Ron Wojciak was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 baseball player.

Wojciak grew up in Columbia Heights, Minnesota

Columbia Heights, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 18,520 people, 8,033 households, and 4,731 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,368.7 people per square mile . There were 8,151 housing units at an average density of 2,362.9 per square mile...

. He attended the University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

 where he earned All-Big 10

Big Ten Conference

The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...

 and All-American honors in baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

. His team, the Minnesota Golden Gophers

Minnesota Golden Gophers

The Minnesota Golden Gophers are the college sports team for the University of Minnesota. The university fields both men's and women's teams in basketball, cross country, gymnastics, golf, ice hockey, swimming, tennis, and track and field. Men's-specific sports include baseball, football, and...

, won the 1964 College World Series

1964 College World Series

The 1964 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from June 8 to June 18. The eighteenth tournament's champion was the University of Minnesota, coached by Dick Siebert...

. He served as the team's catcher. He signed to play professional baseball with the Minnesota Twins. He was elected to the Gopher Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

Wojciak died in 1966 of lung cancer

Lung cancer

Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...

. In his honor, his hometown boosters founded the Ron Wojciak Award, to be given to those who are involved in community youth athletics. The award has been presented annually since 1966.