Many of the most significant events in the history of athletics at North Central College have passed through the lens of Steve Woltmann. The primary photographer for Cardinal athletic teams since 1980, Woltmann has documented the efforts of thousands of student-athletes and hundreds of teams as they have chased and achieved excellence.
Woltmann’s photography has chronicled 36 team national championships, as well as 201 of the College’s 252 team conference titles. Of the 140 current members of the North Central Athletic Hall of Fame, Woltmann has photographed 111 in competition.
A native of nearby Lisle, Woltmann provided samples of his work to North Central’s public relations director, Marv Meinz, and quickly began a regular schedule of Cardinal athletic events which remains unabated today.
“A friend of mine who I’d gone to military school with was playing basketball here,” Woltmann said. “I shot a couple of his games and approached (Meinz) and gave him the photos. He was elated to have the coverage and said I needed to come back more often. He started hiring me to cover basketball games and a couple of track meets.
“In the spring of 1981, we hosted the track and field national championships for the first time, and I was hired to shoot that, and in 1982 we had a really good women’s basketball program going and I was brought in for a bunch of that, and it just kind of snowballed from there.”
Woltmann has enjoyed the opportunity to chronicle the entry of eight North Central athletic teams into competition and explore new and creative means to capture Cardinal student-athletes in innovative ways.
“I’m always open to shooting new sports,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed the addition of men’s volleyball because I played, coached, and officiated the sport for years. Whenever a coach comes to me with something new, I like to at least give it a try. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an idea to take the swimming teams’ photos underwater. I absolutely loved doing that. It was a challenge to figure out how to make it work, but it was a blast.”
Woltmann’s professional portfolio has grown to include many colleges and universities in the Chicagoland area, as well as five NBA Championships, five Super Bowls, the Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup Championship Parades, numerous major professional sporting events in baseball, basketball, hockey, football, golf and auto racing, and NCAA national championships in all divisions ranging from football to swimming to fencing. However, he continues to make North Central the focal point of his calendar.
"I’ve always made the school kind of like home, in a way,” he said. "I met my wife (Tanya Woltmann ‘M ’94) here, my kids (Emily and Nathan) have come to games here, and I’ve always felt like I was part of the program, so if there’s a conflict in the schedule I always prefer to come here.
“The friendships I’ve made here with student-athletes, coaches and administrators over the years are just amazing. I’ve truly loved working here.”
