2 years ago
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Tom Wiesner would person loved Thursday’s Las Vegas Bowl pitting Wisconsin against Arizona State astatine Allegiant Stadium.
It volition beryllium the Badgers’ sixth quality successful Las Vegas. But it would person been the first, had helium lived to spot it, that the skipper of Wisconsin’s 1960 Rose Bowl squad and erstwhile Las Vegas person and businessman wouldn’t person had to cautiously take sides.
Wiesner, who died successful 2002 aft a bout with leukemia, orchestrated a fashionable shot bid betwixt his Big Ten alma mater and the middling Rebels of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association, Big West, Western Athletic Conference, Mountain West, et al.
Over a 26-year play opening successful 1985, UNLV and Wisconsin played 10 times — 5 successful Las Vegas and 5 successful Madison.
Wisconsin’s Paul Chryst, who has guided the Badgers to a 64-23 record, trips to the Cotton, Orange and Rose Bowls and has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year doubly during his 7 seasons, said Wiesner’s beingness inactive was being felt arsenic the Badgers continued preparations for Thursday’s gathering of 8-4 teams.
Ties that bind
“Obviously, Tom Wiesner was a ample portion of Wisconsin history,” said Chryst, whose father, George, ended his Wisconsin shot vocation astatine astir the aforesaid clip that Wiesner, a fullback/linebacker, was opening his.
“Every twelvemonth we person a play relation retired present (the Badger Desert Golf Classic, besides founded by Wiesner), and we’ve been capable to travel retired and play UNLV. I’ve been fortunate to person been portion of a fig of those. It’s been beauteous neat.”
Chryst, a backup backmost and choky extremity during his Wisconsin playing career, was portion of the series’ archetypal crippled astatine Sam Boyd Stadium. The Rebels won 17-7. Although it was considered an upset, UNLV’s triumph predated Wisconsin’s emergence to powerfulness nether erstwhile manager Barry Alvarez.
“I don’t cognize each the history, but Al Toon was connected that (Wisconsin) squad — retrieve him?” said Steve Stallworth, UNLV’s backmost that night, astir the New York Jets’ All-Pro wide receiver and 1986 AFC Player of the Year.
Beating Wisconsin was specified a large woody that Wayne Nunnely was promoted from Rebels’ interim caput manager to the full-time presumption afterward. Chryst would aboriginal manager with Nunnely arsenic San Diego Chargers assistants, conscionable 1 of galore connections that came to fruition arsenic a effect of the Wisconsin-UNLV series.
“I besides privation to accidental that Russell’s archetypal commencement for america was against UNLV,” Chryst said of the Seattle Seahawks prima backmost Russell Wilson, who ran for a touchdown and passed for 2 successful Wisconsin’s 51-17 triumph successful 2011.
Loyal legions
Chryst, Stallworth and Wilson aren’t the lone erstwhile quarterbacks who person fond memories of the bid Wiesner helped enactment together. Bob Stockham, UNLV’s backmost successful 1992 and ‘93, ne'er threw a walk against the Badgers but has an adjacent deeper necktie to Wiesner and Wisconsin — Stockham’s woman is the erstwhile Kari Wiesner, Tom’s daughter.
Over the years Stockham has interacted with galore of his father-in-law’s interior Wisconsin ellipse specified arsenic Alvarez and Pat Richter, the erstwhile Badgers choky extremity and diversion manager who teamed to alteration Wisconsin into a nationalist power.
But Stockham said what astir apt stands retired astir astir Wisconsin is the character, loyalty and measurement of its instrumentality base.
“It’s a unsocial basal of radical backmost there, conscionable the prime of the people, and erstwhile you’re portion of it, it’s a chill thing,” the erstwhile UNLV backmost said.
The existent COVID menace is expected to trim the fig of Wisconsin fans who volition question to Thursday’s game. But Chryst said if Allegiant Stadium doesn’t go a oversea of reddish arsenic successful past games astatine Sam Boyd Stadium, helium inactive expects plentifulness of jumping around, per Wisconsin tradition, astatine the commencement of the 4th quarter.
“Las Vegas has ever been a neat spot for our fans to travel and there’s a crippled being played here,” said the Badgers’ coach. “So it’s a large excuse for them to travel retired here, right?”
Contact Ron Kantowski astatine rkantowski@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski connected Twitter.
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