Stats and Chats tackles one of the hottest topics surrounding the National Football League: player safety and retirement benefits for former players. Bruce Laird lends some interesting perspective as a former player in the NFL. Laird played in the league for 11 seasons and earned a spot in the 1972 Pro Bowl as a safety for the Baltimore Colts. He now works on the Board of Directors for the independent organization Fourth & Goal, which deals specifically with retired player benefits. Stats and Chats airs every Thursday from 5-6 on WSUM.org and 91.7FM in the Madison area. Call-in and "Chat" with them live at 608-265-9786!
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Dan Corcoran: On the State of Wisconsin Athletics
Twenty-two years ago, Wisconsin’s sports were not exactly at their best, and newly hired Athletic Director Pat Richter began the task of turning around a Wisconsin athletics program, which had had its fair share of difficulties and poor seasons.
This included an abysmal football program – that mainly entertained fans through the Wisconsin Marching Band’s performance of the Fifth Quarter following each game – and a men’s basketball that was at best, average every season. The lone bright spot was the men’s hockey team, which won the 1990 national championship, and was consistently among the nation’s elite in college hockey.
But with the hiring of Richter, Wisconsin had a changing of the guard with its other coaching staffs, and a change of Badger athletic culture ensued. Change started with the hiring of football coach Barry Alvarez for the 1990 football season, a move most Badger fans link to the revival of not only the football program but the other sports programs as well. Although Alvarez’s first season saw Wisconsin go 1-10, attendance at Camp Randall was on the rise, and not because of a better performance by the band, but the excitement surrounding the hope of a turnaround for the football team.
The first year of the Alvarez era was arguably rock bottom, but following that season the football team made a climb to the top under Alvarez, culminated by back-to-back Rose Bowl victories in 1999 and 2000.
While the football team transformed into a yearly Big Ten title contender, the men’s basketball team was also in the process of improving with the help of Richter. In the early nineties, Wisconsin had three coaches within four years, but under Stu Jackson in 1994, the Badgers made the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 1946-1947 season. Then after Jackson and Stan Van Gundy, Richter hired Dick Bennett, who brought hard-nosed defense and more consistent success to the hardwood.
During Bennett’s second season in 1996-1997, Wisconsin secured its first winning season in Big Ten play since 1974 and only the Badgers’ second since 1954. Bennett also led Wisconsin to its first 20-win season in its history in 1998-1999, and guided the Badgers to three NCAA tournament appearances in his five years, doubling Wisconsin’s total from its previous 97 years of existence.
With success in the two major revenue sports, along with it came a steady influx of money, allowing Wisconsin to build the facilities of an elite program. In January of 1998, Wisconsin opened the doors to the Kohl Center, a dual-sport arena, giving a home to the men’s and women’s basketball and men’s and women’s hockey teams. Not only was the arena more modern than the previous facilities, but it also offered a higher seating capacity.
Then starting in 2001, the athletic department began a four-year renovation of Camp Randall, costing 109.5 million dollars. Included in the update was closing off the south portion of the seating bowl – and catering to the wealthier donors – a premium seating structure built on top of the eastern side of the stadium. A hard to miss addition was the new and gigantic scoreboard erected in the north endzone above the student section seating.
The sleek new Wisconsin’s athletic facilities symbolized the modern, improved look of Badger sports that came along with them.
After the football team’s back-to-back Rose Bowl victories, the men’s basketball team started off the new millennium by making it to the 2000 NCAA Final Four under Bennett. At the beginning of the next season Bennett made an unprecedented resignation only a few games into the season, but the Badgers still recovered to make to the NCAA tournament.
Over the next two years, beginning in 2001, Richter hired three new coaches, who make up the current face of Wisconsin athletics. The first of these hires was men’s basketball coach Bo Ryan in 2001; Ryan led Wisconsin to two Big Ten titles in his first two seasons and has made the NCAA tournament every year as coach. The next two came the following season with Mike Eaves appointed as men’s hockey head coach and Mark Johnson as women’s hockey head coach. Eaves quickly brought success back to Wisconsin winning the 2006 NCAA national championship, while Johnson did the same with his women’s team. Johnson has gone on to win three more national titles, molding the Badgers into an elite program.
