Badgers Name 2005 Captains
August 26, 2005 | Football
For the third straight season, the University of Wisconsin football team will have four captains, head coach Barry Alvarez announced.
Three seniors'defensive back Brett Bell, fullback Matt Bernstein and center Donovan Raiola'as well as junior linebacker Mark Zalewski, were chosen by a team vote. All four are returning starters.
Bell tied for the team lead last year with three interceptions and 13 passes defended. He started all 12 games at right cornerback and was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection by the coaches.
Also boasting a team lead in a statistical category was Zalewski, who tied for most tackles for loss with 11.5. In addition, he was fourth with 3.5 sacks and fifth with 55 tackles en route to earning honorable mention All-Big Ten status by the media.
A consensus honorable mention All-Big Ten pick, Raiola has garnered praise this summer, having been named to the Rimington Tropy (nation's most outstanding center) and Lombardi Award (nation's top lineman) Watch Lists. In addition, he was rated in the preseason as the No. 5 center in the nation by The Sporting News and the No. 6 center by Lindy's.
Bernstein also earned attention from the national media, as he was chosen in the preseason as the No. 2 fullback in the nation by The Sporting News and a preseason honorable mention All-American running back by Street & Smith. In 2004, Bernstein proved he can run as well as he blocks when he rushed for a career-high 123 yards vs. Penn State.
The Badgers will open their 2005 season against Bowling Green at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 3 at Camp Randall Stadium.
