INFOCUS
BACK ON TRACK With a statement dunk and a statement performance, Khalil Iverson and the Badgers got back in the win column with a 75-50 win over Illinois at the Kohl Center last Friday night. PHOTO BY LAWRENCE ILES / ICON SPORTSWIRE
INFOCUS
TEAM VICTORY YESSS!! The Badgers’ bench celebrates during UW’s first Big Ten win of the season, a 58-46 victory over Northwestern on Sunday. PHOTO BY GREG ANDERSON
INFOCUS
CAP IT OFF After a week spent building his draft stock in practices leading up to the 93rd East-West Shrine Game, safety Natrell Jamerson finished things off with a 68-yard fumble recovery touchdown to earn Defensive MVP honors Saturday. He’s the second UW safety in three years to be named Shrine Game MVP, joining 2016 honoree Michael Caputo. PHOTO BY SHRINE GAME
INFOCUS
BIG AIR. BIG WIN! Freshman forward Tarek Baker caught some air to avoid a hit during Sunday’s game at the United Center. The Badgers claimed a 5-0 victory to snap No. 1-ranked Notre Dame’s 16-game win streak. PHOTO BY PATRICK GORSKI
INFOCUS
BIG GAME JAMES When the playoffs start, there seems to be no stopping James White. The former Badgers running back scored on a 1-yard run in the Patriots’ come-from-behind win in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game — his sixth touchdown in his last three playoff games — as New England earned a Super Bowl berth for the third time in White’s four pro seasons. PHOTO BY GREG M. COOPER / USA TODAY SPORTS
INFOCUS
OVER THE TOP In a nod to his team’s underdog status, Beau Allen (94) joined Philadelphia teammate Chris Long’s masked celebration following the Eagles’ dominant win over the Vikings in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game. A Minnesota native, Allen is one of four former Badgers set for Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis on Feb. 4. PHOTO BY ERIC HARTLINE / USA TODAY SPORTS
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CONTENTS
DAVID STLUKA
26
JANUARY 24, 2018 ▪ VOLUME 8, ISSUE 20
FACE-OFF AGAINST CANC ER The Wisconsin hockey community has seen first-hand the devastating effects of cancer. Join the Badgers — past and present — to shine a light on important research and community efforts to battle this disease.
FEATURES 2
LUCAS AT LARGE
FRESH PERSPECTIVE
IN FOCUS
18 LUCAS AT LARGE
22 WHAT TO WATCH 25 BADGERING
DAVID STLUKA
Freshman Kobe King is attacking the healing process of rehab ‘with a great spirit’ and gratitude for the time to learn.
21 BY THE NUMBERS
18
37 INSIDE BASKETBALL
45 INSIDE WRESTLING 47 INSIDE TRACK & FIELD 51 INSIDE TENNIS 55 INSIDE SWIM & DIVE 56 BADGER HISTORY
DAVID STLUKA
41 INSIDE HOCKEY
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FOOTBALL
NO LIMIT FOR O-LINE Go or stay? For Beau Benzschawel, Michael Deiter and David Edwards, the potential of 2018 was too good to pass up. 15
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LUCAS AT LARGE BY MIKE LUCAS ▪ UWBADGERS.COM SENIOR WRITER
Rehab offers fresh perspective for King
DAVID STLUKA
K
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obe King’s body language hasn’t changed much since the day that he learned his season was over. Certainly his life hasn’t been the same without expressing himself on a basketball court. But since he views it as a temporary setback, the Wisconsin freshman hasn’t allowed the knee injury, subsequent surgery or on-going rehabilitation to put a damper on his attitude. Or outlook. “Other than the day we broke the news to him that he was done for the year and that was a dark day,” accented UW coach Greg Gard, “I’ve never seen him without a smile on his face. “He has attacked it (the re-
hab) with a great spirit. He has turned a very negative situation for him into a positive. He wants to come back stronger than ever next season.” The injury has brought a fresh perspective to King, who was named Mr. Basketball in the state of Wisconsin as a prep senior after leading La Crosse Central to its first championship in nearly a century. “I’m not taking things for granted, which I think athletes do a lot because you’re always practicing and always playing,” King said. “I’ve kind of learned to appreciate the game a little more.” That can happen when the game is unexpectedly taken
away. As it was for King in early December. Up until then, he had been dealing with some minor knee irritation. “I thought it was tendinitis because it’s very common,” he said. It turned out to be much worse. “I was a little sad at first,” King admitted. “But when I found out, Coach Gard was there, too, and he was very supportive and obviously kept it very positive, so that was a good thing for me. “It’s adversity — everybody goes through it — but it was much easier to handle once I figured out that I had a good chance of getting the year back.” Because he appeared in only 10 games, King can petition for
“Next year, Kobe will be a a medical hardship waiver from freshman again, but he will be the NCAA allowing him to retain a little wiser and have a little his freshman season of eligibilimore understanding of what this ty. That has kept him motivated. is all about — how you prepare His teammates have been and what you have to do to be another source of motivation. successful.” “They’ve been very supportSince the injury, Moore said, ive,” he said, “telling me that I’ll “Kobe has sat in a lot of film be coming back stronger and sessions, he has watched a lot everything happens for a reaof practices and he has seen it son — all the things you want to done the right way and when it’s hear.” done not so correctly. His freshmen classmates have “This season has become been predictably invaluable. more of a classroom for him.” “They’re definitely by my side,” King said. “I room with Brad (Davison) everywhere we go. Walt (McGrory) is my workout “NEXT YEAR, KOBE WILL BE buddy. Nate (Reuvers) is kind of A FRESHMAN AGAIN, BUT HE my movie guy. I’m close with all WILL BE A LITTLE WISER AND of them.” HAVE A LITTLE MORE UNDERBefore going to the sidelines, STANDING OF WHAT THIS IS ALL King had gotten a small taste of ABOUT — HOW YOU PREPARE upgraded competition. EspeAND WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO cially against nationally-ranked TO BE SUCCESSFUL.” programs like No. 2 Virginia, No. 8 Xavier and No. 13 Ohio State. While playing, King expe“I’m still learning, but I have a rienced the normal adjustgood grasp of things now,” said ments to the physicality for a King, who averaged 19 minutes freshman. “Now you’re playing and 5.2 points with a high of 10 against some men,” he said. against the Buckeyes. “It will just “And they’re a lot bigger and make next year easier.” stronger.” To a degree, King has disAs a decorated high school covered what works, and what player, a high profile recruit, doesn’t. King had to manage lofty expec“That helps a lot because he tations; an inevitable task that has a reference now,” said assisbecame a part of his transition tant Howard Moore. “There was to Wisconsin. no reference before. He’d just go “Once the regular season in and try to figure it out on the started, I felt a little pressure,” fly. he said, “when I just should have “Now, he has had the game been playing, which I got back to film, he has had the reps, he has doing before the injury. I don’t had the practices and he has had think that will happen again.” the preseason trips to New ZeaWhat have the Badgers land and Australia (in August).
