UW Athletic Hall of Fame: Carl Silvestri
July 31, 2022 | Football, General News, Mike Lucas
Wisconsin football MVP and NFL pro a Badger for life
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Long after Carl Silvestri had hung up his football cleats and retired from the sport, the running gag was that the former two-way player, one of the last in the one platoon era, would still tape his ankles on game days. Silvestri was always at the ready, a measure of his competitive zeal.
"Carl was intense and intensely loyal to Wisconsin — he was unwavering in his commitment," recounted long-time friend Ted Kellner, who traveled in the same booster circles for decades. "We'd go to the games through thick and thin. There was no more diehard fan than Carl. He loved the Badgers."
Kellner was reminded of a Silvestri story. Wisconsin was playing at Ohio State and four couples got together for a "watch party." Pizza was ordered. The Buckeyes won. No surprise. Still when the pizza arrived, Silvestri was too upset to eat, so he got wife Debbie, they thanked everyone and went home.
"Because he played the game," Kellner said, "he took the losses personally."
But it was only a temporary state of mind. Bob Richter, an ex-Badger teammate, recalled, "Carl had a lot of injuries over his years playing football. But I will guarantee you that Carl never sprained an ankle jumping off the bandwagon. He was the consummate captain of the UW bandwagon."
There was more from Richter, an All-Big Ten linebacker, on the steely-eyed Silvestri: "If you go down the list of what comes to mind with 'Sil' … it was his intensity ... that no-nonsense, 'Get it Done' look of determination … whatever he was doing, he could turn that game face on within seconds."
Richter was speaking with a heavy heart — not long after Carl Silvestri passed away on Nov. 25, 2004. He was 61. On the day of his funeral in early December, the "Big Red Rally" was held that night in Milwaukee. The boosters mourned his loss and celebrated his life. An empty chair was left at a table.
"The thing I remember the most about my dad," Scott Silvestri said, "was how grateful he was for his opportunity for an education at Wisconsin, and I mean that. There wasn't a day that went by that he wasn't thankful for his experience as a Badger and the opportunities that it provided him.
"He came from very modest means. Brady Street in downtown Milwaukee. He grew up in a home where English was a second language. His parents were immigrants from Italy. And quite honestly, he probably wouldn't have gone to college without a football scholarship.
"He was just so thankful for his opportunity. It was life changing. It was transformative. And it really changed the arc of our family tree. There was nothing he wouldn't do for the university after his playing days … That's why this honor would mean so much to him if he was here today."
When Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh summoned Scott Silvestri to his office, there was some anxiety on the part of Silvestri, the vice president-general manager for Badger Sports Properties since 2017. "I wasn't sure if I was in trouble," Silvestri admitted half-jokingly.
Quite the opposite. McIntosh informed him that his pops, Carl Silvestri, was going into the UW Athletics Hall of Fame, Class of '22. Processing it all, Scott said, "It was a very emotional five minutes. I gathered myself together. The first call I made was to my mom, the second call was to my sister."
Many cheered the news. Wife Amy and the kids. Kellner, the philanthropist extraordinaire. And Scott's godfather Danny Tzakis, who roomed with Carl in college. Silvestri made friends easily. For 35 years, he worked in the insurance and banking industry before his retirement from U.S. Bank in 2003.
"Ted Kellner was a great friend to my dad — they went through those lean years together," Scott said. "And coach Alvarez has always been so gracious. Especially after my dad's death. He reminded me of what a true Badger he was, and how thankful he was that he was part of the program."
Alvarez had nothing but the fondest memories of Silvestri, the selfless, loyal, tireless booster.
"Carl was one of the guys who was always all-in," Alvarez said. "He always wanted to know how he could help. Like Ted Kellner would say, 'When Carl shows up, he's always got his ankles taped.' He was ready to go and do whatever it took to get it done. All I knew was that he was a guy I could trust."
Silvestri was a player that Alvarez would have trusted and loved to coach.
"Carl was not very big, but he played big for his size," said Pat Richter, a teammate on the 1963 Rose Bowl team. In that memorable loss to USC, Silvestri, then a sophomore, caught three passes from Ron VanderKelen while also starting at safety. "He was very shifty, very versatile and he was tough."
At Shorewood High School, Silvestri was a first-team All-State running back in 1960.
"Growing up, I would have a lot of adults come up to me asking if I was related to him," Scott said. "And they would always tell stories about him playing high school football and then watching Carl either at Wisconsin or in the NFL. I received a lot of compliments from opposing coaches about my dad."
Silvestri was a coach's dream. "He's just an awfully important guy to us," Milt Bruhn once said.
Bruhn, the former Wisconsin head coach didn't hesitate to use Silvestri at a variety of positions. On offense, he played left halfback, wingback, flanker and fullback. The latter was out of necessity after the starter Ralph Kurek injured his ankle the week prior to a 1963 home game against Purdue.
The Badgers knocked off the Boilermakers, 38-20, in their Big Ten opener and Silvestri rushed 14 times for 86 yards (6.1). Insiders knew what Silvestri (5-11, 185) was capable of doing with the football in his hands. No matter where he lined up. Outsiders were stunned by his effectiveness.
Wrote Bill Gleason of Chicago's American, "The depth and versatility of the Wisconsin squad was demonstrated by Carl Silvestri, who had been a career halfback until Bruhn gave him the word that he would run at fullback … They have a seemingly endless array of swift runners."
In '63, Silvestri had the UW's second most rushing yards (72 carries for 351) to Lou Holland.
"You can put Carl anyplace," Bruhn would repeatedly say, "and he'll do a respectable job."
In mid-July of 1964, the NCAA repealed its one-platoon rules and allowed for unlimited substitution. Weeks before the August training camp, Bruhn pondered his personnel options while noting the Silvestri "was a leading candidate in about four different spots." Such was his versatility.
