Sept. 11 at Camp Randall Stadium, University of Wisconsin Athletics formally inducted and recognized the new class of 2021 Hall of Fame Inductees.
Ranging from a wide variety of sports and spanning many decades, this class represents the breadth of Wisconsin Athletics.
Gabe Carimi
Gabe Carimi was a late bloomer throughout his football career.
He did not start playing the sport until seventh grade, did not make the varsity team until junior year of high school and was a redshirt freshman. When Carimi got his opportunity at UW, he never looked back.
Carimi, a four-year starter at left tackle, played consistently with toughness and effectiveness and became a two-time first team All-Big Ten East selection. Along the way, Carimi also snagged the 2010 Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year and the 2010 Outland Trophy Winner, awarded to the best interior lineman in the nation.
Leading the Badgers to a Big Ten Championship, Carimi also had a valued presence in the classroom, earning Academic All-Big Ten all four years of his career. After a four-year stint in the NFL, Carimi delved into the business world and now owns a meat snack company.
Viewing football and business as a unique and different set of challenges, he enjoys learning about the business world and using the skills he learned in football to assist him in his new journey.
Meghan Duggan led a historic career for the Wisconsin Women’s hockey team, fronting a Wisconsin Women’s Hockey dynasty and winning three NCAA Championships during her career.
Cementing herself as one of the greatest Badger hockey players of all time, she ranks second in assists (130), third in points (238) and third in plus minus rating (+164). In addition to being a 2011 Captain and All-American on the NCAA championship team, she also won the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, awarded to the top annual hockey player in all of NCAA Women’s Hockey.
Duggan propelled her great success at Madison into Olympic greatness as a three-time member of the Women’s U.S. Olympic Team, winning two silver medals and leading the team to gold in 2018.
Yasmin Farooq
Farooq coxed the Badgers’ junior varsity rowing team in 1986 and earned team captain and team MVP her senior year in 1988.
In a similar vein, she continued her great success in the global sphere, participating in two Olympic Games and four World Championship Games including the U.S.’s first international gold in rowing in 1995.
Farooq would go on to become a nationally renowned rowing coach, earning six-time Pac 12 Coach of the Year, three-time national coach of the year and three-time national champion at both Stanford and Washington.
In 2014, she was inducted into the National Rowing Hall of Fame.
Blake Geoffrion
Following in the footsteps of four generations of Geoffrion hockey players, Blake Geoffrion paved a storied career at UW.
Geoffrion earned the Hobey Baker Memorial Award in 2010, given to the best hockey player in the nation, along with All-American and Wisconsin Male Athlete of the Year.
Excelling in his role as captain, Geoffrion grew into the leadership position and valued creating friendships and cultivating a positive team atmosphere.
Geoffrion had a brief stint in the NHL, until an injury ended his career leading him to enter the front office department of the Florida Panthers. Carrying on his great leadership qualities, he is now the managing director of BHMS Investments.
Grant and Ross James
The James brothers first grasped a rowing ore in their first semester as college students, proving it’s never too late for an old dog to learn new tricks.
Creating a model of consistency, the James brothers went undefeated in collegiate dual racing from 2005-2009, culminating in the triumph of the 2008 National Championship in the men’s eight.
The James brothers participated in a wide variety of international competitions in their professional careers, highlighted by their 2012 Olympic appearance, placing fourth overall. The James brothers were nine-time members of the U.S. National Team.
Throughout their professional success, they always look back on their time at UW as the cornerstone of their careers, as they went from clueless rowers to some of the best rowers in the world.
Ron Jeidy
Ron Jeidy started his career as a small fish in a big pond at UW, wrestling some of the top wrestlers in the world including multiple Olympic gold medalists. But, he finished his career as one of the greatest wrestlers in UW’s storied and highly acclaimed wrestling program.
Those close to him appreciate his unique ability to always put a smile on their faces and brighten the room with positivity.
While qualifying for the NCAAs in his sophomore and junior years, he finally reached the top of the podium in 1978, winning the NCAA Championship at 190 pounds.
Jeidy proved to be a man of many talents, writing 2,500 poems over the course of his life. The duality of man manifests itself in Ron Jeidy as he is a true man of strength and grace.
Jon Leuer had a rollercoaster career at UW, which ended with one of the greatest careers in UW’s basketball history.
As a freshman, Leuer initially succeeded, playing a pivotal role on Wisconsin’s team filling the team’s shooting role in times of need.
However, after a hot start, he soon struggled for the remainder of his freshman year and received fewer and fewer minutes as the season went along. After multiple years of progression and consistency, Leuer led UW in points and rebounds in his junior and senior years.
He ranks in the UW all-time categories in points, rebounds and blocks, and was part of a class that totaled 100 career wins and qualified for four straight NCAA tournaments. Capitalizing on the sheer volume of great stats over the years, he had continued success as he played eight years in the NBA, ultimately retiring in 2020.
Maggie Meyer
Maggie Meyer ushered in a tradition of greatness to Wisconsin Women’s Swimming as the first women’s swimming NCAA champion in an individual event, winning the 200-yard backstroke in 2011.
Known for her attention to detail and bright spirit on the pool deck, Meyer utilized her brilliant knowledge of the sport throughout her college career, setting school records in six events and earning three-time All-Big Ten Selection.
While she always had natural talent, her coaches note her perseverance to excellence as the definitive trait that ultimately earned the 2009-10 UW Female Athlete of the year and 2011 Big Ten Conference Swimmer of the Year.
Lloyd M. Cooke
A trailblazer for his time, Lloyd M. Cooke was the first Black student-athlete to run cross country for the Badgers and was a major contributor to the Badgers’ Cross-Country Team in 1935-36, leading UW to a 9-2 record in those years.
Graduating with honors in 1937, Cooke had tremendous professional success, specializing in the field of chemistry. He was a member of the American Chemical Society from 1938-2001 and ended his career as a top research chemist for Union Carbide.
He served in multiple leadership positions including the Economic Development Council of New York City and was a member of the National Science Board from 1970-82.
Known for his adventuresome spirit, Cooke loved to travel and cheer on Badger Football, and will always be fondly remembered for his courage and fearlessness in all of his life’s work.