missed not having the 6-foot-4, 203-pound King? “We miss a guy that can create his own shot, a guy that was starting to get his offensive confidence,” Moore said. “This was a kid who was on the verge of taking that next step.” The Badgers have also missed sophomore D’Mitrik Trice, who had foot surgery the same day that King had knee surgery. “We’re pushing each other to make sure we’re getting things done,” King said. As for the rehab, King reported, “It has been a good process. I’m a little bit ahead of schedule and that’s always a positive. But I’m still just taking it one day at a time.” And still smiling and acting very much his age. “He’s taking it well, better than most people, and that says a lot about his character,” Moore said. “He’s got a bubbly personality and it really does help him.” King tore wrist ligaments the final game of his junior year of high school. “But I never had to miss anything,” he said. So this has been a change — missing games. But it really hasn’t changed him. “I just try to bring positive energy,” he said. “I like to goof around. I can sense if it’s a negative room and maybe crack a joke or something and give them some laughs, things like that. “I guess ever since I was a kid, I’ve been a happy, positive guy. I always try to see the best in things because it’s the best way to keep moving forward.” ▪
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BY THE NUMBERS
40
JAMES LANG / USA TODAY SPORTS
FOOTBALL ▶ Wisconsin has a Super Bowl presence for the ninth straight season and with Beau Allen, Corey Clement and Chris Maragos representing Philadelphia and James White representing New England, UW is guaranteed to have a Super Bowl champion for the fifth consecutive year.
9
◀ MEN’S HOCKEY Sophomore goaltender Jack Berry stopped all 40 shots taken by No. 1-ranked Notre Dame last Sunday in Chicago, equaling the sixth-highest save total in a shutout in UW history.
WOMEN’S HOCKEY ▼ Senior Claudia Kepler is tied for the WCHA lead with 16 goals after adding two tallies during Wisconsin’s series at Bemidji State last weekend.
CAL LARSON
7-0
▲ WRESTLING With victories against Michigan’s Reece Hughes and Michigan State’s Austin Hiles at 165 pounds, sixth-ranked Evan Wick is now 7-0 in dual action with a 4-0 mark in Big Ten competition.
16 21
WHAT TO WATCH DARREN LEE
ROAD READY
MEN’S BASKETBALL AT MICHIGAN STATE FRIDAY, JANUARY 26 ▪ 7PM EAST LANSING, MICH. ▪ FS1 DAVID STLUKA
Wisconsin heads back on the road to face No. 6 Michigan State on Friday in East Lansing. The Badgers tip off against the Spartans at 7 p.m. on FS1.
FACE-OFF AGAINST CANCER MEN’S HOCKEY VS. PENN STATE SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 ▪ 7PM KOHL CENTER ▪ FOX SPORTS WISCONSIN
buy tickets
SUNDAY FUNDAY
WOMEN’S HOCKEY VS. ST. CLOUD STATE SUNDAY, JANUARY 28 ▪ 2PM LA BAHN ARENA ▪ FOX SPORTS WIS. PLUS JACK MCLAUGHLIN
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Wisconsin’s two-game home series against St. Cloud State is sold out this weekend, but fans can watch Sunday’s game at 2 p.m. on FOX Sports Wisconsin Plus.
GREG ANDERSON
Wisconsin returns home for a Friday-Saturday series vs. Big Ten foe and 14th-ranked Penn State. Fans can catch Friday’s game at 8 p.m. on BTN. Raising awareness about local cancer research, Saturday’s Face-Off Against Cancer game starts at 7 p.m. on FOX Sports Wisconsin.
WEDNESDAY 1/24 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL at Indiana Bloomington, Ind. 6:00 p.m. Watch: BTN Plus
THURSDAY 1/25 WOMEN’S TENNIS at Northern Illinois Madison, Wis. 3:00 p.m.
FRIDAY 1/26
SATURDAY 1/27
MEN’S & WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD at Dr. Sander Invitational New York City 9:00 a.m.
MEN’S & WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD at Columbia Invite New York City 9:00 a.m.
WOMEN’S TENNIS at Marquette Milwaukee 2:30 p.m. WOMEN’S TENNIS at Milwaukee Milwaukee 6:30 p.m.
SUNDAY 1/28
MONDAY 1/29
MEN’S TENNIS at #15 Oklahoma St. Stillwater, Okla. 10:00 a.m.
MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Nebraska Madison, Wis. 8:00 p.m. Watch: BTN SOLD OUT
MEN’S TENNIS vs. Kentucky Stillwater, Okla. 1:00 p.m.
MEN’S TENNIS vs. #14 Mississippi St. Stillwater, Okla. 9:00 a.m. WOMEN’S TENNIS vs. Colorado State Madison, Wis. Noon
MEN’S BASKETBALL at #6 Michigan State East Lansing, Mich. 7:00 p.m. Watch: FS1
WOMEN’S HOCKEY vs. St. Cloud State Madison, Wis. 2:00 p.m. Watch: BTN2Go SOLD OUT
View more 1/26 events »
View more 1/27 events »
TUESDAY 1/30
WEDNESDAY 1/31 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Minnesota Madison, Wis. 7:00 p.m. Watch: BTN2Go Buy tickets »
WOMEN’S HOCKEY vs. St. Cloud State Madison, Wis. 2:00 p.m. Watch: Fox Sports Wisconsin Plus SOLD OUT WOMEN’S BASKETBALL at Illinois Champaign, Ill. 3:00 p.m. Watch: BTN
ALL TIMES CENTRAL
VIEW FULL CALENDAR ON UWBADGERS.COM »
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BADGERING...
