If a Mount Rushmore for each of the state’s major sports teams was carved on, say, the Baraboo Range, what faces would be set in stone? Some are easy, some are hard, but the resulting mountainsides might look like this:
University of Wisconsin football: Alan Ameche, Ron Dayne, Pat Richter, Elroy Hirsch.
Ameche and Dayne, who left UW with the Heisman Trophy and college football’s career rushing record, are locks. Hirsch and Richter were stars on teams that came within a touchdown of winning the national championship. Some would argue that Hirsch wasn’t even the best player on the 1942 team (Dave Schreiner was), but his later contributions as athletic director and goodwill ambassador were also significant. Just missing the cut was Barry Alvarez, who has coached UW to an unprecedented three Rose Bowls – and won them all.
UW basketball: Walter Meanwell, Devin Harris, Michael Finley, John Kotz.
Meanwell coached UW to eight Big Ten Conference titles, three mythical national titles and became basketball’s most dominant figure in the first 30 years of the 20th century. Led by Harris, UW won back-to- back Big Ten championships, the first such titles in 55 years. Finley was the player most responsible for ending UW’s 47- year absence from the NCAA tournament. Kotz and Gene Englund were equals on UW’s 1941 NCAA championship team, but Kotz was named most outstanding player in the tournament. Don’t be surprised if current coach Bo Ryan cracks this list before he’s through.