Richter set the stage for Badger athletics and then handed over the reins to Alvarez, who took over as athletic director in the spring of 2004. Alvarez left the football program he rejuvenated in the hands of Bret Bielema, who has since won three Big Ten titles and guided Wisconsin to three consecutive Rose Bowls.
But in light of recent happenings – Bielema’s departure to take over the head coaching position at Arkansas and a un-Bo Ryan-like start to the men’s basketball season – one has to wonder if Wisconsin has reached the highest heights of the college sporting world. As the adage goes, what goes up must come down, and with this year’s performances up until this point it would appear Wisconsin might be on its way down.
Yes, the Badgers are going to make their third consecutive trip to the Rose Bowl. and yes, the basketball team is only 10 games into its season, but the future looks daunting. The near future for the men’s basketball team includes seven ranked Big Ten teams, and for the first time in awhile Wisconsin is not one of them. For the football team, it just lost its head coach, and a dangerous Ohio State team is off post-season suspension beginning next year, hardly good news. Meanwhile, the men’s hockey team is sitting with a 2-7-5 record, having already had disappointing seasons the last two years. It might be the perfect storm of a year and teams may be rebuilding, but something feels eschew in the state of Wisconsin athletics.
One of the biggest red flags is the dipping attendance marks at all events, and for venues that used to be full and loud, that is not the case as much as it once was. There might be a lot of things causing this, but declining attendance is never a good sign.
Ultimately, Wisconsin can only have so much success across the board, and perhaps Wisconsin’s time as an elite program is slowly fading, just like the attendance. Whether Wisconsin is peaking or still rising will be found out soon enough, but with all that Richter did for Wisconsin in his years as athletic director, it is time for Alvarez to make his mark before it is too late.
This included an abysmal football program – that mainly entertained fans through the Wisconsin Marching Band’s performance of the Fifth Quarter following each game – and a men’s basketball that was at best, average every season. The lone bright spot was the men’s hockey team, which won the 1990 national championship, and was consistently among the nation’s elite in college hockey.
But with the hiring of Richter, Wisconsin had a changing of the guard with its other coaching staffs, and a change of Badger athletic culture ensued. Change started with the hiring of football coach Barry Alvarez for the 1990 football season, a move most Badger fans link to the revival of not only the football program but the other sports programs as well. Although Alvarez’s first season saw Wisconsin go 1-10, attendance at Camp Randall was on the rise, and not because of a better performance by the band, but the excitement surrounding the hope of a turnaround for the football team.
The first year of the Alvarez era was arguably rock bottom, but following that season the football team made a climb to the top under Alvarez, culminated by back-to-back Rose Bowl victories in 1999 and 2000.
While the football team transformed into a yearly Big Ten title contender, the men’s basketball team was also in the process of improving with the help of Richter. In the early nineties, Wisconsin had three coaches within four years, but under Stu Jackson in 1994, the Badgers made the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 1946-1947 season. Then after Jackson and Stan Van Gundy, Richter hired Dick Bennett, who brought hard-nosed defense and more consistent success to the hardwood.
During Bennett’s second season in 1996-1997, Wisconsin secured its first winning season in Big Ten play since 1974 and only the Badgers’ second since 1954. Bennett also led Wisconsin to its first 20-win season in its history in 1998-1999, and guided the Badgers to three NCAA tournament appearances in his five years, doubling Wisconsin’s total from its previous 97 years of existence.
With success in the two major revenue sports, along with it came a steady influx of money, allowing Wisconsin to build the facilities of an elite program. In January of 1998, Wisconsin opened the doors to the Kohl Center, a dual-sport arena, giving a home to the men’s and women’s basketball and men’s and women’s hockey teams. Not only was the arena more modern than the previous facilities, but it also offered a higher seating capacity.
Then starting in 2001, the athletic department began a four-year renovation of Camp Randall, costing 109.5 million dollars. Included in the update was closing off the south portion of the seating bowl – and catering to the wealthier donors – a premium seating structure built on top of the eastern side of the stadium. A hard to miss addition was the new and gigantic scoreboard erected in the north endzone above the student section seating.
The sleek new Wisconsin’s athletic facilities symbolized the modern, improved look of Badger sports that came along with them.
