Dear friends, and Chris Solinsky (men’s cross country) Plan (which outlines our yearly goals) The 2003-04 year in Badger sports were chosen Big Ten Freshmen of the and this Annual Report (which records was certainly filled with many accom- Year and Jerry Schumacher (men’s cross our progress toward those goals). We plishments, and we are poised to channel country) and Ed Nuttycombe (men’s shared our 2004-05 Strategic Plan with all that momentum into an exciting future. indoor track and men’s outdoor track) staff in September (you can view it at Our teams performed well on the were league coaches of the year. www.uwbadgers.com). You’ll notice a field last season as Big Ten team titles In the classroom, Badger student- similar design for that plan and this were won in men’s indoor and outdoor athletes again distinguished themselves. report, which underscores how these two track and men’s cross country. It used to The NCAA reported the UW's gradua- annual publications will work together. be considered nearly impossible for a tion rate for athletes as 88 percent, a It is our hope that sharing our goals school to sweep league titles in all three school record and tied for third-best in and performances through these annual sports, but the Badgers have taken the the nation. publications will help you get a better Big Ten “Triple Crown” six times in the Our city received a special designa- understanding of the complex world of last nine years! tion in 2003 when Sports Illustrated on college athletics. The lightweight women’s rowers Campus named Madison the “Best The UW-Madison is truly one of the had a magical season. Former UW coach College Sports Town in the U.S.” nation’s top institutions of higher learn- Sue Ela came out of retirement and led There is a genuine sense of excite- ing. We have an opportunity to add to that nine-year-old program to its first- ment for the department’s future and that reputation by distinguishing our- ever national championship. much of that enthusiasm is due to the selves in the classroom and on the field. The men’s basketball team captured renovation of Camp Randall. The We hope you enjoy Badger Athletics its first Big Ten tournament title with a changes are significant and inspiring. and will continue to support us in the resounding 17-point win over Illinois in I want to personally say “thanks” to future. On Wisconsin! the finals. Both the men’s basketball and the thousands of people – donors, ticket women’s hockey squads set school buyers, construction workers, architects, Sincerely yours, records for victories in a season. Men’s staff and many others – who have dedi- cross country was the NCAA runner-up, cated themselves to this project. women’s swimming posted its first-ever When Camp Randall Stadium is top 10 finish at the national meet and completely renovated in 2005, it will men’s indoor and outdoor track both fin- become the latest sports facility invest- Barry Alvarez ished 10th in the NCAA Meet. ment on this campus. The dividends Director of Athletics and Football Coach Three Badgers – Bethany Pendleton from this investment – better customer University of Wisconsin (women’s swimming), Simon Bairu service and new revenue streams among Kellner Hall (men’s cross country) and Devin Harris them – will be significant to our future. 1440 Monroe Street (men’s basketball) – were named confer- Another part of our future that I Madison, Wisconsin 53711 ence athletes of the year in their sport. want to make you aware of is the publi- www.uwbadgers.com Susan Johnson (women’s swimming) cation of two documents – a Strategic For the 2003-04 Academic Year The Year in Review The 2003-04 athletic campaign on the UW-Madison campus OCTOBER was filled with lasting memories and positive momentum for Department officials announced a continued achievement. season sellout for men’s basketball Great wins. Record-setting students. The passing of a tickets. It was the first time that the UW Wisconsin icon. The retirement of another. Championships. A “sold out” the 17,142-seat Kohl Center on new leader. a season basis. The rich tradition of UW athletics AUGUST OF 2003 was celebrated with the completion of a The Athletic Department unveiled a student-athlete disci- two-year aesthetics project on the pline policy that addresses potential consequences for viola- main concourse of the Kohl Center. tors of the law. The UW received national acclaim from several Multiple display cases – which include publications for implementing this measure. “This policy will memorabilia, pictures, programs and tro- guide us as a department when we are faced with student-ath- phies – and a 30-foot long photo display letes who find themselves in difficult