Whether rediscovering the best team moments, or initiating into the histories and traditions of Badger fandom, this book about the University of Wisconsin–Madison football team is both a useful resource and cherishable memorabilia. Packed with anecdotes of the players, explanations about the beginnings of rivalries and traditions, detailed histories about the greatest players and moments in the school’s history, lists of the most successful seasons, recaps of the most exciting games ever played, and year-by-year statistics, this collectible book is the primary source for anyone eager to be an expert regarding anything about the Badgers. The book captures the essence of what it means to be a true Wisconsin fan: Camp Randall Stadium, “On Wisconsin!,” cardinal and white, the Paul Bunyan axe, back-to-back Rose Bowl victories, the Bud Song, Bucky Badger, Fifth Quarter, the “Motion ‘W’.”

It’s America’s most popular sport, played by thousands, watched by millions, and generating billions in revenues every year. It’s also America’s most controversial sport, haunted by the specter of life-threatening injuries and plagued by scandal, even among its most venerable personalities and institutions. At the college level, we often tie football’s tales of corruption and greed to its current popularity and revenue potential, and we have vague notions of a halcyon time--before the new College Football Playoff, power conferences, and huge TV contracts. Perhaps we conjure images of young Ivy Leaguers playing a gentleman’s game, exemplifying the collegial in collegiate. What we don’t imagine is a game described in 1905, not today, as "a social obsession--this boy-killing, man-mutillating, education-prostituting, gladiatorial sport." In The Opening Kickoff, Dave Revsine tells the riveting story of the formative period of American football (1890-1915). It was a time that saw the game’s meteoric rise, fueled by overflow crowds, breathless newspaper coverage and newfound superstars—including one of the most thrilling and mysterious the sport has ever seen. But it was also a period racked by controversy in academics, recruiting, and physical brutality that, in combination, threatened football’s very existence. A vivid storyteller, Revsine brings it all to life in a captivating narrative.

The University of Wisconsin football program has enjoyed its share of memorable moments, great players and legendary coaches during its nearly 120-year history. But Badger football had never seen and hasn't since experienced again a day like November 13, 1999, when so many elements converged to form the most exhilarating and satisfying day in the program's history. It was the day that running back Ron Dayne ran into the college football record books as the NCAA all-time leading rusher. It was a game that clinched the second of back-to-back Big Ten titles. It was an uncommonly warm, late fall afternoon that Wisconsin football fans refer to simply as the Ron Dayne game. And it was a day that helped propel Dayne on to the 1999 Heisman Trophy as college football's outstanding player.

“Impressively researched and reported and powerfully written, Third Down and a War to Go will put you in the huddle, in the front lines, and in a state of profound gratitude--not only to the Badgers and the hundreds of thousands of veterans like them, but to Terry Frei.” --Neal Rubin, The Detroit News On December 11, 1941, All-American football player Dave Schreiner wrote to his parents, “I’m not going to sit here snug as a bug, playing football, when others are giving their lives for their country. . . . If everyone tried to stay out of it, what a fine country we’d have!” Schreiner didn’t stay out of it. Neither did his Wisconsin Badger teammates, including friend and cocaptain Mark “Had” Hoskins and standouts “Crazylegs” Hirsch and Pat Harder. After that legendary 1942 season, the Badgers scattered to serve, fight, and even die around the world. This fully revised edition of the popular hardcover includes follow-up research and updates about many of the ’42 Badgers, plus a new foreword by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author David Maraniss. Readers and reviewers agree: Terry Frei’s heart-wrenching story of Schreiner and his band of brothers is much more than one team’s tale. It’s an All-American story. 2005 Honorable Mention in Recreation/Sports from the Midwest Independent Publishers Association

From their humble beginnings as an intramural club in 1889 to Rose Bowl champions in 1994, 1999, and 2000, the Wisconsin Badgers have risen among the ranks of college football to become one of the elite teams in the nation. The University of Wisconsin football program can claim 11 conference championships, 16 bowl game appearances (8-8 record), and 7 National College Football Hall of Famers. The legendary names of Pat O'Dea, Alan Ameche, and Ron Dayne may span decades, but they are timelessly united in meaning to generations of the Badger faithful. Great coaches like Phillip King, "Ivy" Williamson, and Barry Alvarez likewise share a winning tradition that dates back more than 100 years. Each season Wisconsin football fans return to fill the seats--all 80,000 plus--at Camp Randall stadium to witness more history in the making.

He was just another walk-on player--who became part of one of the most extraordinary teams in college football history. During his four years with the University of Wisconsin Badgers, Chris Kennedy experienced the team's transformation from mediocrity to Rose Bowl glory under coach Barry Alvarez. In this intimate, candid memoir, Kennedy shares a behind-the-scenes account of the thrills and frustrations of the college athlete. His story will touch the hearts of Badger fans and everyone who ever chased the dream of becoming Number One.

This newly revised edition of Tales from the Wisconsin Badgers Sideline weaves together a series of anecdotes, personal recollections, and research to bring readers a taste of the stories that make Badgers football so interesting. There are the Heisman Trophies hard-earned by running backs Alan Ameche and Ron Dayne, the 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, and so much more. Without a doubt, Tales from the Wisconsin Badgers Sideline is a must-have for any Wisconsin fan!