Given how many painful moments (at least in a relative sense) Wisconsin Badgers fans have had to endure lately, it seems like a great time to drop my Top 10 favorite University of Wisconsin sports moments, broken down into two parts that will have no particular order.
There’s no way to make everyone happy with this list, but the good news is that I’m never worried about doing that. The Don always does it his way.
Here is Part I.
Beating Michigan State to make the 1994 Rose Bowl
While winning the ‘94 Rose Bowl might just pop up later on this hallowed list, it’s important to remember the unbridled joy and euphoria that came with stomping the Spartans in Tokyo in December of 1993.
I can’t recall a moment before or since on the Wisconsin campus that hovered as close to pure joy as this one. It seemed that every student on campus was on State Street that night (possibly even up in a tree) and, for a brief moment, all of the disappointment and heartbreak you had felt as fans of our recently moribund program had been vanquished at the same moment a large group of new Wisconsin folk heroes, including Terrell Fletcher and Darrell Bevell, had been born.
“38 and No” Final Four win over Kentucky in 2015
While I’ll maintain until my dying breath around the year 2124 that Wisconsin wasn’t truly an underdog when they squared off against the juggernaut that was Kentucky in the 2015 Final Four, the narrative was that of a plucky David vs an undefeated, unbeatable Goliath filled to the brim with future NBA guys like Karl Anthony-Towns and Devin Booker.
On the back of a clutch game from a really talented group of guys and great coaching from Bo Ryan, the Badgers slayed John Calipari’s Wildcats, 71-64.
What made it even better was seeing an entire country of college hoops lovers celebrating alongside Wisconsin fans like the Empire had been vanquished at the end of Return of the Jedi. It was exhilarating and perfect and I do my damndest every time I think about it to block out what happened to this apparent team of destiny just two nights later.
Topping Nebraska to claim the 2021 NCAA Volleyball title
While there has been no lack of outstanding teams and big moments for Kelly Sheffield’s Wisconsin Volleyball program over the last several years, by 2021 some had unfairly lassoed him (and the program) with the label of being unable to win the big one, after several Final Four appearances without a title.
So when the Badgers were able to close out archrival Nebraska in a 5-set thriller in December 2021, it was not only a massive win for one of the best programs in the sport, but a sizzling confirmation that Sheffield and his squad had arrived in the upper echelon of the college volleyball universe.
In doing so, this team captured the imagination of an entire campus and it was satisfying to see consummate Badgers like Dana Rettke go out on top.
Ring Number Six for Men’s Hockey
In 2006, Wisconsin was widely regarded as a blue-blood college hockey program, but the reality was that it had been a long 16 seasons, many of them subpar, since the Badgers had drank from the NCAA Championship Cup.
So that raised the stakes even higher for the ‘05-06 team, who boasted a number of star-caliber players, but had an identity as a tough, hard-working bunch that could gut out tough games by sheer force of will.
But in order to get the program back to the top of the college hockey mountain, it had to top a very talented Boston College team in the title game. Yes, doing this in a home away from home Bradley Center in Milwaukee was a huge boost (and having a goalie playing out of his mind helped), but teams of destiny are the ones who take advantage of their breaks.
A tight game, which came down to an Eagles’ shot off the pipe in the closing seconds, turned into a 2-1 Wisconsin win and the program’s 6th (and most recent) national title, jumping it ahead of Minnesota on the all-time list.
“Worst Team to Ever Play in the Rose Bowl” beats UCLA
While there are certainly other reasons not to like Craig James, one of the best came in late 1998 when the professional grievance vampire lamented the fact that “elite” UCLA was stuck playing also-ran Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.
While I’d be the first to say that getting disrespected by a broadcaster shouldn’t be needed to motivate a team to win a big football game, there is absolutely zero doubt that James’ quip, and the small media storm that came with it, put a little extra spring in the Badgers’ step heading into the game.
Although the final score was a relatively tight 38-31 Badger “upset,” the reality was that for much of the game Wisconsin’s offense, led by Ron Dayne, did pretty much whatever they wanted with the Bruins’ defense. I don’t think many people—including James—left that game thinking the better team had lost, and they sure as hell didn’t.
Be on the lookout for Part II of this list, which drops later this week.