PETER TISCHKE
If you’re compiling a list of the most irreplaceable players for the Wisconsin men’s hockey team this season, defenseman Peter Tischke would be at or near the top. He’s a rugged, energizing force in all three zones whose size (6-foot-1, 207 pounds), athleticism and free agent status have NHL teams on alert. He ranks fourth nationally with 56 blocked shots. He shares the UW lead among blue-liners with a plus-8 rating. With nine points (two goals, seven assists) he’s almost reached his career totals coming into the season (3-8-11). A junior from Hinsdale, Illinois, Tischke took time after a recent practice to identify the best college player he’s faced, the best-dressed teammate and the restaurant chain that Madison is missing the most. BY ANDY BAGGOT ▪ UWBADGERS.COM INSIDER
Is there a moment from this season you’d like to have back? “Probably the loss to Notre Dame when we were up 2-0 going into the third and we gave up three (and lost 3-2).” Who’s the best individual player you’ve faced in college? “Does practice count? If it does, I probably have to go with Ryan Wagner. He works the hardest. He hates to lose. He wins every battle. Going against him in practice is pretty tough.” Can you identify something that doesn’t show up on the scoresheet that you know makes associate head coach and defensive specialist Mark Osiecki happy? “Turnovers that we cause. Like swinging into guys, turning the puck over so we can transition fast. I think he likes that a lot and it helps our team.” Is there a chain restaurant that Madison doesn’t have that it should have? “Portillo’s, 100 percent. I’m a Chicago guy, so growing up eating Portillo’s, it’s probably my favorite restaurant.” Who’s the best-dressed player on the team? “Will Johnson by far. Always has unreal style. Always knows how to post Instagrams to get likes. Just everything about him. He does it for the people.” DAVID STLUKA
Click to read more »
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ICON SPORTSWIRE
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F
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rom the time he was a toddler, Rob Andringa has been pushing roots deep into the fertile soil of the Wisconsin men’s hockey program. The youngest of four kids growing up in Madison, Andringa resided at 5109 Flad Ave. Five doors down was the epicenter of the Badgers. That’s where legendary UW coach Bob Johnson, his wife Martha and their five children lived. The families became close. The Andringas, Conrad and Phyllis, had season tickets for games at the old Dane County Coliseum. Rob would regularly visit the home dressing room, program in hand, seeking autographs from 1970s greats like Steve Alley, Lloyd Bentley, Tim Dool and Wayne Thomas. Sometimes the players, local legends after the Badgers won the first of six NCAA titles in 1973, would show up at the Johnson house while the Andringas were there. A youngster walked around amid future national champions, Olympians, NHL standouts and Hall of Famers in boyish awe. Decades have passed and Andringa, 49, has become distinctively intertwined with all those roots. He went from being a stick boy to being a cerebral front-line defenseman for UW, playing a program-record 179 career games from 1987 to ’91. He won an NCAA championship in 1990 and served as co-captain the following year. Andringa went on to serve as a color analyst for UW and Big Ten Conference games on radio and TV, lending his voice to the most recent national title run in 2006. To review, the only roles Andringa hasn’t played for the Badgers are as a coach and Zamboni driver, though he gave the latter a shot “and almost ran it into the boards.” Now the boy is a man — a husband, father and friend — drawing much-needed inspiration and strength from those roots.
Andringa learned on Dec. 15 that he has colon cancer. Since then he’s been inundated with gestures of support from all corners of his life, many going back to those formative years on Flad Avenue. An email from Alley, the Olympian and UW Hall of Famer. A text message from Mike Eaves, the all-time leading scorer in program history who won an NCAA title as a player in 1977 and head coach in 2006. Calls from the likes of Bentley and Dool. Andringa gets texts almost daily from current Wisconsin coach Tony Granato, who provides encouragement and updates. Of course, Andringa is in constant contact with the 24 teammates who also own NCAA championship rings from 1990.
« Rob Andringa
“WE’RE ABOUT AS CLOSE AS YOU’LL GET TO REALLY SEEING TRUE BROTHERS WITHIN A 25-MAN TEAM,” ANDRINGA SAID OF HIS 1990 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMMATES. “We’re about as close as you’ll get to really seeing true brothers within a 25-man team,” he said. Andringa will tap into another important support system Saturday night at the Kohl Center when the Badgers close out a Big Ten series with Penn State. The game has been billed “Face-off Against Cancer” and will highlight the work of physicians and researchers at the UW Carbone Cancer Center. The event will also recognize those who fight or have fought courageously against the disease, as well as the community that supports them. That explains why Andringa will be honorary captain for the Badgers and why Noah Sanger will be featured in the ceremonial puck drop. Sanger, the 5-year-old son of volunteer goaltending coach Jeff Sanger, is battling leukemia.
Also lending their time to the cause will be Wisconsin football coach Paul Chryst and men’s basketball coach Greg Gard. Andringa and Sanger will represent all those in the Badgers family whose lives have been touched by cancer. There are too many to count. After all, Bob Johnson, who led UW to three NCAA crowns, died of brain cancer in 1991. His successor, Jeff Sauer, who guided the Badgers to a pair of national titles, died of pancreatic cancer in 2017. Granato’s father, Don Sr., and younger brother, Don Jr., are cancer survivors. So is Ethan Hughes, whose older brother Cameron is Wisconsin’s senior center and captain. Gard’s father, Glen, also died of brain cancer in 2015, a loss that prompted his son to create the “Garding Against Cancer” initiative. The list goes on.
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DAN SANGER / ICON SPORTSWIRE
“What’s really weird is I’ve been to some of these games before where you’re highlighting causes like this,” Andringa said. “You’re probably not paying your full attention as you should.” And now? “We’re on that side of the ledger,” he said. After growing up and starting a family in Madison — wife Christi, son Jack and daughters Carson and Dara — Andringa received a promotion with RBC Wealth Management that prompted a move to Stillwater, Minnesota, in 2015.
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« Cameron Hughes & his brother Ethan
It will mean a lot for him to come home and be surrounded by familiarity and encouragement. “There’s part of me that’s excited because I get to be in an element that I’m so comfortable in,” he said. It will mean a lot for Andringa to be back in Madison even though it means some trepidation. “There’s part of me that’s a little scared because I’m that guy that has cancer,” he said. Andringa, a Madison Sports Hall of Fame inductee in 2011, has approached this challenge with confident optimism. He’s two rounds into a series of six scheduled chemotherapy sessions and, so far, the usual caustic affects have been tolerable. Andringa still drives to the office and recently went and watched two 1990 teammates-turned-coaches — Gary Shuchuk and Barry Richter — whose teams were playing in the Twin Cities area. “You can’t stop living,” Andringa said. “You can’t hole up in a corner and go, ‘I got a bad deal.’ You’ve got to live. “You have to laugh, you have to cry, you have to be scared, you have to be elated. You have to continue all your emotions and run your life like you’re going for it.” Andringa is going for it. “This ain’t going to stop me,” he said of his diagnosis. “This ain’t going to define me.” Andringa said he’s reading books that emphasize the upbeat rhythms of life and the aura of faith. “They always say the mind is one of your best healers in this and I’ve looked at everything positively,” he said. Andringa is in the process of creating space in his home for a “war room.” Let him explain. “If you ever have a bad day or bad news,” he said of an idea he got from a co-worker, “you can go to that spot and it can re-energize your thoughts about how you’re going to take this on and what do you need to do to mentally beat it.”
