APPLETON, Wis. -- Lawrence University coaching legend Ron Roberts passed away Sunday morning in Oshkosh, Wis., at age 81.

Roberts led the Lawrence football program for 20 seasons, won six Midwest Conference championships and reached the semifinals of the 1981 NCAA Division III playoffs. Roberts compiled a career record of 121-54-1 and retired after the 1992 season with the 12th-best winning percentage (.690) in NCAA Division III football history.

"We are very saddened by the passing of Ron Roberts," Lawrence Director of Athletics Mike Szkodzinski said. "His influence on Viking athletics and the entire institution is nothing short of remarkable. He has been a tremendous mentor for countless student-athletes on the field, but more importantly, off the field as well. Lawrence University and the Department of Athletics will forever be indebted to Ron's leadership, dedication and commitment to excellence. Our thoughts and prayers are with Ron's friends and family."

A visitation will be held Friday, Dec. 7, from 4-8 p.m. at Wichman Funeral Home Tri-County Chapel, 3212 S. Oneida St., Appleton. A celebration of Ron's life will be held Saturday, Dec. 8, at Calvary Bible Church, 1450 Oakridge Road, Neenah. Visitation at 1 p.m. until time of service at 2 p.m. Burial will be at Kingston Cemetery, Prairie du Sac, Wis.

Memorials can be directed to the Lawrence University Department of Athletics, 711 E. Boldt Way, SPC 18, Appleton, WI, 54911, or the Charcot Marie Tooth Neuropathy Research Association, P.O. Box 105, Glenolden, PA, 19036.

A charter member of the Lawrence Intercollegiate Athletic Hall of Fame, Roberts came to Lawrence in 1963 as the offensive line coach under another Lawrence legend, Bernie Heselton. Roberts, who was inducted into the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1996, also coached the wrestling and men's tennis teams upon his arrival in Appleton.

Roberts took over as head football coach in 1965, the first season of play in the Banta Bowl. Roberts won his first Midwest Conference championship in 1966 as the Vikings finished 7-1. In just his third season, the 1967 squad finished 8-0 to become only the fourth unbeaten, untied team in school history and won another conference title.

Roberts' teams would go on to win four more conference championships (1975, 1979, 1980, 1981).

In Roberts' tenure as head coach, the Vikings posted 14 winning seasons, including an impressive 10-year stretch from 1974-83. During that time, Lawrence never lost more than two games in a season and posted a 77-15 record. Lawrence also put together a school-record 18-game winning streak during that time.

The 1981 season was perhaps the pinnacle of Roberts' coaching career. Lawrence won the Midwest Conference championship and finished with a 9-0 regular-season record (10-1 overall). Lawrence then became the first Midwest Conference team selected for the NCAA Division III playoffs.

Lawrence also became the first Midwest Conference team to host, and win, a NCAA playoff game when Lawrence defeated Minnesota-Morris in the quarterfinals. Lawrence was finally eliminated in the national semifinals but no Midwest Conference team has ever advanced farther in the Division III playoffs.

Roberts, who also was Lawrence's director of athletics, stepped away from football after the 1983 season but returned to the team to coach the 1992 season before retiring. When Roberts finished coaching football, only Cornell College's Jerry Clark had won more games in the Midwest Conference.

Roberts also served as the head coach of the wrestling, tennis and track teams during his time at Lawrence. Roberts coached the wrestling team for 19 seasons in three different stints (1963-69, 1972-74, 1985-93). He coached the men's tennis team for six seasons from 1964-69 and the team won the 1968 conference championship.

Roberts took over as director of athletics following Heselton's retirement in 1971 and oversaw the introduction of women's varsity sports at Lawrence. Women's basketball, soccer, volleyball, cross country, tennis, track and field, swimming and softball all began varsity play during Roberts' tenure as director of athletics.

A native of Chicago, Ill., Roberts was a standout football player and wrestler at the University of Wisconsin. He helped the Badgers reach the 1953 Rose Bowl and played on the defensive line and on special teams. As a wrestler, Roberts was an alternate on the United States team for the 1956 Pan-Am Games in Mexico City.

A history and physical education major, Roberts graduated from Wisconsin with a bachelor's degree in 1954. He also earned his master's degree in educational administration from Wisconsin in 1959. Roberts earned an advanced degree from the University of Chicago in 1959 and finished his Ph.D. in educational administration from Brigham Young University in 1971.

Roberts began his coaching career when returned to his alma mater, Crane Tech, and took over the football program. Crane Tech had not won a game in three seasons when Roberts arrived, but Roberts' team won a divisional championship in his first season. Crane Tech went to the city playoffs for three consecutive years under Roberts' guidance.

In 1960, Roberts moved to East Leyden High School in the Chicago suburbs to take over a team that hadn't won a game in two seasons. Roberts' first team at East Leyden finished second in the conference, and he stayed for two more seasons before coming to Lawrence in 1963.

Roberts is survived by his wife, Marlene, and three children, Ron Jr., Carrie and Elizabeth and two grandchildren. Ron Jr., class of 1984, was a standout quarterback at Lawrence and lives in Appelton. Carrie '86, won letters in both volleyball and basketball for the Vikings and lives in Chicago. Elizabeth and her husband, Fredrik Leijonhufvud, have two children, Lovisa and Matilda, and live in Stockholm, Sweden.