Blue Devil Alumni Spotlight: Luke Rykal

Name – Luke Rykal
UW-Stout graduation year – 2005
Major – Business Administration w/ Construction Emphasis
Sport(s) – Football
Years Played – 2000 to 2004
Hometown (High School) – Cadott, WI
Currently Reside – Chippewa Falls, WI
 

Why did you choose to be a collegiate student-athlete at UW-Stout? I knew that I wanted to work in the Construction Industry after college and UW-Stout had a great program. So, once I started getting recruited by Stout it was an easy decision for me. 

What did you like most about competing in collegiate athletics? The camaraderie.

What is the greatest lesson you learned from being a collegiate student-athlete? To push through adversity!  Our coaches preached to us that things won't always go your way and you will have tough moments but being a man meant being able to push through those moments and be better for them. 

Who was the most influential person in your athletic career? My Dad!

What is your most memorable or favorite sports moment at UW-Stout? Beating Eau Claire! 3 out of my 4 years. 

How did your teammates describe you as a person and a student-athlete? Competitive

Are you in contact with any former Blue Devil student-athletes?  I wish I did better job of this.  It's amazing how fast time goes by and how life gets away from you.  I am still in contact with a few of my teammates, Trevor Delong, Nate Rykal, and Sam Johnsrud but I hope to reconnect with more now that I am back in the area.

Give us a brief synopsis of your life since graduating from UW-Stout, include job and family? For the first 5 years out of school I traveled for work.  I lived/worked in 8 different states and enjoyed every minute of it.  I currently work for Hoeft Builders out of Eau Claire, WI as a Project Manager.  My wife and I have 2 beautiful children, (21 months and 2 months).  They keep us busy but I couldn't imagine life without them. 

You were a part of conference championship team, talk about that experience. We won conference my Red Shirt freshmen year.  To be able to watch and learn from this team was invaluable.  It made you a better player and more competitive.  You saw the excitement it brought to the team and to the town and you wanted to have that feeling back. 

Four individuals from your small hometown high school football team played in the WIAC with you, what was that like?  For me, those games were the most fun to play in.  We grew up together, played sports together and I consider all of them to be my closest of friends still today, so getting the chance to compete against them and with them were beyond rewarding.