Where are they now': Paul Standring
September 02, 2009 | Football
Paul Standring was part of the Badger football team from 2003-07. He played on special teams and was also a backup punter to Ken DeBauche. What Paul was probably most known for was his sense of humor and catching a 31-yard pass from DeBauche on a fake punt against Ohio State in 2007.
We caught up with Standring who is now living and working in Chicago and still keeps in touch with a number of his former teammates. To show you how funny Standring and DeBauche were while playing here, we've dug into the archives and found 'The Top 10 Plays of 2007' highlight tape, hosted by the two former Badgers. Not only will you see highlights from 2007 but also footage of Paul and Ken riding on Standring 's infamous tandem bike. The video is long but full of laughs, so enjoy!
mid=3578"> --> **Watch the Top 10 Plays of 2007 hosted by Paul Standring and Ken DeBauche"
What have you been doing since graduating and where are you living and working now'
Since graduating I've been missing college every day. I'm living where I grew up, on the south side of Chicago and I'm currently operating my own financial services practice with Northwestern Mutual for a little over two years now. When I'm not working I'm always looking to play softball or go to weddings.
How did your academic experience from UW assist you in your chosen career'
Having an agricultural business management degree doesn't help a whole lot working in the middle of downtown Chicago. It usually comes down to who you know, not what you know to get you in certain doors. I ran into a friend, Josh Kosnick, at a career fair and he said try out this internship with Northwestern Mutual and since I only had dog walker and football player on my resume, I gave it a shot and the rest is history.
What was your favorite memory from your time at Wisconsin'
Catching a 31-yard pass from Ken DeBauche on a fake punt against Ohio State in 2007. Someday, way down the road, I'll get to brag to my hypothetical grandchildren that I never dropped a pass my entire college career, every time the ball was thrown to me I caught it. I also averaged 31 yards per catch which I believe led the country.
What was the best part about being a Badger '
Two things'No. 1 was playing in front of a sold out stadium every home game and being part of the greatest atmosphere in college football. No. 2 was building lifelong relationships with teammates, coaches, and many more throughout my wonderful college experience.
How did you and Kenny first become friends '
August of 2003 camp at the Seminary is when it all started. We both love to eat, punt and are very sarcastic. We also realized that we'll be spending a lot of time together throughout the years because other than the 20 minutes a practice we are actually punting with the team, the rest of practice there is a lot of down time. Rather than being enemies we decided to be really close friends and I lived with him for four years.
What are some of your best stories with DeBauche '
There are too many. Three that jump out would be figuring out what we were going to wear every year for Halloween and pulling pranks on Johnny White and Joel Nellis. The third one deals with listening to two specific songs before big exams and football games. I 'm not sure why we picked either one of them but anytime one of us had a midterm or final that person would blast Gwen Stefani's 'Holler Back Girl '. I think it worked out great because my last semester I got a 4.0 mainly because of that. For football games, most normal people will listen to AC/DC or rap music to get them pumped up on the bus ride from the hotel to the stadium. We would share an iPod and listen to 'Call on Me' by Eric Prydz (Editor's note: YouTube the song if you aren't familiar with it).
How did you guys get the amazing opportunity to host the top 10 plays video'
As I mentioned we have a lot of down time during practice and when the team is practicing in the McClain Center that means we can't do some of the silly games we play when the team is in the stadium. So we are forced to either practice our punting techniques, take a knee and watch practice, or hang out with whoever is on the sidelines. One gentleman we got to know really well is Rob Porteus who runs the show for filming every practice and game. It was actually his idea to put this together. He said seeing that you guys are goofballs, would you want to put on this show similar to the top 10 plays of the week but have it top 10 plays of our year' I said yes as long as the tandem bike gets involved somehow.
Talk about the top play of 2007, when Kenny threw that bomb to you. What was the discussion like in the huddle before the play '
Well on paper I was supposed to be wide open for a 15-yard throw, but they covered it very well. Instead of stopping I just kept running and luckily we were both on the same page and he threw a perfect pass that dropped in behind their linebacker and in front of their punt returner. It was a tough situation for Ohio State. Little did they know, the two of us have probably set a Division I record for playing catch throughout our five-year careers at Wisconsin. Believe it or not we literally would run around and play catch before every practice and game. When our arms were loose it usually meant our legs were ready to punt.
Will the Paul and Kenny show ever make a return '
Although our former coaches Bret Bielema and Barry Alvarez were laughing when I watched their reactions the first time they saw it, I doubt they would give us a second chance. Plus every year we know less players and without the inside jokes, it would be tough act to follow. So for now it's looking like we'll be a one hit wonder similar to MC Hammer.
Do you still keep in touch with any of your teammates '
I would say there are probably about 25 guys who I still remain close friends with. Just to name a few, my old roommates Ken DeBauche, Steve Johnson, Ben Strickland, Joe Thomas, Luke Swan (who just texted me recently and told me he got an engaged so congrats) and Chris Pressley. Slowly but surely more and more of my teammates are moving to Chicago and there are a handful of us who are thinking about a flag football team. Instead of playing in front of 80,000 we'll play in front of eight.
Are you still friends with Steve Johnson even though you guys made fun of how slow he is'
Yeah Steve is really slow but for all the times he's picked on me, that 's the least I can do to get some pride points back.
What advice would you give current student-athletes '
Live your life like a punter. If you shank a punt don't let it affect your next one. Learn from your mistakes then erase it from your mind similar to an Etch A Sketch, move on and get excited for your next opportunity. Life is too short so live, love and laugh always. Every day you wake up it's your choice to be in a good mood or a bad mood. Why not be in a good mood every day.
We have to ask about the bike. How did you obtain the bike and where is it now'
I think it was June of 2006 and I was with my roommates at a country concert in Milwaukee on the way back to Madison we stopped at a friend's place to say hi. While approaching their house I saw a yellow tandem bike hanging in the garage and asked my friend's mom about the bike. Next thing you know she was like you should take it to Madison. We put it in the back of Joe's (Thomas) truck and it turned into my everyday bike. Most of the time I would ride the bike alone going to class and practice. On certain days though if I felt lazy, I would ask a random person walking in the same direction to hop on and help me petal up a hill or something, it worked out well.
And finally, what is "McCrib", which you say multiple times throughout the video'
Well it's a combination of two different works. One word is crib, which is another way of saying touchdown. The other one is McRib which is the McDonald's sandwich. I think I said it twice but Rob, being a crafty video guy, snuck it in there a few other times.
