MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin's Joel Stave and Kelsey Card were honored Monday with the Big Ten Conference's most prestigious award.
Stave, the winningest quarterback in the history of the UW football program, and Card, a national champion and seven-time All-American in women's track and field, are Wisconsin's recipients of the Big Ten Medal of Honor, which is being presented for the 102nd year in 2015-16.
"I want to congratulate Joel and Kelsey on this tremendous honor," UW Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez said. "We strive for success in the classroom and in the field of play and these two exemplify that. Joel and Kelsey have made great contributions to our program throughout their careers and have put themselves in a position to be successful no matter what their future holds."
The Big Ten Medal of Honor is given annually at each conference institution to a male and female student-athlete in the graduating class who has demonstrated proficiency in scholarship and sport. The conference's most exclusive award was the first of its kind in intercollegiate athletics to recognize academic and athletic excellence.
Joel Stave
Wisconsin's starting quarterback across four seasons, Stave led Wisconsin to a school-record 31 victories — including back-to-back bowl wins over Auburn in the Outback Bowl following the 2014 season and USC in the Holiday Bowl to conclude the 2015 campaign.
"I'm very proud of Joel and his accomplishments," UW football head coach Paul Chryst said. "He was a tremendous competitor on the field and great leader for us. Those characteristics were evident in the classroom as well. I was lucky enough to be around him at both the start and end of his career and very much enjoyed watching his growth. He is very deserving of this distinguished award."
Stave was named Offensive MVP of the Holiday Bowl after completing 18 of 27 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown, capping a senior season in which he tied the school record with 225 completions and threw for 2,687 yards, the fourth-highest total in UW history.
A four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Stave graduated in December with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering.
He finished his career with a 31-10 overall record as UW's starting quarterback, including a 22-6 mark in Big Ten games that set school records for wins and winning percentage (.786) in conference games. He also became the first quarterback in school history to post a 4-0 record against an opponent, doing so against Purdue, Illinois and Minnesota.
Stave threw for 7,635 yards and 48 touchdowns in his career, ranking second in school history in both categories. He also ranks No. 2 all-time at UW in passing attempts (1,031) and completions (613). He threw for 200-plus yards in a game 18 times, the most in school history.
Stave earned invitations to the East-West Shrine Game and NFL Scouting Combine following his senior season and signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings in May.
Kelsey Card
The most successful field event competitor in the history of Wisconsin's women's track and field program, Card capped her Badgers career by winning a national championship over the weekend. The Plainview, Illinois, native placed herself among the elite throwers in collegiate history by claiming the discus title at the NCAA outdoor championships with a record-setting effort of 208 feet, 5 inches.
"We're very proud of Kelsey's hard work in the classroom, where she maintained a high GPA while double-majoring, and on the track," UW Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Mick Byrne said. "She is the complete student-athlete and we are proud of all of her achievements. There are so many outstanding student-athletes here at Wisconsin, so it's always special when one of our track and field athletes receives this prestigious honor from the conference."
Card finished her collegiate career as a seven-time All-American, an impressive total that includes runner-up finishes in both the shot put and discus at the NCAA outdoor championships as a junior in addition to her national title as a senior. She also won seven Big Ten championships, four indoors and three outdoors.
Outdoors, she holds the Big Ten's all-time record in both the shot put and discus, and her national championship-winning discus mark ranks her seventh all-time among collegians in the event. Most impressively, she is the only woman in collegiate history to surpass 60 feet in the shot put and 200 feet in both the discus and hammer throw.
Card also is UW's school record-holder in both indoor throws events, the shot put and weight throw. She pulled off a sweep of the Big Ten indoor titles in both events as a junior in 2015 and again as a senior in 2016.
She was named Great Lakes Region Field Athlete of the Year both indoors and outdoors by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association this season, in addition to sweeping the Big Ten's indoor and outdoor Field Athlete of the Year honors.
The fourth-place finisher in the discus at each of the last two U.S. championship meets, Card seeks a top-three finish at next month's USA Olympic Trials to earn a spot on the American team for the upcoming Games in Rio de Janeiro.
A three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Card earned a pair of bachelor's degrees in human development & family studies and gender & women's studies in May.
WISCONSIN'S BIG TEN MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS
The Big Ten Medal of Honor was first awarded in 1915 to one student-athlete from the graduating class of each university who had "attained the greatest proficiency in athletics and scholastic work." Winners in 1964 were the 50th annual recipients of the Medal of Honor. The 2014 winners were the 100th honorees. Beginning in 1982, a senior woman student-athlete from each institution has also been awarded the Big Ten Medal of Honor.
1915 - Martin Thomas Kennedy, Rowing
1916 - William Dow Harvey, Track and Field
1917 - Mead Burke, Track and Field
1918 - Ebert Edward Simpson, Jr.
