The are a variety of collegiate athletic teams from the
University Of Wisconsin-Madison . This
NCAA Division I athletic program has
Team s in
Football ,
Basketball ,
Ice Hockey ,
Volleyball ,
Soccer ,
Cross Country ,
Tennis ,
Swimming ,
Wrestling ,
Track And Field ,
Golf , and
Softball . The Badgers have several major on-campus facilities, including
Camp Randall Stadium , the
UW Field House , and the
Kohl Center . The Badgers compete in the
Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's and women's ice hockey, which compete in the
Western Collegiate Hockey Association .
The current athletic director is
Barry Alvarez , former head coach of the
Football team. The Badgers team colors are cardinal and white, and the team mascot is named "Buckingham U. Badger", more commonly referred to as "
Bucky Badger ".
Contrary to popular belief, the true origin of the team's nickname has nothing to do with the state animal. In fact, the nickname "Badgers" was borrowed from the state of Wisconsin. The territory was dubbed the "Badger State" not because of animals in the region, but rather an association with lead
Miners in the 1820s.
Prospectors came to the state looking for
Minerals , and without shelter in the winter, the miners had to "live like badgers" in
Tunnels Burrowed into hillsides.
{Link without Title}
The badger mascot was adopted by the University of Wisconsin in 1889. The current emblem, a scowling, strutting badger wearing a cardinal-and-white striped sweater, was designed by Art Evans in 1940. The mascot's name, "Buckingham U. Badger", aka "
Bucky Badger ", was chosen in a contest in 1949.
{Link without Title}
See Also: Wisconsin Badgers football
The most famous Wisconsin varsity team in recent years is the football team. Wisconsin's football program has been among the most successful in the
Big Ten since the early 1990s, when
Barry Alvarez was hired as the head coach. Under Alvarez, the Badgers won 3
Rose Bowls and 3
Big Ten Championships . Following the 2005 season, Alvarez' last year as coach, the Badgers beat the
Auburn Tigers in the
Capital One Bowl , the most prestigious of the non-BCS bowls. In 2006,
Bret Bielema took over as head coach and posted a 12-1 record, defeating
Arkansas in the Capital One Bowl 17-14. The Badgers are 9-8 in bowl games, including victories in nine of their last 13. This is the 12th bowl appearance in the past 14 seasons for Wisconsin, including a school record-tying five straight.
{Link without Title}
The Badger football program boasts two
Heisman Trophy winners. Fullback
Alan Ameche won the Heisman in 1954, and, more recently, running back
Ron Dayne won the trophy in 1999. Dayne now plays for the NFL's
Houston Texans .
The
Wisconsin Badgers Football team plays their home games at
Camp Randall Stadium . Built in 1917, Camp Randall is the fourth-oldest college football stadium in the country and has a capacity of 80,321. The student section at Camp Randall is considered by many to be one of the best in all of college football. The
University Of Wisconsin Marching Band performs its famous 5th Quarter after every game.
See Also: Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball
The Badgers have developed into one of the biggest
Big Ten's basketball powerhouses in recent years. Wisconsin has made it to the Final Four twice in its history — most recently in 2000, and before that in 1941, when they won the National Championship The Badgers have also attended the
NCAA Tournament for the last nine seasons (1999-2007). Wisconsin tied for first place in the Big Ten in the 2001-02 season along with
Indiana ,
Illinois , and
Ohio State . In 2002-03 the Badgers won the Big Ten outright, but then lost in the quarterfinals of the
Big Ten Tournament to Ohio State. In the NCAA Tournament, Wisconsin lost to
Kentucky in the Sweet 16. In 2003-04, Wisconsin finished second in the Big Ten. They went on to win the Big Ten Tournament, the only time they have won since the inception of the tournament in 1998. However, the Badgers lost to #3-seeded
Pittsburgh in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In the 2004-05 season Wisconsin finished third in the Big Ten. In the 2005 NCAA Tournament, Wisconsin advanced to the Elite Eight by defeating #11 seed
Northern Iowa , #14 seed
Bucknell , and #10 seed
North Carolina State . In 2005-2006 the Badgers had a somewhat disappointing season that culminated in a blowout loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, and another blowout loss to Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. During the regular season, Wisconsin lost a home game to Division 1
North Dakota State University . The highlight of the season was a win over intrastate rival
Marquette .
