2022 JWP Athletic Hall of Fame

The Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Athletic Hall of Fame inducted two teams and seven individuals for 2022 during its October 15 banquet at Purple Goose. Started in 2018 by the JWP Hall of Fame Committee created by Mike Niemczyk, the banquet honors athletes and teams from all the schools which now comprise the consolidated district. 

Anyone can nominate a team or individual by signing an application and a list of their accomplishments. The Hall of Fame committee comes together every spring and summer to select inductees for that year’s hall of fame. Qualifications for the hall of fame include the amount of letters earned in athletics, accolades collected (all-conference honors, for example), and their records.

Teams inducted

The 1983 Waldorf-Pemberton football team was the first of the evening inducted into the hall of fame. The team had five straight shutouts on their way to winning their conference title with a 9-0 record and earning a #1 ranking in Class C by the Associated Press. However, their season was cut short with a 22-0 loss to Bird Island in the first round of playoffs.

Team members shared memories of that game, including a foggy, nearly three-hour drive to Bird Island. They figured that was what threw them off their game. However, the Colts still had a remarkable season.

The next team inducted was the 2003 JWP girls’ basketball team. Coached by Mike Meihak, the team had a perfect 13-0 record in the Gopher Conference and had a record of 33-3. Highlights of the season included defeating Class 2A state contenders Belle Plaine and Minnesota Valley Lutheran, being ranked number one in Class A midway through the season, and defeating Mayer Lutheran in a comeback victory to make the State Tournament.

Individuals

Dave Eustice was a five-time wrestling letter winner with a 113-26-1 record. One of the best wrestlers to come out of Janesville High School, Eustice earned many accolades: 4-time all-conference and all-area, 3-time state tournament qualifier, a state champion at 119 pounds in 1988, and being named to the Minnesota All-Star team in 1989.

Eustice stated that he wanted coach Mike Niemczyk’s approval. “I wanted so badly for Mike Niemczyk to notice me,” he stated. “He helped make me the person I am today. Some of the stuff he said might have gotten him thrown in jail today. But nevertheless, thank you.”

Janine (Guse) Schubert was a 1983 graduate who was a seven-time letter winner, four of those in basketball. She was an all-conference selection and held the record for the most rebounds and blocked shots by any player. She was also a three-time letter winner in track and held the high jump record at one point. To end her career, she received the Outstanding Senior Woman Athlete award.

“Many people have asked if I’ve grown taller since high school,” she joked. “No, I haven’t.”

Layne Janike had many memories to share as an 11-time letter winner for Waldorf-Pemberton, earning four in basketball, four in football, and three in baseball. He earned all-conference honors twice for basketball and once in football while being named all-area twice in basketball. Janike was the quarterback for 1987’s state qualifying team.

“I don’t know if this is still a tradition or not,” he started, “but before we had our home games, we went into the gym and stretched without saying a word. When we walked out onto that field, we walked like we were a platoon of soldiers. We got that unison march down pretty good.”

Mike Niemczyk II earned 13 letters during his time in Janesville High School and earned 9 conference honors. He was the halfback of the 1986 football team (inducted in 2021) that made it to the state tournament while also qualifying for the state tournament in 1988. His sports career in college was just as impressive: He played in the NAIA baseball World Series in 1990 and held the record for stolen bases.

“We have such a great community here,” Niemczyk shared. “When my family moved into town, we were accepted right away.”

He then asked the audience to wish his mother, Rene, a happy early birthday. “It’s five days away, and I’m too cheap to get her a birthday present,” he chuckled.

Tim Oelke is a 14-time letter winner for Janesville where he earned three for football, five in wrestling, five in track, and one in baseball. He earned many all-conference honors in football, wrestling, and track, and he placed highly twice in the state wrestling tournament, once in 2nd and another time in 5th. He attended St. John’s University where he played football for one year and wrestled for four years, earning All-American honors in wrestling in 1990.

He shared memories of when he was a kid and he played with many of his teammates. “There was always someone yelling at us to get home when the lights came on.”

He then thanked all his teammates, his family, and his wife Jessica Oelke for supporting him throughout the years.

Three individuals were inducted posthumously. The first was Ken “Casey” Clausen who graduated from Pemberton High School in 1927 where he played basketball and baseball and earned his nickname. In 1934, he decided to add a school bus to his trucking company. He drove teams to away games and kept the score book for the basketball team for more than 25 years. Casey’s family accepted the award in his honor.

The second to be inducted posthumously was Bob Prail, who was also inducted as a contributor. He drove the school bus for many years and especially loved driving for field trips and athletic events for Janesville, Trinity, and eventually JWP. He was dubbed “the bus driver” for many years and was a constant fan of all the teams he drove, cheering them on when they won and providing comfort when they lost.

Prail’s widow and his grandson Chad Ziemke accepted the award in his honor. Ziemke gave a heartwarming speech about his grandfather, sharing the times that he got to drive with him. As an added bonus, he always knew Prail had money for the concession stands.

“Whenever my kids and I see a bus, we always think of it as grandpa driving,” he said.

The third posthumous induction was Matt Richardson Jr. He was a six-time letter winner, earning one in football, one in baseball, and four in wrestling. He was a two-time all-conference selection and a three-time state qualifier, placing third in state his senior year. His wrestling career in Janesville was 104-20-1. During his time at St. Thomas College, he was known as “Iron Man.” He died after a tragic motorcycle accident in 1985.

Adam Roesler, cousin to Richardson Jr., current WEM-JWP wrestling coach, and JWP science teacher, shared a biology lesson about memories. Roesler remembered meeting his cousin Matt for the first time when he dressed up in a mask to scare him. Eventually, Matt had weightlifting competitions with Roesler and the other cousins in the family. Roesler remembers Richardson being a constant supporter to him during his youth wrestling years.

“Those will be memories that stick with me forever,” says Roesler.

While current JWP students got to celebrate homecoming, JWP’s Athletic Hall of Fame was a great way for alumni to relive the glory days of being a Golden Bear, a Colt, or a Bulldog. As Roesler said best, the memories they made in their athletic careers will be memories that stay with them forever.