1919 - Charles H. Carpenter, Football
1920 - Anthony G. Zulfer, Baseball, Basketball
1921 - Allan C. Davey, Football
1922 - George Bunge, Football
1923 - Gustave K. Tebell, Baseball, Basketball, Football
1924 - Harold J. Bentson, Rowing
1925 - Lloyd Vallely, Cross Country, Track
1926 - Stephen H. Polaski, Football
1927 - Jefferson DeMent Burrus, Rowing
1928 - Louis Behr, Basketball
1929 - Theodore A. Thelander, Baseball, Basketball, Football
1930 - Donald W. Meikeljohn, Tennis
1931 - Louis E. Oberdeck, Rowing
1932 - Harvey H. Schneider
1933 - Nello Anthony Pacetti, Football
1934 - Robert A. Schiller, Wrestling
1935 - Rolf Falk Poser, Basketball
1936 - Howard Thurston Heun, Rowing
1937 - Leonard L. Lovshin, Football
1938 - Charles H. Fensk, Cross Country, Track
1939 - Walter I. Bietila, Baseball
1940 - Ralph H. Moeller, Football
1941 - Kenneth E. Bixby, Baseball
1942 - Burleigh E. Jacobs
1943 - Frederick R. Rehm
1944 - Edward M. Dzirbik, Wrestling
1945 - Ken Chandler, Track
1946 - Jerry Thompson, Football
1947 - Exner Menzel, Basketball
1948 - Carlyle Fay, Jr., Rowing
1949 - Donald R. Peterson, Rowing
1950 - Robert J. Wilson, Football
1951 - David Staiger, Track, Football
1952 - Walter E. Deike, Cross Country, Track
1953 - James T. Moran, Football, Rowing
1954 - Norbert J. Esser, Basketball, Football, Track
1955 - Richard W. Cable, Basketball
1956 - Robert E. Konovsky, Football, Wrestling
1957 - Patrick J. Levenhagen, Football
1958 - Walter V. Holt, Baseball
1959 - John R. Hobbs, Basketball, Football, Track
1960 - Dale L. Hackbart, Football
1961 - Gerald L. Kulcinski, Football
1962 - Thomas M. Hughbanks, Baseball, Basketball, Football, Track
1963 - Hugh V. (Pat) Richter, Baseball, Basketball, Football
1964 - William R. Smith, Track
1965 - Gary V. Kirk, Tennis
1966 - David N. Fronek, Football
1967 - Dennis J. Sweeney, Baseball
1968 - Michael Gluck, Wrestling
1969 - Karl Rudat, Football
1970 - Douglas R. McFadyen, Hockey
1971 - Don Vandrey, Track
1972 - Pat Matzdorf, Track
1973 - Keith D. Nosbusch, Football
1974 - Gary D. Anderson
1975 - James R. Dyreby, Jr., Rowing
1976 - Patrick J. Christenso, Wrestling
1977 - Peter W. Brey, Basketball
1978 - Michael Eaves, Hockey
1979 - Steve Lacy, Cross Country, Track
1980 - Thoams G. Stauss, Football
1981 - David C. Goodspeed, Wrestling
1982 - David Mohapp, Football and Ann French, Badminton
1983 - David Farley and Rose Thomson, Cross Country, Track
1984 - John Johannson, Hockey and Janet Huff, Basketball
1985 - John Easker, Cross Country, Track and Cathy Branta, Cross Country, Track
1986 - Tim Hacker, Cross Country, Track and Lisa Fortman, Tennis
1987 - J. J. Weber, Basketball and Amy Justeson, Swimming
1988 - Paul Gruber, Football and Chris Gilles, Tennis
1989 - Dave Lee, Wrestling and Maureen Hartzheim, Cross Country, Track
1990 - John Byce, Hockey and Susan Temple, Volleyball
1991 - Jack Waite, Tennis and Elaine Demetroulis, Tennis
1992 - Matt Demaray, Wrestling and Heather Taggart, Soccer
1993 - Donovan Bergstrom, Track and Kim Sherman, Cross Country, Track
1994 - Louis Hinshaw, Track and Field and Susie Holt, Soccer
1995 - Jeff Gold, Soccer and Dana Tzakis, Golf
1996 - Scott Lamphear, Soccer and Lauren Gavaris, Tennis
1997 - Alastair Steel, Soccer and Kathy Butler, Cross Country, Track
1998 - Erik Raygor, Hockey and Katie Voigt, Basketball
1999 - Brian Doherty, Soccer and Shannon Brown, Soccer
2000 - Jay Schoenfelder, Cross Country, Track and Gina Panighetti, Swimming
2001 - Mike Kelley, Basketball and Allie Blomquist, Golf
2002 - Danny Westerman, Tennis and Andrea Wanezek, Swimming
2003 - Kirk Penney, Basketball and Erin Byrd, Volleyball
2004 - Ryan Tremelling, Track and Morgan Shields, Volleyball
2005 - Jim Leonhard, Football and Carla MacLeod, Ice Hockey
2006 - Nathan Brown, Track and Field and Jessica Ring, Ice Hockey
2007 - Joe Thomas, Football and Sara Bauer, Ice Hockey
2008 - Adam Barhamand, Rowing and Katrina Rundhaug, Cross Country, Track
2009 - Joe Krabbenhoft, Basketball and Gwen Jorgensen, Cross Country, Track
2010 - Jack Bolas, Cross Country, Track and Chavon Robinson, Track
2011 - Gabe Carimi, Football and Maggie Meyer, Swimming
2012 - Peter Konz, Football and Laurie Nosbusch, Soccer
2013 - Elliot Krause, Cross Country, Track and Kendall Schmidt, Rowing
2014 - Reed Connor, Cross Country, Track and Mary Massei, Softball
2015 - Drew teDuits, Swimming and Kim Dinh, Golf
2016 - Joel Stave, Football and Kelsey Card, Track