Jeff Sanger & his son Noah »
DARREN LEE
“Right now they say it’s not curable, but I’ve Andringa is gathering posters, pictures and heard stories that it’s not curable, yet the peoother mementos collected over the years from ple are cancer-free now.” Madison Memorial High School to UW and beAndringa has had talks with Don Granato Jr., yond. about his bout with “Things that matHodgkin’s disease ter to me,” he said. — he’s been cancer What does And“YOU C AN’T STOP L IVIN G, ” A NDR IN GA SA ID. free since 2015 — ringa want people “YOU C AN’T HOL E U P IN A C ORN E R A N D GO, and former NHL to know about his ‘I GOT A BAD D E A L . ’ YOU ’ VE GOT TO L IVE . YOU player and coach duel with cancer? HAV E TO LAUGH, YOU H AVE TO C RY. . . YOU H AVE Eddie Olczyk about “That it affects TO C ONTINUE A L L YOU R E M OTION S A N D RU N his current fight everyone, whether YOUR LI F E L IKE YOU ’ RE GOIN G FOR IT. ” with colon cancer. it’s you directly or a Their message: friend or somebody “You can’t get too you know,” he said. far ahead of yourself,” Andringa said. “It’s a life changer. It’s a battle you can’t win Along the way Andringa has come across two on your own and it’s a battle that will live with other former Badgers — Gary Engberg, a goalyou forever. I’m hopeful that I’m one of these tender from the early 1970s, and Dave Lundeen, people, as I push my body through this chemo, a celebrated center on the 1977 NCAA titlists that my body reacts in a way where it shrinks — who are waging their own health battles. it and deletes it.
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truly understand or appreciate until he left af“You can’t do this on your own,” Andringa ter the week he spent with me,” Rob said. said. “You need support from your family, your Connie gave his son something to remember friends, from outsiders because it’s truly how forever. your mind works. “I should be dead or a vegetable based on “On one side you have this (sense) knowing what happened to me,” the father told Rob. that your mortality is right there. Then there’s “There’s a reason why I’m here. I’m here to take the other side — which you tend to believe in care of you.” more — which is ‘This ain’t happening to me.’ There was a time Rob felt like a failure for “What jumps me up over that edge is my abilhaving never reached the NHL like many of ity as an athlete to thrive on people giving me his college teammates. texts, phone calls, supThat’s no longer the port. That motivates case. me just like it motivates “YOU C AN’ T DO TH IS ON YOU R OW N . “Pro hockey never me to see my kids evYOU NEED SU PPORT FROM YOU R FA M ILY, hit it with me and after ery day and seeing my YOUR F R I END S, FROM OU TS IDE RS B E C A U S E a couple years I realwife every day and IT’S TR ULY H OW YOU R MIN D W ORKS. ” ized why,” he said. “It talking to my mom and was because, to me, dad and my family.” the Badgers were it. I Andringa got a lot didn’t need to go to another level.” of his spunk from his 80-year-old father, a rePlaying hockey at Wisconsin, Andringa said, spected long-time Madison pediatrician. Three “was my pinnacle.” weeks after Connie suffered a broken left arm Now, hearing from so many of his fellow and wrist and serious head injuries in an acciBadgers in his time of need, gives Andringa dent — he was hit by a school bus while walkpause. ing in his Middleton neighborhood — he was at “It’s only cemented my belief that we truly his son’s hospital bedside. are the best program in the world,” he said. “Having him around was something I didn’t DAVID STLUKA
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ICON SPORTSWIRE
BEAU BENZSCHAWEL
For O-line, the ‘sky is the limit’
Go or stay? For Beau Benzschawel, Michael Deiter and David Edwards, the potential of 2018 was too good to pass up.
A
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BY MIKE LUCAS ■ UWBADGERS.COM SENIOR WRITER
s good friends are wont to do, Michael Deiter, Beau Benzschawel and David Edwards talked amongst themselves about their options while processing their NFL draft evaluations. Go? Or stay? It was more than small talk for the three most experienced starters on Wisconsin’s offensive line, especially since each of the underclassmen were coming off All-American seasons. “We’re around each other a lot,” pointed out Edwards, a redshirt sophomore. “And we always bounced off each other what we were thinking. It was cool to kind of experience that together.” “We had a bunch of conversations and at times we were leaning different ways,” admitted Benzschawel, who rooms with Deiter. Both are fourth-year juniors. “We were always talking about what we had heard and what made sense for each one of
our situations,” Deiter said. “It made it that much easier to help one another out.” In the end, they reached the same conclusion: they wanted to play together another year on a UW offense that is losing only two senior starters, tight end Troy Fumagalli and fullback Austin Ramesh. “That was always in the back of my mind,” Deiter said. “You can go do this (move on to the NFL) or you can play with pretty much the same group you had last year and it’s only going to be better. “It’s super exciting and it gives you a lot of energy to get all these guys back. And it’s true we could be one of the best O-lines that ever played at Wisconsin and that’s not an easy thing to do. “With all the guys we have returning, we can be really special offensively.” Not that anything is guaranteed just because the position group is staying intact. That goes
for starting center Tyler Biadasz and left guard Jon Dietzen. And everyone who traveled, and then some. “We’re going to have to put in the work and go through those dog days to be where we need to be,” said Benzschawel. “We know how much we’ve improved from two years ago to this past year. “If we keep doing that, we should set ourselves up very well for next year. The sky is the limit.” Summarized Edwards, “It’s not only the product that we can put on the field, but it’s the comradery and that true brotherhood of the O-line that we have, the bond that we have built.” Here’s how each arrived at their decision to stay: DAVID EDWARDS A former high school quarterback at Downer’s Grove (Illinois) North, Edwards has made the transition from tight end as a freshman to right tackle, where he has started 21 straight games. The 20-year-old injured his foot on the fourth play of the Orange Bowl and played through the discomfort before leaving early in the second half.
Read the rest of the story on UWBadgers.com » DAVID STLUKA
DAVID STLUKA
DAVID EDWARDS
After being named to ESPN’s mid-season All-America team, the thought of leaving school early began to resonate. “That’s when I really had to start thinking about it,” he said. At the end of the season, he weighed everything in his mind. Mostly, he listened to what everybody had to say about his future. “To be honest,” he said, “a lot of people told me to go.” The NFL was on his radar, even though he spun a different storyline in public. “I just wanted to keep it on the down-low,” he said after getting a second-round grade from the advisory committee. “I heard from a few teams that I would have kind of been in Ryan Ramczyk’s spot from last year — potentially a late one or early second-round pick.” Ramczyk, who started one year at left tackle for the Badgers, was taken with the 32nd and final pick of the first round by New Orleans. This season, he played every snap at right tackle for the Saints. “Financially,” Edwards said, “if you looked at it strictly from a money standpoint, it made a lot of sense for me to go. But everything else made me want to come back.”
