My Badgers are going to play Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl on ESPN. And I'll be able to watch since I'll be in Ventura, California for the holidays!!!

Back in 1985, when I was selecting graduate schools for music, I chose to apply only to universities rather than conservatories. I wanted a larger school with full PhD programs, and applied to Texas, Cornell, Northwestern, Michigan and Wisconsin. My field was Theory and Composition. All of these schools had solid reputations and were generous about grants and assistanceships to their grad students.


I chose Wisconsin, in large part, because of the large class they wanted me to teach from day one. They offered the best money as well. I never cared much for their music faculty and the program was lacking in organization. But the university itself was all I could have hoped for. Had my grades been a little stronger I would have gone to Yale or Harvard, but I was not really emotionally prepared to crack only the books at 17 years of age. After a 4 year hiatus I returned and smoked the academic from then on.

But the University of Wisconsin was a great place to study. Also, the sports and campus life were just what I'd dreamed of as an undergrad. I had several star football players in my class and for 8 years had season tickets. They were pathetic the first three years, averaging 2-4 wins per season.

But Chancellor Shalala turned the football and basketball programs around and soon I was watching my boring but reliable Badgers playing in bowl games EVERY year. We had multiple Rose Bowls, Heisman winners and at least 8 1000-yard rushers. In hoops the success was similar.

So I still wear my Badger red with pride. As a HS teacher in Minnesota, I always advised my Ivy league aspirants to save 60 grand and go to UW. They could always step up for grad or professional school. The job market has always been so competitive, the brand name on the label is important but secondary to the contents; the portfolio, recommendations, the experience. I was an unsuccessful job seeker, but I blame myself more than the school, which produced some big successes.

Plus, I got to run into Ron Dayne, Michael Finley and Suzy Favor, among others. The Badgers are great to follow and the students are smart, unpretentious and part of a great underground tradition.

GO BUCKY!