Top Ten Greatest Wisconsin Badgers

The massive blocker started 48 games, including 30 straight starts to end his college career. His 48 starts rank third all-time in school history. Big Red averaged 218 yards rushing in his four-year starting career in Madison. An All-Big Ten player at both a center and guard on two Rose Bowl Championship teams, Rabach led the way for Ron Dayne for three of his four years. The 2000 team Captain, Rabach started all four bowl games in his Wisconsin career as well.

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A consensus All-American in 1998, Burke led the nation in sacks with 22 QB stops, earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors. His 22 sacks, along with his 31.5 tackles for a loss, were Wisconsin single-season school records. Helped lead the Badgers to a conference championship in 1998 – only the school’s second such title since 1960 (1993).

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The consensus All-American was a two-time All-Big Ten center in 1993 and 1994. Raymer helped pave the way for the talented duo of Brent Moss and Terrell Fletcher. The 1993 Big Ten Championship was the school’s first title since 1959. The 21-16 win over UCLA in the 1994 Rose Bowl, in which Raymer and the Badgers rushed for 250 yards, was the school’s first victory in the “Granddaddy of them all”.

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While at Wisconsin, Toon set school records for career receptions (131), touchdowns (19) and yards (2,103). He was a two time first-team all-conference selection and set a Big Ten record with 252 yards in a game against Purdue in 1983. He was a consummate professional and an outstanding blocker as a receiver. Toon also won three conference triple jump titles and was an All-American in Track and Field as well. Toon led the New York Jets in receiving six straight seasons after being drafted in the first round of the 1985 draft. He career was cut short by a rash of head injuries.

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A two-time All-American, Krumrie started all 46 games of his college career, earning All-Big Ten honors three years in a row from 1980 to 1982. He set school records for solo tackles (276) and total tackles by a defensive lineman (444). Also a member of the UW wrestling team, Krumrie was named MVP of the 1982 Independence Bowl win over Kansas State.

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One of the three Biletnikoff finalists in 2001, Evans set all kinds of school and conference records during his stay in Madison. He set school marks for receptions (175), touchdowns (27) and yards (3,468). Those 3,468 yards rank him second all-time in Big Ten history, while his 1,545 yards in 2001 set a conference record for receiving yards – becoming the first Badger to lead the league in receiving yards since 1963. He also tied a Big Ten mark with five touchdown catches in one game against Michigan State in 2003. He holds every major single-season receiving school record as well – receptions, touchdowns, yards, 200-yard games. In his 44 game playing career, Evans caught a pass in a school-record 38 straight games.

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Fletcher is arguably the best cover corner to ever play at Wisconsin (sorry, Troy Vincent). The two-time all-everything defensive back set a school record with 21 INTs, led the nation in 1998 with seven INTs, won two conference championships, two Rose Bowl titles, the 2000 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award and the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s best defensive back. Fletcher set a Big Ten record for interceptions returned for a touchdown with five, including one in the 1999 Rose Bowl.

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The walk-on turned superstar played in every game of his four-year Wisconsin career, earning 39 total starts (every game his final three seasons). The three-time All-American led the nation, and tied a Big Ten record, with 11 interceptions in 2002 as a sophomore. As a junior, Leonhard once again led the league in INTs with seven, while beginning to prove himself as a valuable return man as well. He set a school record for punt return yards in 2002 (434) only to break it his own record in 2003 (470). He finished his career with a school-record 21 INTs – good for fourth all-time in league history. He also is the Big Ten’s all-time punt returner with 1,347 yards. His 105 punt return attempts are also a school record and is third-most in Big Ten history.

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Arguably the most talented Wisconsin Badger of all time, Thomas appeared in 48 games, starting 39 of them (including one at DE against Auburn in the 2003 Music City Bowl). The two-time first-team All-American was the school’s first winner of the Outland Trophy – awarded to the nation’s top lineman. He was also a two-time finalist for the Lombardi Award. Thomas was the cornerstone of what was arguably the best overall offense in school history in 2005, a season that culminated in the upset demolition of the Auburn Tigers in the 2006 Capital One Bowl. The 24-10 win was head coach Barry Alvarez’ final game on the Wisconsin sideline. Thomas played some on the depleted defensive line in that game as well, helping the Badgers to out-gain the SEC power 548 to 236 total yards. As a senior, Thomas led the Badgers to a 12-1 record and a return trip to the Captial One Bowl — yet again beating another SEC power. UW won 17-14 over Darren McFadden, Peyton Hillis, Felix Jones and Arkansas.

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The most decorated running back in NCAA history, Ron Dayne is currently the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher with 7,125 yards (6,397 without bowl games). As a freshman, Dayne set an NCAA freshman rushing record with 1,863 yards, although with the bowl game his 2,109 yards made him only the 10th player in history to top 2,000. He claimed Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Copper Bowl MVP honors as a freshman. He rushed for 1,457 yards and 15 TDs in 1997, becoming the first sophomore in history to be a finalist for the Doak Walker. He rushed for 1,525 yards and 15 TDs as a junior. His junior season finished with a Big Ten title and shocking upset Rose Bowl win over previously No. 1 ranked UCLA. As a senior, Dayne again topped the 2,000-yard mark (2,034) and scored 21 TDs en route to the Badgers' second straight Big Ten title. He was only the fourth player in NCAA history to rush for 1,000 yards in four seasons. He became the Big Ten’s first player to ever lead the league in rushing three different years. He earned two Rose Bowl MVPs and owns every major BCS Bowl rushing record - attempts (34, 2000 Rose Bowl), rushing yards (246, 1999 Rose Bowl) and rushing TDs (4, 1999 Rose Bowl). The consensus All-American won the 1999 Doak Walker, 1999 Maxwell, 1999 Big Ten Player of the Year and the 1999 Heisman Trophy. Dayne finished his career with 1,220 attempts for 7,125 yards and 71 TDs. He left Wisconsin with 48 school records and was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2009.

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