The 2019 class of the UW Athletic Hall of Fame has been selected and one new member will be announced each day from June 25 - July 6.
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MADISON, Wis. — Donovan Bergstrom's defining moment as a student-athlete at Wisconsin might well have come in defeat.
What's strange about that is Bergstrom, a distance specialist who competed in track and cross country for the Badgers from 1988-93, won the 1993 NCAA outdoor championship in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and received the Medal of Honor from the Big Ten Conference as a senior.
Those are no small feats. At the time, only 12 men had won national individual track titles for Wisconsin dating back to 1921 and only 16 men's track standouts for the Badgers had been awarded the Big Ten Medal of Honor — recognizing "the greatest proficiency in athletics and scholastic work" — since 1915.
But Bergstrom's greatest feat might have come when he and his teammates faced long odds and he helped guide the group to a satisfying outcome.
It's one of the backstories to why Bergstrom is one of 12 inductees who will join the University of Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame on Sept. 6. Ceremonies will be held at Union South and coincide with the football home opener at Camp Randall Stadium on Sept. 7.
"He was one of the all-time greats for sure," former teammate, roommate, and friend Jerry Schumacher said of Bergstrom.
In addition to being a five-time All-American and three-time Big Ten individual titlist, Bergstrom was named Wisconsin Male Athlete of the Year in 1993.
"Five terrific years for me," he said of his career, which generated "good memories of a great time."
Like the rest of his recruiting class, signed by then-coach Martin Smith, Bergstrom was redshirted in 1988 when the Badgers claimed the third of their five NCAA titles. He fully expected to win at least one more before his career was done.
"He was very determined for our group to be successful," Schumacher said of Bergstrom, who came from Elgin, Minnesota.
But the immediate follow-up to a national title was a struggle. Wisconsin finished 14th — its lowest placing in 10 years — in 1988 and ninth in 1990.
Schumacher said departures and transfers whittled a large recruiting class of eight to four: Bergstrom, Schumacher, Joel Kaines and Eric Morrison.
"The four of us had a very unique bond," Schumacher said. "What really brought us together the most was that when the chips were really, really down — we had lost some good athletes to graduation and we'd lost some really good athletes to transfer and we'd just finished ninth in the NCAAs that year — that summer we had a meeting and said, 'We're not going to let this happen.' Some of the best friendships were built that summer. I think Donovan and I really grew a lot together. The rest is history."
Bergstrom and Morrison were All-Americans in 1991 when the Badgers placed third with an outfit "that probably should never have been third," according to Schumacher.
The following season, Bergstrom, Morrison and Schumacher finished in the top 35 to earn All-America honors as Wisconsin totaled 87 points to run second behind Arkansas.
"We didn't have any star, blue-chip recruits," Bergstrom said. "It was just a bunch of good, small-town-values kind of kids that came together."
Gallery: (6/29/2019) Hall of Fame 2019: Donovan Bergstrom
Schumacher said everyone responded to the tone set by Bergstrom, who was a captain as a senior.
"We would leave practice and he had this great personality to him, this fun-loving, easy-smiling (presence) whether it was a good day or a bad day at the office," Schumacher said. "He put it in perspective and didn't ever let him change what we were about becoming as a group. I love that about him."
Bergstrom said he was merely responding to the quality individuals he was working with.
"They were good people," he said. "That was a special part of it."
Bergstrom desperately wanted to win an NCAA cross country title and do so running for the Badgers, not watching.
"That's the one thing I didn't accomplish at Wisconsin," he said. "I would have traded my individual national championship in the steeplechase for the team title in cross country in a heartbeat."
The adversity and disappointment Bergstrom faced at Wisconsin prepared him well for the world beyond college.
After graduating with degrees in psychology and criminal justice in 1993, Bergstrom set up shop in Ogden, Utah, to train with steeplechase guru Chick Hislop. Bergstrom's goal was to compete for the U.S. in the 2000 Summer Olympics.
"It was a major goal," he said. "I was in the best shape."
But Bergstrom was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right foot just prior to the Olympic Trials, forcing him to push that dream aside.
"I was ready," he said, "but that's athletics."
Bergstrom and his late wife, Kim, had a daughter they named Madison, who is 21. Curiously, they also have an adopted daughter named Madison, who is 22, and an adopted son named Demitri, who is 18.
Bergstrom has been a single parent since October of 2012 when Kim died suddenly from a heart ailment.
"Probably the hardest thing I've ever done," Bergstrom said. "Also the most rewarding.
"I was fortunate that I had my kids. I knew I had to take care of them. I really didn't have an option. I've always risen to challenges and this was just another challenge that really sucked."
Bergstrom earned a master's degree in public administration at the University of Utah and put down roots in Salt Lake City. That's where he works for the state division of juvenile justice services, overseeing detention facilities in urban areas.
"I have an awesome job of changing young lives," he said. "I feel very fortunate to be able to have an impact and help kids get on the right track."
Bergstrom said he leans heavily on the lessons he learned studying and competing at Wisconsin.
"The main thing I took away is just the importance of team work and how hard it is to develop a great team," he said. "I've been able to use my great experiences at Wisconsin to do that in the work place."
Bergstrom ticked off five specific ideals that relate to team work.
One is having respect for your teammates.
"You leave differences outside," he said. "We didn't have to be the best of friends, but when we went to practice and we put our jerseys on, we had that respect."
Two is the importance of working hard, but also having fun.
"We worked really hard to win the championships we won and we always found a way to make it enjoyable, whether it was playing 'Guns and Roses' while lifting or enjoying one another on all those van rides to the Arboretum," Bergstrom said.
Three is you have to hold each other accountable.
"It doesn't matter if it's the No. 1 runner or the seventh runner," he said. "Everybody had to hold each other accountable because that made everybody else better."
Four is the importance of the small things.
"Taking care of all the small things you needed to do to be successful, like eating correctly, stretching properly, going to bed early, getting your homework done so you can get your sleep," Bergstrom said. "Martin Smith said if you take care of the small things, good things will happen."
Five is putting the team first.
"The team was the priority," he said. "If you did that, you would accomplish your individual goals."
One truth tied them all together.
"It's not easy," Bergstrom said. "If it was, everybody would be able to do it. It's hard to develop a great team and to be able to stay on top."
The same goes for becoming a Hall of Famer.
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UW Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2019