MICHAEL DEITER
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INSIDE MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE (10-11, 3-5)
Home events in bold. All times CT. Dec. 13 W. Kentucky
W, 81-80
Dec. 23 Green Bay
W, 81-60
Dec. 27 Chicago State W, 82-70 Dec. 30 UMass Lowell W, 82-53 2018 Jan. 2
Indiana
Jan. 5
at Rutgers
L, 60-64
Jan. 9
at Nebraska
L, 59-63
Jan. 16 at #3 Purdue
W, 71-61
L, 50-78
Jan. 19 Illinois
W, 75-50
Jan. 23 at Iowa
L, 67-85
Jan. 26 at #6 Michigan St. 7 p.m.
▲ TAP TO WATCH - Wisconsin Drops Road Contest to Iowa
THIS WEEK Finishing up a stretch where five of six games are away from home, Wisconsin travels to face No. 6 Michigan State in East Lansing on Friday. LAST WEEK The Badgers split a pair of Big Ten contests, falling at Purdue, 78-50, on Tuesday before bouncing back with a 75-50 win over Illinois at the Kohl Center on Friday. GOOD TO KNOW The Badgers have their seventh and eighth road games
of the season this week. Only two teams in the nation have played more than six road games on the year (Georgia and Villanova, 7). UW is 1111 away from home in Big Ten play all-time under Gard, the third-highest win percentage in the conference.
8 p.m.
Feb. 1
Northwestern 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 4
at Maryland
Noon
Feb. 8
at Illinois
8 p.m.
USA TODAY IMAGES
Jan. 29 Nebraska
Feb. 11 #25 Michigan Noon Feb. 15 #3 Purdue
6 p.m.
Feb. 19 Minnesota
8 p.m.
View full schedule/results » SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:
NEED TO KNOW Wisconsin’s game at No. 6 Michigan State will be televised on FS1 beginning at 7 p.m. (CT). The game can be heard on the Badger Sports Network. Follow @BadgerMBB on Twitter for updates.
RELATED STORIES (Click to read)
▶ Young leader Davison ‘the real deal’
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▶ Lucas at Large: Reuvers eager and hungry for growth ▶ Ford just beginning to scratch the surface
37
INSIDE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE (8-13, 1-7)
Home events in bold. All times CT. Dec. 8
at Butler
L, 62-69
Dec. 10 Savannah State W, 82-54 Dec. 14 Milwaukee
L, 64-67
Dec. 28 #23 Iowa
L, 46-56
Dec. 31 at Purdue
L, 35-57
2018 Jan. 4
#22 Michigan L, 57-80
Jan. 7
#13 Maryland L, 44-71
▲ TAP TO WATCH - Wisconsin Won Their First Conference Game Against Northwestern
THIS WEEK The Badgers (8-13, 1-7 Big Ten) take a road trip for their next two Big Ten matchups. They travel for a 6 p.m. Wednesday battle to Bloomington, Indiana, against the Hoosiers (9-12, 2-6) in Assembly Hall. Wisconsin takes on southern border-rival Illinois (9-12, 0-7) on Sunday at 3 p.m. in Champaign, Illinois. LAST WEEK UW split its games last week, falling on the road, 90-65, in Minneapolis to the Golden Gophers. The Badgers’ Sunday afternoon game against Northwestern brought their first Big Ten win of the season. Junior Marsha Howard had 21 points and nine rebounds in a 58-46 victory over the Wildcats.
GOOD TO KNOW The Badgers snapped two losing streaks Sunday afternoon. The victory over Northwestern broke a nine-game losing streak to the Wildcats and also ended the team’s seven-game losing streak. NEED TO KNOW The Badgers make their fourth appearance on the Big Ten Network on Sunday against the Fighting Illini. Wednesday’s game against the Hoosiers will be streamed live on BTN Plus. Both games can be heard in the Madison area on 100.9 FM or online using the iHeartRadio app with Jon Arias on the call. Live updates are also available on twitter @BadgerWBB.
RELATED STORIES (Click to read)
▶ Late rally leads Badgers to first Big Ten win
Jan. 14 Penn State
L, 62-69
Jan. 18 at Minnesota
L, 65-90
GREG ANDERSON
Jan. 11 at Northwestern L, 60-69
Jan. 21 Northwestern W, 58-46 Jan. 24 at Indiana
6 p.m.
Jan. 28 at Illinois
3 p.m.
Jan. 31 Minnesota
7 p.m.
Feb. 3
#12 Ohio State Noon
Feb. 11 at Nebraska
2 p.m.
Feb. 14 Rutgers
7 p.m.
Feb. 18 at Iowa
2 p.m.
Feb. 21 at Michigan State 6 p.m. View full schedule/results » SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:
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▶ Badgers drop contest to Golden Gophers, 90-65 ▶ Brother and former UW football player inspires Gilreath
39
FORWARD Be a difference-maker during the University of Wisconsin’s Annual Campaign — it’s what Badgers do. AllWaysForward.org
INSIDE MEN’S HOCKEY SCHEDULE (12-12-3, 6-8-2) Home events in bold. All times CT. Jan. 5
at #14 Penn State L, 1-5
Jan. 6
at #14 Penn State T, 3-3 OT
LOST SHOOTOUT 0-1
Jan. 12 Michigan State
L, 0-2
Jan. 13 Michigan State
W, 5-2
Jan. 19 at #1 Notre Dame L, 2-4 Jan. 21 vs. #1 Notre Dame W, 5-0
Chicago
Jan. 26 #14 Penn State
8 p.m.
Jan. 27 #14 Penn State
7 p.m.
Feb. 2 at #17 Michigan 6:30 p.m. Feb. 3 at #17 Michigan 6:30 p.m. 8 p.m.
Feb. 10 #13 Minnesota
7 p.m.
▲ TAP TO WATCH - Badgers Blank Notre Dame 5-0 at the United Center
Feb. 23 at #6 Ohio State
7 p.m.
Feb. 24 at #6 Ohio State
7 p.m.
THIS WEEK No. 18 Wisconsin (12-12-3, 6-6-2 Big Ten) plays host to No. 14 Penn State (13-10-3, 6-7-3-2 Big Ten) for a Friday-Saturday series at the Kohl Center. Friday’s game begins at 8 p.m., while Saturday is a 7 p.m. start. LAST WEEK The Badgers upset No. 1 Notre Dame with a 5-0 victory on Sunday at the United Center in Chicago to snap ND’s 16-game winning streak. UW dropped a 4-2 contest last Friday at Notre Dame.
