On the eve of receiving his diploma, how would Austin Traylor sum up his five-year journey through the University of Wisconsin? What would his message be to those just starting down the path he followed? As he embarks on the next step — dually prepared to pursue a career in football or any host of off-field pursuits — Traylor does so with great perspective on, and appreciation for, how far he's come. |  From Varsity Magazine
BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
Austin Traylor didn't have a typical student-athlete experience as a member of the Wisconsin football team.
He played for four different head coaches, including interims, over the course of five years, which is almost unheard of.
He also endured the tragic loss of a friend back home and thought seriously about leaving UW as a result, which is out of the ordinary.
But much of what Traylor encountered during his time as a student and athlete in Madison is what you might expect.
He matured physically, emotionally and socially.
He embraced selflessness, accountability and self-reliance.
He cultivated multiple career options, including a degree in retailing and consumer behavior and overtures from the NFL.
Traylor, a tight end from Columbus, Ohio, looks upon his five years at UW with fondness. He'll graduate this month — joining his mother and brother with diplomas — secure in the knowledge that he helped the Badgers win consecutive Big Ten Conference titles (2011, '12) and back-to-back bowl games (2014, '15). His development was such that he signed a free-agent NFL contract with the Dallas Cowboys.
"Everything I've been doing each year has been building up to this point," Traylor said.
A former UW teammate who went on to NFL acclaim, Russell Wilson, will give the commencement speech to the latest batch of springtime graduates. Traylor was asked what message he'd want to convey if he were the speaker.
"Appreciation," he said. "Appreciating the opportunity, everyone who assisted you. Appreciate your health because there are a lot of people in the world less fortunate.
"Take a chance. Put yourself out there. Don't be scared to do something out of the ordinary because that's the only way you can improve. Do something you've never done.
"If you take a chance, it's not always going to work, but that doesn't mean you give up."
Traylor knows that process well. He came to Madison in 2011 thinking he was prepared to be on his own, believing his work habits for school and football were up to the task. Then his eyes were opened and he had to adjust, especially in the classroom, where persistence is a vital trait.
"At first I thought I was ready," he said. "I didn't feel slow or behind in anything, but just the workload and self-tasking that it takes in college was new to me."
Professors are going to instruct and outline the exam schedule, but they aren't going to make you study, Traylor noted.
"A lot of stuff you have to do on your own," he said. "In high school, homework-wise, it wasn't that much. Then, coming to college, it's all about what you do at home."
Traylor said his priorities began to evolve soon after he arrived as a top recruit out of Walnut Ridge (Ohio) High School.
"When I first got up here it was more about fun," he said. "I was just a kid, eight hours away from home and away from my mom. I wanted to enjoy college.
"The shift has come now where I prepare myself as an adult, living in the world and becoming a contributing citizen to society."
"Take a chance. Put yourself out there. Don't be scared to do something out of the ordinary because that's the only way you can improve."
There are roughly 800 student-athletes at Wisconsin who, like Traylor, have access to an abundance of resources designed to guide and help them succeed.
In the Office of Academic Services, overseen by UW assistant athletic director Mark Shook, there are 12 full-time staffers — including seven advisors, four learning specialists and a tutor coordinator — on hand to help build class schedules, coordinate degree pursuit and cultivate study habits where needed.
In the Office of Student-Athlete Development, overseen by director Bridget Woodruff, there are four full-time coordinators who tout a variety of enrichment programs, including the merits of leadership, career strategies and fiscal responsibility.
Traylor credited Dan Ott, a learning specialist at UW since 2002, for helping him build a purposeful schedule as a freshman "and get my learning habits down."
Traylor said he never got used to visiting professors outside of class — unless it was mandatory — in part because their office hours typically conflicted with football practice.
"That's definitely a step you have to take," he said, noting that face-to-face meetings with professors are more productive than email exchanges. "They do a good job at the (academic services) office with the support they offer."
As for tutors, Traylor said he utilized them quite often "even after I got some good grades."
Traylor was asked if his UW peers who compete in sports take these academic and social benefits for granted.
"I know when I came in I thought every Division I football program had this type of stuff," he said. "I found out that's not the case."
Traylor spoke of a friend who transferred to another Football Bowl Subdivision school. When he got there he was told if he wanted a tutor he'd have to find one on his own.
"He didn't realize how lucky he was here," Traylor said.
A major NCAA policy change that came to life in 2015-16 had to do with cost-of-attendance stipends. In short, schools could give student-athletes on scholarship additional funds to pay for necessities beyond room and board such as travel, clothing, healthcare and cell phones. The average increase for UW student-athletes on full scholarship is $4,499.33.
"I probably grocery shop a little more than before," Traylor said. "It's a little extra money in the check than before. I've been able to save up more money and be able to put it away in case of anything happening."
UW student-athletes now receive their scholarship funds via 10 checks throughout the school year instead of eight. Traylor, for one, cheered the revised payout schedule.
"When it was eight, you had to find a way to pay January (rent) before you actually got January's check," he said. "Now they give you an extra check at the end of December that covers January."
Traylor said that before the COA was introduced he heard fellow UW student-athletes complaining about making ends meet. It continues, he said, because some aren't adept at managing their money.
"We definitely get enough to cover everything," Traylor said.
