Tim Hovde: A 1980 graduate of RLHS Tim was a three sport athlete earning six letters; two in football, three in wrestling and one in track.  Tim started as a junior half back in football and ran for over 960 yards in an 8 game season for an average of 120 yards/game. Tim was selected Ho’N First Team All Conference. In his senior year, Tim became the featured wing-back in an offense that brought Rice Lake an undefeated 11-0 season and its first and only state football championship.  Tim ran for 1,478 yards, which stood as a school single season rushing record for 31 years. He also scored 18 touchdowns and had six 2-point conversions for a total of 120 points. During the 1979 Championship season, Tim was named Co-Captain, Ho’N 1st Team All Conference, St. Paul Pioneer Press Wisconsin Football Player of the Week, 1st Team All Northwest and the team MVP.  As a wrestler in his junior year, Tim finished at 17-4-1. In his senior year, he compiled a 21-4 record, finishing 2nd in both regional and sectional championships and 4th place at State.  Tim was voted the wrestling team’s MVP.  In Tim’s final semester at Rice Lake, he was recruited by the track team to run as part of the 220 & 440 relay teams, earning his first track letter. Tim attended UW-Madison and played football and wrestled as a freshman and sophomore until injuries ended his athletic career.  He and his family currently reside in the Birchwood area.

Francis B. (Fritz) Schneider: Fritz graduated from Rice Lake High School in 1935, where he excelled in football, basketball and track.  In football he was a down lineman on bothsides of the line and in basketball he was a two-year letterman at guard, helping the Lakers to the Ho’N Conference Championship as a junior.  In addition, as a senior, Fritz was Rice Lake High School’s intra-mural 155 lb. boxing champion. He then went on to St. John’s University where he excelled in football and track.  In football as a senior in 1938, he was co-captain of the “Johnnies” MIAC undefeated conference champion team at 5-0 and 6-2 all.  At 6’ and 180 lbs., Fritz was named to the All-Conference Team at left end and the Little All-American Football Team.  In 1937 he was second team All-Conference.  While at St. John’s, Fritz helped lead the football team to a 21-7-1 All. As a two year letterman in track, he set records for St. John’s in the high jump at 5’ 10”, the pole vault at 11’, which stood for 14 years, and in the broad jump at 21’ 11” which stood for 20 years.  Fritz graduated from St. John’s in 1939 and then served in the Army during WWII from 1941 to 1945 where he was seriously wounded in Germany in January of 1945. In 1948, he was appointed Rice Lake Postmaster, a position he held for 33 years, longer than any postmaster before or since.  A long time civic leader at the state and local levels, Francis Schneider passed away in 1999 at the age of 82.