Before Wisconsin made bowl bids a habit, an Independence Bowl win was a triumph

As head coach Dave McClain addressed his Wisconsin soccer gamers within the lead-up to the 1982 Independence Bowl, he reached into this system’s previous for motivation. He reminded the crew that the postseason sport Badgers followers remembered most and nonetheless mentioned had occurred within the Rose Bowl 20 years earlier — a sport No. 2 Wisconsin misplaced 42-37 to No. 1 USC.

McClain was nicely conscious that Wisconsin had by no means earlier than received a bowl sport, having misplaced all 4 of its earlier matchups. So, he laid out the info and introduced his large speaking level: Right here is a chance to do one thing at Wisconsin that hasn’t been accomplished. Right here is your likelihood to go make historical past.

“That was behind our minds the entire time,” mentioned Gary Ellerson, a working again at Wisconsin from 1981-84.

Wisconsin will play in its twenty first consecutive bowl sport — the third-longest energetic streak within the FBS — when it takes on Oklahoma State within the Assured Fee Bowl on Dec. 27. Bowl video games have turn out to be anticipated and considerably taken as a right for the Badgers, who’ve been to twenty-eight bowls prior to now 30 years with 17 victories and three Rose Bowl wins underneath Barry Alvarez.

However, 40 years in the past this week, a crew efficiently met McClain’s problem by overcoming atrocious climate situations to stamp itself as an vital piece of program lore with a 14-3 victory towards Kansas State. An early-December bowl win on a chilly evening in Shreveport, La., was an enormous deal. And, all these years later, it nonetheless is to the individuals, given what it meant.

“It was extremely impactful,” mentioned Darryl Sims, who performed defensive finish for the Badgers. “I’m on a textual content thread with a complete bunch of fellows and we replicate again on these sorts of moments. These can by no means be taken away.”

The seeds for that triumph started one 12 months earlier underneath McClain when Wisconsin received seven video games and was invited to play Tennessee within the Backyard State Bowl — the Badgers’ first bowl sport look for the reason that 1963 Rose Bowl. Tennessee edged Wisconsin 28-21, and Sims recalled that gamers returned for offseason exercises days later with a renewed starvation to assist construct this system right into a constant winner.

By the point preseason practices started in August, the Badgers believed that they had the expertise to succeed in consecutive bowl video games for the primary time in class historical past.

“Anytime you go into coaching camp, you’ve simply acquired to have an ‘it issue,’ which means if positions are good throughout the crew: offense, protection and particular groups,” nostril sort out Tim Krumrie mentioned. “And we had been constant all the best way throughout.”

Wisconsin opened the 1982 season with back-to-back losses to No. 12 Michigan (20-9) and No. 14 UCLA (51-26). However the Badgers reeled off 4 victories in a row, most notably a 6-0 shutout at Ohio State — Wisconsin’s second win towards Ohio State in a row however its first in Columbus since 1918. A 1-yard landing run from tailback John Williams throughout the first quarter held up the remainder of the best way.

“After we had been within the locker room, guys mentioned to one another, ‘We’re a reasonably rattling good soccer crew defensively,’” Sims mentioned. “‘We expect we’ve acquired the correct guys, we’ve acquired the correct scheme and we’ve acquired the correct mindset to actually do one thing particular.’”

Wisconsin’s season teetered with three losses in 4 video games, together with back-to-back Large Ten defeats to Indiana and Iowa. The Badgers had been sitting at 5-5 coming into their regular-season finale at dwelling towards rival Minnesota. Quarterback Randy Wright mentioned he requested McClain the evening earlier than the sport about Wisconsin’s bowl possibilities.

Wright recalled McClain telling him that if the Badgers received, they’d be in. Wisconsin then hammered Minnesota 24-0 and was invited to play within the Independence Bowl towards Kansas State (6-4-1) on Dec. 11. It marked the primary of 16 bowl video games that season and have become the primary stay faculty soccer sport broadcast by ESPN. It was additionally the primary bowl look in Kansas State historical past.

McClain’s plan when the crew arrived in Louisiana was to work gamers onerous — together with a bodily two-hour apply three days earlier than the sport — after which taper off the depth. He expressed confidence Wisconsin could be much less uptight than it was for its bowl sport one 12 months earlier. As kickoff approached, it turned clear Wisconsin must take care of extra than simply being mentally and bodily ready for Kansas State; it must battle the weather.

“It was a frickin’ mud bowl,” Sims mentioned. “Tim Krumrie and I had been enjoying subsequent to one another fairly a bit. I simply keep in mind I’d look over at him and he was utterly coated. I used to be 60 and he was 50 and also you couldn’t inform the distinction.”

The sport-time temperature was listed at 32 levels, however freezing rain pelted the sphere all evening, and 23 mile-per-hour wind gusts diminished the wind-chill issue to 10 levels. Though greater than 49,000 tickets had been bought, solely 24,684 followers confirmed up for the sport. Ellerson mentioned McClain’s pep speak targeted on getting gamers to consider that this was the kind of climate Wisconsin thrived in throughout Large Ten play.

