2000 Wisconsin Badgers football team

American college football season February 2026 August 2023 2000 Wisconsin Badgers football Wisconsin Badgers logo.svg 125 Big Ten Conference Big Ten 24 23 9–4 4–4 Barry Alvarez 11th Brian White 2nd MultipleSeptember 2025 Kevin CosgroveSeptember 2025 6thSeptember 2025 4–3September 2025 Chris Chambers Jason Doering John Favret Casey RabachSeptember 2025 Camp Randall Stadium Sun Bowl champion Sun Bowl W 21–20 vs. UCLA The 2000 Wisconsin Badgers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their 11th year under head coach Barry Alvarez, the Badgers compiled a 9–4 record (4–4 in conference games), finished in a three-way tie for fifth in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 328 to 265. Against ranked opponents, they lost to No. 9 Michigan, No. 8 Ohio State, and No. 17 Purdue. They concluded the season with a 21–20 victory over unranked UCLAin the Sun Bowl. The Badger were ranked No. 23 in the final AP poll. The team's statistical leaders included running back Michael Bennett (1,681 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns), quarterback Brooks Bollinger (1,479 passing yards, 121.17 passer rating), wide receiver Chris Chambers (52 catches, 813 yards), kicker Vital Pisetsky (70 points scored), and linebacker Nick Greisen (90 solo tackles, 146 total tackles).2000 Football Cumulative Statistics University of Wisconsin-Madison UWBadgers.com September 4, 2025 https://uwbadgers.com/sports/football/stats/2000 Cornerback Jamar Fletcher tallied seven interceptions and 14 pass breakups, won the Jim Thorpe Award, and was a consensus first-team All-American. Punter Kevin Stemke punted 69 times for an average of 44.49 yards and won the Ray Guy Award as the most outstanding punter in college football. The team played its home games at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. Schedule 2000 AP Central August 31 7:00 p.m. w y 4 Western Michigan Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI ESPN Plus 19–7 77,843 https://www.usatoday.com/sports/scores100/100244/100244501.htm NCAA Football - Western Michigan vs. Wisconsin USA Today September 9 2:30 p.m. w y 5 Oregon Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI ABC 27–23 78,521 https://www.usatoday.com/sports/scores100/100253/100253389.htm NCAA Football - Oregon vs. Wisconsin USA Today September 16 1:00 p.m. w y 4 Cincinnati Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI 28–25 OT 78,749 https://www.usatoday.com/sports/scores100/100260/100260369.htm NCAA Football - Cincinnati vs. Wisconsin USA Today September 23 11:00 a.m. l 7 Northwestern Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI ESPN Plus 44–47 2OT 78,597 https://www.usatoday.com/sports/scores100/100267/100267437.htm NCAA Football - Northwestern vs. Wisconsin USA Today September 30 11:00 a.m. l y 17 Michigan 9 Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI College GameDay ABC 10–13 111,341 https://www.usatoday.com/sports/scores100/100274/100274429.htm NCAA Football - Wisconsin vs. Michigan USA Today October 7 2:30 p.m. l 24 Ohio State 8 Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI ABC 7–23 79,045 https://www.usatoday.com/sports/scores100/100281/100281374.htm NCAA Football - Ohio State vs. Wisconsin USA Today October 14 11:00 a.m. w y Michigan State Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI ESPN Plus 17–10 74,863 https://www.usatoday.com/sports/scores100/100288/100288431.htm NCAA Football - Wisconsin vs. Michigan State USA Today October 21 11:00 a.m. l y Purdue 17 Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI ESPN 24–30 OT 79,048 https://www.usatoday.com/sports/scores100/100295/100295443.htm NCAA Football - Purdue vs. Wisconsin USA Today October 28 11:00 a.m. w y Iowa Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA rivalry ESPN Plus 13–7 62,560 https://www.usatoday.com/sports/scores100/100302/100302430.htm NCAA Football - Wisconsin vs. Iowa USA Today November 4 11:00 a.m. w Minnesota Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI rivalry ESPN2 41–20 79,171 https://www.usatoday.com/sports/scores100/100309/100309443.htm NCAA Football - Minnesota vs. Wisconsin USA