Ripon Athletic is the story of two companies; Sand–Knit and Ripon AwardJackets Inc.

Ripon AwardJackets Inc. was established in 1949 by Carl Doehling in Ripon, Wisconsin. The company made and sold award/letter jackets and nylon jackets to High School student athletes. The business was located in downtown Ripon in a 3500 square feet building.

Sand – Knit was started by John Sand in Chicago, Illinois in 1921. Sand-Knit was a manufacturer of custom athletic uniforms, award sweaters and jackets. Sales and distribution were accomplished thru nationwide team athletic dealers. Sand-Knit operated in Chicago until 1953 when John Sand re-located the business to Berlin, Wisconsin. Sand-Knit had a long history of providing quality athletic uniforms. The company was acquired by Medalist Industries in 1960. Sand-Knit operated as a division of Medalist until 1984 when it was sold to MacGregor Sporting Goods.

In 1981, Doehling sold Ripon AwardJackets, Inc. to the current owners. In 1984 the company expanded its product lines to include athletic uniforms. In order to reflect the broader product line, the company started doing business as RIPON ATHLETIC. The company also expanded its distribution to include team athletic dealers nationwide. Sales growth led to moving the company to Berlin, Wisconsin in 1987 and expanding into a larger space of 12,000 square feet.

By 1990, RIPON ATHLETIC sales growth increase required an additional 25,000 square feet of space. In the same year, MacGregor filed bankruptcy and vacated the former Sand-Knit factory at 290 Junction St. in Berlin. In 1992, RIPON ATHLETIC acquired the building and all the machinery and equipment at this plant. This was a natural fit with RIPON ATHLETIC in terms of product, distribution, and additional trained skilled employees. RIPON ATHLETIC has continued to grow. Expanding to fill 90,000 square feet of space and employing 140 people.

RIPON ATHLETIC is led by the company president Henry “Hank” Derleth who was with Sand Knit from 1962 to 1984 and with RIPON ATHLETIC since 1984.