Latest news with #Wisconsin-native
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kon Knueppel's Mom Turns Heads With Her Looks During NBA Draft Lottery
The 2025 NBA Draft lottery has come and gone, and, despite having only a 1.8% chance, the Dallas Mavericks walked away with the No. 1 overall pick. The grand prize in this year's draft is likely Duke Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg. The freshman forward from Maine finished his lone season in Durham averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Advertisement But Duke has other stars that are projected to become a lottery pick, including center Khaman Maluach and guard Kon Knueppel. During the 2025 ACC Tournament, Knueppel stole the show after Flagg missed nearly every game with an injury. The Wisconsin-native led his team to a conference championship, winning the ACC Tournament MVP in the process. Knueppel was in attendance for Monday night's lottery in Chicago along with his parents, Kon Sr. and Chari. During the event, his mom took to social media to share some photos of the three Knueppels together at the draft lottery. "🤯🤯🤯," Chari Knueppel wrote on X. Despite the likely heartfelt message Chari was trying to send, some NBA fans noticed her appearance at the event, leaving their comments on social media. Advertisement "Look at YOU!!!! Ok, look at ALL OF YOU!!! G O R G E O U S !!!" one fan said. "I love how you can wear heels and still be shorter than your husband and your son. The three of you look amazing," added another. "Mama Chari y'all truly deserve every second of this. You look so incredible," wrote a third. "You are looking fabulous @ChariNKnueppel!!" commented a fourth. "Beautiful Family," posted a fifth. "Looking great! Best of luck @Kon2Knueppel," added a sixth. Duke Blue Devils guard Kon KnueppelRobert Deutsch-Imagn Images Kon is the oldest of five basketball-playing Knueppel brothers, including Kager, the second oldest, followed by Kinston, Kash, and Kid. Chari was a college basketball player herself, becoming UW-Green Bay's all-time leading scorer. She also won the Horizon League Player of the Year in 1999. Related: Luka Doncic Makes First Post After Mavericks Win Cooper Flagg Lottery
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Saints injured former All-Pro right tackle Ryan Ramczyk retires after missing entire 2024 season
FILE - New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk (71) looks on before an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File) NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Saints right tackle Ryan Ramczyk, a 2017 first-round draft choice and former All-Pro who sat out all of last season because of a lingering knee injury, has announced his retirement from pro football. 'What an incredible journey it's been,' the 6-foot-3, 314-pound Ramczyk wrote in a social media post Thursday night, referring in part to his brief pursuit of a career in welding after high school. Advertisement The Wisconsin-native ultimately decided to give football another try, starting his college career on the Division III level at Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He transferred in 2016 to Wisconsin, where he became an AP All-America selection. The Saints made him the second of their two first-round draft choices in 2017, at 32nd overall. 'My path to the NFL wasn't a straight line, it wasn't the story most people expect," Ramczyk wrote. "There were moments when people doubted me, moments when I doubted myself. It's funny how life works out. Sometimes the road less traveled leads to places you never expected, but it ends up being exactly where you were meant to be.' The Saints made Ramczyk a starter at the beginning of his rookie season and he went on to start all 101 NFL games in which he played. In 2019, he was named first-team AP All-Pro. He was a central part of a memorable 2017 draft class that included AP Defensive Rookie of the Year Marshon Lattimore and AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Alvin Kamara. Advertisement The trio helped the Saints emerge from a three-season playoff drought and start a run of four straight postseason appearances from the 2017 through 2020 seasons. That included a 2018 campaign in which the Saints were the NFC's No. 1 playoff seed and hosted the NFC title game, losing in overtime to the Los Angeles Rams after what the NFL acknowledged was a missed call by officials for pass interference and helmet-to-helmet contact in the waning minutes of regulation. His retirement this year was widely expected after he was unable a season ago — after missing the final four games of the 2023 season — because of degraded cartilage in his knee. 'I'm filled with gratitude for everything this sport has given me,' Ramczyk said. 'I owe a giant thank you to the game of football and to the countless coaches and teammate who have supported and challenged me along the way.' Advertisement Ramczyk also thanked Saints fans for making New Orleans 'feel like home' and said he is 'excited for what the future holds, especially the opportunity to spend more time with my two boys and watch them grow.' ___ AP NFL:
Associated Press
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Saints injured former All-Pro right tackle Ryan Ramczyk retires after missing entire 2024 season
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Saints right tackle Ryan Ramczyk, a 2017 first-round draft choice and former All-Pro who sat out all of last season because of a lingering knee injury, has announced his retirement from pro football. 'What an incredible journey it's been,' the 6-foot-3, 314-pound Ramczyk wrote in a social media post Thursday night, referring in part to his brief pursuit of a career in welding after high school. The Wisconsin-native ultimately decided to give football another try, starting his college career on the Division III level at Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He transferred in 2016 to Wisconsin, where he became an AP All-America selection. The Saints made him the second of their two first-round draft choices in 2017, at 32nd overall. 'My path to the NFL wasn't a straight line, it wasn't the story most people expect,' Ramczyk wrote. 'There were moments when people doubted me, moments when I doubted myself. It's funny how life works out. Sometimes the road less traveled leads to places you never expected, but it ends up being exactly where you were meant to be.' The Saints made Ramczyk a starter at the beginning of his rookie season and he went on to start all 101 NFL games in which he played. In 2019, he was named first-team AP All-Pro. He was a central part of a memorable 2017 draft class that included AP Defensive Rookie of the Year Marshon Lattimore and AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Alvin Kamara. The trio helped the Saints emerge from a three-season playoff drought and start a run of four straight postseason appearances from the 2017 through 2020 seasons. That included a 2018 campaign in which the Saints were the NFC's No. 1 playoff seed and hosted the NFC title game, losing in overtime to the Los Angeles Rams after what the NFL acknowledged was a missed call by officials for pass interference and helmet-to-helmet contact in the waning minutes of regulation. His retirement this year was widely expected after he was unable a season ago — after missing the final four games of the 2023 season — because of degraded cartilage in his knee. 