In the 2006-07 season the Badgers played extremely well with big victories at Marquette and at home against #2 ranked Pittsburgh. Their lone non conference loss was against
Missouri State . The Badgers also lost on the road against Indiana on January 31, but on February 19, 2007, they earned their first #1 ranking in school history with a 26-2 record. The next day, they were defeated by the unranked
Michigan State Spartans 64-55 at the Breslin Center. Then, a week later, they lost to the #2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, 48-49. Entering the Big 10 Tournament the second seed, their first game was against Michigan State for their third meeting in three weeks. The Badgers defeated the Spartans 70-57. Advancing to the next round against Illinois, the Badgers would go on to win 53-41 and advance to the final to face now #1 ranked Ohio State once again. The Buckeyes proved too strong for the Badgers this time, handily defeating them 66-49. Shortly after the game, the seedings were announced for the NCAA Tournament with Wisconsin receiving a #2 seed in the Midwest Bracket. The Badgers struggled throughout the NCAA Tournament. They were down by as much as 18 in the first half of the first round against Texas A & M Corpus Cristi. However they managed to edge them by 13 due to a 57 point second half. The 2nd round of the tournament would prove fatal for the Badgers against UNLV. The Badgers are the highest ranked seed knocked out this early in the tournament.
Dick Bennett is largely credited with beginning the turnaround of the program. During his six-year tenure at Wisconsin (1995-2000), the Badgers achieved a 91-68 record and had two 20 win seasons. Only twice previously had the Badgers won at least 20 games in a season, the most recent being the 1940-41 Championship season. Current coach
Bo Ryan has been in charge since the 2001-02 season and has led the Badgers to the NCAA Tournament every year. As of 2005-06, Ryan has compiled a record of 112-49 with the Badgers, and during the 2006-07 season, he not only achieved his 500th win as a college coach but the Badgers also were ranked #1 in the AP Top for the first time in program history.
Notable Badgers currently in the NBA:
Michael Finley ,
Devin Harris
The Badgers play their home games at the 17,190-seat
Kohl Center , where they have one of the best home winning records in college basketball.
The Badgers made history in 2006 when both the men's and women's hockey teams were crowned NCAA Division I National Champions. This was the first time a Division I school has won both the men's and women's crowns in the same year.
The Badger men won their sixth National Championship on
April 8 , 2006, at the
Bradley Center in
Milwaukee , with a 2-1 victory over
Boston College . The men's team had previously won the National Championship five times - 1973, 1977, 1981, 1983, and 1990.
The Badger women won their first title on
March 26 , 2006, at
Mariucci Arena in
Minneapolis , with a 3-0 victory over the defending champion Minnesota Golden Gophers. This was the first women's hockey national championship for Wisconsin and the first time that the NCAA Women's National Championship trophy left the state of Minnesota. (Minnesota-Duluth won the trophy in 2001, 2002, and 2003; Minnesota won it in 2004 and 2005.) The victory did, however, continue the
Western Collegiate Hockey Association 's dominance of the women's crown. On March 18th, 2007, the Badger women captured the back-to-back National Championship with a 4-1 win over Minnesota-Duluth at Herb Brooks Arena, in Lake Placid, New York.
Mike Eaves is the head coach of the men's hockey team, while
Mark Johnson coaches the women's hockey team. Both teams play all of their home games at the
Kohl Center in
Madison , and compete in the WCHA.
Through the Winter 2007 sports season, the University of Wisconsin-Madison has won 26 NCAA national championships.
University of Wisconsin-Madison's championships occurred in the following sports :
- Boxing : 1939, 1942, 1943, 1947, 1948, 1952, 1954, 1956
- Men's Basketball : 1941
- Men's Cross Country : 1982, 1983, 1985, 1988, 2005
- Women's Cross Country : 1984, 1985
- Men's Ice Hockey : 1973, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1990, 2006
- Women's Ice Hockey : 2006, 2007
- Men's Indoor Track & Field : 2007
- Men's Soccer : 1995
Additionally, the men's and women's rowing programs have earned 27 non-NCAA national titles between 1900 and 2006.
The University of Wisconsin was involved with a trademark dispute with at least one Iowa high school for trademark infringement. The high school had to change their logo as a result.
W War in Iowa, Wisconsin? .http://typophile.com/node/29225 Schools located in New Jersey, Ohio, Iowa, Texas and West Virginiahttp://www.dailycardinal.com/news/west-virginia-high-school-gears-up-for-heat-over-w-.html have also been involved in this dispute.http://www.uwalumni.com/media/images/photography/onwisconsin/pdf/Spring07Sports.pdf
The trademark in question is the W used as the Badger's athletic logo.
