Lucas: Things come full circle for ‘most valuable’ senior class
December 12, 2017 | Football, Mike Lucas
Badgers’ football banquet celebrates historic season and applauds seniors
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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Defensive end Alec James recalled attending a Wisconsin football banquet when he was an impressionable high school recruit out of Brookfield, Wisconsin.
"I remembered seeing Austin Traylor and all the other older guys," he said of the former UW tight end who was a member of the 2015 senior class.
James also remembered thinking, "Man, they looked so old."
Last Friday night, he paused for reflection at the banquet.
"Now that's me," said James, a fifth-year senior. "And I'm about to be done.
"It's crazy how things have come full circle."
With a new wave of recruits in attendance at Union South, the message was anything but mixed — no hidden meaning, no agenda — and it was delivered through the player's interactions.
"I think they could see how much we enjoy each other," said tight end Troy Fumagalli. "We love being around each other and we love competing with each other. It's truly a family here."
"They got a chance to see that — how we are a big family — and how much pride we take as upperclassmen," James said. "It's the accumulation of hard work and it's all celebrated at the banquet."
There were some poignant "family" highlights.
James' mother, Heidi, was among the parents talking about their sons on a video. "I knew that my mom was going to cry," Alec admitted. "She said some really good things and I appreciated it."
Fumagalli's mother, Char, received the Captain's Cup, which is presented to the person who has shown dedication and an unselfish commitment toward the betterment of the program.
"I didn't know about it and it was a surprise to me," Troy said. "She was the team mom. She organized everything for tailgates and bowl trips. She was kind of the coordinator for the parents."
Smiles all around as the #Badgers were back at it today, beginning prep for the @OrangeBowl.
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFB) December 10, 2017
The Most Valuable Player award has been handed out at Wisconsin since 1926 and there have been 10 seasons prior to this one in which multiple winners have been selected.
"It's the highest award that we, as a program, can give," said head coach Paul Chryst. "It means a ton and we asked our players to vote on it and there were over 12 guys receiving multiple votes."
That warmed his heart.
"When you give this award out," he went on, "you want it to be meaningful, you want it to be real and you want it to be earned … it became really clear who the team's most valuable player was.
"I was fortunate to learn this my first year at Wisconsin. I'll never forget Coach (Barry) Alvarez saying, 'If we want to be the best team that we can be, our seniors need to play their best football.'
"We were truly blessed with that this year. And it goes so much further than football. What this team did — led by this group of seniors — was truly something special to be a part of."
As a result, the senior class, 13 strong, shared the MVP award for 2017. The players were introduced by their position coaches, starting with Bob Bostad calling Jack Cichy up to the podium.
"That was a tough deal — as tough as it gets," Bostad said of Cichy's season-ending injury in training camp. "Most guys would fall back and wilt. They would exit the stage.
"Instead, this guy double-downed and he was a great teammate and a great coach on the field. He has taught a lot of young guys how to handle adversity."
With a team like this, there's no way to pick just one MVP. So we didn't. Meet the MVPs, and all the #Badgers award winners.
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFB) December 8, 2017
Cichy thanked his teammates. "I couldn't have done it without you guys," he said. "Just being able to be out there (with you) has kept me sane."
James was moved.
"At first, I thought it was just going to be Cich and I was really happy for him," he said, assuming that Cichy was the lone MVP. "And then they started naming other guys.
"And I was saying, 'Good for him' and "Good for him …'"
Lo and behold, James, Conor Sheehy and Chikwe Obasih were then called up front by their defensive line coach, Inoke Breckterfield. Good for them.
"These three are up here together," Breckterfield said. "They started out this way and they're going to end this way. I've never been around a group that has worked harder than these guys."
Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, who doubles as the secondary coach, had the longest roll call: Joe Ferguson, Lubern Figaro, Natrell Jamerson and Derrick Tindal.
Leonhard introduced each of his seniors individually. Rarely has Tindal ever been at a loss for words. But the player that Leonhard labeled as "Mr. Energy" hit the mute button after saying thanks.
"I didn't want to stand up there too long and get emotional, so I had to make it quick," Tindal later explained. "These are my brothers and they're going to be my brothers for life."
Chryst's closing remarks put the perfect bow on the banquet.
"When I think of this team, I go back a couple of years ago when we read 'The Traveler's Gift,'" he said of the New York Times bestseller authored by Andy Andrews.
The subtitle was, "Seven decisions that determine personal success."
Chryst cited the importance of "vision" and "a decided heart."
"You had a vision and that vision was real," he told the seniors. "You put that vision into action every day. And it was a group with a decided heart.
"To see that and to feel that and to be able to live that was truly a gift that you gave to every one of us on this team."
Each senior was asked in advance to share his favorite football memory. And their responses were printed in a neat booklet that was at each table setting and served as the banquet program.
For instance, outside linebacker Garrett Dooley submitted, "Senior night at Camp Randall. Being able to be a part of something special with my family and my brothers is something I will never forget."
By contrast, Sheehy offered, "Haven't had it yet."
"It's sunshine. "It's 80 degrees. "It's the beach." Having been part of the it himself, Barry Alvarez feels the @OrangeBowl is what the bowl game experience is all about. ???? http://goo.gl/dPJWcA
— Wisconsin Badgers (@UWBadgers) December 11, 2017
After acknowledging how grateful he was for what the players accomplished this year — "To give this team one more chance to play together" — Chryst played off Sheehy's entry.
Looking ahead to Wisconsin's matchup against Miami in the Orange Bowl, Chryst promised, "We will have a heckuva month so Conor can write down in his book his greatest memory."
