Joseph A. Craig High School
| Joseph A. Craig High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
![]() | |
401 S Randall St , United States 42°40′53″N 89°00′03″W / 42.68152°N 89.00074°W | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1923 |
| Oversight | Janesville School District |
Principal | Alison Bjoin |
Teaching staff | 107.14 (FTE)[1] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,467 (2023–2024)[1] |
Student to teacher ratio | 13.69[1] |
| Colors | Blue & White |
Athletics conference | WIAA Big Eight Conference |
| Nickname | Big Blue |
| Team name | Cougars |
| Rival | George S. Parker High School |
| Newspaper | The Criterion |
| Yearbook | The Phoenix |
| Website | Craig High School |

Joseph A. Craig High School is a public high school located in the city of Janesville, Wisconsin. Craig, a part of the School District of Janesville, has a student enrollment of approximately 1,800. Located on the east side of Janesville, it is named after Joseph A. Craig, who was instrumental in attracting the General Motors Janesville Assembly Plant to the city.
History
[edit]

The original Janesville High School opened up in 1923 downtown at the corner of Main and Racine Streets. The current building opened in 1955, with the former high school becoming a middle school until 1999, when it was adapted into apartment use. The school was later renamed Joseph A. Craig High School in 1967 with the opening of George S. Parker High School on the west side of Janesville.
Athletics
[edit]The school sports teams compete in the Big Eight Conference. State level competition is governed by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA).
State championships
[edit]- Baseball: 1983, 1984, 1998, 2015
- Cross country (girls): 1991
as Janesville High School
[edit]- Cross country (boys):[2] 1950, 1961, 1962
- Golf (boys): 1951, 1953, 1963
- Swimming & diving (boys): 1955, 1961
- Wrestling: 1955 (co-state champion with Madison East)
Conference affiliation history
[edit]- Big Six Conference (1925–1929)
- Big Seven Conference (1929–1930)
- Big Eight Conference (1930–present)
Performing arts
[edit]Craig has a varsity-level competitive show choirs, the "Spotlighters". The choir also hosts their own competition, the Spotlight Spectacular.[3] Spotlighters have a history of placing well at competitions, even winning some championships.[4]
Notable alumni
[edit]This list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. (May 2025) |
- Keeanu Benton, NFL nose tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers[5]
- Sue Conley, Wisconsin state legislator[6]
- Edward Creutz, physicist[7]
- Russ Feingold, United States Senator (1993–2011)[8]
- Tucker Fredricks, speed skater[9]
- Israel Hanukoglu, biochemist[10]
- Tom Klawitter, professional baseball player[11]
- Tad Kubler, lead guitarist for rock band The Hold Steady[12]
- Kerwin Mathews, actor[14]
- Max Maxfield, Wyoming State Auditor (1999–2007) and 20th Secretary of State of Wyoming (2007–2015)[15]
- John E. McCoy, Major General, Air National Guard [citation needed]
- Erin Murphy, majority Leader of the Minnesota Senate, District 64 Representative[16]
- Andrew Poppas, General, Army[17]
- Manilla Powers, actress, vaudevillian[citation needed]
- Paul Ryan, 54th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (2015–2019) and U.S. Representative (1999–2019)[18]
- Bryan Steil, member of the U.S. House of Representatives (2019 to present)[19]
- Bob Strampe, professional baseball player[20]
- Randy Udell, Wisconsin state legislator[21]
- Clay Weatherly, Indy car driver[22]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "Craig High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- ↑ 2019 State Cross Country Meet Souvenir Program. Wisconsin Rapids, WI: Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. November 2, 2019. p. 25.
- ↑ "Show choirs compete at Craig High School". Janesville Gazette. March 10, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
- ↑ Rindfleisch, Terry (January 9, 2015). "Viterbo 101 features top high school show choirs". La Crosse Tribune. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
- ↑ Barry, John (January 27, 2020). "Craig graduate Keeanu Benton bucked the odds and played key role as a true freshman at Wisconsin". Janesville Gazette. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
- ↑ "Three alumni being added to Janesville Senior/Craig High School Honor Wall". Janesville Gazette. April 28, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
- ↑ Crow, Nick (April 5, 2015). "Janesville Craig to add three more to honor wall". Janesville Gazette. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
- ↑ "Bioguide Search". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
- ↑ Schmoldt, Eric (March 8, 2018). "Janesville native Fredricks kept tabs on Olympics while manning post in Salt Lake". Janesville Gazette. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
- ↑ Israel Hanukoglu. Curriculum Vitae
- ↑ "UW-L players named to all-district team". The La Crosse Tribune. May 23, 1980. p. 18. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ↑ Albertoni, Rich (May 17, 2007). "Tad Kubler of The Hold Steady recalls his time in Madison". Isthmus. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
- ↑ Elliott, Tim (March 21, 2025). "Janesville native/stand-up comedian reflects on losing his home in L.A. wildfires". WMTV15news. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
- ↑ Dennis McLellan. "Kerwin Mathews, 81; fought with Cyclops, skeleton in ‘Sinbad’". Los Angeles Times, July 11, 2007.
- ↑ "Honorees - Craig High School". Craig High School. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
- ↑ "Janesville native scores in gubernatorial bid". Janesville Gazette. June 6, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
- ↑ Spoehr, Ryan (November 10, 2022). "Janesville Craig alum Gen. Andrew Poppas visits students, rededicates plaque". Janesville Gazette. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
- ↑ Miller, Tom (December 10, 2025). "2010s: Craig High School graduate Paul Ryan rose to US Speaker of the House". JanesvilleGazette. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
- ↑ "About Bryan". steil.house.gov. January 3, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
- ↑ Lindstrom, Don (June 3, 1972). "Minimums Go Higher". Wisconsin State Journal. p. 4. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ↑ "Representative Randy Udell". docs.legis.wisconsin.gov. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
- ↑ Brown, Allen. "Clay Weatherly". OldRacingCars.com. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
