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Wisconsin Football Countdown: No. 97, Mike Allen

By Jim Oxley

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As the countdown to the first Wisconsin football game of the season continues, Badger of Honor is taking a look at Badgers by the numbers, checking in on a different Badger or Badgers players who wore the number corresponding with the remaining days until the Badgers head to Texas to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide Saturday, Sept. 5.

Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin Badgers /

Wisconsin Badgers

Next up in our countdown, signifying 97 days until college football is back, is kicker Mike Allen.

Like No. 98 yesterday, the number 97 has traditionally been worn by a kicker at UW. Mike Allen wore the number from 2001 to 2004, and had a very successful career as a Badger.

Allen went 97-103 on extra points (94.2 percent) and made 39 of 61 field goals (63.9 percent), including some big-time kicks over the course of his 4-year career at Wisconsin.

You might remember his game-winning field goal against Fresno State in 2002: (video cuts out before his kick)

Or maybe his game-winning kick in the 2002 Valero Alamo Bowl against Colorado, when Wisconsin faced a 28-21 deficit at the end of the third quarter, tied the game in the fourth and won it in overtime:

Allen did eventually switch jersey number to No. 99, but his clutch performances make his placement in our countdown worthy, and we’ll remember the No. 97 that hit those two big field goals above.

First to wear No. 97:

• Abraham Soref, Tackle, 1937

Who wears it now?

• Wisconsin kicker Jack Russell, a senior from Waunakee, Wisconsin, currently wears No. 97. With Rafael Gaglianone handling extra points and field goals and Andrew Endicott taking care of kickoffs, Russell is currently a backup.

Stay tuned to Badger of Honor as we continue our daily countdown in preparation of the season opener against Alabama.

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