situations,” said A.D. of the “Great Moments in Wisconsin his- Shania Twain, wearing Barry Alvarez. The policy “clearly communicates our institu- tory” depict some of the program’s finest the jersey of football star tional expectations,” said Chancellor John Wiley. achievements. Lee Evans, performed at the Kohl Center in SEPTEMBER NOVEMBER October. For the first time in school histo- 2003 NCAA The Wisconsin men’s cross coun- ry, student-athletes graduated at a GRADUATION RATES try team – with two freshmen, two sophomores and one jun- higher rate than the general student ior in its lineup – finished second at the NCAA Meet after win- 1. Notre Dame 92% population according to figures 2. Tulsa 89% ning its fifth consecutive Big Ten Championship. Simon Bairu released by the NCAA. Wisconsin 3. Wisconsin 88% (the Big Ten Athlete of the Year) and Chris Solinsky (the Big Ten graduation Duke 88% athletes registered a 5. Northwestern 87% Freshman of the Year) earned All-America honors. Jerry rate of 88%, which was the best in Schumacher was the league’s Coach of the Year. school history and tied for third Deputy Athletic Director Jamie Pollard was presented with nationally with Duke. The average graduation rate for all a prestigious Forty Under 40 Award from Division I-A schools was 62%. Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal. The Athletics and UW Health Sports Medicine teamed up for a magazine recognized the top 40 sports admin- month-long series of events geared to illustrate the importance istrators in the nation under the age of 40. of physical fitness. Called “Badgers In Pollard is the first college administrator hon- Training,” the program included clinics, ored. “This type of distinction has been long athletic skill sessions, injury prevention overdue for a collegiate administrator, and it’s lectures and discounted tickets to Badger a great credit to the UW and Jamie that he is sporting events. the first recipient,” said Barry Alvarez. Jamie Pollard Madison is used to being ranked No. The UW and Minnesota jointly donated 1 nationally on all sorts of lists. The latest the original Paul Bunyan Axe to the honor was bestowed by Sports College Football Hall of Fame. The trophy goes to the winner of Illustrated on Campus, which named the annual football game between the Badgers and Golden Madison the “Best College Sports Town in Gophers. The axe handle was running out of room for scores to Madison was cited by the United States.” Madison, the magazine be added. As such, the UW created a new axe with smaller let- Sports Illustrated on said, is “a lakeside burg where jocks, intel- tering and contacted the hall to arrange for the donation. Campus as the Best lectuals, activists and good ol’ Midwestern College Sports Town in boys and girls all come together in support the U.S. of one thing – the Badgers.” 2 DECEMBER said Nuttycombe, the league Coach of the Year. “We pretty NCAA volleyball attendance figures for 2003 showed much dominated from start to finish.” Wisconsin crowned six that the UW averaged 4,294 fans per home match, the second- event champions. highest figure in the nation. UW placed third for three years in a row before slipping past Nebraska (4,239) this season. MARCH The men’s hockey team grabbed the nation’s attention There have been a number of good basketball players at the with a school-record 15-game unbeaten (11-0-4) streak from Oct. UW in the last half-century. None, however, was named Big 24-Dec. 27. The Badgers climbed to No. 4 in the national polls Ten Player of the Year until Devin Harris in 2004. The 6- during the unbeaten stretch. foot-3 junior became the first Badger since Don Rehfeldt in 1950 Wisconsin’s football team made its inaugural trip to to earn the conference’s top player honor. Harris, who averaged Nashville for the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl. The more than 19 points per game as a junior, announced in June Badgers dropped a 28-14 decision to Auburn. It was that he was making himself available for the NBA Draft. Harris’ Wisconsin’s ninth bowl appearance in the last 11 years. dream of being a lottery pick came true when Washington chose him with the fifth pick and then traded the rights to that pick to JANUARY OF 2004 the Dallas Mavericks. Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch, the former It’s hard to gauge what Mark Johnson’s greatest thrill was college and pro football star and 18-year UW in 2004. His women’s hockey team set a school record for wins Athletic Director, died of natural causes Jan. (25). The movie “Miracle,” which recapped the United States’ 28. “There has never been a more loved and improbable gold medal in the 1980 Olympics, hit the theatres.