On this episode of Survive & Thrive 8791 Podcast, I welcome Jeff Rich to the Buck & Honey's remote studios. Jeff grew up in the small town of Buffalo City, Wisconsin, where sports were a large part of the Rich family. At Cochrane-Fountain City High School, Jeff excelled for the Pirates in football, basketball, and track. However, at the beginning of his sophomore year, a knee injury would threaten his promising athletic career. Bound and determined, Jeff grinded through the pain and continued to compete. After a medical recommendation from his physician to step away from football, a sport he dearly loved, he decided to try a new direction: cross country.
What felt like a setback would become life-changing. Jeff joined the cross country team his junior year and would see some individual and team success. No one could envision what would occur his senior year. With hard work, determination, and miles of preseason training, he was part of something unforgettable. In 1984, Jeff and his teammates captured the Class C Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association High School Boys Cross Country State Championship, laying a foundation that has stood for the last 40-plus years.
Now, Jeff has chronicled that season and the Cochrane-Fountain City Cross Country teams and much more. The book will be released in June 2025. His story is about resilience, rebranding, and accepting life’s challenges with your head up. Jeff’s journey reminds us that setbacks are just setups for comebacks. This will be a good one, CAN’T WAIT!!!
