Category: Athletics

On Saturday afternoon, the Carolina Inn was host to a pre-game ââ?¬Å?huddleââ?¬Â complete with cheerleaders, a bluegrass band and trays of eastern North Carolina barbecue pork.

Almost 500 fans were there � all of them dressed in red.

On a Wisconsin Badgers’ game day in Madison, thousands upon thousands of righteously red fans celebrate with copious amounts of drinkin’ and grillin’, dancin’ and hollerin’. There’s a reason Madison is known as one of the biggest party towns in America.

There is traveling – and then there is traveling, Badger style.

No, not talking about the fans or the band here, the usual topics when a University of Wisconsin football road trip is the topic of discussion. The issue is the bizarro events that have occurred two of the last three seasons on the team’s first road trip of the season, when the UW inevitably travels through another dimension – a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind, to borrow a little from Rod Serling.

On a Wisconsin Badgers’ game day in Madison, thousands upon thousands of righteously red fans celebrate with copious amounts of drinkin’ and grillin’, dancin’ and hollerin’. There’s a reason Madison is known as one of the biggest party towns in America.

In the “where are they now” category, Mark Johnson successfully finished his first Ironman at Wisconsin.

“Who’s Mark Johnson?” most of you, except his imemdiate family, may be asking. Johnson is the current women’s hockey coach at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and, more famously, scored two goals in the semi-final round of the 1980 Olympic Games as a member of the gold medal-winning hockey team. He also recorded the assist on the game-winning goal against Finland in the championship game.

Wisconsin Badgers Football linebacker Jammar Crane was charged Monday with a single count of fraudulent credit card use in Dane County Circuit Court.

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin football team, the Madison School Districtââ?¬â?¢s Elementary Schools and the Community Action Coalition of South Central Wisconsin are teaming up to assist the hungry in our community.

Two weeks into the college football season, the instant replay option available to nine of the 11 Division I-A conferences has reversed roughly one of every three calls reviewed.

University of Wisconsin law professor Walter Dickey is settling into his role as the new chair of the UW Athletic Board.

Van Hise Street is full of opportunity for David Worzala on game day. “It’s a beautiful day for a football game, so that’ll be nice,” he says as he looks to direct fans to park in his back yard.

There were many ways Kevin Patrick connected with his younger brother James through the years, but one of the constants was hockey.

….Because of those hockey bonds between brothers, Kevin is sure his rise up the college hockey coaching ladder would make his little brother happy.

James Patrick died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. A bond broker for Cantor Fitzgerald, he had an office on the 105th floor of Tower 1.

Bo Ryan is enjoying his role as a new member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ Board of Directors because it puts him at the forefront of all the top issues affecting college basketball. Like how to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Ryan said the NABC Board has tried to get a third exhibition game added to college teams’ schedules this season so all profits from the games could be given to the storm victims. But the Wisconsin men’s basketball coach added that the NCAA nixed the idea.

Band members let out a collective hiss when UW Varsity Band director Mike Leckrone first told them during a rehearsal that they would be moving from the field to the stands in the newly renovated Camp Randall Stadium.

Leckrone said he got the same reaction years ago when the band originally moved in the other direction: from the stands to the north end zone.

MADISON, Wis. – Each week, a different department from University of Wisconsin athletics will be featured so fans can get a behind-the-scenes understanding of what it does for football game days. This week, a closer look at the marketing department. (Athletic Communications)

The University of Wisconsin on Tuesday announced plans that it hopes will improve the flow of fan traffic on the west side of Camp Randall Stadium.

Structural and operational issues in that area led to gridlock before and during halftime of the Badgers’ 2005 season-opener against Bowling Green on Saturday. The UW hopes operational changes will make things smoother for fans who attend this Saturday’s game against Temple.

It looks like the University of Wisconsin football team got the better of the unusual schedule trade that resulted in Saturday’s game against Temple at Camp Randall Stadium.

At the request last April of Mid-American Conference commissioner Rick Chryst, the Badgers traded their originally scheduled home game against Western Michigan for the date with Temple

Crowd flow problems, due in part to a ticketing mistake, arose during Saturday’s grand reopening of Camp Randall Stadium, prompting University of Wisconsin Athletic Department officials to issue apologies and seek solutions Tuesday.

UW fans in a segment of the newly upgraded west side – the final phase of the four-year, $109.5 million renovation that was completed last month – encountered major gridlock trying to get to their seats when the Badgers played Bowling Green.

Twenty minutes before the 11 a.m. game time, a stream of red-shirted students began flooding into Gate 5 like blood to the heart.
Once inside, many clapped and let out war whoops for no particular reason – just happiness at heading up the stairs to the student sections at Camp Randall Stadium for the first football game of the year.

With Chancellor John Wiley, Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and other local notables on the podium, the campus’ top student politician gave about 4,000 freshmen some provocative advice.

