Wisconsin Football: Wisconsin Badgers All-Time Team
By Jim Oxley
All-Time Team: Fullbacks
Alan Ameche: One of the most celebrated players and most recognized names in Wisconsin football history, Alan Ameche — known as “The Horse” or “The Iron Horse” — was a fullback for the Badgers from 1951-1954.
He led the team in rushing for four straight seasons, and during the 1951 season, became the first Badger to rush for at least 200 yards in a single game, hitting the number against Minnesota. In 1952 he became the first Badgers player to rush for 1,000 yards, totaling 1,079 yards his sophomore season. In 1953, Ameche finished sixth in Heisman voting. 1953 also saw Ameche seeing the field for nearly 55 minutes a game, as he played fullback on offense and linebacker on defense.
He followed up his strong 1953 season by taking home the Heisman Trophy in 1954, the first Badgers player to win the award. He also took home the Silver Football award in 1954, presented to the Big Ten MVP by the Chicago Tribune. Ameche was a three-time All-American, and in 1954 was a unanimous selection. He was a first team All-Big Ten selection from 1952-1954.
He remains 11th all time at UW with 3,345 career rushing yards, which was an NCAA career record when he hung up his cleats at UW. He carried the ball 701 times in his Wisconsin career and totaled at least 100 yards in a single game 17 times over the course of his time as a Badger.
In 1955 Ameche was the third overall selection in the NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts. To this day he is the second-highest draft pick in school history (tied with Joe Thomas), following only our next selection in that honor.
Pat Harder: The Badgers highest draft pick in school history (second overall in the 1944 NFL Draft by the Chicago Cardinals), Pat Harder played fullback at Wisconsin from 1941-42.
In 1941, Harder led the Big Ten in rushing yards (443) and points (58), and in 1942, Harder earned first team All-American status from the All-American Board, and earned second or third team designation from a number of other sources. He was a first-team All-Big Ten selection in both 1941 and 1942, and in 1943 he played in the college football all-star game, scoring two touchdowns and winning the game’s MVP award.
Harder passed away in 1992. In 1993 he was posthumously voted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Next: All-Time Team: Wide Receivers