Whenever an artist such as Jim Mott dies, those fortunate enough to own pieces of his work invariably take a moment to quietly reflect upon them.
That was me Monday, a day after one of the great historians of University of Wisconsin athletics passed away peacefully following a prolonged battle with Parkinsonâ??s Disease.
Mott, 79, was the mild-mannered guardian of all things Badgers during his 36 years in the sports information office. He ran the show from 1966 to his retirement in 1990. He was perfectly suited for the job given the fact he attended UW and received two of the most compatible undergraduate degrees imaginable for dealing with sports media: zoology and journalism.