The 2001 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 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their 12th year under head coach Barry Alvarez, the Badgers compiled a 5–7 record (3–5 in conference games), finished in a tie for eighth in the Big Ten, and were outscored by a total of 346 to 313. Against ranked opponents, they defeated No. 21 Ohio State and lost to No. 7 Oregon, No. 19 Fresno State, and No. 11 Michigan. They also lost by a 63–32 score at home against unranked Indiana in one of the worst losses in program history. The Badgers did not play in a bowl game and were not ranked in the final polls. It was the Badgers' only season with a losing record in the 28 years from 1996 and 2023.
Key players included: Sophomore wide receiver Lee Evans tallied 75 receptions for 1,545 yards, 20.6 yards per reception, and nine touchdowns. Evans received first-team honors from Pro Football Weekly and Football News on the 2001 All-America college football team.. Freshman running back Anthony Davis led the team in both rushing (1,466 yards) and scoring (66 points). He had 10 games of 100 or more yards rushing, including 200 against Penn State. Quarterback duties were split between junior Brooks Bollinger (1,257 passing yards, 117.72 passer rating) and sophomore Jim Sorgi (1,096 passing yards, 128.61 passer rating). Defensive tackle Wendell Bryant tallied 17 tackles for loss and eight sacks. He received first-team All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association, Football News, and CNNSI.
The team played its home games at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.
Schedule
Game summaries Virginia
Oregon
Fresno State
Penn State
Western Kentucky
Indiana
Ohio State
Illinois
Michigan State
Iowa
Michigan
Minnesota
Personnel Roster
Regular starters
PositionPlayerQuarterbackBrooks Bollinger/Jim SorgiRunning backAnthony DavisFullbackChad KuhnsWide receiverLee EvansWide receiverNick DavisTight endMark AnelliLeft tackleBen JohnsonLeft guardDan BuenningCenter Al JohnsonRight guardKalvin Barrett / Jonathan ClinkscaleRight tackleJason Jowers
PositionPlayerDefensive tackleChuck SmithNose tackleBen HerbertDefensive tackleWendell BryantRush endDelante McGrewOutside linebackerJeff MackInside linebackerBryson ThompsonOutside linebackerNick GreisenCornerbackMike EcholsFree safetyJoey BoeseStrong safetyMichael BroussardCornerbackScott Starks
2002 NFL draft Wendell Bryant Defensive Tackle 1 12 Arizona Cardinals Mike Echols Cornerback 4 110 Tennessee Titans Nick Greisen Linebacker 5 152 New York Giants Mark Anelli Tight End 6 201 San Francisco 49ers
References