All-American John “Jake” Remes ’80

By Cornell Report Staff

All-American in football (wide receiver)

  • Headshot in suit of John "Jake" Remes '80B.S.S., politics
  • President and general manager for 24 of his 36 years at KARE 11 TV, the NBC affiliate in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Retired in 2021.
  • KARE was a decorated station for media awards, including many Peabody, Emmy, and Edward R. Murrow awards
  • Married to Sandy Remes; two grown children

How did your athletic experience impact your life?

There are so many parts of the Division III athletic experience that are invaluable–knowledge and skills you are not conscious of in the moment but that become so ingrained they carry you through a lifetime. Teamwork. Leadership. Social skills. Sacrifice. Personal responsibility. These served me whether I was helping a station janitor mop a water leak or leading a boardroom meeting in New York.

Division I athletes on scholarship have their own challenges, but Cornell Rams set their own alarms, make sure they eat properly, get to class and practice on their own, and probably do their own laundry. Don’t laugh. This is discipline. This responsibility gives us an advantage out there. Somewhere in all that, you come to know the world is not always fair and that success or happiness is your responsibility and yours alone.

John "Jake" Remes '80 as a Cornell College student-athlete.
John “Jake” Remes ’80 as a Cornell College student-athlete.

Leaders can accomplish little by themselves. They share rewards and responsibility and convey confidence in those who join their cause. This unites and energizes people. It makes them feel strong. Ram athletics taught me that.

Most memorable athletic achievement? 

I remember all the wins we had. In the late ’70s I think we lost maybe only three or four times. And I remember scoring touchdowns and the joy of running into the end zone, but the lasting memories are the connections and experiences all around the games. The snappy patter on long bus rides. The quiet intensity of pregame prep. Walking onto the field with brothers in arms. Practices that end in the dark, and the defensive back that rarely played, toting his boombox to the showers blaring “Beast of Burden” by The Rolling Stones. Those are my memories. That is my achievement.

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