Letter to the editor: I have been a Wisconsin football season ticket holder for over 30 years. I attended Saturday’s UW football game anticipating a great afternoon of college football. What I experienced was horrible.
An email mix-up left the University of Wisconsin athletic department only a few days to put together a trip to the White House, with last-minute airline tickets bought for flights from more than a dozen locations.
Over 200 fans required medical observation due to high temperatures at Camp Randall Stadium during Saturday’s victory over Buffalo.
The man with his toes in the sand is getting strange looks from the families trying to enjoy some beach time. Kids are running around and swimming, their parents basking in the sun while sneaking in a little rest and relaxation. Meanwhile, he’s by himself and in his own world.
Wisconsin, like others in the entertainment business, has been looking for ways to sell people on being there for the presentation of the game and not just what’s happening on the field. That’s taking a step up at Camp Randall in 2023, starting with Saturday’s opener against Buffalo.
A high volume level from the stadium speakers was one of the most frequent complaints aired by fans during and after Saturday’s 38-17 victory against Buffalo.
UW-Madison police reported that 14 people were ejected from Camp Randall Stadium and six people were arrested during Saturday’s game between the Badgers and Buffalo.
A new membership system is being offered to Badger fans to receive new benefits in supporting their team. The Camp Randall Club allows fans to pick from five levels of membership ranked by stars. The One Star level begins at $250 and features benefits like access to the Luke Fickell Radio Show, a t-shirt and a discount on Badger merch.
It’s going to be hot for the University of Wisconsin football season opener at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, and the athletic department is trying to help keep fans cool.
With temperatures expected to reach the low-90s on Saturday, Wisconsin Athletics will hand out a limited supply of free bucket hats and encourage spectators to take precautions in order to remain cool.
Change will be evident for Badgers fans coming to Camp Randall Stadium starting Saturday. Head coach Luke Fickell is in his first season at the helm and he and his staff have been working diligently to mesh new faces with returning stars as everyone adjusts to new schemes on both offense and defense.
Not only is it the beginning of the season for Bucky, but also the beginning of the Luke Fickell era in Madison. Fickell was hired away from Cincinnati by UW on November 27th of 2022.
In memory of my dear Pac-12 and the fans left behind.
During a round of golf last winter in Florida, former Wisconsin athletic director Pat Richter was on the first tee when his playing partner Mark Dantonio handed him the cellphone.
Badger fans are gearing up for the first football game of the season. Camp Randall is expected to be close to its capacity on Saturday, at 76,000 fans.
The Wisconsin volleyball team moved up just one spot in the national rankings, but it’s a big one.
The Badgers took over the No. 1 spot in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll that was released Monday. The move came after UW opened the season in the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge with a four-set win over No. 15 Baylor on Friday and a straight set victory over TCU on Saturday.
Camp Randall in Madison is one of the 18 stadiums targeted. The bipartisan caucus—led by Louisiana representative Garret Graves, a Republican, and Wisconsin representative Mark Pocan, a Democrat—wants to bring attention to “these iconic venues,” protect their value and adapt them to meet evolving needs, according to a news release. The effort, which will include “technological upgrades” and “infrastructure updates,” would likely involve federal money.
In “Serving Herself: The Life and Times of Althea Gibson,” Ashley Brown, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, describes the scene on the grounds, which should be among the most well-known trailblazing moments in American sports: “One of the world’s leading symbols of white supremacy and White womanhood had presented a sterling silver salver to a Black woman, a descendant of slaves, while a stadium filled with colonizers cheered. These were role reversals for the ages.”
The toughest road games, according to Steele, are Washington State, Illinois and Minnesota. The Badgers lost to all three foes last year. Steele’s power ratings has them favored to win all three this year.
Alvarez said this week that he won’t return for a second season in his role as the special adviser for football. It’s something Alvarez and new commissioner Tony Petitti had discussed during Big Ten media days last month in Indianapolis.
NFL running back Dare Ogunbowale played four sports at his high school in Milwaukee, but golf wasn’t one of them.
He started getting into golf during his time at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It was something he could do away from football. Before college, “golf just wasn’t even a thought.”