'I'm filled with gratitude for everything this sport has given me,' Ramczyk said. 'I owe a giant thank you to the game of football and to the countless coaches and teammate who have supported and challenged me along the way.' Ramczyk also thanked Saints fans for making New Orleans 'feel like home' and said he is 'excited for what the future holds, especially the opportunity to spend more time with my two boys and watch them grow.' ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Irish pubs get big business on St. Patty's Day
De Pere, Wis.(WFRV) – Some local Irish pubs are feeling like they found gold at the end of the rainbow. That's because it's St. Patrick Day on Monday, the busiest day of the year for many Irish pubs and restaurants. Wisconsin-native Jacob Ognacevic bounces back after missing season due to injury, leads Lipscomb into NCAA Tournament 'St. Patrick's Day is four times busier than our normal Friday fish fry,' said Wade Conard who is the owner of McGeorge's Pub in De Pere. 'Friday fish fry is the biggest day of the week normally.' The St. Patrick's Day party at McGeorge's began at 6 a.m. Monday and continued throughout the day. The bar packed with green-wearing revelers embracing the spirit of the holiday. Firefighters battle 720-acres blaze in Green Lake County's White River Marsh Conard said that the holiday falling on a Monday isn't a problem. 'It's a great day to have it because if it's a Friday then I get burned because we're already busy with Friday fish fries,' he said. 'I need it on an off day.' The Monday holiday didn't seem to bother revelers at McGeorge's either. 'It's St. Patrick's Day, there's no day of the week on St. Patrick's Day,' he said. 'There's only St. Patrick's Day. Being together and being happy and the Irish do that very well.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Black History Month resolutions passed Assembly without challenges
Rep. Supreme Moore Omokunde said Black History Month is about recognizing the history people should be learning year round. Screenshot via WisEye. The Wisconsin Assembly unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday recognizing February as Black History Month without significant roadblocks or delays for the first time in many years. 'I'm so glad that we are finally able to bring this bipartisan effort to the floor of the Assembly without all of the challenges that we've had before,' Rep. Supreme Moore Omokunde (D-Milwuaukee) said. Black History Month resolutions have faced pushback from Republican lawmakers in previous years. Issues started in 2019 when the resolution included Colin Kapaernick, the Wisconsin-native former NFL player that knelt during the national anthem to protest police violence. In 2021, Republicans rejected a resolution due to the individuals included. A Republican resolution, which was written without the support of the Legislative Black Caucus, was passed in 2022 without Democratic support. A resolution passed in 2023 declaring February Black History Month — but did not receive a vote until March, and no resolution passed in 2024. Moore Omokunde said the month is about recognizing the Black history that people should learn year round, not just for one month. The resolution acknowledges that enslaved Africans were first brought to Virginia over 400 years ago and acknowledges the history of Black History Month, which has its roots in Carter G. Woodson's 'Negro History Week' established in 1926. The resolution recognizes 14 Black Americans, including several Wisconsinites. They include Elisterine Clayton, a 100-year-old Milwaukee resident who helped build one of the longest-standing Black residential neighborhood, Halyard Park; Paul Higginbotham, the first African-American judge to serve on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals; Marcia Anderson, a retired senior officer of the United States Army Reserve from Beloit, Wisconsin, who was the first Black woman to become a major general; Anthony McGahee, a Milwaukee gospel musician and choir director, and Shakita LaGrant-McClain, the executive director of the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services. An amendment to the resolution removed Samuel Coleman, who is currently serving as the assistant superintendent of instruction for the Oshkosh Area School District, from those being recognized. In 2022, Coleman was part of a controversy related to text messages he sent about white people while employed at another Wisconsin school district. The office of Rep. Kalan Haywood — who authored the amendment — hasn't responded to a request for more information. Rep. Sequanna Taylor (D-Milwaukee) said that Black history is American history. 'It is woven into every fabric of this nation — building and shaping this nation, the economy of this nation and the progress of this nation,' Taylor said. 'From the resilience of those who fought against oppression, to the brilliance of those who have shaped our industries, science and art, Black Americans have been at the heart of every chapter of this nation's story.' '[Black history] did not start with slavery and it does not end with the cutting of DEI,' Taylor said. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts have been targeted by the state and federal lawmakers over the last several years. While the new Trump administration issued a proclamation declaring February Black History Month, he also signed an executive order in January to end DEI efforts. The move led the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs to remove web pages related to DEI. The U.S. Defense Department has also declared 'identity months dead.' Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin have also been taking actions with the goal of eliminating DEI initiatives throughout the University of Wisconsin System and other state agencies. Taylor recognized her colleagues in the Legislative Black Caucus, including Sen. LaTonya Johnson (D-Milwaukee), Sen. Dora Drake (D-Milwaukee), Rep. Kalan Haywood (D-Milwaukee), Rep. Darrin Madison (D-Milwaukee) and Rep. Margaret Arney (D-Wauwatosa), for their work. 'Black history is alive in the work we do today in the fight for equity in the demand for fair policies and the commitment to ensure that future generations inherit a nation that truly lives up to its promise of liberty and justice,' Taylor said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
