The Glory Days

Being a sports fan in Wisconsin can be a blessing and curse. Mainly a curse, but it definitely has its perks. Wisconsin sports fans are passionate people who come out to support their teams quite well compared to a lot of states. We have one of the most historic football franchises in the NFL, played host to one of the most successful baseball teams in MLB history, the Milwaukee Braves, and are now competitive year by year in college football and basketball. However, being in a small market may perhaps hinder a Wisconsin team’s chance to build any kind of dynasty. Instead of worrying about this, let’s take a look at some of the top sports moments in Wisconsin history as we go era by era.

1929 – 1944: Packers Dominance (Part I) & Badgers Lone Titles Era
This era is the main reason why Green Bay is known as ‘Title Town’. During this time, the Packers won six NFL titles thanks in part to Packer legends like coach Curly Lambeau and receiver Don Hutson. Also, the Wisconsin Badgers won their only championships in both basketball (1941) and football (1942).

1945 – 1956: The Nothing Doing Era (Part I)

Not much to report on during this era as the Packers saw a drought after the departure of Hutson. The only excitement generated during this time was the arrival of the first major pro baseball franchise in Milwaukee, the Braves, in 1953.

1957 – 1967: The Rejuvenation Era & Packers Dominance (Part II) Era

In their fifth year in Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Braves brought home the state’s first ever Major League Baseball title, winning the World Series over the New York Yankees in seven games. Milwaukee was privileged to call baseball greats like Hank Aaron, Eddie Matthews and Warren Spahn their own. The following year, the Braves would lose to the Yankees in seven and eventually left town for Atlanta in 1965 after falling down to mediocrity. However, the Milwaukee Braves were the only major league team that played for more than one year to never have a losing record. Not only was Wisconsin spoiled with the Braves, but the Packers saw a return to greatness after the arrival of Head Coach Vince Lombardi in 1959. In Lombardi’s second year, the Green and Gold returned to the NFL Championship game, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles. But in 1961, the Pack routed the New York Giants 31-0 to win their first Championship in 17 years. Green Bay went on to win titles in 1962 and 1965 as well behind strong performances behind Packer legends Paul Hornung, Jerry Kramer and Jim Taylor. Then came the first ever ‘Super Bowl’, where the Packers were led by Super Bowl MVP Bart Starr, who went on to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs. The Packers also won Super Bowl II over the Oakland Raiders after coming up victorious over the Dallas Cowboys in the famous Ice Bowl, and the Super Bowl trophy would go on to be named ‘The Vince Lombardi Trophy’.

1968 – 1977: The New Basketball & MLB Franchises Era

Wisconsin had now seen plenty of success on the gridiron and on the diamond, but it was time for athletes on the court to step up their game. The first NBA franchise in Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Bucks, was formed in 1968 and won a coin flip over their fellow expansion team, the Phoenix Suns, for the first overall draft pick. The pick was a no brainer as the Bucks secured Lew Alcindor (now known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) out of UCLA. In 1970, the Bucks received Oscar Robinson (The Big ‘O’) via trade from the Cincinnati Royals, and the pieces were set for a title run. Milwaukee did just that as they swept the Baltimore Bullets in four games to win the franchise’s only NBA Championship. The Bucks were dominant throughout the decade, but couldn’t seem to get over the hump after the 1971 triumph. They acquired players such as Junior Bridgeman, Brian Winters and Ernie Grunfield during this era. Let’s not forget about the other basketball team that saw success, the Marquette Warriors. In 1977, Al McGuire led the Warriors (now the Golden Eagles…I hate this) to their only National Championship in basketball behind Bo Ellis and Butch Lee. Marquette was also runner-up in ’74. Wisconsin saw the return of a Major League baseball franchise thanks in large part to current MLB commissioner Bud Selig. He helped bring the Seattle Pilots to Milwaukee after just one year of existence in 1970 and renamed the team the Brewers. Unlike the Bucks, the Brewers did not see much success during this era, but acquired pieces that would eventually lead to success in Robin Yount, Jim Gantner, Cecil Cooper, Gorman Thomas and Don Money.

1978 – 1983: The Turnin’ Up the Heat Era

In 1981, the Brewers made the playoffs for the first time in a strike shortened season. Then, the franchise’s most successful season took place in 1982 when Harvey’s Wallbangers reached the World Series for the first and only time. Mainly because of the loss of star closer Rollie Fingers to injury, the Brewers fell to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. Still, it is a season many Brewer fans cling onto even today as the team has not seen many fun days in their history.

1984 – 1991: The Nothing Doing Era (Part II)

There was some excitement generated by the Brewers during this time period, including Team Streak in 1987, where the Brewers won their first 13 games and Paul Molitor had his 39-game hitting streak. However, the Packers and Bucks saw little to no success and there were no titles won by either a pro or college team in any major sports.

1992 – 2007: The Rejuvenation (Part II) and the Brett Favre Era

Note: I hate the man I’m about to talk about with every fiber of my being, but there is no denying that he is a huge reason why the Packers are the team they are now, so I have no choice but to praise the guy in the following paragraph.

In 1992, after two decades of turmoil, the Packers made a decision that would alter football in Green Bay for years to come. General Manager Ron Wolf made a trade that at the time was questioned, sending a first round draft pick to the Atlanta Falcons for a quarterback from Mississippi by the name of Brett Favre. Favre had an immediate impact in Green Bay, leading the team to the playoffs in 1993 (the year in which they acquired Reggie White) and 1994. Unfortunately, they fell to the Dallas Cowboys in the second round on each occasion. The only difference in 1995 was that they lost in the NFC Championship game…to the Cowboys. In 1996, the Packers finally broke through behind the leadership of Mike Holmgren and players like Favre, White and electric return man Desmond Howard and defeated the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. The Pack brought the Lombardi Trophy back home for the first time in 29 years. They returned to the Super Bowl the next season, only to lose to the Denver Broncos despite being heavy favorites. After this, the Packers had some ups and downs and haven’t reached the Super Bowl since. The Bucks reached the Eastern Conference Finals in ’01 behind Ray Allen and the Big Dog and the Packers reached the NFC Championship game in ’07, but neither could come up victorious.

2008 – Present: The Build-up Era

In 2008, after years of rebuilding, the Brewers reached the playoffs for the first time in 26 years behind Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder and that Sabathia guy. All he did was go 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA during his time in Milwaukee, almost completely carrying the Crew to the playoffs all by himself. It was an exciting time in Wisconsin and much needed after the Brett Favre controversy (I don’t need to go any further, do I?). Sadly, it appears that the Brewers have returned to their losing ways. The Packers returned to the playoffs in 2009 behind second year starter Aaron Rodgers, who was quick to bury Favre in the past with his impressive numbers. The Bucks also returned to the playoffs this year thanks to incoming rookie Brandon Jennings, Andrew Bogut’s strongest year to date and the John Salmon’s trade. Now, Wisconsin sports fans have a lot to look forward to with the Packers receiving a lot of Super Bowl hype, the Bucks incredibly deep team and a veteran football team looking to make a run in Mad Town. Stay tuned…it could be one of the most intriguing years in Wisconsin sports history. Or just another letdown.

As some of you may know, my blog has been featured on the Badgers Blog on jsonline. I am contributing to a weekly Badgers roundtable on the site, so be sure to check it out. It’s a pretty neat concept and people seem to have taken a liking to it. It’s very exciting for me, personally, and I hope you all enjoy it, too!