Ivy on the walls at Camp Randall Stadium?
No, it didn’t happen. And in reality, it didn’t come all that close to happening. But at one point in the nearly decade-long discussions about the next generation of Camp Randall, plans were in place for a three- or four-foot wall along both sidelines. So, the natural suggestion during one of the free-for-all sessions was to give the stadium the signature of another place that John Chadima admires

The last project he oversaw was the renovation of the State Capitol, a task which took 11 years and cost $144 million. His next is the second phase of the Epic Systems campus on the west side of Verona.
So Jim Schumacher is no stranger to massive, deep-pocketed undertakings that draw heavy interest from the general public.

Because Jim Schumacher was front and center for two of the most prominent building renovations in recent city history, he’s often asked to compare them.

The restoration of the State Capitol building and the renovation of Camp Randall Stadium are similar in that they house well-known entities and attract thousands of observers on an annual basis.

Badger fans asked for it and they’re getting it. Fans can now say “Happy Birthday,” “Happy Anniversary,” and “Will You Marry Me?” in front of thousands of people

Back to school means time to tailgate. ââ?¬Å?As the college football season starts, what better way to spend an autumn afternoon?ââ?¬Â author Dave Hollingsworth asks. Here, he shares with USA TODAY’s Shawn Sell tailgate spots for pre- and postgame festivities.
University of Wisconsin
Madison
ââ?¬Å?Beer and brats are Wisconsin staples, and brats soaked in beer are preferred,ââ?¬Â Hollingsworth advises. ââ?¬Å?Arrive early for breakfast at Mickie’s Dairy Bar, a block or so from Camp Randall Stadium, then stay after the game for the 5th Quarter, the legendary irreverent postgame party with students, fans, football players and the Wisconsin band.ââ?¬Â Top 2005 tailgate game: Wisconsin vs. Michigan, Sept. 24. 608-263-2400; wisc.edu.

Standing amid the functional splendor of the completed $109.5 million Camp Randall Stadium update, one thought comes to mind: No matter what you think lately of Barry Alvarez as a coach, athletic director or a combination thereof, and no matter what you might have thought about him as a person during the last 15 years, the man has done his job.

In the hours leading up to kickoff at Camp Randall, Jason and Mark Seefeldt and their roommates did what many college students do to get ready to cheer on the Badgers: drink beer, grill some brats, crank up some music and toss the football around.

Several years ago, Jennifer Connor was watching the Green Bay Packers tackle the Denver Broncos when something caught her eye — cowbells. Bronco fans were ringing them furiously to cheer on their team.

“Let me say this: they better get season tickets right now because before long, they won’t be able to.”

These were the words of head coach Barry Alvarez the day he took over the Badgers, a squad that had averaged a measly two wins per season in the three years before he took the reins. Now, 15 years and 108 wins later, Alvarez will be entering his final season as head coach, with defensive coordinator Bret Bielema set to take over next fall.

They’ve been playing football at Camp Randall since November 1917. And with the $109.5 million renovation now complete, the stadium’s viability is assured for decades to come.

Madison � As he stands inside Camp Randall Stadium, gazing up at his latest creation, Mark Cullen feels the memories come rushing back.

Colleges signed up for Allstate’s field goal net ads:
Air Force, Alabama at Birmingham, Arizona State, Army, Baylor, Boston College, Brigham Young, California, Colorado, Colorado State, Fresno State,
Georgia Tech, Grambling, Hampton, Hawaii,
Houston, Indiana, Iowa, Miami (Fla.), Mississippi,
Missouri, Navy, New Mexico, Northern Illinois
Northwestern, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Purdue,
Rutgers, Southern Miss, Syracuse, TCU, Texas Tech, UCLA, Utah, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech,
Wake Forest, Wash. State

College football telecasts will never be the same thanks to a multimillion-dollar deal by Allstate to slap ads where no ads have gone before: on field goal nets. Thirty-nine NCAA Division I-A colleges ââ?¬â? such as Miami (Fla.), Oklahoma, Colorado, Boston College, Army and Air Force ââ?¬â? have agreed to use ââ?¬Å?brandedââ?¬Â nets with their football teams at their home stadiums.

Fans can get their first glimpse of the completed Camp Randall Stadium renovation during an open house from 10a.m. to 3p.m. today.

The featured areas include the Field Turf playing surface, suites and club seats, media room, visiting team locker room, UW home locker room and all concourses and seating areas.

Entertainment will be provided by the 1st Brigade Band, a Civil War-era band that will perform from 11a.m. to 2p.m. in the Kellner Plaza near Gate1. Admission is free and fans can enter the stadium through gates 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10. Free parking is available in Lot17 on the north end of the stadium. The event will take place rain or shine.

