Looking up at the stands of Camp Randall, you will see the names and numbers of some of the finest players ever to wear the cardinal red and white. All of these players had outstanding careers at Wisconsin, leading their teams to some of the Badgers' most successful seasons.
But only one of those players can say he holds the NCAA Division 1-A regular-season rushing record with 6,397 yards, has tied the record for most 200-yard rushing performances with 12, was the first NCAA player to amass more than 7,000 total yards and led the Badgers to two consecutive Rose Bowl victories.
No. 33, Ron Dayne, is the only one who can say that.
Dayne was one of the most prolific running backs ever to wear a college uniform, but, while his name sits on the fasade of Camp Randall Stadium, his number has yet to be retired.
That will be changed this Saturday, when his number will officially be retired during the Michigan game.
New Badger fans may not know much about Dayne, other than the fact that while he was playing Wisconsin was winning, and winning a lot. Then head coach Barry Alvarez was leading one of the most successful squads ever in Wisconsin's history, and that success could be directly attributed to The Great Dayne.
Dayne began his career with the Badgers in 1996. He was a physically interesting recruit, having terrific speed and athleticism, but he did not fit the prototypical tailback frame. He had the right height of 5'10', but his weight made him look more like a fullback.
But that body size made Dayne incredibly hard to stop, as seen in his first season of action in college.
As a freshman, he led the Badgers to the Copper Bowl, where they faced off against Utah. He had amassed 1,863 yards in that regular season. And even though the Utah Utes knew that Dayne would be fed the ball all through the game, he added 246 more yards to the total in his first bowl game as well as three touchdowns, garnering him MVP honors.
Dayne had 325 carries in his first season, including the bowl game. That would be a continuing trend throughout his career as a Badger. He holds the Big Ten record for career rushing attempts, ending up with 1,220 total.
He also had a career-high 21 touchdowns in his first season. Over his career he accumulated 71 total touchdowns, another Big Ten record.
Dayne had his most lackluster college year as a sophomore. Even so, that year he did have one of the most incredible quarters ever in college football against San Jose State though, totaling 170 yards in the first quarter alone.
The Badgers did make it to the Outback Bowl that year, but they were stomped by the star-studded lineup of Georgia, losing 33-6. Dayne only gained 36 total yards in the game.
After his dismal performance, there was criticism that Dayne could not perform in the big game, and that he disappeared when it mattered most. Criticisms that, to say the least, would be proven wrong in his final seasons as a Badger.
His regular season junior year was similar to his sophomore year, but this time he would be playing in a far more prestigious bowl game, the Rose Bowl. In a tight game against UCLA, Dayne proved to be the shining star in the 38-31 shootout, running for 246 yards on 27 carries, and scoring 4 touchdowns. Dayne earned MVP honors in that game.
His final year as a Badger was one of his best. That season he broke the regular season rushing record against Iowa in his final regular-season game and also clinched the Big Ten title for the Badgers. He also received the Heisman trophy, and led the Badgers to another Rose Bowl win, beating Stanford 17-9 and totaling 200 yards in the game. Once again he garnered MVP honors.
After his final year, Dayne went off to the NFL, where he was picked 11th in the first round of the draft by the New York Giants. While his professional career is nowhere near as great as his college career, he still shows sparks of his college years.
Dayne was a shining gem for the Wisconsin Badgers during the closing half of the century, and there is not a more fitting player to have his number retired after all he has done for UW football.