GOOD TO KNOW Saturday’s game at the Kohl Center is “Face-off Against Cancer” to raise awareness about local cancer research, with help from special guests.
PATRICK GORSKI
#13 Minnesota
Feb. 9
View full schedule/results » SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:
NEED TO KNOW Friday’s game airs live on BTN, while Saturday’s game will be shown on Fox Sports Wisconsin. Both are available on the BTN2Go app and at BTN2Go.com for cable and satellite subscribers. Friday’s game airs on the radio on 1070 WTSO, with Saturday on 1310 WIBA. Both are on the Badger Radio Network.
RELATED STORIES (Click to read)
▶ Baggot’s 4Check: Big win could be spark in last eight games
FOLLOW US:
▶ Remembering Jim Johannson ▶ ‘Face-off Against Cancer’ game set for Saturday, Jan. 27
41
INSIDE WOMEN’S HOCKEY SCHEDULE (24-1-1, 15-0-1) Home events in bold. All times CT.
Nov. 25 vs. Boston University W, 4-2
THIS WEEK No. 1 Wisconsin (24-1-1, 150-1-1 WCHA) returns home to take on St. Cloud State (6-15-3, 4-11-2-0 WCHA) in a Saturday-Sunday showdown at LaBahn Arena. Puck drop for both games, which are sold out, is set for 2 p.m. Sunday’s game can be seen live on Fox Sports Wisconsin Plus.
goals coming from Maddie Rowe and Brette Pettet.
LAST WEEK UW took five of six points against Bemidji State on the road, winning 4-3 in overtime on Friday thanks to an OT goal from Mikaela Gardner. On Saturday, UW tied the Beavers, 3-3, on Saturday and took the extra point in the WCHA standings thanks to a 2-1 shootout victory with
NEED TO KNOW Both games are sold out, but Saturday’s game can be heard in the Madison area on 100.9 FM as Reid Magnum has the call. Sunday’s game can be seen on Fox Sports Wisconsin Plus as Brian Posick and Bill Brophy are on the call. Fans can also follow the action on Twitter (@BadgerWHockey).
GOOD TO KNOW Wisconsin currently sits in first place in the WCHA with 47 points after 16 games of league play. UW is 10 points ahead of Ohio State, who UW takes on next weekend in Columbus, Ohio.
RELATED STORIES (Click to read)
▶ Deadlock in Bemidji
Washington, D.C.
Dec. 1
Minnesota Duluth W, 5-1
Dec. 2
Minnesota Duluth W, 3-1
Dec. 8
at St. Cloud State W, 1-0
Dec. 9
at St. Cloud State W, 3-0
2018 Jan. 13
Minnesota State W, 6-0
Jan. 14
Minnesota State W, 4-0
Jan. 19
at Bemidji State W, 4-3 OT
Jan. 20
at Bemidji State T, 3-3 OT
WON SHOOTOUT 2-1
Jan. 27
St. Cloud State
2 p.m.
Jan. 28
St. Cloud State
2 p.m.
Feb. 2
at #5 Ohio State 5 p.m.
Feb. 3
at #5 Ohio State 2 p.m.
Feb. 9
at Minn. Duluth
7 p.m.
Feb. 10 at Minn. Duluth
4 p.m.
Feb. 16 #7 Minnesota
7 p.m.
Feb. 17 #7 Minnesota
3 p.m.
JACK MCLAUGHLIN
▲ TAP TO WATCH - Mark Johnson Weekly Presser: Becoming a stronger hockey team
View full schedule/results » SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:
FOLLOW US:
▶ No. 1 Badgers outlast Beavers in overtime battle ▶ Badgers to welcome quintet of new players in 2018-19
43
INSIDE WRESTLING SCHEDULE (5-2, 2-2)
Home events in bold. All times CT. Dec. 1-2 at Cliff Keen Invitational Las Vegas Results » Dec. 7
Maryland
Dec. 9
at UW-Whitewater W, 38-3
Dec. 9
at UNI Open
Cedar Falls, Iowa
W, 32-6 Results »
Dec. 29-30 at Midland Championships Hoffman Estates, Ill. Results »
2018 Jan. 12 at Northwestern L, 14-18 Jan. 19 at Michigan
L, 10-29
Jan. 21 at Michigan State W, 28-7 Jan. 26 Indiana Feb. 9
▲ TAP TO WATCH - Highlights: Wisconsin vs Michigan State
THIS WEEK Wisconsin wrestling (5-2) is back home to host Indiana on Friday at 7 p.m. in the UW Field House. Youth and high school teams can receive free admission by registering in advance. To register your team, e-mail rweinkauf@athletics. wisc.edu. LAST WEEK UW split in action after falling 29-10 to No. 8 Michigan, but bouncing back with a 28-7 win over Michigan State. The Badgers clinched eight out of 10 victories against the Spartans.
GOOD TO KNOW Freshman Evan Wick tallied his fifth tech fall of the season at Michigan State, picking up two tech falls overall this weekend. He leads all UW wrestlers with 65 takedowns on the season.
Nebraska
7 p.m. 7 p.m.
Feb. 11 at Illinois
1 p.m.
Feb. 16 Rutgers
7 p.m.
Feb. 18 Purdue Noon Mar. 3-4 at Big Ten Championships
East Lansing, Mich.
Mar. 15-17 at
NCAA Championships
Cleveland, Ohio
View full schedule/results » SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:
NEED TO KNOW The dual will be streamed live on FloWrestling and BTN Plus. Additionally, fans can follow @BadgerWrestling on Twitter for live updates.
RELATED STORIES (Click to read)
▶ Badgers regain momentum after defeating Spartans, 28-7
FOLLOW US:
▶ Badgers fall to Michigan in first dual of the weekend ▶ Wisconsin wrestling team night Jan. 26
45
INSIDE MEN’S TRACK & FIELD SCHEDULE
Home events in bold. All times CT. Jan. 13
at The Dual
Minneapolis
Results »
Jan. 19-20 at Larry Wieczorek Invite
Results »
Iowa City, Iowa
Jan. 26
at Dr. Sander Invitational New York City 9 a.m.
Jan. 27
at Columbia Challenge New York City 9 a.m.
Feb. 2-3 at Frank Sevigne Husker Invite
Lincoln, Neb.