As it turned out, Silvestri was too valuable not to play on offense and defense. Bruhn's three best players in the secondary were Silvestri, Ron Frain and Dave Fronek. His best wingback was Silvestri who had already proven his mettle at halfback and fullback. If needed, he could also punt or placekick.
"It might be that when the history of Wisconsin's 1964 season is written," opined sportswriter Tom Butler in the Wisconsin State Journal, "Wisconsin fans will paraphrase Sir Winston Churchill, 'Never have so many Badgers owed so much to one blond Italian-American from Shorewood.'"
While the Badgers were struggling to a 3-6 record during his senior year, Silvestri was the epitome of grit and grind and that "Get it Done" determination. In a lopsided 29-0 loss at Illinois — during which Jim Grabowski ran for 239 yards and the Illini had 93 plays — Silvestri never surrendered.
"Silvestri stopped Grabowski several times in the open field and his presence undoubtedly saved the Badgers from further humiliation," Butler wrote. Silvestri had 15 tackles, 11 unassisted. Bruhn rewarded Silvestri by announcing he'd play both ways in the regular season-finale against Minnesota.
Silvestri didn't disappoint. Neither did the Badgers, a 14-7 winner over the Gophers at Camp Randall. Ron Smith ran for 160 yards and the game-winning score. Silvestri had a 47-yard run to set up the first TD and sparked a defense that held Minnesota to only one first down in the second half.
"Silvestri was tremendous — I just wish we had him for another three years," Bruhn said wistfully. "We wanted him to play as much offense as possible but primarily needed him on defense. Our kids were hungry — and healthy a lot of them for the first time — and we wanted this game badly."
Silvestri was among those who battled injuries. So much so that Bruhn was reluctant to utilize him on offense during some games at the risk of compromising his defense. In the end, there was no denying the impact No. 45 (Silvestri) had on both sides of the ball and he was named the team's MVP.
For his career, on limited carries, he averaged 5.2 yards per rush (Billy Marek averaged 5.16).
"He was a very humble man and he never talked about his playing days unless he was prodded into doing so," Scott Silvestri said of his dad who played two years in the NFL with St. Louis and Atlanta. "It was a special moment for me when I first saw his highlights and realized what a good player he was."
He has filed away some of those keepsakes, some photos from his father's career. "I remember in particular there was a picture of him scoring a touchdown carrying Dick Butkus on his back," he said. "I also remember him getting run over by Jim Brown when he was a rookie with the Cardinals.
"We would tease him about that all the time."
It was good natured, of course. "He was one of those guys who would do whatever was needed to help the team," Scott continued. "He loved the game. He once told me when he got that first paycheck in the NFL that it was surreal because he would have played the game for free."
Upon retirement, Carl Silvestri dabbled in radio. In 1976, he was a color analyst for Paul Braun on WTSO. The other stations carrying the Badgers back then (pre-exclusivity) were WTMJ (Jim Irwin, VanderKelen, Marsh Shapiro); WIBA (Fred Gage, Gary Gallup) and WISN (Ted Moore, Earl Gillespie).
The media was a short-lived gig for Silvestri. "He was just too excited," Scott said of the "No cheering in the Press Box" restrictions. "To not be able to express his emotions in the way that he typically did in the stands, he was a better fit to be in his season tickets than to be in the radio booth."
Throughout it all, Carl Silvestri shared his humanity, instincts and X's and O's acumen.
"He was an unbelievable coach and terrific mentor," said Scott, a four-year letterwinner in swimming at Wisconsin and a past president of the "W" Club. Like father like son. "He never pushed but he was always there to provide coaching advice, he was always there to provide support.
"I couldn't have asked for a better dad in my corner when I was playing sports."
His dad's passion for football rubbed off. For 15 years, Scott was the group director of sales and marketing efforts for the Kohler Co. hospitality and real estate group. During that time, he took an active role in coaching at the youth and high school level before relocating the family to Madison.
"I've always been a coach at heart in my jobs," said Scott Silvestri, who tried to stay involved by volunteering his help and support with the Middleton youth programs. But that didn't quench his thirst. Three years ago, he took over as the defensive coordinator at Madison Edgewood High School.
Some of his fellow prep coaches can vouch for his competitiveness, fire, intensity. "I know I have a little bit of my old man in me," Scott said respectfully. "He taught me so much about the game and I'm grateful that I'm able to pass along even a sliver to the kids I coach — things my father taught me."
As emotional as it may have been that day in McIntosh's office learning about his dad's induction into the Hall of Fame, it stands to be even more so for the actual event, Sept. 9. "We'll be using this opportunity to celebrate my dad's legacy and also have a family reunion," Scott said.
Embracing that legacy, he went on, "He never got off the band wagon. It didn't matter what the situation was, he had a 'How can I help?' attitude. That really stuck with me as I watched … In those lean years, he did some arm twisting to ensure the team had the support that it needed."
And he was eventually rewarded. As were all Badger fans. "I'm not sure there was a happier guy than Carl — besides the coaching staff — when they won the Big Ten in 1993," said Scott knowing full well how his dad had been such "an ambassador for the athletic department and the football program."
It's sure to be revisited at the HOF induction with his mom, Deborah, who's in Florida and hasn't returned for a Football Saturday in years. Sister Julie lives in Dallas and has two kids. Scott and Amy have four: Jenna and Ally are on the UW swim team; Luke, 23, is in Nashville; Joby is a junior at Edgewood.
"I know it will be hard for my mom," Scott Silvestri acknowledged. "She has a lot of memories."
So does everyone who ever met Carl Silvestri. Fond memories. Intense. And intensely loyal.