That point is emphasized in a program, sponsored by UW Student-Athlete Development, called "Fiscally Fit." It's a required interactive workshop for student-athletes in their third year which focuses on budgeting, credit scores, investing and other financial management tools.
In retrospect, Traylor said one of the best things to happen to him was taking a redshirt year as a freshman and putting down an academic foundation.
"I've seen other players who started off struggling and it's hard to catch up," he said. "If you get the opportunity to redshirt, which I did, make sure you're on top of your schoolwork. It's a time to get ahead."
Traylor saw action in only three games in 2012, but the process of preparing to play each week was an eye-opener. In addition to traveling for games, which affected his study habits, there was the added commitment of film study and the stress of being emotionally ready to play.
Traylor explained that during his redshirt year he used away games to catch up on school work on Saturdays and Sundays. A season later, he noted that the Badgers returned via charter late Saturday night and he tended to want to sleep in on Sunday.
During trips Traylor said he found it difficult to study on planes. He acknowledged that players get time off on Fridays on the road, "but you're there to play football, so you prepare for the game.
"It's a pick-and-choose. Do I want to get ready for this quiz and stress myself or do I want to look at these (game) plans and know how to do everything?"
Traylor, listed at 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, played 38 games in his Badgers career. He caught 17 passes for 234 yards and four touchdowns overall, with 14 of those receptions coming in 2015 when he missed five games with a broken arm.
Traylor said he was never felt his health was compromised by any of his coaches.
"If you're hurt and you don't go to treatment, the coaches are on you as much as you missing a class," he said. "They make sure you do that.
"I felt no pressure from (head) Coach (Paul) Chryst or (associate head) Coach (Joe) Rudolph or (tight ends) Coach (Mickey) Turner or any of the staff to come back any earlier than I wanted to. They actually held me out a week longer than I wanted to."
Strangely, Traylor played for four head coaches during his time with the Badgers. Bret Bielema (2011, '12) gave way to Gary Andersen (2013, '14) who made way for Chryst in 2015. On two occasions UW Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez came out of retirement — he coached the Badgers from 1990 to 2005 — to be the interim coach for a bowl game.
"I haven't had a bad experience here as a student-athlete," he said. "I've definitely enjoyed it. I have a chance to play in the NFL and have a degree, so I'm happy."
Relieved, too. Traylor's mother, Antonia, was the first in the family to get a college degree. His brother, Alvin Busbee Jr., followed suit. Traylor said he didn't want to disrupt the streak.
Traylor's biggest takeaway from his senior year was the satisfaction that comes from hard work and focus on and off the field.
"If you do the right thing, stay persistent, things will come," he said.
Along the way Traylor picked up credits offered through OSAD. First-year student-athletes are required to enroll in Life Skills Academy, which focuses on things such as career development, nutrition, alcohol safety, mental health, financial literacy and sexual wellness.
UW student-athletes in their third or fourth years are also required to take a one-credit course in career strategies.
Older student-athletes can also take a three-credit course in leadership — guiding younger peers in Life Skills Academy — as well as a two-credit session that examines a range of leadership development theories.
When Traylor came to UW he wasn't big on doing volunteer assignments in the community, activities sponsored by the Badgers Give Back program.
"It kind of grew on me," he said, noting that he's gone holiday shopping and read with grade-school children. "The kids enjoy you a lot and it's just an opportunity for you to brighten somebody's day. You never know the impression you can have on just one kid doing little things like that."
Another UW Athletics-sponsored program that appealed to Traylor and impacted his career was "Beyond the Game." It's an initiative designed to help student-athletes, those with and without pro aspirations, prepare for life after major-college athletics.
"When I first got up here it was more about fun. The shift has come now where I prepare myself as an adult, living in the world and becoming a contributing citizen to society."
"It's an eye-opening experience," Traylor said. "It woke me up to the possibility that the game doesn't last forever. It just prepares you for that moment.
"I never really ever thought of the fact there'd be a day where I wouldn't play football. I've been playing sports my whole life, but eventually that does come to a halt.
"Beyond the Game doesn't try to scare you, but more prepare for that end by making sure you're doing things to be ready in case your career ends."
Traylor had all sorts of motivations during his time at UW, but none more poignant than the loss of a boyhood mentor back home in Columbus. David Keith Burkes was shot and killed Dec. 8, 2011.
"He wasn't my best friend, but he was like a role model," Traylor said. "He was older than me and was somebody that looked after me a lot.
"It was hard for me being up here (in Madison) by myself and not around my mother, my brother and my family. I kind of wanted to go home and it was getting to that."
Traylor said he appreciated having Ott and Rudolph routinely checking in on him and doing so with genuine concern instead of pity. It helped, too, to have family and friends to lean on.
Traylor said he spoke to Burkes shortly before he was killed and got memorable advice.
"He told me to make sure to keep doing what needs to be done," Traylor said.
That voice helped carry Traylor through a rich, accomplished college career.
"I think about it all the time," he said. "You can't simmer on it or dwell on it because you just get down on yourself."
Instead of getting down, Traylor has been inspired by his friend.
"I think that's definitely what I'm doing," he said. "I know a lot of people growing up that didn't get this opportunity. It's only right for me to take advantage of it and go full steam ahead."
