Rick Schuknecht '77 is the first All-American in the history of Ripon's baseball program, accomplishing that feat as a senior in 1977. Also a star on the football field as both defensive end and kicker, Schuknecht received First Team All-Conference honors in both sports during his senior season. Schuknecht was inducted into Ripon's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000.

"Rick was a sophomore when I took over as Head Football Coach," former Ripon Coach Bob Giesey said. "He was a big, powerful kid standing 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, who loved to hit, rush the passer, and always seemed to make the big play on defense."

Schuknecht's All-Conference nod on the gridiron came as a defensive end, but he was also a great kicker for the Redmen, converting 53 extra points during his final three years with the program.

"He was a captain, a leader on defense, and just loved to play football. Rick loved Ripon College and rarely missed a kick from 25-35 yards," Giesey recalled. "During my five years at Ripon, I'd definitely say that 'Schutts' was the best Defensive End we had the opportunity to coach. Opponents would run their formations and plays away from Rick, which gave us an advantage each game."

As good as Schuknecht was on the football field, he was even better on the baseball diamond, where his career couldn't have begun any better as part of the 1974 MWC Championship team during his freshman season. That year, the left-handed outfielder burst onto the scene with a batting average of .409. That included one double, three triples, five home runs, 18 RBI, and three stolen bases, while leading the team with a slugging percentage of .909, which ranks second in program history for a single season. He also struck out just four times in 44 at-bats.

Schuknecht book-ended his Ripon College baseball career with another spectacular season as a senior, which saw him earn All-Conference, All-Region, and All-American honors. That year, he led the team with a .481 batting average, pounding out 37 hits in 77 at-bats, while also leading the team in home runs (7), doubles (10), and RBI (36).

"Our coaching staff highly enjoyed coaching Rick during his four years at Ripon College," Giesey said. "It was also a pleasure watching Rick play baseball, where he pounded many home runs over the fence."

Schuknecht left a lifelong impression on his coaching staff, but that's no surprise to Giesey, who enjoyed every minute of his time at Ripon College.

"Out of all the colleges I worked for during my coaching career, Ripon College was the most fun and productive thanks to the hundreds of young men like Rick that chose Ripon as their college for both academics and athletics," Giesey said. "In addition to that, these players were extremely close as 'brothers' in their fraternities, which is still carried on to this day."


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