Q'A with Joe Rudolph
March 12, 2008 | Football
Newly acquired tight end coach Joe Rudolph is pretty familiar with Madison. A Belle Vernon, Pa. native, Rudolph played college football for the Badgers in the early 1990s then spent a couple seasons in the NFL before getting into coaching.
A standout lineman at Wisconsin, Rudolph earned three letters (1992-94) and helped the Badgers to the 1993 Big Ten title and 1994 Rose Bowl victory. Rudolph was a Wisconsin team captain in 1994 and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. Rudolph was the team 's 1994 Scholastic Award winner and went on to play in the East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl.
UWBADGERS.COM sat down with Rudolph for a short Q&A to learn more about the new coach.
How does it feel to come back to Madison, the place you called home while playing college football'
"It's awesome to come back. I had an incredible time playing here and to see the program grow after I left to where it is now has been great."
How did the coaching transition from Ohio State to Nebraska to Wisconsin happen'
"I spent three years at Ohio State and it was a great opportunity for me to begin my coaching career. I spent a couple years coaching in high school and then got on board with OSU. You're familiar with what you know and I knew college football pretty well so to get back into it as a coach was great. Playing under coach Barry Alvarez and Bill Callahan while he was here was a great learning opportunity. Then to be able to coach under Callahan at Nebraska and Jim Tressel at Ohio State was unbelievable. Those few years coaching have a lot to do with how I got to be where I am today."
What is it like playing under coach Alvarez and now working under coach Bret Bielema'
"I'm sure I'll keep learning more as the days go by. They both take a great approach to the game. They have a great feel for the players and the staff and the team as a whole. The people that are successful seem to always have a good grasp on their players and coaches and I know both of them do that well."
What was it like playing for the Badgers, then coaching against them as a Buckeye'
"My first year at Ohio State was the only year we played them while I was there and it was a little weird. Wisconsin played really well and won at the Horseshoe in Columbus and it was an odd feeling after wearing the Cardinal and White for so long to be on the other side of the field."
What kinds of things do you bring to the players with your NFL experience'
"I think the biggest thing is that you learn an approach to the game. You need to handle your business in a certain way and if you do it the right way, good things will happen. That attitude parallels through college and the professional ranks. You need to take care of your school work, watch film, getting into the training room and do what you're asked to do. The guys who are successful are the ones that approach all the different aspects with the right attitude and handle themselves with the right mindset."
Your son is nearly a year old now, what has that been like for you and your wife'
"It is awesome. I couldn't be more excited to have him in my world. I'm really lucky to have such a great wife and family to share it with. I don't really look at things differently, but I'm excited to have him around. We are getting close to being settled in with a new home and once that is done it will relieve a little of the stress."
What are your goals for the tight ends this season '
"I think the biggest thing is that each individual guy needs to improve as much as he can. They need to have the mindset that when they go out to try and improve as much as they can every time. You want to see them having fun, you want to see them dedicated to what is asked of them and to play with great effort and toughness."
What was your favorite memory from your playing days at Wisconsin'
"I would have to say being part of the program when it was really turning the corner. There were a bunch of times during the 1993 season that were a part of that transition. Knowing that you came in and you were able to accomplish the things that coach laid out for you to do and to be a part of the team that really laid the foundation for the program 's success over the last decade. Having seen the program go from where it was to what it is now has been great."
Check in every Wednesday through Spring Ball for more Q&As with Badger Staff.