Today November 11 11:00 a.m. w y Indiana Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN ESPN Plus 43–22 30,469 http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MWSB&p_theme=mwsb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB82E24B45633F1&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Newsbank 2011-10-15 2016-03-04 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304222441/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MWSB&p_theme=mwsb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB82E24B45633F1&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM dead November 25 10:00 p.m. w y y Hawaii Aloha Stadium Halawa, HI ESPN Plus 34–18 41,313 https://www.usatoday.com/sports/scores100/100330/100330468.htm NCAA Football - Wisconsin vs. Hawaii USA Today December 29 1:00 p.m. w y y UCLA Sun Bowl El Paso, TX Sun Bowl CBS 21–20 49,093 https://www.usatoday.com/sports/scores100/100364/100364380.htm NCAA Football - UCLA vs. Wisconsin USA Today Rankings 2000 NCAA Division I-A football rankings AP 0 16 4 (1) 4 (1) 5 (1) 4 (1) 7 17 24 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 23 Coaches Poll 0 16 5 (1) 5 (1) 6 (1) 5 (1) 6 14 22 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 24 BCS 9 15 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR September 2025 Personnel Roster 2000 Wisconsin Badgers f 81 Jr Mark Anelli TE y y 29 Jr Michael Bennett Michael Bennett (running back) RB y 31 So Erik Bickerstaff FB y y 5 So Brooks Bollinger QB y y 84 So David Braun WR y 34 Fr Michael Broussard RB 67 Fr Dan Buenning G 88 Sr Chris Chambers WR y C 54 Sr Dave Costa Dave Costa (offensive lineman) T y y 22 Jr Nick Davis Nick Davis (American football) WR y 69 Jr Jeremy Dox G y 3 So Lee Evans WR Lee Evans (American football) 4 Fr Eddie Faulkner RB y y 60 Sr Bill Ferrario G y y 23 Jr Josh Hunt WR y 76 Sr Josh Jakubowski T 72 So Al Johnson Al Johnson (guard) C y y 64 So Ben Johnson Ben Johnson (offensive tackle) T y y 56 So Jason Jowers C G y 41 Jr Chad Kuhns FB y 71 Jr Brian Lamont T y 70 Jr Casey Rabach C y y C 87 Sr Dague Retzlaff TE y 85 Sr John Sigmund TE y 19 Fr Jim Sorgi QB y 38 Sr Matt Unertl RB y 9 Jr Conroy White WR 27 Fr Broderick Williams RB y 7 Fr Ryan Aiello S 6 Jr Joey Boese S y 77 Jr Wendell Bryant DT y 10 Sr Bret Burlingame CB y 31 Jr Carlease Clark S 8 Sr Jason Doering S y C 52 Jr Mark Downing LB y 36 Jr Mike Echols Mike Echols (American football) CB y y 96 Sr John Favret DE y C 2 Sr Jamar Fletcher CB y y 45 Jr Nick Greisen LB y 90 Jr Aaron Habermann DT y 42 Jr Ben Herbert DE y 11 So Devery Hughes S y 48 Fr Darius Jones LB 19 Sr Roger Knight Roger Knight (American football) LB y 78 Sr Ross Kolodziej DT y y 50 So Russ Kuhns LB y 46 Fr Jeff Mack LB y 98 Sr Eric Mahlik NT y 30 Sr Ryan Marks LB y 43 Jr Delante McGrew DE y 65 Jr Nick Mueller DL y 21 Fr Jason Schick S y 27 So Ryan Simmons DB y 93 Jr Chuck Smith DT y 99 Jr Jake Sprague NT 32 Jr Bryson Thompson LB 23 So B. J. Tucker CB y 13 Fr Chris Wagner DB y 20 Sr Vitaly Pisetsky K y 86 Sr Mike Solwold LS y y 14 Sr Kevin Stemke P y *Barry Alvarez Brian White – Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs Kevin Cosgrove – Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers Todd Bradford – Defensive Backs Tim Davis – Tight Ends Jeff Horton – Quarterbacks Jim Hueber – Offensive Line and Run Game Coordinator Henry Mason – Wide Receivers John Palermo – Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line Darrell Wilson – Outside Linebackers/Special Teams September 2025 Regular starters PositionPlayerQuarterbackBrooks BollingerRunning backMichael BennettFullbackMark AnelliWide receiverLee EvansWide receiverChris ChambersTight endJohn SigmundLeft tackleBen JohnsonLeft guardBill FerrarioCenter Al JohnsonRight guardCasey RabachRight tackleBrian Lamont PositionPlayerDefensive tackleRoss KolodziejNose tackleEric MahlikDefensive tackleWendell BryantRush endJohn FavretOutside linebackerRoger KnightInside linebackerNick GreisenOutside linebackerJeff MackCornerbackJamar FletcherFree safetyJason DoeringStrong safetyJoey BoeseCornerbackMike Echols September 2025 Statistical achievements The Badgers outscored opponents by a