Wake Up TriCounties Kewanee Back When Kewanee Olympic Connection

In searching for a new topic for Kewanee Back When for the month of July, I asked my friend Dave Clark if Kewanee had any known connections to the Olympics. The Tokyo summer Olympics get underway this week and thus the question is timely, what, if any, connection does Kewanee have with the Olympics? The answer to that question is Rudolph Scholz. Rudolph Scholz was born in Kewanee in 1896 and while his family moved to Oregon when he was a teenager, he nevertheless holds Kewanee ties. Scholz goes on to play Rugby while living in and attending school in California. His love of the sport and Rugby's massive popularity in California in the early 1900's drives Rudolph Scholz to become a founding member of the United States Rugby team at the 1920 Antwerp Summer Olympics. And Dave Clark and I tell the story of Scholz, Rugby and the Olympics on this edition of Kewanee Back When.