Six former UW-L student-athletes will be inducted into the university’s Wall of Fame

The six alumni being inducted include: Gene Conger, ’60; Stan Johnson, ’85; Jennifer (Wilson) Meyers, ’95; Ajamu Olaniyan, ’93; William Rediske, ’86; and Angela Riniker, ’95.

The Wall of Fame pays tribute to former athletes and coaches for their exceptional ability and enhancement of school tradition.

This year’s inductees will be honored during a brunch at 9 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, in the Cleary Alumni & Friends Center. Tickets are $15. Reservations are due noon Wednesday, Oct. 8, at the UW-L Alumni Office, 608.785.8490.

Brief biographies of this year’s inductees:

Gene Conger

Gene Conger
Gene Conger lit up the scoreboard at Memorial Field — in football and track. In 1959, the physical science and physical education major earned Little All-American Team honorable mention football honors, along with conference scoring and rushing titles. He was first-team all conference and the team’s MVP. His 24 points scored in a game still ranked fourth (tied with seven others) in UW-L all-time scoring in a single game at the beginning of the 2008 season. In track, he finished second in a conference meet long jump. Conger lettered in both sports all four years. The 1960 graduate went on to teach and coach at Park Falls, Elkhorn, Hortonville and Muskego, where he retired as middle school principal in 1995. Conger and his wife, Ginny, live in Oshkosh. They have three grown children.
Stan Johnson

Stan Johnson
For more than two decades, Stan Johnson’s 98-yard pass reception from Quarterback Bob Kreple has remained the longest passing play in school history. That pass in a game against UW-Stevens Point in 1984 was just one of many Johnson made in a career that set numerous records and eventually took him to the pros. Entering the 2008 season, Johnson is still second with the most receiving yards (980) for a season, and third in a game (221 yards) in a 1983 playoff game against Occidental College, the largest come-from-behind victory in NAIA II history. (UW-L won 43-42.) After graduating in 1985, the marketing major was a free agent for the Chicago Bears in 1985 and the Cincinnati Bengals in 1986. He was the last receiver cut by both. Johnson played for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League in 1986-87, and the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts in 1987-88 before suffering a career-ending knee injury. Johnson, who works in sales with Sealed Air Corp., lives in New London with his wife, Kari, and three sons.
Jennifer Meyers

Jennifer Wilson Meyers
Jennifer (Wilson) Meyers made more than a splash in her four years competing on the swim team. From 1991-95, Meyers set numerous school record in relays, as well as earning All-American honors in eight events. She was the 200 freestyle conference champ in ’92-’93, and the 500 freestyle conference champ in ’93-’94. Meyers took the conference Female Swimming Scholar Athlete of the year honor in 1995, served as team captain in ’94-’95, and was team MVP twice. The 1997 graduate taught and coached boy’s varsity swimming for Watertown-Oconomowoc from 1997-2000, helping to advance 14 swimmers to state. She lives in Watertown with her husband, Steven, and their three children. She currently is a stay-at-home mom.
Ajamu Olaniyan

Ajamu Olaniyan
Ajamu Olaniyan is the university’s all-time triple jumper — and holds that honor in the conference too. Olaniyan, who competed in college as Dean Cash, still owns conference indoor and outdoor records in the triple jump. He and teammate Bill Schroeder are the only Eagles to break the 51-feet barrier. Olaniyan holds the outdoor school record in the triple jump, including the Veterans Memorial Field Complex record. No other jumper at UW-L has won as many titles in the triple jump as Olaniyan. He was part of teams that won national championships in the NCAA indoor and outdoor events in 1991, 1992 and 1993. He was also on teams that brought home eight conference championship teams. Olaniyan, a 1993 graduate, is a middle school teacher and coach with Milwaukee Public Schools. He lives in Milwaukee with his wife, Karissa, and their five children.
William Rediske

William Robert Rediske
William Rediske helped the UW-L cross country and track teams outrun the competition during the early ’80s. The public administration-political science ’86 graduate helped the harriers post conference championships from 1982-85, including a perfect score of 15 during the 1983 conference championship meet. He and the other runners competed in four NAIA national meets, finishing as high as second in 1985 and no lower than fourth. Individually, Rediske finished as an All-American in ’84 and ’85. On the track, Rediske helped the team earn indoor and outdoor conference championships from ’83-’86. He set a school record in the 3,000-meter Steeple Chase during nationals at Memorial Field, placing fifth overall. He was an All-American in the event in ’85 and ’86. Rediske is currently a podiatrist for the U.S. Army at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. He and his wife Kelly, ’91, have four children.
Angela Riniker

Angela Elise Riniker
Angela Riniker came very close to not becoming a national champion — not because of her ability, but because of injury and burn-out. The Sparta High School state hurdler champion had high hopes of collegiate success, but found that goal come crashing down quickly when she was injured in her freshman year. And, the stress of collegiate athletics got to her, so she quit. But after a year away, she returned to the track at the urging of her brother, Wade. She put her spikes back on and focused on the 400-meter hurdles and mile relay. In her senior year, 1995, that hard work paid off when she won the 400-meter hurdles NCAA III championship. Riniker also ran to numerous conference titles in hurdles and relays. She set a school record in the 400-meter hurdles during her national run. The 1995 graduate in business administration lives in Woodbury, Minn., where she is vice president of Fenix Metals, and works for Optum Health and Coldwell Banker.