Feb. 9-10 at Iowa State Classic
Ames, Iowa
Feb. 16
Marquette
All day
Feb. 23-24 at Big Ten Indoor
Championships
Geneva, Ohio
Mar. 9-10 at NCAA Indoor Championships
THIS WEEK The Badgers are heading to the Big Apple for a pair of meets at the historic Armory. On Friday, UW will compete at the Dr. Sander Invitational before taking part in the Columbia Challenge on Saturday. LAST WEEK A trio of Badgers picked up victories at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational. Rashid Coulibaly won the pole vault with a clearance of 16-6 3/4, Corbin Ellis won the 400 meters in 48.79 seconds and Zack Benning picked up a victory in the 3000 meters
thanks to a 16-second personal-best run of 8:16.16. GOOD TO KNOW Redshirt sophomore Tucker Wedig threw a personal best of 66 feet, 4 1/2 inches in the weight throw as the Belmont, Wisconsin, native now sits fourth on the school’s top-10 list. NEED TO KNOW Live results will be available for both meets on UWBadgers.com while fans can follow the action on Twitter (@BadgerTrackXC).
RELATED STORIES (Click to read)
ERIC MILLER
College Station, Texas
OUTDOOR Mar. 31 at UC San Diego Invite San Diego, Calif. Apr. 6-7 at Spec Towns Invite
Athens, Ga.
Apr. 13
at UW-Platteville Invitational
Platteville, Wis.
View full schedule/results »
SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:
FOLLOW US:
▶ Badgers start strong at Larry Wieczorek Invite ▶ Badgers shine on the track in Iowa City
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INSIDE WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD SCHEDULE
Home events in bold. All times CT. Jan. 13
at The Dual
Minneapolis
Results »
Jan. 19-20 at Larry Wieczorek Invite
Results »
Iowa City, Iowa
Jan. 26
at Dr. Sander Invitational New York City 9 a.m.
Jan. 27
at Columbia Challenge New York City 9 a.m.
Feb. 2-3 at Frank Sevigne Husker Invite
Lincoln, Neb.
Feb. 9-10 at Iowa State Classic
Ames, Iowa
Feb. 16
Marquette
All day
Feb. 23-24 at Big Ten Indoor
Championships
Geneva, Ohio
Mar. 9-10 at NCAA Indoor Championships
THIS WEEK No. 13 Wisconsin heads to New York City to compete in a pair of meets at the Armory. On Friday, UW will compete at the Dr. Sander Invitational before taking part in the Columbia Challenge on Saturday. LAST WEEK For the second time this year, senior Taylor Amann took home a title in the pole vault as the 13 feet, 7 1/4 inches, narrowly missing her school record mark of 13-9 1/4. Amann set a new meet record at the University of Iowa Recreation Building.
GOOD TO KNOW Junior Banke Oginni enjoyed another stellar meet, taking second in the weight throw with a toss measuring 70-6 1/2. It marks the third time that Oginni has surpassed the 70 feet mark in the event and the second time this season she’s reached the mark. NEED TO KNOW Live results will be available for both meets on UWBadgers.com while fans can follow the action on Twitter (@BadgerTrackXC).
RELATED STORIES (Click to read)
ERIC MILLER
College Station, Texas
OUTDOOR Mar. 31 at UC San Diego Invite San Diego, Calif. Apr. 6-7 at Spec Towns Invite
Athens, Ga.
Apr. 13
at UW-Platteville Invitational
Platteville, Wis.
Apr. 14
at Musco Invite
Iowa City, Iowa
View full schedule/results » SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:
FOLLOW US:
▶ Badgers make strong debut at Larry Wieczorek Invitational ▶ Badgers finish strong after two days of competition
49
INSIDE MEN’S TENNIS SCHEDULE (2-0, 0-0)
Home events in bold. All times CT. Oct. 6-8
at Bayliss Invitational South Bend, Ind. Results »
Oct. 19-23 at ITA Regional
Results »
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Nov. 1-5
at ITA Fall National Championships Results »
Palm Desert, Calif.
Nov. 3-5
at Minnesota Invitational Minneapolis Results »
2018 Jan. 20 DePaul
W, 6-1
Nebraska-Omaha W, 6-1
Jan. 27 vs. #14 Mississippi St. 9 a.m.
Stillwater, Okla.
▲ TAP TO WATCH - Doubleheader Sweep For Wisconsin Tennis
THIS WEEK Wisconsin (2-0) faces a challenging week when it travels to Stillwater, Oklahoma for a pair of matches in the ITA Kickoff Weekend. Up first, the Badgers will take on No. 14 Mississippi State (3-0) on Saturday before meeting either No. 15 Oklahoma State (4-0) or Kentucky (2-1) on Sunday. All four teams headed to Stillwater reached the second round of last year’s NCAA tournament.
LAST WEEK The Badgers opened the season with a pair of wins on Saturday at Nielsen Tennis Stadium, defeating DePaul and Omaha by the same score of 6-1.
vs. Kentucky
Stillwater, Okla.
Feb. 3
East Tenn. State
1 p.m.
PATRICK HERB
Jan. 28 at #15 Oklahoma St. 10 a.m.
1 p.m.
View full schedule/results » SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:
GOOD TO KNOW UW opened the season 2-0 for the third consecutive season. The Badgers improved to 22-6 (.786) at home under third-year head coach Danny Westerman. NEED TO KNOW Follow men’s tennis on Twitter (@BadgerMTennis) for updates.
RELATED STORIES (Click to read)
FOLLOW US:
▶ Off to the races: Badgers kick off spring with dominant win ▶ Double the fun: UW caps off doubleheader sweep
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We don’t like the cold. We love the cold.
WHEN YOU’RE HAVING FUN, WE’RE HAVING FUN.
VIEW the SNOW CONDITIONS Report At
INSIDE WOMEN’S TENNIS SCHEDULE
Home events in bold. Oct. 12-17 at USTA/ITA Regionals Ann Arbor, Mich. Results » Oct. 27-29 at Vanderbilt Fall Classic Nashville, Tenn. Results » Nov. 3-5
at Harvard Fall Invite Cambridge, Mass. Results »
Nov. 10-12 at FSU All-Conference Results » Showdown
Tallahassee, Fla.
Long Beach, Calif.
2018 Jan. 19-21 at Beach Tennis Winter Invite Results »
THIS WEEK Wisconsin opens the spring dual season with a busy week, playing four matches in a three-day span this weekend. The Badgers will open with a home match against Northern Illinois at 3 p.m. (CT) on Thursday before a Friday doubleheader in Milwaukee against Marquette (2:30 p.m.) and Milwaukee (6:30 p.m.). The week then wraps up back at Nielsen Tennis Stadium with a home match against Colorado State at Noon on Saturday. LAST WEEK UW played its final tournament tune-up of the season
winning four flights at the Long Beach Winter Invitational. Overall, the Badgers went 13-5 in singles play and 6-3 on the doubles courts. GOOD TO KNOW Senior Sara Castellano and sophomore Melissa Pick each went undefeated at the LBWI, taking home their respective flight championships.