total of 328 (25.23 points per game) to 265 (20.38 points per game). The Badgers gained an average of 358.8 yards of total offense per game, consisting of 196.1 rushing yards and 162.77 passing yards per game. On defense, they gave up 392.1 yards of total offense per game, consisting of 150.6 rushing yards and 241.46 passing yards per game. Michael Bennett led the team in rushing with 1,681 yards on 310 carries, an average of 152.82 yards per game and 5.4 yards per carry. He also led the team with 11 touchdowns. Quarterback Brooks Bollinger completed 110 of 209 passes (52.63%) for 1,479 yards, 10 touchdowns, seven interceptions, and a 121.17 passer rating. Wide receiver Chris Chambers led the team with 52 receptions for 813 yards, an average of 90.33 yards per game and 15.63 yards per reception. Kicker Vital Pisetsky led the team in scoring with 70 points. He converted 13 of 22 field goals and 31 of 32 extra points. The team's defensive leaders included Nick Greisen (90 solo tackles, 146 total tackles, six sacks, 14 tackles for loss), Wendell Bryant (six sacks), Jamar Fletcher (seven interceptions), and Mike Echols (19 pass breakups). Awards and records Cornerback Jamar Fletcher tallied seven interceptions and 14 pass breakups, won the Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in college football,https://www.espn.com/espn/wire?section=ncf&id=3763772 Jim Thorpe Award Winners and was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Yearhttps://www.newspapers.com/clip/25481419/detroit_free_press/ U-M's Hutchinson named All-Big Ten a fourth time Detroit Free Press Detroit, Michigan November 29, 2000 4 Newspapers.com He was a consensus All-American,Football Award Winners National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 2016 October 21, 2017 9 http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2016/awards.pdf receiving first-team honors from, among others, the Associated Press (AP), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Pro Football Weekly, Football News, CNNSI, and Rivals. Punter Kevin Stemke punted 69 times for an average of 44.49 yards. He and won the inaugural Ray Guy Award as the most outstanding punter in college football.http://football.about.com/cs/history/a/rayguyaward.htm College Football Awards - Ray Guy Award 2009-02-12 https://web.archive.org/web/20071209225652/http://football.about.com/cs/history/a/rayguyaward.htm 2007-12-09 dead He was also selected as a first-team All-American by CNNSI. Offensive guard Bill Ferrario was selected as a first-team All-American by Pro Football Weekly. Nine Wisconsin players received recognition on the 2000 All-Big Ten Conference football team: Fletcher (Coaches-1, Media-1); Stemke (Coaches-1, Media-1); offensive guard Casey Rabach (Coaches-1, Media-1); defensive lineman Wendell Bryant (Coaches-1, Media-2); linebacker Nick Greisen (Media-1); Ferrario (Coaches-2, Media-2); running back Michael Bennett (Coaches-2, Media-2); and defensive back Mike Echols (Coaches-2, Media-2); and wide receiver Chris Chambers (Coaches-2).2000 All-Big Ten Football Teams & Individual Honors Announced Ohio State Buckeyes November 28, 2000 December 22, 2019 https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/2000-all-big-ten-football-teams-individual-honors-announced-3/ 2001 NFL draft Wisconsin Badgers Player Position Round Pick NFL club Jamar Fletcher Cornerback 1 26 Miami Dolphins Michael Bennett Running back 1 27 Minnesota Vikings Chris Chambers Wide receiver 2 52 Miami Dolphins Casey Rabach Center 3 92 Baltimore Ravens Bill Ferrario Guard 4 105 Green Bay Packers Roger Knight Linebacker 6 182 Pittsburgh Steelers Jason Doering Defensive back 6 193 Indianapolis Colts Ross Kolodziej Defensive end 7 230 New York Giants https://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/2001.htm dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071221030113/http://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/2001.htm 2007-12-21 2001 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com Pro-Football-Reference.com References Wisconsin Category:Wisconsin Badgers football seasons Category:Sun Bowl champion seasons Wisconsin Badgers football