BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — Long before the Buckinghams became known for capacity crowds, fashion statements and a who's who list of participants, there was a moment of angst for its organizers.
It was April of 2009 and the Buckinghams — part awards show, part video showcase, part talent extravaganza featuring Wisconsin student-athletes — were making their debut at the Overture Center in downtown Madison.
Bridget Woodruff, one of the show's creators, was backstage getting ready for the curtain to rise.
One problem.
The first act in the show's history, football player Elijah Hodge, was nowhere to be seen.
Woodruff, now the UW director of student-athlete development, was frantic. She weighed a couple options — skip the act and move on or give Hodge a little more time to show — before Hodge suddenly burst on the scene, ran breathlessly out on stage and kicked things off with a dance routine.
Ten years later, Hodge doesn't remember why he was late. He may have lost track of time while rehearsing the mannequin portion of his act, or football teammate O'Brien Schofield, another scheduled performer, was late and Hodge was waiting for him.
Regardless, the moment serves as a microcosm for the Buckinghams, which embrace the impromptu, the unexpected and, of course, the unforgettable.
The celebrated show has included a piano-playing quarterback, a stilt-walking rower and a country-western singing hockey goaltender.
It has featured roommates as dueling piano players, teammates as singing ensembles and powerful voices telling important personal stories.
The Buckinghams have also served as the backdrop for a marriage proposal.
The 10th annual get-together took place Tuesday night and, for the second consecutive year, drew a capacity crowd of 1,000 student-athletes, coaches and administrators.
Most notably they saw UW quarterback Alex Hornibrook open the show playing his guitar and singing "Chicken Fried" by the Zac Brown Band and Beata Nelson, an All-America swimmer, sing "Dancing On My Own" by Calum Scott accompanied by dancer Delanie Rybacki of the women's rowing team.
UW football player Paul Jackson II offered a touching tribute to his upbringing and family via a "Spoken Word" segment.
The show also put the spotlight on academic achievement, honoring D'Cota Dixon from football and Amy Davis from women's cross country and track and field as student-athletes of the year.
In addition, the latest recipients of the Big Ten Medal of Honor were identified as Georgia Ellenwood of women's track and field and Josh McDonald of men's track and field.
Doug Tiedt, another Buckinghams creator, said there was roughly 300 or so in the audience at the first show. He said he "never envisioned" filling every seat.
Why have the Buckinghams endured then?
"The students really relate," said Tiedt, the UW senior associate athletic director for student services. "I think they like to be able to showcase their non-athletic abilities and it gives them a chance to all be in the same room at the same time and be in an environment where they're not in T-shirts and sweats.
"It's a different environment. I think they're celebrating things other than just athletics. I think that's kind of cool."
Woodruff said the Buckinghams are a place for student-athletes to wear their best clothes — dresses and suits displayed along a red carpet — and appreciate one another in a lighthearted setting. In addition to music, dance and other performances, art work by the participants is also on display.
"From the student side of it, they realize it takes guts to get up there and half of them don't want to do it, so they appreciate the ones that do get up there and take that risk and challenge," she said.
"It's awesome to see all these hidden talents. You never know who's going to get up there next and how good they're going to be. It's always different. I think that's what keeps people engaged and coming.
"It's a community thing, too. They get to engage with non-teammates, peers who are not on their team."
Another reason the Buckinghams have grown is the enthusiastic support they receive from UW coaches and administrators. That dates back to the inaugural show when Tiedt said he received multiple emails from senior staffers praising the event.
Woodruff noted that first-year student-athletes can be heard mentioning the Buckinghams and Tiedt mentioned that Chris Bono, the newly hired wrestling coach, already had his suit picked out for the affair and made a point of showing up even though he had to leave early to meet with a recruit.
UW Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez was not only on hand Tuesday night he was interviewed as part of the show.
"They're all about this event and they're there, fully present," Woodruff said of Alvarez, his staff and his coaches. "That trickles down to the students when they see that engagement as well."
The Buckinghams grew from an academic awards banquet at the Kohl Center to its current format at the elegant Overture.
Tiedt and Woodruff initially looked at staging the Buckinghams at the Barrymore Theater, the Majestic Theater and the Memorial Union, but settled on the quiet dignity of the Overture.
Asked if there's been any surprises outside of the normal scheduling of acts, Tiedt said yes, noting that he's been moved to tears at least once in every show.
"I guess that it's grown every year," he said. "I'm amazed at the different types of talent that we see."
Some of the more memorable moments featured women's hockey goaltender Alannah McCready singing with such style in 2009 and '10 that she's carved out a musical career in Nashville; quarterback Joel Stave singing and playing the piano in 2011, '12, '14; women's basketball player Anya Covington reading poetry in 2011; members of the men's basketball team accompanying Vitto Brown's vocals in 2014 and '15; and women's rower Lisbet Pietz performing on stilts last year.
There was the stirring opening act in 2016 when student-athletes from four different sports — Brown, football player Dare Ogunbowale, golfer Matt Ross and Anders Kristensen from men's soccer — played dueling pianos and sang.
"They whipped it together that day," Woodruff said. "Pulling their performance together literally happened hours before the show."
Of course, there was wrestler Brett Hochstaetter singing and playing the guitar before proposing on stage to his girlfriend-now-wife in 2014.
"The place went nuts," Woodruff said.
Planning has already begun on the next edition of the Buckinghams, which have cultivated a unique vibe.
"It's so classy," Tiedt said.
"It's so different," Woodruff said. "It's not an athletic endeavor."
