J-Club Hall of Honor
*J-Club Distinguished Service Award Recipient
Theisen's ties to Saint John's sports go back even further – stretching in a constant and unbroken chain from the present back to his initial arrival on campus as a student at Saint John's Prep in the 1940s.
"I remember back then people were talking about how amazing an athlete Jim Boyd had been," said Theisen, referencing the All-MIAC running back, who had rushed for over 200 yards against St. Cloud Teachers College in 1940 and went on to serve as a fighter pilot in the Pacific during World War II.
He was later killed in action.
"And after the war there were guys like Bill Osborne and Stan Wilfahrt. There were some really good athletes here back then."
"And there still are today."
Theisen would know. He believes he has not missed a home football game he was on campus for since 1945.
And he was still a regular in the bleachers at Clemens Stadium on hot afternoons this past August, sitting in the sunshine and getting a first look at this season's Johnnie football team.
His status as the Abbey's No. 1 sports fan, meanwhile, was cemented several years ago when the award handed out annually to the school's most outstanding student-athlete was named in his honor.
And he was the longtime treasurer of the J-Club.
"I just like being around it," he said. "I always have."