Chain-link fences and barbed wire. Dingy, dusty passageways. Bathroom lines that stretched on forever. They’re all history. After four years of work, the new-and-improved Camp Randall Stadium opens for business Sept. 3.

On full display for fans – and potential recruits – as the Badgers take on Bowling Green will be the first renovations to the storied stadium in four decades, including dozens of new luxury boxes, wider concourses, a new scoreboard and – yes – more toilets.

Shortly after holding the last open practice of his 16th and final pre-season camp as University of Wisconsin football coach, Barry Alvarez pronounced the 17-day session a success, with at least one qualifier:

The decision to hold all practices on campus was embraced overwhelming by the players and coaches; UW’s defense is as well prepared as it can be at this point for the dynamic and diverse offense Bowling Green will bring to Camp Randall Stadium next Saturday; and several freshmen, led by defensive end Matt Shaughnessy, should contribute this season.

However, Alvarez still wonders how some of the young players and / or first-year starters will respond under pressure in the opener.

One way to gauge the quality of the Camp Randall Stadium renovation is to get input from knowledgeable visitors.
The past five months have seen NFL talent evaluators, football operations personnel from Big Ten Conference schools and, most recently, members of the Rose Bowl Committee walk through the stadium.

“Everyone’s very impressed with what we’ve accomplished,” University of Wisconsin athletic director and football coach Barry Alvarez said.

There will be no last-minute rush to get renovated Camp Randall Stadium ready for its official unveiling 11 days from now.

With the exception of minor touch-ups here and there, the $109 million undertaking that began in 2001 is finished, according to Jim Schumacher, the project manager for Smith-Cullen.

“If we had to have a game (today), we could have one,” he said Tuesday.

MADISON, Wis. — Tens of thousands of University of Wisconsin football fans are becoming familiar with the term back loading.

That’s the term officials are using for how the Badger faithful will get to their seats. They can no longer access them from field level.

MADISON, Wis. – The Camp Randall Stadium Renovation begun in December of 2001 is drawing to its completion in time for the first game with Bowling Green on Sept. 3.

Jonathan Orr loves football.You don’t devote hours of your free time catching hundreds of passes, as Orr has, in an effort to make your hands more dependable if you aren’t passionate about the game. Yet when asked to choose, the University of Wisconsin senior wide receiver confesses football isn’t his No. 1 priority.

“When I leave, I want to leave a legacy that I helped to change people’s lives,” Orr said quietly after a recent practice. “I want to leave a legacy in football, too. But I just feel I’ve been called to do more wherever I go.”

Last season, the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. The UW’s success in 2004-05 may be a big reason why the Badgers will appear on national TV at least seven times in 2005-06.

All of the UW’s Big Ten Conference games also will be televised, according to the schedule released Wednesday.

An exclusive dining experience will be unveiled in Madison this fall and it might surprise you to know its location and proprietor.

The Kellner Club is a 120-seat restaurant that is scheduled to open at the Kohl Center in October. The University of Wisconsin Athletic Department will operate it for the purposes of catering to its most generous donors

When plans for renovating Camp Randall Stadium were released three years ago, UW chancellor John Wiley was asked about the possibility beer would someday be sold at the facility. He didn’t endorse the notion, but he didn’t rule it out, either.

Consider it ruled out now. Wiley said it won’t happen at UW sporting events in part because the “NCAA is going in the other direction” when it comes to eliminating alcohol sales and advertising.

The UW Athletic Department has multi-year contracts with Miller and Anheuser- Busch, worth $425,000 annually, for advertising, according to UW senior associate athletic director Vince Sweeney. Beer ads run on radio broadcasts, coaches shows on TV and in the game programs.

“We’re not planning any changes,” Sweeney said. “We’re aware (of the push by the NCAA to eliminate alcohol ads). We’re comfortable with where we are.” (Second item.)

The Wisconsin Badgers can thank the Rose Bowl and television for a very busy first week of Big Ten basketball this upcoming season. The Wisconsin men’s team opens the conference season Thursday, Jan. 5 against Iowa at the Kohl Center. Two days later the Badgers play host to Michigan State and three days after that they travel to Minnesota for their first conference road game. That’s three games in five days.

Let’s start today’s discussion on the new Harris Interactive college football poll with a basic disclaimer: The BCS is a broken, collusive syndicate.

Funny that a century ago Congress could bring down John D. Rockefeller but today is unable to twist the arms of a bunch of public employees who run major colleges into adapting the most democratic of notions, a playoff system. Somewhere along the line, the Sherman Antitrust Act had its teeth extracted, and with enough novocaine that no one noticed.

It just so happened that Kevin Patrick was on the road when he got a phone call from Mike Eaves to talk about the vacant University of Wisconsin men’s hockey assistant coaching position.

What a perfect place, considering Patrick’s work on the road as a recruiter was at or near the top of the list of reasons why he was tabbed Tuesday to fill that open position.