Badgers and Bobcats cross paths

by Bill Bender
THE POST

One school featured a great Dayne and the other a running back nicknamed "Hook."

Although the University of Wisconsin pounded the Ohio football team 45-0 in 1998, the two schools have followed the same path in building a winning football program.

During the 1980s, both the Bobcats and Badgers were doormats in their respective conferences. Following a heartbreaking 20-19 loss to the Kentucky Wildcats in the 1984 Hall of Fame Bowl, the Badgers suffered six straight losing seasons in the Big Ten. Meanwhile, Ohio struggled to win a single game in the Mid-American Conference.

Building prestige requires a coach. The arrivals of head coaches Barry Alvarez and Jim Grobe reversed the fortunes of the Wisconsin and Ohio programs, respectively.

Both Alvarez and Grobe come from winning traditions. Alvarez played linebacker for the University of Nebraska from 1967-69. In addition, Alvarez was an assistant coach at Notre Dame under Lou Holtz during the Fighting Irish’s National Title Run in 1987.

Like Alvarez, Grobe played linebacker in college (Virginia 1973-74). Grobe was a defensive assistant coach at Marshall and Air Force before coming to Ohio.

Both coaches had to build from the ground up. When Alvarez became head coach in 1990, Wisconsin was ranked 107^th nationally. In 1995, Grobe took over a program that was ranked dead last among Division I teams.

Grobe said starting from the bottom is tough.

"When you're in that situation you have to take it a day at a time," Grobe said. "You have to find a way to get better each day and build brick by brick."

It didn’t take long for Alvarez to turn Wisconsin into a competitive program. In 1993, the Badgers split the Big Ten title with Ohio State and won the Rose Bowl. Wisconsin has remained a force in the conference.

The Badgers have had four straight winning seasons, including two more Rose Bowl victories in 1999 and 2000. Alvarez became the first coach since Woody Hayes to win three Rose Bowls. He possesses a 5-1 record in Bowl Games. Grobe said he would like the Bobcats to be in the same position.

"I think coach Alvarez has done a great job at Wisconsin," Grobe said. "It really is impossible to compare Wisconsin and Ohio; you're not comparing apples to apples."

Nevertheless, the increased winning by both teams in their respective conferences is comparable. Grobe piloted the Bobcats to their first .500 season in 12 years in 1996. A year later, Ohio went 8-3 and Grobe earned MAC Coach of the Year honors. The Bobcats have enjoyed four straight winning seasons in the MAC.

Grobe said he wants Ohio to reach the championship heights that Wisconsin has obtained.

"If you look at Wisconsin in the Big Ten and Ohio in the Mid-American Conference, certainly we want to do in the MAC what coach Alvarez has done at Wisconsin," he said.

Both Alvarez and Grobe were helped by record-setting players. Wisconsin running back Ron Dayne rushed for a NCAA record 7,125 yards and won a Heisman Trophy. Former Ohio quarterback Kareem Wilson and running back Steveland Hookfin are first and second on the Bobcats all-time rushing list.

With increased success come improved recruiting classes. Ohio quarterback Dontrell Jackson said having the right players increases the chances for a winning tradition.

"If you have players with character and combine that with hard work you're going to come out with victories," Jackson said. "We have a lot of good athletes with character here, and that's going to be the tradition from here on out."

This season, the character of several Wisconsin players has been questioned. The NCAA suspended 26 Badgers including standout receiver Chris Chambers for getting a discount on shoes. Alvarez said the suspensions should not effect the prestige Wisconsin has built.

"It hasn’t hurt our recruiting or prestige," Alvarez said. "People didn’t know all the facts, and they empathize with us. We aren’t trying to hide anything."

Despite the suspensions, Wisconsin has shot out to a 3-0 start this season. The Bobcats are 2-1 including a win over Wisconsin’s rival Minnesota. Ohio didn’t get the "Paul Bunyan Axe" for the victory, but Grobe said winning is the key element in gaining prestige.

"More than anything else winning brings prestige and respect to a school," Grobe said. "The key is to win and earn a conference championship. That puts a team over the top."

Although Ohio hasn’t enjoyed the championship seasons Wisconsin has, both schools continue to win football games. Right now the Badgers have sharper teeth than the Bobcats, but the future looks bright for both programs.