A physical football program that has enjoyed great success over the past several decades, Wisconsin is at the beginning of a new era. The Badgers are another of the Big Ten Conference's original programs.
“People want good football in Wisconsin. People have to be patient. “They have to understand that things aren't going to turn around overnight, but this much Let me tell you, they better get season tickets now because they won't be available for long.”
– Barry Alvarez, Wisconsin Coach 1990-2005
school history
The University of Wisconsin-Madison was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved statehood. Madison is an official state university and the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System, but its origins date back to the Wisconsin Territory.
In 1838, the territorial legislature passed an act incorporating the Wisconsin Territorial College, but their version of the Board of Regents accomplished nothing until statehood was achieved. Her first classes were held in 1849, with 17 students attending Madison Female Academy.
In the early 1900s, Charles Van Huys, president of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, began the tradition of the “Wisconsin Idea.” This tradition influences research, teaching, and service at the university as a way to solve problems and improve lives across the state.
Wisconsin was a founding member of the Association of American Universities (AAU). The school receives more than $1 billion in research and development funding each year.
The public research university currently has nearly 50,000 students at its flagship campus. In the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings, Indiana University ranks 35th among national universities and 12th among public universities.
Soccer program history
Wisconsin football started with two games so vastly different that you wonder why anyone would want to continue playing this game. The program's first victory came in 1889, when he won 106-0 over Whitewater Normal School (now Wisconsin Whitewater). The next week, Minnesota beat them 63-0. This loss was the beginning of a rivalry that would be played 133 times, with 1906 being the only year they missed.
An original member of the Big Ten Conference and then the Western Conference, Wisconsin won its first league championship in 1896 with a 7-1-1 record. The Badgers he won four more by 1912. Despite several winning seasons, including an elusive national title in 1942, they slumped for the next three decades.
Thus began the rise and fall of Wisconsin's program. With Ivy Williamson and Milton Brune at the helm, the Badgers finished in the top 25 eight times in the 1950s and '60s. Three more Big Ten titles were won over the next 20 years, with Alan Amesh winning the 1954 Heisman Trophy, but the Badgers lost in the Rose Bowl each time.
After losing to USC in the 1962 Rose Bowl, Wisconsin posted just one winning record over the next 18 seasons. Dave McClain led the Badgers to three bowls in four seasons in the 1980s, but it wasn't until Barry Alvarez took over the Badgers' keys.
Alvarez led the University of Wisconsin to three top-10 finishes in the 1990s, including three Rose Bowl championships. From 1990 to 2005, Wisconsin had a record of 118-73-4, with Ron Dayne winning the 1999 Heisman Trophy. Bret Bielema followed Alvarez with 10 wins in four of his seven seasons in Madison. Bielema's teams advanced to three consecutive Rose Bowls, but lost all three times.
Wisconsin became a dominant force in the Big Ten West under coaches Gary Anderson and Paul Chryst, winning four district titles in six seasons. Despite his eight bowl wins in nine years and his streak of consecutive bowls dating back to 2002, the Badgers are still waiting to join the national championship conversation.
This fall, the Luke Fickell era will enter its second year.
Championship and Heisman Trophy Winners
National Championships Claimed: None
Conference title: 14
Heisman Trophy winners: Alan Ameche (1954), Ron Dayne (1999)
Oregon State plans to join the Big Ten Conference in 2024. For league-wide information and details on other programs, see “Oregon Football's New Big Ten Conference Opponents: Rich History, Distance.”
