Wisconsin Badgers former running back Montee Ball will be today’s honorary captain against Penn State. He might be the most underappreciated running back in college football history.
In 2011, Badgers quarterback Russell Wilson and running back Montee Ball, both had 40 total TDs for Wisconsin. It was a magical season for the tandem, leading Wisconsin to an 11-3 season that included a Big 10 Title and a Rose Bowl bid. Montee’s statistics and achievements with the Badgers
Badgers running back Montee Ball set NCAA records with 83 total touchdowns and finished as a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2011. He ran for 1,923 yards and 33 touchdowns that year.
He followed that with another stellar year in 2012, rushing for 1,830 yards with 22 touchdowns while earning All-American honors in both seasons. Against Nebraska in the 2012 Big 12 Championship Game, he contributed 21 rushes for 202 yards and three touchdowns.
Ball finished his Wisconsin career with a school record 77 rushing touchdowns. He broke the NCAA record in a 2012 matchup with Penn State on a 17-yard touchdown. He won the 2012 Doak Walker Award.
Montee’s credentials that made his career legendary for Wisconsin
Former Wisconsin football All-American Montee Ball is on the ballot for the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame. He is Wisconsin’s all-time leader in rushing and total touchdowns and top three in yards.
Ball had 924 carries for 5,140 yards rushing on 5.6 yards per carry and 83 touchdowns total. He is one of the all-time Badger greats. One of the best running backs in college football history.
Montee’s NFL career with Denver and New England
Montee Ball was selected as the 58th overall pick by the Denver Broncos in the 2013 NFL Draft on April 26th. His time in the NFL with the Denver Broncos was quite short-lived and underwhelming, along with the off-field issues and alcoholism issues that made his stay quite short. He could manage only 731 rushing yards with five touchdowns in two seasons before being released by the Broncos in 2015.
The woes for Ball continued with a very short-lived stint on the New England Patriots practice squad. The Patriots cut ties with Ball on Feb. 10, 2016, subsequent to legal problems that included an arrest for felony domestic abuse.
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