After the football team’s back-to-back Rose Bowl victories, the men’s basketball team started off the new millennium by making it to the 2000 NCAA Final Four under Bennett. At the beginning of the next season Bennett made an unprecedented resignation only a few games into the season, but the Badgers still recovered to make to the NCAA tournament.
Over the next two years, beginning in 2001, Richter hired three new coaches, who make up the current face of Wisconsin athletics. The first of these hires was men’s basketball coach Bo Ryan in 2001; Ryan led Wisconsin to two Big Ten titles in his first two seasons and has made the NCAA tournament every year as coach. The next two came the following season with Mike Eaves appointed as men’s hockey head coach and Mark Johnson as women’s hockey head coach. Eaves quickly brought success back to Wisconsin winning the 2006 NCAA national championship, while Johnson did the same with his women’s team. Johnson has gone on to win three more national titles, molding the Badgers into an elite program.
Richter set the stage for Badger athletics and then handed over the reins to Alvarez, who took over as athletic director in the spring of 2004. Alvarez left the football program he rejuvenated in the hands of Bret Bielema, who has since won three Big Ten titles and guided Wisconsin to three consecutive Rose Bowls.
But in light of recent happenings – Bielema’s departure to take over the head coaching position at Arkansas and a un-Bo Ryan-like start to the men’s basketball season – one has to wonder if Wisconsin has reached the highest heights of the college sporting world. As the adage goes, what goes up must come down, and with this year’s performances up until this point it would appear Wisconsin might be on its way down.
Yes, the Badgers are going to make their third consecutive trip to the Rose Bowl. and yes, the basketball team is only 10 games into its season, but the future looks daunting. The near future for the men’s basketball team includes seven ranked Big Ten teams, and for the first time in awhile Wisconsin is not one of them. For the football team, it just lost its head coach, and a dangerous Ohio State team is off post-season suspension beginning next year, hardly good news. Meanwhile, the men’s hockey team is sitting with a 2-7-5 record, having already had disappointing seasons the last two years. It might be the perfect storm of a year and teams may be rebuilding, but something feels eschew in the state of Wisconsin athletics.
One of the biggest red flags is the dipping attendance marks at all events, and for venues that used to be full and loud, that is not the case as much as it once was. There might be a lot of things causing this, but declining attendance is never a good sign.
Ultimately, Wisconsin can only have so much success across the board, and perhaps Wisconsin’s time as an elite program is slowly fading, just like the attendance. Whether Wisconsin is peaking or still rising will be found out soon enough, but with all that Richter did for Wisconsin in his years as athletic director, it is time for Alvarez to make his mark before it is too late.
The Student Section 12/10/12
What a semester it's been! The Student Section heads into winter break with one of our best shows yet. KZSU Sports Director Sam Fisher and Pac-12 Insider David Lombardi of Fox Sports Next call in to preview the 99th Rose Bowl game. Voice of the Badgers Matt LePay makes an appearance on the show and shares his take on the sudden coaching change. The Student Section, WSUM's longest running show, airs Mondays from 4-6 PM. Give them a call at 608-265-9786.
The Student Section 12/3/12
Oh my! The Badgers are heading to an unprecedented third consecutive Rose Bowl appearance and they do so in stunning fashion. An astonishing 70-31 rematch victory over Nebraska has the Badgers smelling roses once again. Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.com joins the show to help break down the Wisconsin upset. In basketball, Wisconsin gears up for arch rival Marquette. WMUR Sports Director Matt Trebby calls in to help preview the match-up in Milwaukee. Our good friend Bruce Ravid from L.A. rings in as well. The Student Section, WSUM's longest running show, airs Mondays from 4-6 PM. Give them a call at 608-265-9786.
Roses: B1G Championship Game Highlights
Highlights from Wisconsin's surprise 70-31 drubbing of Nebraska in the B1G Championship Game to secure their third straight Rose Bowl berth. Chris Vosters, Nathan Palm and Jackson Dahlquist have the call from Indianapolis.
B1G Championship Game Preview Show
Catch the WSUM Sports Department's LIVE remote show from Claddagh's Irish Pub in downtown Indianapolis prior to the Wisconsin-Nebraska B1G Championship Game.
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