A building block of the resurgence of the North Central College football program, Lenny Radtke ’06 took pride in being able to help turn the Cardinals’ program in a positive direction. He emerged as one of the greatest defensive standouts in school history.
Over the course of his career, Radtke earned three straight First Team All-College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) selections, including the 2004 CCIW Defensive Player of the Year award, and All-America accolades from four different organizations. He helped lead the Cardinals to 29 wins in his four seasons in uniform, the best four-year total in the program’s history to that point.
“Our theme my freshman year was ‘Starting a New Tradition,’ and I think we definitely did that,” Radtke said. “That first year, we lost to Augustana, 65-0, then two years later we beat them. We were able to compete for the conference title senior year and make the playoffs, and that was pretty rewarding.”
Ranking third on the team in tackles (60) as a freshman, Radtke led the Cardinals with 113 total stops as a sophomore, just six short of the single-season school record at the time. Fueling his performance on the field was the confidence placed in him by head coach John Thorne and defensive coordinator Bill Wienke.
“Coach Thorne and Coach Wienke instilled confidence in me as an individual, which really helped,” Radtke said. “Coach Wienke probably believed in me more than anyone else except my father. His confidence in me gave me the mindset and the ability to perform the way I did. I just wanted to compete every day and give it my all.”
Totaling 141 tackles and 14 tackles for loss as a junior, Radtke became the second Cardinal to earn CCIW Defensive Player of the Year honors, also claiming First Team All-America honors from the Football Gazette and Second Team All-America accolades from D3football.com. As a senior, Radtke established the current North Central single-season record of 152 tackles, leading the Cardinals into the NCAA Division III Football Championship for the first time and earning the same All-America designations from the Football Gazette and D3football.com. He also made the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-America Team and the Associated Press Little All-America Team.
“I was proud to be one of the ones who contributed to it,” Radtke said of the program’s initial playoff appearance. “It was a big crowd and a real playoff atmosphere. It’s unfortunate we didn’t come out on top, but it was a big time for the College and the football program and set the standard for years to come.”
Following the completion of his senior season, Radtke extended his career into the Aztec Bowl All-Star Game in Mexico, where his play earned him an invitation to the Hula Bowl in Hawaii, an All-Star contest typically reserved for NCAA Division I players.
“I had a pretty good game (in the Aztec Bowl). I had an interception and a couple of tackles for loss,” Radtke noted. “A couple of days later I got an invitation to the Hula Bowl, because somebody had dropped out. Of course, I said I wanted to play. I was one of four Division III players who played in that game. To compete with the Division I guys and show that I could play with them was an awesome experience.”
The owner of the Cardinals’ career record for tackles (466), Radtke also claims the most All-America designations of any player in North Central’s history. He counts the enduring relationships with his teammates as the most important achievements from his collegiate experience.
“The biggest things I’ve gained are the relationships and the experiences we’ve shared together,” he said. “Nothing gets better than seeing the guys you haven’t seen for a few years, and when we do, it’s like we never missed a beat.”