“I believe these had been the worst situations we had,” Krumrie mentioned. “We had some dangerous ones. However I simply keep in mind the sphere was all torn up. We went out on the sphere for warmups. Everyone is sliding round. So I placed on longer cleats and widened my base. They referred to as it a mudder. It was such as you took two showers if you completed.”

Kansas State seized a 3-0 second-quarter lead on Steve Willis’ 29-yard area objective after Ellerson misplaced a fumble at his crew’s personal 18. However Wisconsin established a 7-3 halftime benefit on the following collection when Wright dropped again from underneath heart on third-and-10 and threw over the center into the top zone, the place receiver Michael Jones made a diving 16-yard landing catch. Jones dropped the ball as he hit the bottom, however officers dominated that he held onto it lengthy sufficient.

Wright described the throwing situations with a slick, muddy ball as “fairly horrible,” and he accomplished simply 9-of-24 passes within the sport. Nevertheless, he delivered two crucial throws, first to Jones after which halfway via the third quarter to tight finish Tim Stracka to assist seal the sport.

On first-and-10 from Wisconsin’s personal 13-yard line, Wright took a three-step drop and handed to Stracka on the correct hash on the 24-yard line. Stracka shed two tackles instantly and broke free for an 87-yard landing catch, which was the longest go play in Wisconsin and Independence Bowl historical past. Wright mentioned each touchdowns had been the results of him audibling into a special play on the line of scrimmage based mostly on the protection he noticed from Kansas State.

“On the time, I acquired plenty of credit score for, ‘Wow, you threw this 87-yard landing go and it is a faculty file,’” Wright mentioned. “I believe I threw the ball 12 yards. Tim ran. He broke a sort out after which he ran 75 yards or no matter it was. It was a kind of issues the place you get plenty of reward and plenty of congratulations for a reasonably easy play that the receiver was an ideal play.”

Three years earlier, McClain had satisfied Wright to take an opportunity on Wisconsin as a switch from Notre Dame, promoting him on a imaginative and prescient to be the primary to steer this system to new heights. Wright made good on that dialog and earned offensive most respected participant honors within the sport.

Wisconsin’s protection, in the meantime, took care of the remaining. Two Kansas State drives deep into Wisconsin territory ended with no factors. Badgers security Matt Vanden Growth intercepted a go ultimately zone. Later, cornerback Brian Marrow broke up a fourth-down go from the 26-yard line within the entrance proper nook of the top zone.

Kansas State quarterback Darrell Dickey, whose father, Jim, was the pinnacle coach, accomplished 13-of-35 passes for 127 yards with an interception. The Wildcats ran the ball 33 instances for simply 65 yards. Krumrie recorded 13 tackles and a go breakup to earn the defensive MVP award in a sloppy sport that featured 5 turnovers (4 misplaced fumbles), 14 punts and 14 penalties.

“You actually must hold management of your core and what’s beneath you, hold your ft beneath you,” Krumrie mentioned. “That’s vital in situations like that. I all the time name it you’ve acquired Clydesdales and you’ve got race horses. We had been Clydesdales. That’s why we received. As a result of they couldn’t reduce. A working again can’t reduce in mud.”

After the sport, McClain stood on a bench within the crew locker room, his voice hoarse, and instructed gamers they didn’t must steal their new crimson jerseys with Independence Bowl patches on the shoulders as a result of they may hold them as a token of their accomplishment. McClain had preached to all his gamers the thought of constructing a program and being part of one thing larger than themselves. In that second, his objective had come to fruition, and he praised them for growing a convention at Wisconsin.

McClain coached for 3 extra seasons earlier than he died of a coronary heart assault at age 48 in April 1986 after figuring out on an train bicycle at Camp Randall Stadium and collapsing in a sauna. Over eight seasons at Wisconsin, his groups beat No. 1 Michigan in 1981, defeated Ohio State 4 instances and reached a bowl sport in three of his ultimate 5 seasons as he compiled a 46-42-3 file. The Independence Bowl victory represented his lone postseason win and served as one of many crowning achievements for this system throughout his tenure — one thing his gamers proceed to take delight in 40 years later.

“I believe Dave McClain groups sort of acquired overshadowed somewhat bit by the Barry Alvarez groups,” Ellerson mentioned. “Lots of people forgot the come up of how the crew was actually getting good underneath Coach McClain, recruiting good gamers. Then in fact he handed away and that momentum fell by the wayside till Barry finally was employed.

“However wanting again on that, I do inform plenty of the Barry guys, ‘Simply so that you guys know, we had been the primary crew to ever win a bowl sport there.’ They go, ‘What bowl sport was that?’ I’m going, ‘The Independence Bowl.’ They go, ‘Man, we go to Rose Bowls.’ It’s sort of humorous. We give one another crap somewhat bit about it. However for this system at the moment, had coach McClain stayed alive, I believe we had been going to be doing nice issues with the blokes that he was recruiting.”

(Photograph of Dave McClain: Mark Humphrey / AP)