No brand will have exclusivity when alcohol sales expand to general ticket holders for Badgers basketball and hockey games this season, senior associate athletic director Justin Doherty said. Levy, the company that manages concessions at Wisconsin venues, will work with local distributors to stock a variety of products.
Jordan Turner said Thursday he made out-of-character mistakes this offseason.
While this year’s team is off to a strong start, their future home is uncertain. A recent article indicates that the McClimon Complex may not be available for women’s and men’s soccer, as well as the track and field teams. The article also stated that, at least for soccer amenities, McClimon lags behind peer institutions.
After serving as an assistant for 12 years, Beau Hoopman was named the team’s coach on Wednesday, less than a month after long-tenured coach Chris Clark left the position to enter a newly created role as director of rowing.
Luke Fickell couldn’t sleep the night before he began his first training camp as the University of Wisconsin football coach.
That’s part of a new agreement with the Big Ten that offers a small number of games exclusively on the platform. Yes, you’ll need a subscription to watch the Badgers in your home that week.
Former University of Wisconsin halfback Harland Carl shared the spotlight in the Badgers backfield with a Heisman Trophy winner before playing a season in the NFL, then embarking on a career in coaching and business.
The Badgers were ranked No. 2, one slot behind top-ranked Texas. UW received seven first-place votes, fewer than No. 3-ranked Stanford, but the Badgers’ 1,489 total points narrowly edged the Cardinal’s 1,449.
It’s rare for us to write about our own in this profession, but I’m breaking that unwritten rule this time. Punz is our ace University of Wisconsin volleyball reporter at the State Journal and BadgerExtra, a freelance role he gleefully stepped into after taking a buyout and “retiring” a few years ago.
The Badgers will open the season Saturday with a 1 p.m. exhibition against University of Illinois Chicago at the UW Field House, the site of last December’s pulsating, emotionally draining five-set loss to Pittsburgh in the NCAA’s Regional Final. The defeat snapped Wisconsin’s 21-match winning streak dating to September.
The Badgers spent a week working out in Platteville, about 70 miles from Wisconsin’s Madison campus. New Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell got the idea to train out of town from his coaching tenure at Cincinnati, which is spending a 25th straight year practicing about 30 miles from campus at Higher Ground Conference & Retreat Center in West Harrison, Indiana.
The sight of lightning near the McClimon Track/Soccer Complex stopped a University of Wisconsin men’s soccer home game against Tulsa last August just more than a minute shy of it qualifying as a complete contest.
Letter to the editor: I urge athletic director Chris McIntosh and head coach Luke Fickell to find a way to stop the continuation of the vulgar chant that fans shout back and forth at each other several times during the game.
The sport of golf isn’t always approachable or accessible, especially for people of color. A group of friends and former Wisconsin Badgers athletes started an organization to expand the game of golf and reduce the assumptions and misconceptions involved.
Mark Tauscher, whose playing career at UW included serving as one of the starting offensive linemen during Ron Dayne’s Heisman Trophy-winning season in 1999, will serve as color commentator alongside Lepay, UW announced Thursday.
Pat Richter was in grade school when Bob Teague broke a color barrier in the Wisconsin football program by becoming the first African American player to start for the Badgers. As he grew older, Richter began to better comprehend the historical significance of Teague’s breakthrough during the 1949 season.
“Unfortunately, his story has not received the attention it so richly deserves,’’ opined Richter, a former University of Wisconsin All-American tight end and the school’s athletic director during the Badgers’ football renaissance of the 1990s. “Many who could have benefited from hearing about his tales of perseverance may now finally have that opportunity.’’
Word started getting out to University of Wisconsin athletic department employees about a change in the men’s hockey coaching staff shortly before 3 p.m. March 6.
He began broadcasting in Appleton, including at Appleton Foxes baseball games, and spent time broadcasting University of Wisconsin football games. He latched on with a Columbus radio station in 1986, the first step toward his current gig in Cleveland.
