Ron LeCloux, the Longtime Lens of L-C

The window is only about a half inch wide.

Yet it’s all Ron LeCloux needs to see the big picture taking place in front of him.

LeCloux has used the viewfinder on his trusty Nikon camera to capture photos of about 900 athletic events for the Luxemburg-Casco School District over the past 20 years.

He’s pretty much seen and covered everything over that time in battling all the different elements Mother Nature can provide in his pursuit of the perfect image.

This Thursday LeCloux will undoubtedly have to hold back some tears as he gets the opportunity to take the photos he has dreamed about for a long time as his beloved Spartans take the football field at Camp Randall Stadium for the first time.

“If Ron were to bleed, he’d bleed maroon and gold,” L-C football coach Neil Seering said. “He epitomizes everything that is right and true about being a Spartan. Ron’s servant leadership and dedication through his photography, faith, and friendship for our communities and its families will live on in our hearts and minds forever.”

Framing up the sea of maroon and gold filling the stands in Madison is something LeCloux always believed would happen one day, as he usually referenced the scenario with a “when” instead of an “if” over his years on the sideline.

Being there to witness L-C on the big stage among the best teams in the state is a blessing LeCloux isn’t taking for granted, especially after a ruptured colon three years ago nearly took his life.

“It’s not scary. It’s beyond scary and terrified,” said LeCloux about going to the doctor in December 2020 for what he thought was kidney stones and instead being told he needed emergency surgery done.

“You get to a point where your whole body and mindset is I’m either going to see God in a couple hours or these people are going to save my life. The total trust in your body leaves. It’s the strangest experience I’ve ever had in my life.”

LeCloux said it took about 30 months before he started to truly feel like himself again. His recovery wouldn’t have been possible without his loving wife, Kathy, right by his side.

“It felt like you’re walking out of a cave and you see the light, but as far as you walk in a given day before you have to sit down and rest that opening still looks the same size,” he said. “It was extremely painful. I cannot describe what it felt like. It was almost debilitating, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from doing what I do. I felt guilty not being there for the kids.”

LeCloux is a true testament to the football team’s current mantra of a “Brotherhood of Belief” in not wanting to let anyone in the community down. It’s the reason why his return to the sidelines in 2021 was the best medicine for him.

The L-C girls volleyball team captured a third straight WIAA Division 2 state championship that fall. It was a memorable experience for the community LeCloux wasn’t going to miss at the Resch Center, no matter how difficult it was to get there.

“When I shot the girls volleyball state championship matches, Kathy would literally help me out of the truck when I got home because I was in so much pain,” he said.

Overcoming adversity is something that was instilled in LeCloux while playing football for WFCA Hall of Famer Don Rabas at Kewaunee High School.

Not only did LeCloux learn life lessons from Rabas, but he also gained an early inspiration for photography as well from when Marvin Bins of the Luxemburg News would come to practices and games.

“It was almost like on Field of Dreams, like where did this guy come from?,” said LeCloux, a 1977 KHS graduate. “The reason I do what I do for as long as I do is I always remembered the kindness from (Bins) and what he did for our team. Be kind and do stuff for kids. It’s going to make an impact on their life.”

LeCloux worked various jobs throughout his life as he watched his daughter, Erin, and son, Eric, grow up in the blink of an eye. It was a joy for him to see his son take an interest in football as well and play for L-C in the early 2000s.

It was around this time that LeCloux discovered he had two conditions.

He was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a rare type of kidney disease. While difficult to deal with at times, various medications helped him keep this under control for the most part over the past 20 years.

The other condition LeCloux caught wind of in the years following Eric’s graduation in 2004 wasn’t a bad thing, but did change his life as he got the shutter-bug itch in taking up photography for the first time.

LeCloux got his start on the Spartans’ sideline in 2005, when former head coach Pete Kline eventually invited him to ride the team bus for road games.

By the following year that manifested to LeCloux to spreading his coverage to other sports at the high school for all levels and eventually the middle school levels, too.

“They just bring me up,” LeCloux said about photographing L-C’s student-athletes.

“I read an article about people that heal their illnesses by volunteerism. I told Kathy what I’m starting to do I think is good for my health. Volunteering makes me feel good, and I’ve got that happy place. I’ve seen the impact it has had on these players, but their families and little kids and how they look up to the high school kids. It’s this cycle. How you can create a really good environment just by volunteering.”

Since he lives just north of the schools, it’s not a long trek for LeCloux to get out to games. It has been a labor of love as his time commitment doesn’t just consist of shooting at the athletic event itself, but also spending just as many hours going through photos deep into the night.

It’s not uncommon for LeCloux to be burning the midnight oil in his office with his Yorkie dogs sleeping by his side. He can’t thank his wife enough for supporting him in pursuing his passion for photography.

“You can’t do this without a strong spouse by your side,” said LeCloux, who received the Spartan Spirit Award in 2019.

Becoming a skilled photographer took years of patience and experimenting for LeCloux, who will tell you he is still learning about the craft to this day.

Due to the success of many of the teams at L-C, he gotten to shoot photos at some of Wisconsin’s biggest venues, like the UW Field House, Kohl Center and Resch Center.

LeCloux has captured championship moments and heartbreaking losses in the process. As tough as the latter can be to swallow in the moment for the young men and women competing, LeCloux is always there with unwavering support and a reminder that the wins and losses are really minor outcomes in the big picture of life.

While on the surface his photos showcase student-athletes competing in sports, LeCloux can see bright futures for the young people in them as they go on to pursue various careers and different walks of life, whether they move far away or stay close to home.

Overall, he hopes they all become good, kind people and make a positive impact on society.

“Ron LeCloux is a true staple of Luxemburg-Casco Spartan Football,” said Newton Smerchek, a 2013 L-C alum.

“He has been doing so much more for the program than just (photos). Whether it is the positive comments, the little coaching points from what he saw while taking a photo, or wanting to show you he got your amazing play on camera, Ron has been a huge piece in helping L-C football be where it is today.”

After years of passing on words of wisdom in being a grandfather-like figure to hundreds of student-athletes, LeCloux takes great joy today in being a grandfather to his own three young grandchildren.

He’s making the most of the time with them as he knows the little ones will grow up all too fast, and he hopes to be able to capture them with his camera playing sports one day.

As for this Thursday, it’s only appropriate that one of the best photographers in the state will finally get to shoot at one of the state’s biggest football venues.

It’s also appropriate that football is a game of inches, because LeCloux knows from his unique viewpoint that it’s the little things that matter most in life.

“Ron LeCloux has been our neighbor, our friend, and is a part of all of our family memories,” Seering said. “He has given his time selflessly to all of us here at Luxemburg-Casco. Ron has captured some of the most memorable moments and yet has also given us those moments that we may have never seen if not for him. The smiles, that hug, the triumphs, the heartbreak … of our players, their teammates, the coaches, all of our teams for so many years.”