Cue Bruce! With no sports to watch for the foreseeable future (I’m dying here), I thought I would put together a list of memorable Wisconsin sports moments…and don’t worry, there are no ball kicks on this list. Only full games made this list…no condensed versions here, because let’s be honest, we have time on our side right now. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy those glory days! Events are in chronological order.
- 1982 American League Championship Series – Game 5 (Milwaukee 4, California 3). The Brewers earn a trip to their first and only World Series to date.
- 1994 Rose Bowl (Wisconsin 21, UCLA 16). Barry Alvarez proclaimed before the game, “we’re going to be playing at Camp Randall West.” Note: start video at 1:50 mark.
- Super Bowl XXXI (Green Bay 35, New England 21). Desmond Howard was the MVP, but Brett Favre and Reggie White were stars in this game as well.
- 1997 NFC Championship (Green Bay 23, San Francisco 10). The Packers make it back-to-back Super Bowl appearances…only to be ball kicked by the Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII.
- 1999 Rose Bowl (Wisconsin 38, UCLA 31). Ron Dayne rushed for 246 yards and four touchdowns in a game that featured 1,035 yards of total offense.
- 2000 Rose Bowl (Wisconsin 17, Stanford 9). Dayne was named the Rose Bowl Player of the Game for the second consecutive year after winning the 1999 Heisman Trophy.
- 2000 West Regional Final (Wisconsin 64, Purdue 60). The eighth seeded Badgers make it all the way to the Final Four…a team with zero all-conference selections and not even an honorable mention pick (hmm…).
- 2001 Eastern Conference Finals – Game 6 (Milwaukee 110, Philadelphia 100). This video is in two parts: Part 1, Part 2. Ray Allen scores 41 points to help force Game 7…and we know how that ends.
- 2004 Big Ten Conference Tournament Championship (Wisconsin 70, Illinois 53). The Badgers win their first ever conference tournament title led by Devin Harris.
- 2010 NFC Championship (Green Bay 21, Chicago 14). The Packers make a return to the Super Bowl after defeating the Bears at Soldier Field…although Chicago never really had a chance with Smokin’ Jay Cutler.
- Super Bowl XLV (Green Bay 31, Pittsburgh 25). Such a glorious day! And yet, here we are, over NINE years removed from this moment…and still no return trip. How did this happen?!
- 2011 National League Divisional Series – Game 5 (Milwaukee 3, Arizona 2, 10 innings). Nyjer Morgan (Tony Plush) hits a walk-off RBI single to score Carlos Gomez and give the Brewers their first playoff series win since the 1982 ALCS.
- 2011 Big Ten Football Championship (Wisconsin 42, Michigan State 39). The first football championship ever played in the history of the Big Ten…and it’s still baffling that this team, led by Russell Wilson, lost three games!
- 2013 Week 17 (Green Bay 33, Chicago 28). Aaron Rodgers returns from a broken collarbone and fires a 48-yard touchdown pass to Randall Cobb in the final minute to claim the NFC North at 8-7-1.
- 2015 Final Four (Wisconsin 71, Kentucky 64). 38-and-Done! Happy Birthday, Frank Kaminsky! As soon as the horn sounded, we decided to make the trip to Indy for the National Championship…and well, Duck Fuke!
- Bonus – 1996 WIAA State Track & Field Meet (Cedar Grove – 1st). You may recognize the #2 runner on this winning 4×800 meter relay team.
These were just some of the great moments in Wisconsin sports history that I was able to find on YouTube (full games). If Wisconsin moments don’t quite do it for you, check out MLB, NHL Network, and NBA TV as they are showing many classic games now. Update: the NFL too!
Stay safe and be well!