Heroic Legends of Wisconsin Teams
Wisconsin is not short of beloved sports teams, and over the years some titans have played for the state. Here are some of the most legendary athletes that played for teams from Wisconsin.
Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers
Favre’s role as a quarterback in the NFL lasted for 20 seasons, and for most of that time, he was with the Green Bay Packers of Wisconsin. By the end of his career in 2010, Brett Favre had amassed an impressive collection of stats including a league record of 321 consecutive starts (297 of which were regular-season games). Other statistical milestones achieved by Favre are numerous, such as becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to make 10,000 passes, 500 touchdowns, 200 wins, and enjoy victory over all 32 teams. He was also named MVP every year from 1995 to 1997, the most consecutive MVP Awards anyone has been given.
His illustrious career began with a very brief stint at the Atlanta Falcons, after which Favre headed for the Green Bay Packers, for whom he would play from 1992-2007. It took a couple of seasons, but Favre was able to lead the Packers back to the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. In 1996, he led the team to their best result in three decades (and was named MVP for the second year in a row), with the team both scoring the most and conceding the fewest points in that year. But more was to come, and the Packers won the Super Bowl over the New England Patriots, with Favre throwing touchdown passes of 54 and 81 yards (the latter was the record longest touchdown catch at the time).
While the Packers put up a staunch attempt to win the 1997 Super Bowl they ended up being surprisingly defeated by the Denver Broncos, losing 24-31. While the Super Bowl didn’t feature the Packers or Favre in the next few years the esteem the team held him in was made clear in 2001, when he signed a 10-year contract extension worth $100m. The reasons why were pretty obvious, as Favre made at least one touchdown pass in 36 consecutive games in the 2002-2004 seasons. Later, the loss of key players made Favre’s job harder and in 2006 he suffered his first career shutout versus the Chicago Bears. After 2007, he spent a season with the New York Jets and two with the Minnesota Vikings, but the vast majority of Favre’s career and phenomenal success came with the Green Bay Packers.
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Milwaukee Bucks
A big name, who’s also a very big man at 7 feet and 2 inches tall, is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Born in 1947 as Lewis Alcindor Jr., he changed his name to the one that would become famous the day after he helped the Milwaukee Bucks win the 1971 Championship, (in a move not dissimilar to Muhammad Ali).
Abdul-Jabbar was a legend of Wisconsin sport, picking up an impressive trio of MVP Awards while with the Bucks (from 1969-1975). His first season marked him for greatness when he was named rookie of the year in 1969. In the 1970-71 season he had a league-leading 31.7 PPG, which helped secure him his first MVP Award. This was one of the greatest seasons the Bucks have ever had, with Abdul-Jabbar’s prowess on the court taking them to a 12-2 Playoff record and winning the NBA Finals over the Baltimore Bullets (the only time so far the Bucks have achieved this success). The next season again saw Abdul-Jabbar named MVP, though the Bucks only made it to the Western Conference finals (losing out to the Lakers).
In the next two seasons with the Bucks he was 2nd and then won MVP again, and with the Bucks missing the playoffs Abdul-Jabbar requested a transfer. He ended up going to the Lakers, for whom he also won three MVP Awards, bringing his personal total to half a dozen. Off the court, he also had his share of fun, from starring in cult comedy Airplane! to going toe-to-toe with Bruce Lee in Game of Death. By the time he retired in 1989, Abdul-Jabbar was the all-time leader of points scored, both games and minutes played, fields goals (both attempted and made), and career wins.
Robin Yount and the Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers of the MLB have had four MVPs over the decades, and arguably the best is Robin Yount. Yount was remarkable not only for his talent at baseball but for spending his entire (long) career with the Brewers, playing for the side from 1974 to 1993.
Yount was just 18 years old when he made his first major league appearance, and after some early hitless games his sixth saw him make a home run for the win. In 1978 Yount, despite his youth, threw down an ultimatum and threatened to become a golfer if he were to be underpaid or moved to the outfield. In the end, his demands were met.
One of Yount’s career highlights was a 210 hit season in 1982, the same year he won his first MVP Award and the only Gold Glove Award of his career. For the Brewers, the year saw them make their only appearance in the World Series, which they narrowly lost to the St. Louis Cardinals. Shoulder problems did not stop Yount being named MVP again, and although he technically became a free agent in 1989 (and there was interest from the California Angels) he ended up signing with the Brewers once again. In 1992, he achieved his 3,000th career hit and retired at the end of the following season. In 1999, Yount entered the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Other Wisconsin Sporting Legends
The above legends of Wisconsin’s sporting heritage are not the only heroes in the annals of the state’s history, however. Take Dwayne Wade, whose college career was spent with the Marquette Golden Eagles (whom he led to the Conference USA title in 2003) before going on to the NBA where he led Miami Heat to their first NBA Championship and was named NBA Finals MVP in 2006.
The Milwaukee Milkmen have had their share of talented players too, such as Brian Johnson and Henderson Álvarez. Meanwhile, Alan Ameche (known as The Iron Horse) spent his college years at the Wisconsin Badgers and won the Heisman Trophy as the most outstanding player in college football. Later, Ameche entered the NFL and famously scored the winning touchdown in the 1958 NFL Championship Game, which many consider to be the greatest game the sport has ever seen.
The Wisconsin Badgers is also the name of the state’s NCAA Division I college basketball team and has seen players such as Frank Kaminsky (winner of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award 2015), and Devin Harris, who was named Big Ten Player of the Year (2004).
Wisconsin’s got a proud sporting history and its teams have seen some nationally and internationally famous names over the years, from the towering Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Brett Favre, who took the Packers to victory in Super Bowl XXXI.
As Always
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