Athletics Hall of Fame
Ryan Kleppe was a defensive lineman for two Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship teams and two national runners-up during his four-year career with the UW-Whitewater football team from 2003-06. As a senior in 2006, Kleppe garnered D3football.com Defensive Player of the Year, first team All-America, WIAC Football Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete and first team All-WIAC accolades and was named a finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy, the Division III equivalent to the Heisman Trophy. He finished his career as a two-time All-American and three-time first team All-WIAC honoree. He totaled 30 sacks, third-most in program history, and currently ranks among the top five in WIAC history in both sacks and tackles for loss (64). The Mount Horeb native was later selected to the WIAC All-Time Team, which was created in 2012 as part of the league's Centennial celebration, and to the D3football.com 2000s All-Decade first team. He graduated with a bachelor's in physical education (K-12) in 2008.
