Tyler Boddy Becomes First Ballot Hall of Famer (4-10-19)
Tyler Boddy (08-12) was inducted into the Wisconsin Volleyball Conference Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the WVC Championships held in Menomonee Falls on April 5-6, 2019.
Although he came from a volleyball family, Tyler did not have the experience most college volleyball players have when they enter college. Tyler was originally from New Ulm, a small town in the state of Minnesota where there is no high school volleyball and only a handful of boys clubs.
UW-Oshkosh was lucky to hear about Tyler because his older sister played for head coach Jim Boos at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Jim was the original co-founder of the men’s club team at UW-Oshkosh and he contacted then head coach Brian Schaefer about a “gym rat” that was eager to learn the game and to work hard.
Jim was correct. Tyler started his career as a Titan in 2008 with a lot to prove. UW-Oshkosh was coming off of winning consecutive NIRSA Division I national titles in 2006 and 2007 and had a roster full of talent. Tyler was a natural athlete with a strong work ethic, was a fiery competitor and fully understood the sacrifices that were needed to become elite.
After a freshman campaign where he was named All-WVC Honorable Mention and the WVC Freshmen of the Year, he had a modest season in 2009. Sitting behind current and future WVC Hall of Famers, Tyler was a role player in a year that the Titans placed second in the nation.
In 2010, Tyler was a key contributor for the Titans who were ranked #1 in the country for most of the season. A blown lead on the second day at nationals against Ohio State University and an early round exit in the gold bracket against the University of Illinois the following day was quite shell-shocking to Tyler and the rest of the Titans. Those tough defeats only fueled Tyler to become the player he was the next two seasons.
In 2011, Tyler thrived at the right side hitter position after gaining experience during previous seasons. He was unique in the fact that he could play all six rotations, and play them all at a very high level. Many teams could not figure out who to serve with Bill Meidenbauer and Nick Mueller alongside Tyler in the backcourt. Add to that valuable skill somebody who could set, play great defense, put up a huge block and serve aggressively you had one of the most complete players in WVC history.
2011 also saw a great one year rivalry develop between UW-Oshkosh, Indiana University and the University of Notre Dame. The three teams meet many times throughout the course of the season – the Hoosier-Illini Classic, The Midwest Ten Conference Championship, MIVA’s and as luck would have it; at the national championship.
In an intense national semifinal, the Titans overcame Indiana University and their unbelievable setter to set the stage against the Irish. After losing the first set, the Titans responded by throttling the University of Notre Dame 25-9 in set two.
For those that have attended the Division I national championship match you know what comes next. Nestled between chants of “FU Oshkosh” there is a catchy song called “Sweet Caroline.” Tyler, known for his dance moves was caught up in the moment from the chorus of the crowd and the thrill of winning the second set by such a large margin. Enter Dan Ruys. Dan grabbed Tyler by the jersey, looked him straight into the eyes and told him the match wasn’t over yet. The Titans went onto win 15-10 to claim, at that time their third Division I national championship.
Tyler was named First Team All-American and the National Player of the Year after the match.
In his final season in 2012, UW-Oshkosh finished third in the nation after a heart-breaking two-point loss to the University of California-Berkeley in the third set of the national semifinals. That season Tyler was named a second-team All-American.
Individual accolades and team accomplishments were plentiful for Tyler. He was named a WVC First Team selection three times and was the Conference Player of the Year twice. The Titans won the WVC regular season title from 2009-2012 and won the WVC State Championship in 2009, 2011 and 2012.
While at UW-Oshkosh he got the coaching bug helping the women’s team for two seasons. After graduation he headed to Southwest Minnesota State University as an assistant coach. The Mustangs are a perineal NCAA Division II powerhouse and have reached the national tournament all eight years that Tyler has been there, highlighted with a second place finish in the nation in 2014.
Many players feel lucky to have great experiences and to make memories while getting a chance to play a college sport. In the case of Tyler it is the opposite. His coaches, his teammates and the people that he met along the way are the lucky ones. He was a fantastic teammate. He was a fantastic player. And now he has become a fantastic coach, husband and father. Tyler you earned this honor and there are numerous people proud of you. Congratulations!
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