James Dunkleberger started his decathlete career at the University of Wisconsin-Madison just hoping to make the travel squad for meets.
He ended it by becoming the 1997 NCAA champion in the decathlon, scoring 7,924 points.
Dunkleberger, a 1992 graduate of Lake Mills High School, was recently announced as a member of the 2024 UW Athletic Hall of Fame and will officially be inducted during a banquet on Sept. 6 before being honored at halftime of the Sept. 7 football game versus South Dakota.
“I got goosebumps when UW athletic director Chris McIntosh called,” Dunkleberger said. “It was a big surprise. When I saw a Madison number calling, I thought it was American Family Insurance since that’s my only connection still to the area. Then, quickly, I realized and he congratulated me on being selected.”
Dunkleberger now resides in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, just south of Denver, with his wife, Elizabeth, and three children. Dunkleberger, who moved to the area in 2005, works as the office manager at Elizabeth’s dental clinic, Dental Excellence.
Dunkleberger, who has six brothers and one sister, was a three-sport athlete at LMHS, where he played football, basketball and was a four-time state qualifier in track and field.
“Football was my passion in high school,” Dunkleberger said. “My brother Harold was a senior when I was a freshman and he was a 2,000-yard rusher on a state semifinal team as a junior.
“I wanted to be like my brother, but I didn’t have the power. I loved basketball too. Track was my real talent, I guess.”
Dunkleberger qualified for the WIAA Division 2 State Track and Field Championships on a relay with his brother, Harold, and Aaron Warden and Glen Wolfram as a freshman. As a sophomore, he represented the L-Cats in several sprint events and the pole vault. In his junior year, Dunkleberger won the D2 pole vault by clearing 15 feet.
“Pole vault was my baby,” Dunkleberger said. “My dad set up a pole vaulting pit in my backyard, so I had been pole vaulting since third grade. I always told my parents and siblings that I was going to be a pole vaulter.”
Dunkleberger redshirted his freshman season at UW, before gradually rising through the ranks. He won back to back Big Ten titles in the indoor heptathlon consisting of seven events in 1995 and 1996. Dunkleberger, a 1995 team captain, helped the Badgers to a sweep of the Big Ten indoor and outdoor titles in 1995, 1996 and 1997. Wisconsin also placed sixth in the 1996 NCAA outdoor meet, which saw Dunkleberger place fifth in the decathlon with 7,672 points.
Dunkleberger, a two-time All-American and two-time All-Big Ten conference selection, led the Badgers to a fourth place finish at the 1997 NCAA Championships. He currently ranks third all-time in UW history with a decathlon score of 7,924 points.
“As a decathlon athlete, we were working out five to seven hours a day,” Dunkleberger said. “Louis Hinshaw and Greg Gill, who were also standout decathletes, and myself were track rats. We were there all the time and always hanging out. Those guys are like brothers to me, for sure. Decathlon athletes are kind of separated from the rest of the team, so that’s why those relationships were so strong.
“My least favorite decathlon event was the 110 high hurdles, which were always a struggle. I had good speed, but I just did not quite have the flexibility for the hurdles. They are 42 inches and definitely barriers for me. I had never done some of the decathlon events until my freshman year in college. It was funny how my goals changed from scraping by on the challenge squad to winning a national title.”
Dunkleberger, upon hearing he would be inducted into the Hall of Fame, immediately started reflecting back to the Lake Mills teachers who helped provide him a path to success. Pat Hauser, who was Dunkleberger’s kindergarten physical education teacher, immediately pops to mind, along with plenty of other good memories from his days as an L-Cat.
“When I was introduced, I got so many nice messages from people in the community and those brought back so many memories,” Dunkleberger said. “I grew up on a farm and my family did meat processing in our home in Lake Mills. That helped me develop my work ethic. I certainly have a lot to be thankful for in Lake Mills.”
Dunkleberger almost followed Hauser’s footsteps in attending UW-La Crosse, until the Badgers came through with an 11th hour offer.
“When colleges started recruiting me for the decathlon, coach Hauser, my track and field coach, told me about what the challenges were associated with the event,” Dunkleberger said. “Wisconsin kind of swooped in late in the recruiting process. I wanted to follow Pat’s steps to La Crosse. He told me if I was his son, he’d tell me to go to Madison. He was always kind of that rock for me in high school sports.”
Dunkleberger would relish having Lake Mills supporters at the pregame tailgate on Sept. 7 and at the Sept. 6 gathering at Hall of Fame Park, located on the south side of Camp Randall, to view Hall of Fame plaques and take photos from 4-5:30 p.m.
This year’s other Hame of Fame inductees are: Adam Burish (Hockey, 2002-06); Mark Laporte (Soccer, 1979-82); Gina Panighetti (Swimming, 1996-2000); Marija Neubauer (Tennis, 1990-94); Meaghan Reid (Hockey, 2004-07); Alex Rigsby Cavallini (Hockey, 2010-14); Tarek Saleh (Football, 1993-96); Donnel Thompson (Football, 1996-99) and John Jagger (Men’s Hockey, 1967-71). They will be joined by Pete Waite in the Coaches/Administration category and Herb Kohl for Special Service.
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