3 p.m.
Jan. 26 at Marquette
2:30 p.m.
6:30 p.m.
at Milwaukee
DAVID STLUKA
Jan. 25 Northern Illinois
Jan. 27 Colorado State Noon Feb. 3
Bradley
Green Bay
Feb. 9-12
10 a.m. 3 p.m.
ITA National Team Indoor Championship View full schedule/results »
SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:
NEED TO KNOW All home matches at Nielsen Tennis Stadium are free to the public. Follow the Badgers on Twitter (@BadgerWTennis) for updates.
RELATED STORIES (Click to read)
FOLLOW US:
▶ Badgers sweep singles ▶ Badger tennis launching ball kid program
53
INSIDE SWIMMING & DIVING SCHEDULE
Home events in bold. All times CT. Nov. 3-4
vs. Michigan, Minnesota and Penn State Minneapolis, Minn. Results »
Nov. 9-11 at Minnesota Diving Invitational
Minneapolis, Minn.
Nov. 10
at Green Bay
Nov. 11
at Northwestern Results »
Results »
Nov. 29-Dec. 2 at
2018 Jan. 15
Texas Invitational Austin, Texas Results »
at USC
Results »
Jan. 27-28 at Notre Dame Shamrock Invitational
THIS WEEK The regular season comes to a close for Wisconsin, which heads to South Bend, Indiana, for the Notre Dame Shamrock Invitational on Friday and Saturday at Rolfs Aquatic Center. The meet marks the Badgers’ final competition before the Big Ten championships get underway next month. LAST WEEK UW was idle after taking on USC in a dual meet on Jan. 15. The Badgers — returning from their annual Hawaiian training trip — were swept by the Trojans, who eked out a 133-129 win on the women’s side and scored a 148-109 victory in the men’s competition.
GOOD TO KNOW With less than a month until the Big Ten championships get underway, Wisconsin is one of five women’s teams from the league to be ranked in the latest TYR/CSCAA Top 25. The Badgers sit 19th in the latest edition of the national coaches poll. NEED TO KNOW Live results from this weekend’s competition will be available on the swimming schedule pages at UWBadgers.com, as well as via MeetMobile.
RELATED STORIES (Click to read)
South Bend, Ind.
Feb. 21-24 at Big Ten Championships
Minneapolis, Minn.
Mar. 5-7
at NCAA Zone D Diving Championships
Minneapolis, Minn.
Mar. 21-24 at NCAA Championships
Minneapolis, Minn.
July 25-29 at USA Swimming National Championships
Irvine, Calif.
View full schedule/results » SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:
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▶ Nicholas gift spurs upgrade from SERF to ‘Nick’ ▶ Trio pace Badgers in tangle with Trojans
55
THIS WEEK IN BADGER HISTORY
CAMP RANDALL 100 SPOTLIGHT:
ED WITHERS
The Camp Randall 100 honors a prestigious group of 100 people who shaped the first century of Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin Athletics revealed a new honoree every day from May 24 through the Badgers’ 2017 opening game vs. Utah State Sept. 1.
BY BRIAN MASON UW Athletic Communications
T
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he greatest defensive unit in Wisconsin football history was so star-studded it was tough for any one player to stand out. As All-American defensive end Pat O’Donahue put it: “They were all damn good.” Still, even among the ensemble of talent that came to be known as the “Hard Rocks,” there had to be an appreciation for what Ed Withers was accomplishing in 1951. A year earlier, he became the first African-American at UW to earn All-America accolades. With the Hard Rocks, he was contributing to a unit that led the nation in total defense and actually outscored opposing offenses on the season, 58-53.
Though he was born in Memphis, Withers was raised in Madison and attended Central High School, where he starred in football, basketball and track. He joined the Army before finishing high school and served in Korea, eventually returning to Central to earn his diploma. From there, it was on to UW. He played on the Badgers’ freshman team in 1947 but was ineligible the following season. He returned to the field in 1949, beginning a three-year run as a starter at cornerback that would see him grab eight interceptions for some of the best defenses ever fielded at Wisconsin. Withers shined in 1950, especially in a 14-0 win over Iowa in which he made three interceptions. He returned one for a touchdown and set up the Badgers’ other score with his second pick of the game.
Sportswriter Harry Grayson deemed Withers such a in 1952 following his graduation from UW with a fashionable ball-hawk that just about the only time he degree in physical education. His pro career was got the body contact he likes is when he was tackled short-lived, but Withers went on to work as a after intercepting. teacher and coach in Milwaukee at Roosevelt and He was named a first-team All-American by Look North Division high schools. He later enjoyed a magazine, an accomplishment that came just three career in the insurance industry before passing in years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier 1975 at the age of 48. in Major League Baseball. His impact on Madison, however, was not forgotThen came the Hard Rocks season of 1951. The ten. man teammates called “Pop” — he was already marUpon his death, the Madison chapter of the ried and raising his son, NAACP penned a letter Ed Withers III, by then to The Capital Times SPORTSWRITER HARRY GRAYSON DEEMED — was named first-team urging for his contribuWITHERS SUCH A FASHIONABLE BALL-HAWK All-Big Ten and once tions to be recognized: THAT JUST ABOUT THE ONLY TIME HE GOT THE again earned first-team We sincerely encourage BODY CONTACT HE LIKES IS WHEN HE WAS All-America laurels for the Madison Sports Hall TACKLED AFTER INTERCEPTING. his contributions to the of Fame and the MadiBadgers’ dominant deson Common Council to fense. honor the passing of a great athlete and black man Withers and his teammates allowed an average who did much to enable greater black athletic particof just 5.9 points, yielded a nation-leading 154.8 ipation. total yards per game and ranked No. 2 nationally by Two years later, Edward Withers, Jr. was named giving up just 66.8 rushing yards per contest. to the Madison Sports Hall of Fame as part of its The Badgers finished 7-1-1 on the strength of the class of 1977. Hard Rocks, setting the stage for the 1952 team’s A place in the UW Athletics Hall of Fame followed run to the Big Ten title and the school’s first berth in 1992, though Withers’ place in history had been in the Rose Bowl. cemented many years earlier. Individually, Withers’ performance drew the inFor the complete Camp Randall 100 list, visit terest of the Green Bay Packers, who drafted him CampRandall100.com.
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