Steve Ritzenthaler
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- Class Year:
- 1973
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- Induction Year:
- 2025
Bio
From Hall of Honor press release dated July 11, 2025:
Steve Ritzenthaler is the definition of a Wittenberg Tiger, a standout on the Tiger football and men’s lacrosse teams as an undergraduate student who went on to coach the Tiger men’s lacrosse team for nearly 20 years. Most notably, Ritzenthaler’s collegiate coaching career followed a most unusual path: after serving as an assistant coach following his graduation, Ritzenthaler kept the men’s lacrosse program going as a club from 1976-82. His efforts were rewarded in 1983 when men’s lacrosse was reinstated as an intercollegiate program at Wittenberg, and Ritzenthaler went on to serve as head coach for the next 11 seasons.
As a football player at Wittenberg, Ritzenthaler earned three letters as a running back, highlighted by a 160-yard rushing performance against arch-rival Baldwin Wallace in 1972. The Tigers compiled records of 29-8 overall and 14-4 in the OAC during Ritzenthaler’s collegiate football career, including back-to-back undefeated seasons and conference titles in 1969 and 1970. Since concluding his collegiate coaching career, Ritzenthaler has continued to support his alma mater in a variety of ways. He has been called a “quintessential Tiger” by those who know him well. A native of Oregon, Ohio, Ritzenthaler currently resides in New Carlisle, Ohio.