Last fall, Wisconsin’s football team failed to reach the postseason for the first time in five years, but numerous former Badgers carried UW’s torch into the NFL playoffs this January.
None of the Badgers still playing have won a Super Bowl, despite Rose Bowl championships for many. Yet if the pieces fall into place, a UW representative might hoist the ultimate prize.
When the playoffs started, twelve former Wisconsin players were vying for Vince Lombardi’s trophy. Mike Schneck, who played at UW from 1996 to 1998, will make an appearance in the AFC championship game when the eight-point favorite Pittsburgh Steelers play host in their “ketchup bottle” stadium to the Patriots of New England. Schneck is a backup linebacker and has been the starting long snapper for the Steelers for the past three years.
Two ex-Badgers will be doing battle in the late game for the Philadelphia Eagles when they try to knock off the explosive, eleven-point favorite St. Louis Rams in the TWA Dome in St. Louis. Fullback Cecil Martin will attempt to make holes for Duce Staley to run through the Rams defense. Martin is a two-year vet who was at UW from 1995 through 1998. Last week, Martin caught three catches for 18 yards and one TD when the Eagles slammed the Bears like Charles Martin did Jim McMahon in 1986.
The Eagles? nine-year veteran cornerback Troy Vincent played at UW from 1988 through 1991. Vincent, the seventh pick overall in the 1992 draft, has been a solid player and all-pro cornerback for the Miami Dolphins and the Eagles. His numbers dropped last season and he only had three picks, which is in large part due to the fact that teams are afraid to throw in his direction. However, Vincent is questionable to play this Sunday due to a groin pull suffered against the Bears last week.
The Rams added Ray Guy Award winner Kevin Stemke last week, but he is inactive until 2002. New England — which lost Tony Simmons to Indianapolis in mid-season — is the other team not featuring a former Badger player, and a Steelers-Eagles Super Bowl clash would ensure that a Badger will end the drought.
The rest of the one-time Badgers who made the playoffs will be watching the conference championships from the comfort of their homes.
Of the twelve, nine played on the 1997 Badger team that went 8-5 and played in the Outback Bowl. Three players from the ?97 team squared off when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Miami Dolphins in the wildcard game. Rookie Casey Rabach, a backup center for the Ravens, watched from the sideline as his team defeated the Dolphins.
Most notable bygone Badgers, rookies Chris Chambers and Jamar Fletcher, were on the losing side of this battle. Although Chambers was sidelined with an ankle injury, his contributions throughout the season helped the Dolphins secure a home game in the first round of the playoffs. Chambers caught 48 catches for 883 yards (18.4 avg.) including seven touchdown receptions in the 2001 season. Fletcher, who was the 26th overall pick in the 2001 draft, spent most of the season grooming his skills playing in nickel and dime formations.
Rookie Dave Costa, a backup left tackle for the San Francisco 49ers, got to watch his team lose to the Green Bay Packers and former fellow offensive linemen rookie Bill Ferrario and second year vet Mark Tauscher. Ferrario spent the year as a backup offensive lineman, and Tauscher started at various positions on the offensive line, but mostly played right tackle. Costa, Tauscher, Ferrario, as well as Rabach all played together on the UW offensive line in 1997.
The final player from the 1997 Badger team is rookie Ahmad Merritt, a backup wide out for the vanquished Bears. Merritt, who had not played all season, was brought up from the practice squad and took a reverse in for a touchdown. With only one rush, he led the Bears in rushing in the postseason.
Jerry Wunsch also watched his team lose to the Eagles in the wildcard round of the playoffs. Wunsch, who went 37th overall in the 1997 draft, started the entire year at right tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Wunsch and New York Jets kicker John Hall were the only former Badgers other than Vincent in the playoffs not a member of the ?97 team.
