TOP AREA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES OF THE LAST 30 YEARS: JEREMY DUNKLE

By Mike Tupa

Aug. 11, 2025

BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT

During his nearly 30 years of covering area high school sports for either the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise or the Bartlesville Area Sports Report, Mike Tupa has enjoyed the opportunity to observe some incredible athletes.

This is an ongoing series highlighting each few days one of those athletes from the 1996-97 school year through the present. The list is not in chronological order. The athletes are presented in random sequence.

TODAY’S SPOTLIGHT

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JEREMY DUNKLE (Dewey)

Multiple sports (early 2000s)

Dunkle is a worthy member of the tiny list of the most elite student-athletes ever to suit up for a Washington County high school.

He might have been the toughest.

This reporter was a first-hand witness of Dunkle’s fortitude and focus.

The incident took place prior to a track meet in the early 2000s, while Dunkle was warming up on the hurdles.

When Dunkle turned his back to me, I noticed a huge purple-and-brown-and-greenish-yellow bruise on the upper thigh of one of his legs, about where the hamstring is located.

Having had some experience a few years earlier with an injured hamstring (YEOWW!) I possessed a personal knowledge of the agony one can cause.

Of course, I’m not a doctor and my snap diagnosis of Dunkle’s leg condition was only an empathetic guess.

What I couldn’t believe is — regardless of whatever caused that ugly blotch — Dunkle still went out and competed.

I don’t know if I've ever covered an athlete with more desire to excel.

Dunkle was truly a man for all seasons — football in the fall, basketball in the winter, track in the spring and setting a rugged training regimen in the summer.

Dunkle would earn All-State honors in both football (WR, OLB) and in basketball.

But it was in track excellence that Dunkle’s athletic future would take him after high school.

There’s no debate as to his shining moment in high school.

The date: May 4, 2002. The location: Tulsa East Central.

For Dunkle, this was his final chance to win a state track gold medal.

It was an ironic scenario. There had been no doubt Dunkle was an elite state hurdler during his high school years.

But bad luck had prevented him from earning a well-deserved state gold medal.

It all came together on that magic day — Dunkle burst through the 110m high hurdles in :14.67 to grab the championship — by just three-hundredths of a second.

A huge smile engulfed the lower part of his face as he bent over at the waist — contemplating his title — within seconds of the end of the race. His obviously excited head coach Dan Close stood nearby.

He came oh, so close to also harvesting gold in the 300 intermediate hurdles, finishing second by a little more than a half-second.

As a junior (2001) Dunkle had finished second in the state in the high hurdles (:15.28). It seemed hard luck had hammered him at state — he should have been a multi-gold state medalist in the hurdles during his era. In fact, during the 2002 state meet, Dunkle actually was favored to win the 300m hurdles, considered his strongest event.

But, when he came in second, he had to pour all his energy, desire and determination into the 110m high hurdles — his last opportunity in his high school career to be a state champion.

As mentioned above, he did it!

Dunkle’s high school odyssey is only a part of his remarkable story.

Two devastating injuries in college — while he competed for Pittsburg (Kan.) State — should have ended his competitive career. But, like Lazarus, Dunkle kept coming back from the dead-end of fate to find the corridor less traveled in order to the full length of his destiny.

It’s really an incredible story.

Twice in three years during his college career Dunkle endured major knee surgeries. The first one should have been enough to bury his track career.

The second one should have dropped a mountain on it.

But “quit” was just another four-letter word Dunkle never used.

After each of those painful ordeals under the knife, he emerged stronger and more intent. He slogged through the long, arduous, teeth-gnashing rehabilitation both times because he believed he could come back stronger and better.

And, he did.

Following the second surgery, Dunkle snapped back to finish less than a second of qualifying for the NCAA Division II national indoor track championships in the 60m hurdles.

But in his senior outdoor season, Dunkle advanced to the national track meet in the 100m hurdles — and finished seventh (:14.18). Just a few weeks prior to that, Dunkle had captured the MIAA Conference championship gold in the 110m hurdles (:14.25).

Dunkle had suffered his first major knee injury before his freshman season at Pitt State. He hurt it while playing flag football, according to a report in the Bartlesville newspaper.

The open knee surgery delayed by more than a year Dunkle’s college track pursuit. His verbal goal going into the 2003-04 track season was simple — competing for a conference title. He would be runner-up in the indoor 60m hurdles.

Dunkle also competed in the spring of 2004 in the decathlon.

He hungered anxiously for the 2004-05 season — only to suffer an off-season major injury, this time in his other knee.

Following the complicated operation and a longer recovery time, Dunkle contemplated his future on the track. He told the newspaper he didn’t want to try to return if he couldn’t compete for the conference title.

But he did come back. And he would win conference crowns, both in indoor and outdoor hurdles.

There might be some area athletes that have been slightly faster than Dunkle.

But none have been tougher.