in Seattle on July 28, 1958.  He attended South Bend Schools from kindergarten through high school and graduated in 1976.  At South Bend, Brent lettered 14 times in basketball, baseball, track and field, and cross country while representing the school at the state level on eight different occasions, at least once in every sport.  He won individual league titles in cross country as well as sprinting, but is most proud of his team’s achievements in basketball, including only one loss in this building during a three-year span where the combined regular season record was 55 wins and 5 losses. 

    Brent went on to Willamette University where he earned a B.A. degree in chemistry and mathematics.  Subsequently, he received a Ph.D. degree in chemistry from Princeton University.  After postdoctoral work at the University of Southern California, he joined the faculty at Tulane University in New Orleans where he is a professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry.  His wife, Lynn, and two children, Shannon and Trevor, have enjoyed many trips to South Bend over the past 30 years.

    Athletic endeavors for Brent in New Orleans have included 20 years of coaching elite fastpitch softball and baseball teams.  Over 50 of his former players have earned college scholarships, and their accolades include all Pac-12, Big12, and SEC honors as well as All-American and national team selections.