Many University of Wisconsin students' most exciting college memories involve cheering in the stands with thousands of other Badger fans during sporting events, from football to basketball to hockey. For athletes, memories consist of actually being on the field, or on the court or in the rink — and going to class, studying for finals and having a social life.

UW student-athletes balance class, training, studying, traveling and practice for these memories. Their dedication resulted in UW becoming the fourth-highest lucrative athletic program in the nation — with revenues of more than $75 million last year.

Football and men's basketball make UW's athletic program successful, according to John Jentz, assistant athletic director for business and administration.

"We have had a season-ticket sell-out for the last few years," Jentz said about UW's football and men's basketball programs. "Men's hockey is a profitable sport as well that not all other schools have."

Badger football generated more than $34 million in revenues last year, according to the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education. Men's basketball generated almost $12 million.

Associate Athletic Director for Administration Douglas Beard said ticket sales, fundraising and advertising keep the program self-funded. A vast majority of Division I schools rely on student fees, he added.

"We don't rely on students for student fees. We're program-based."

The student-athletes

Behind the successful department and the revenues generated from the athletic events is a group of student-athletes who spend their semesters preparing for games and meets as well as exams and quizzes.

Junior running back Brian Calhoun, a journalism major who is taking 15 credits this semester, said busy schedules are one drawback of being an athlete.

"You put a lot of time into football, whether it be practice, meeting, traveling or lifting," Calhoun said. "I try to balance all those activities with a full load of classes."

Calhoun is also a member of the track team, whose season usually begins right after football ends.

Jolene Anderson, sophomore guard on the women's basketball team, said she studies every free minute she finds.

"School always comes first, and then sports. You just have to fit it around your schedule somewhere," Anderson said.

Academically, one benefit of being a student athlete is registering early for classes, Calhoun said, adding the team tries to take classes in the morning.

UW men's hockey's senior right wing Adam Burish said the team's schedules are worked out so they are done with class every day by 2 p.m.

"We are able to register early so we can make sure we get the classes we need so we don't miss practice," Burish said, adding he is taking two economics classes and a couple of independent studies.

Burish's sister, Nikki, a senior center for the women's hockey team, said although it is difficult, she manages to get her school work done by trading a night of going out for a night of studying.

"It's hard sometimes when you hear kids partying out in the streets," she said. "But then you just have to think about the rewards in the long run, and those are usually incentive enough to get you to stay in."

Some sports programs require certain study hours for their teams or require younger athletes to keep a log of study time.

"All first-year freshman students have to do mandatory study tables — devote two hours a day to studying," Calhoun said. "It gets them used to college life and how to have good study habits."

Men's hockey junior goalie Brian Elliott, an economics and pre-business major, said tutors are provided for the team — he has two — which help him "stay afloat" in school.

"We have to balance social life with athletics and education and pick and choose when the right times for each of those works," he added.

Benefits

Playing in front of large crowds and traveling to different venues across the country are two of Calhoun's favorite parts about being a student-athlete.

"We were in Hawaii almost seven days," Calhoun said of the last football game against Hawaii at the Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. "We had a lot of free time and got the chance to do a lot of things."

The hockey team's traveling expenses are also covered, whether it is by bus or a chartered plane specifically for the team. The hockey team has 43 games this season with 10 series on the road, including games in Alaska.

"We always travel real nice," Adam Burish said.

If there is any free time while traveling to away games, most student-athletes agreed on how they spend their time — napping.

While at home, the men's and women's hockey teams have a "Training Table" after practice, a catered dinner set up in a lounge for the entire team, Adam Burish said. The days the team doesn't have catered dinners, they are given a $12 voucher for State Street restaurants such as Noodles & Company, he added.

Nikki Burish said there are many resources offered to athletes to help with everything from hockey to academics.

"A lot of everyday things are taken care of for you, whether it be laundry or Training Table," she said. "If you get sick, there is usually not waiting, and you get in to see the doctor right away."

Elliott said all of the team's athletic gear is provided for them, from shoes to T-shirts to sweatpants.

For Adam Burish, tuition, books, rent and food expenses are all covered by his scholarship.

"You pick up your check every month, and that's what you pay your rent with," he said. "It's nice to have your school paid for."

NCAA spokesperson Kent Barrett said scholarships depend on what division a university is qualified as. Division I schools allow high levels of scholarships, but athletes are not allowed to receive professional benefits such as appearing in commercials.

"We have a different model focused on education," Barrett said. "The education is the payment student-athletes receive."

Every sport has a scholarship minimum and maximum he added, with football scholarships capped at 85 athletes. The NCAA requires these athletes to consciously make progress toward their degrees — 24 credits — each year.

Jentz said a typical athletic scholarship is about $15,000 per year for a resident athlete and $28,000 for an out-of-state student-athlete.

A total of about $7.6 million was spent on athletic-related student aid last year at UW according to the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education. Jentz said about $3.5 million of the tuition costs were "waived" by the university.

Special Assistant to the Chancellor on Athletics David McDonald said the NCAA closely monitors areas such as these. Universities also monitor each other to make sure no one gains a competitive edge, such as giving athletes illegal perks, which could affect recruiting, he added.

Practice schedule

Calhoun said a typical week for the football team includes lifting weights three times a week early in the morning followed by daily team meetings at about 3 p.m. and a two-hour practice until about 7 p.m.

Anderson said the women's basketball team plays games on Thursdays and Sundays and practices every day except for Mondays. She trains about four hours per day for a season that runs from September until March.

"Basketball is a major time commitment. You either love it or hate it," she added.

The men's and women's hockey team practices Monday through Thursday, followed by lifting two days per week, Nikki Burish said.

"We don't get to go home for Thanksgiving break, and we will be given about one week off during Christmas before we have to be back to start training again," she added.

Because Elliott is a goalie, he has additional practices for the men's hockey team Monday and Wednesday afternoons.

Despite his busy schedule, Elliott said he is not going to complain.

"You could say that you are stressed out or you don't have enough time to party, but that all comes with the territory," Elliott said. "Playing hockey at the best school in the nation in front of the best college hockey fans in the nation by far outweighs any disadvantages that there are."