The Wisconsin Badgers have been around for a long time. They played their very first game on Friday, November 29, 1889. Since that day, there have been exactly two Sunday games. This is not that surprising considering how traditional college schedules have been for a long time and the NFL dominating Sunday programming. On the other hand, it is a little surprising as sometimes bowl games or international games slip onto a Sunday.
Yet, Wisconsin has only played in two, as far as I can tell from scouring the databases. What started me on this random endeavor? The rescheduling of a Saturday game next season against Notre Dame at Lambeau Field to a Sunday game.
It was the social media post by Wisconsin football that said, "We show out on Sundays." This sent me down a rabbit hole. "Do they? How often have they won on Sundays? Shoot, how often have they even played on Sundays?" These are the questions I chased.
The Wisconsin Badgers are 2-0 when they play a Sunday game
The Garden State Bowl - 1981
The first time Wisconsin ever played on Sunday was on December 13, 1981. It was against the Tennessee Volunteers in the Garden State Bowl that took place at an NFL venue (which is also fitting for this journey), the New York Giants hosted at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey. It was head coach Dave McClain's fourth season, and he finally got the Badgers back into a bowl game after a drought of 18 seasons.
Wisconsin 28, Tennessee 21
The Coca-Cola Classic - 1993
The second time also came with a coach in his fourth season; this time, it was Barry Alvarez, and he got to take his Badger team on their first international game trip to Tokyo, Japan, to take on the Michigan State Spartans. This was a defining season for the Badgers as Alvarez was on his way to shaping the Badgers into how we often think of them: a powerhouse. This was the breakout season where Alvarez took Wisconsin to a 10-1-1 record and a win in the 1994 Rose Bowl.
Wisconsin 41, Michigan State 20
There you have it—the Badgers do "show out" on Sundays. Let's hope that streak continues when they have to play another "neutral site" game on a Sunday against the Fighting Irish on September 6th, 2026.