Jon Gruenenfelder grew up in Blanchardville, WI, as a four sport athlete at Pecatonica High School. In high school, Jon won eleven combined varsity letters in football, basketball, baseball and track. In his senior season, Jon earned first team all-conference honors in three sports and received the school’s Outstanding Athlete Award.
After a successful high school athletic career, Jon enrolled at Madison Area Technical College in the fall of 1990. In his freshman season, Jon played 23 basketball games leading the team in assists and steals while averaging almost nine points and five rebounds per game. He earned honorable mention all-conference honors as well as academic all-conference honors. Jon was named the team’s best defensive player, rebounder of the year and was co-most valuable player.
With an outstanding freshman campaign behind him, he was named team captain for the 1991-92 team. Once again, Jon led the team in assists and steals. His season assist total of 122 still ranks sixteenth all-time in school history while his 70 steals are fourteenth all-time in school history. His career marks rank him thirteenth all-time in assists and tenth all-time in steals. Jon played all 28 games during the 1991-92 season averaging almost 10.5 points, four rebounds and four assists per contest. Jon earned the team’s assist and steals leader awards and achieved academic all-conference honors for the second straight season. He also received the Athletic Department’s highest honor being named Sportsperson of the Year.
Jon’s success at Madison Area Technical College earned him a college scholarship to play basketball at Cardinal Stritch University. At Cardinal Stritch, Jon continued to do the things that brought him success at Madison Area Technical College. He was the team’s best defensive player and a team leader, serving as team captain during both seasons. Jon earned All-Lake Michigan conference honors in both seasons and selected NAIA All-District in his senior season. In his senior season, he averaged almost 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game. Off the court, Jon earned Bill Bradley Scholastic All-American honors and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting.
After his successful college basketball career he returned to Madison College where he served as a Fitness Center Supervisor and assistant women’s basketball for three seasons. Coaching alongside hall of fame coach, Kris Mills, their teams won three consecutive conference and state championships and finished as regional runners-up in each of those seasons. The team qualified for the national tournament for the first time in school history in 1997, placing third in the nation.
"Jon had a definite love for the game of basketball," commented former head women’s basketball coach and current administrative assistant, Kris Mills. "Along with his passion for the game, Jon had an unbelievable work ethic and great personality… he was an absolute joy to coach with.”
Since leaving the college in 1998, Jon has worked for Transcontinental Corporation as a Corporate Finance Manager. His family, consisting of son, Adrik, and his daughters, Adia, Adriana and Adley and his wife Jennifer just recently moved back to the area. They currently live in Sussex, WI.