From the University of Wisconsin website:Wisconsin’s loveable mascot, Bucky Badger, has always ranked high in fan appeal and enthusiasm. Although badgers in various forms had been the University of Wisconsin mascot for decades, the version that is currently known as Bucky, sporting a cardinal and white sweater, was first drawn in 1940 by professional illustrator Art Evans of Garden Grove, Calif. In 1949, a student first wore a badger outfit with a papier-máchê head at the homecoming game and the mascot came to l
“A warm Wisconsin welcome to old friends and new colleagues in Eugene and Seattle,” UW Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin tweeted Friday night after the conference made the transaction official.
But Badgers coach Paula Wilkins has seen a familiar element in U.S. games when Lavelle, who played for the Badgers from 2013 to 2016, has been on the pitch.
“The national team is reliant a little bit on her,” Wilkins said. “And she learned that here because a lot of times in games we were reliant on her. So she’s learned to carry that load a little bit.”
UW-Madison announced it will offer “enhanced beverage choices” at the Kohl Center and Bahn Arena in Madison this fall.
What does it look like to me? People will get drunk before and after the games, so we need to cash in on this, too. College athletics at UW will offer alcohol on a campus widely known as one of the biggest party schools in the U.S.
“Jump Around” is a nominee for Best College Sports Tradition and it needs your vote. It is currently ranked number two out of 20, with The Army-Navy Game ahead at the top of the leaderboard.
“As we look to enhance the customer experience inside and outside our venues, we have done a lot of listening and observing,” Athletic Director Chris McIntosh said. “It is critical that our fans have an enjoyable, safe, and efficient experience when they engage with us. I am happy to be able to announce a few new initiatives and I am excited about continuing to develop more ways to better serve our fans.”
Wisconsin was one of only a few Big Ten schools that did not allow alcohol to be sold at any sporting events. But the athletic department announced Thursday afternoon that it will sell beer, wine, and some other pre-packaged alcoholic beverages — like hard seltzers — in general seating areas for basketball and hockey games as well as concerts at the Kohl Center and LaBahn Arena.
University of Wisconsin fans have been unable to raise a glass (or in this case a plastic cup) to their beloved Badgers at sporting events.
But that will change somewhat this season.
Amy Fickell was wrapping up an interview in her family room last month when a face, covered with guilt, appeared from around the corner. One of her 8-year-old twins was requesting her presence in the basement. He needed to show her something.
UW will expand beer sales to the general public at the Kohl Center and LaBahn Arena starting this season, it announced Thursday.
Gatorade is boosting how much product credit it gives the University of Wisconsin athletic department in a contract extension between the sides.
We asked University of Wisconsin football players at Tuesday’s media day how they prepare for the four weeks of training camp, knowing that it’ll become a grind at some point before the Sept. 2 opener against Buffalo at Camp Randall Stadium.
There have been several high-profile transfers throughout the Big Ten, a total of 31 according to College VBall Transfers on Twitter. Several ended up at opposing Big Ten programs — like the University of Wisconsin’s All-American transfer outside hitter Temi Thomas-Ailara, who transferred from Northwestern — which Nebraska coach John Cook said “bothers me.”
Training camp starts Wednesday from UW-Platteville and the Badgers sat down for media day on Tuesday. First-year head coach Luke Fickell said his excitement for upcoming camp and the season is overwhelming. “Honestly, I’m not kidding, I couldn’t sleep last night,” said Fickell.
The University of Wisconsin volleyball team was picked to win its fifth-consecutive Big Ten Championship and several Badgers were awarded preseason individual honors with less than a month until the start of the 2023 volleyball season.
Conference championships and individual honors in the 2022-23 season meant extra bonuses for University of Wisconsin cross country and track and field coaches.
Wisconsin sports fanatics are hearty and a little nuts. Moreover, UW-Madison is the only school in the country to draw more than 8,000 fans for three different women’s sports programs. That includes 16,833 people at the Kohl Center last fall for volleyball.
Officials at UW-Platteville think University of Wisconsin football players will be surprised to see what kind of facilities they’ll be using when they arrive for camp Tuesday.
Preparing for his first full season as Wisconsin’s head coach after leading the Cincinnati program for the last six seasons, Fickell addressed reporters Thursday morning at the Big Ten preseason meetings.
Luke Fickell wasn’t sounding any alarms, but he sees an area for improvement in his program when it comes to player discipline. The University of Wisconsin football coach has had three players in legal matters this summer, though just two remain with the team.
