Josh Kraemer '09 is one of the most decorated players in the history of Ripon's football program, earning six All-Conference honors in his four years. A native of Waukesha, Wis., Kraemer is a three-time First Team All-Conference selection at Defensive Back, while earning three more All-Conference honors as a kick returner. He was named to the 2008 All-America team, while also becoming the third player in program history to receive the Wisconsin Private College Player of the Year award that same season. Kraemer was inducted into Ripon's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019, the first year he was eligible.

"Josh is one of the top defensive backs to ever play in the Midwest Conference, and was a tremendous threat on special teams," Ripon Head Football Coach Ron Ernst said. "Opposing teams clearly looked for Josh before every play and did everything they could to throw away from him. He has an outstanding work ethic and was a leader both on and off the field."

Kraemer's 17 career interceptions are tied for fourth in program history, with all of them coming in his final three years with the program. Despite never playing offense, Kraemer scored six touchdowns during his career, returning two interceptions for TDs, while also scoring once on a punt return and three times on kick returns. During his senior season, Kraemer scored four touchdowns (one INT, one PR, two KR).

"It's hard to put into words how much my Ripon College experience meant to me, especially as the years go by," Kraemer said. "My fondest memories at Ripon took place on and off the field with my teammates, and nearly 15 years later, they remain some of my closest friends. I'm a firm believer that athletics builds life-long habits and lessons, which show up every day in my work and personal life."

Kraemer was among the NCAA Division-III leaders throughout his entire career, finishing in the top 40 in the country for interceptions in each of his final three seasons. He led the entire nation in punt return average as a sophomore in 2006 (17.4 avg.), while ranking in the top 50 in both kickoff and punt return average during his final two years, finishing 10th in D-III in both categories as a Senior. He remains in Ripon's special teams record book, ranking fifth in school history for both longest punt return (70 yards) and longest kickoff return (91 yards) in program history, both of which also came during his final season.

Kraemer's name is still littered throughout the MWC's career record book, ranking in the top 10 in conference history for kickoff return touchdowns (3), punt return yards (731), and punt return average (13.1), all of which are also school records. Despite having tremendous success during his career, Kraemer's most vivid memory came in defeat, as the team opened his senior year by playing UW-Oshkosh for the third consecutive season.

"We had lost pretty badly to UW-O the previous two seasons, but my Senior year was different. We were a more mature team that had become stronger, smarter, and more talented. We battled our butts off and ended up losing 14-13," Kraemer recalled. "Considering the size difference of our schools and talent difference in our two separate conferences, we had no business keeping the score close, but we didn't care. We knew if we played our best, we'd have a chance to win the game, which we were only inches away from doing. Despite the loss, that was one of the proudest moments I've ever had as a Red Hawk because of how hard we played."

Kraemer and his wife Katie '09, who was a starter on Ripon's women's soccer team, currently reside in Cedarburg, Wis., where they both work for Anytime Fitness. Josh has worked for Anytime Fitness for the last 12 years, first as a Personal Trainer, and currently as Regional Personal Training Director. He still applies what he learned at Ripon in his daily life and current profession.

"I'm fortunate enough to be in a leadership position at my job and I'm often able to share lessons that I learned from my coaches, specifically my position coach Dan Lueck, every chance I get," Kraemer said. "Those lessons are life-changing, both professionally and personally."


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