Tales from the Wisconsin Badgers

by Justin Doherty

Tales from the Wisconsin Badgers weaves together a series of anecdotes, personal recollections and research to give readers a taste of just a few of the stories that make Badger football so interesting. There are the Heisman trophies hardearned by running backs Alan Ameche and Ron Dayne, a tumult of a 23-game winless streak broken with a victory over archrival Iowa in 1969, the bizarre tale of "Kangaroo Kicker" Pat O'Dea, the mysterious discovery of a long-forgotten trophy of one of college football's longest rivalries in a Camp Randall storeroom nearly 50 years after its disappearance, and the Badgers' ascendance to greatness under coach Barry Alvarez. Though author Justin Doherty, who has been with the University of Wisconsin athletic communications office since 1994, touches on the entire history of the Badger football program, much of the book focuses on the highly successful Alvarez era. Personal interviews with more than two dozen players, coaches and staff members who have been with the program at one time or another since 1990 have spawned a collection of humorous, poignant and memorable stories about Wisconsin football's greatest years. The names are familiar to Badgers fans-Pat Richter, Ron Dayne, Milt Bruhn, Troy Vincent, Mike Webster, Darrell Bevell, and the twin backfield threats of Brent Moss and Terrell Fletcher. Their vivid stories, and many more, come to life in Tales from the Wisconsin Badgers, providing an historic roadmap leading from football's 19th century infancy in Madison to this Saturday's coin toss.

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Albert Meier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, not great. Maybe 4.5 stars but definitely not 5. It is very episodic, which is both a strength and a weakness. You can pick it up and read any story in isolation and not feel out of place. But if you read it from start to finish you notice somethings are repeated or alluded to in one story, dropped, and then taken up again later. As you read it through there are times when it get repetitious since there almost seems to be the assumption that you haven't read what comes before. Also, it is just stories--no lists of coaches, records, awards, etc. That's understandable--it's meant to be a book of tales--but it also makes it a bit more difficult to piece together the big picture. It ends in the early 2000's and there have obviously been some great stories since then. But overall, I'm very glad I read it. It's sure to please either the casual or hardcore Badger fan.

[Bailey L · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very good with lots of details from the history of the Wisconsin badgers. You will learn about how the badgers became better with Berry Alvarez, Ron Dayne and Lee Evans. You will also learn about how the Wisconsin badgers had an amazing punter who could punt the ball 110 yards. This book is very good if you are into sports and the Wisconsin badgers.