Tag: Montee Ball

Former Wisconsin basketball player Suzanne Gilreath has a new podcast that all Badger fans should listen to

Check out Gilreath’s new interview podcast with Badger athletes past and present

[lawrence-newsletter]As Suzanne Gilreath sees her Wisconsin career come to an end on the floor, she has already begun her career off of the hardwood. Gilreath has aspirations to take that on-court experience and translate it to the world of sports media. The Wisconsin guard, who just finished up her senior season with the Badgers, recently started a podcast called “Beneath it All” that features in-depth interviews with Badger athletes past and present. Her podcast guests include Nigel Hayes, Rashard Griffith, and Madison Cone among others. BadgersWire caught up with Gilreath to talk about her podcast and her best memories as a Badger basketball player.

BadgersWire: What was your favorite part about being a Wisconsin student-athlete?

Gilreath: My favorite part about being a student-athlete at the University of Wisconsin-Madison was making an impact on the bigger community such as fans and outreach on campus. I loved that every game I would be making a child’s dream come true by showing them they can be a women’s basketball player one day.

BadgersWire: What is your best on-court memory from your time at Wisconsin?

Gilreath: The best memory I had on the Kohl Center court was Kelly Karlis’ game-winning 3 pointer against Nebraska with .7 seconds left on the clock. The Kohl Center was sold out that game too, so it was an amazing atmosphere to play in.

BadgersWire: What inspired you to start your podcast?

Gilreath: The inspiration behind my podcast was Oprah Winfrey, and my passion for storytelling and want to always ask questions. In the summer of 2018, I would listen to her podcast episodes every day and I realized then that I need to start my own podcast. I begin to understand that I love the aspect of knowing who an athlete is because we often define a student-athlete by what they are producing in their respected sport, but I want to highlight the aspect that athletes have stories to tell that have shaped who they are today. The name was inspired because I want to understand the athlete beyond their sports and focus on the non-obvious things about them.

BadgersWire: What has been your favorite moment from the podcast so far or a great memory from episodes you’ve done?

Gilreath: A great memory I’ve had so far with the podcast is with Montee Ball because his story was intriguing to me and he came into the interview with such great energy about inspiring those who are going through problems of addiction. But to be truthful, every podcast episode I’ve done is my favorite because I love the fact that I am able to provide a platform for these current and former athletes to tell stories or experiences that have shaped who they are today.

BadgersWire: What are your future goals?

Gilreath: My goal is to continue playing basketball overseas post-graduation and receive my masters while playing too.

A link to Gilreath’s podcast: Beneath it All 

10 backs who ran into Wisconsin’s record book

Ron Dayne leads the way among the greats who have been running backs for Wisconsin.

Wisconsin has a great history of running backs. The Badgers’ RBs have put together some powerhouse seasons and careers. A look at 10 of the best.

Terrell Fletcher 3,414 career yards, 25 TDs

Getty Images

Terrell Fletcher improved his rushing total in each of his four seasons at Wisconsin. He finished in 1994 with 1,476 yards and a dozen rushing scores.

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Ex-Broncos RB Montee Ball overcomes alcoholism, shares great comeback story

Former Broncos running back Montee Ball has turned his life around after overcoming alcoholism.

When the Broncos selected Wisconsin star Montee Ball in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft, many fans in Denver expected him to become the team’s next great running back. It didn’t work out that way.

Ball dressed for just 21 games with the Broncos, earning only three starts. He lost four fumbles during that time and averaged just 3.1 yards per carry in 2014, which turned out to be his final season in Denver.

Ball was struggling with alcoholism and in 2016, he was arrested for domestic violence. He was a Patriot at the time and was cut by New England shortly after that arrest.

Ball has since overcome alcoholism and he now serves as a public speaker and an AODA recovery advocate.

On Friday, on the anniversary of Denver’s win in Super Bowl 50, Ball shared an inspiring tweet about his comeback story.

“My goal is to teach the importance of reaching out for help, to show vulnerability,” Ball said in a 2019 interview with MTMJ-TV.

Ball’s NFL career is likely over but his comeback story isn’t.

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Montee Ball, 2011 Heisman finalist, added to Wisconsin legacy

Reflections on Montee Ball’s 2011 Heisman season

The Wisconsin Badgers and their fans know that Jonathan Taylor ought to have made the Heisman Trophy ceremony as a finalist in his shimmering career. Yet, Taylor never did get that opportunity and reward for his excellence. At least Montee Ball received that honor in 2011, when he was one of five Heisman Trophy finalists with winner Robert Griffin, plus Andrew Luck, Trent Richardson, and Tyrann Mathieu.

Ball’s 2011 season is right in the same ballpark as Jonathan Taylor’s best seasons, which doesn’t detract from Ball at all, but shows how dumb it is for the Heisman Trust and Heisman voters to have not rewarded Taylor with a finalist appearance in more recent years.

Montee Ball was a featured part of one of the best Wisconsin offenses of all time. The Badgers never scored fewer than 28 points in any game that season (and they played 14 games). Sharing the field with Russell Wilson obviously helped Ball and the Badgers’ ground game, but Ball made the most of his carries and his 2011 season at large.

One detail which jumps out about Ball’s body of work in 2011 is that even when Wisconsin lost, the Badgers scored big and Ball played well. He averaged at least five yards per carry in each of Wisconsin’s three losses. He averaged 121 yards per game in those three losses. Wisconsin scored at least 29 points in those three losses. The fact that the Badgers gave up 33 or more points in those games caused Wisconsin to throw more and run less than it otherwise would have wanted. Ball didn’t get 20 carries in either of the team’s two midseason losses to Michigan State and Ohio State.

Ball didn’t accumulate 250-yard games as Melvin Gordon or Jonathan Taylor did. However, Ball scored. He scored a lot. Ball ran for 33 touchdowns in 2011, caught six touchdown passes, and threw a touchdown pass for good measure. He scored 40 touchdowns. He scored 14 touchdowns in Wisconsin’s final five regular-season games, including three in the 42-39 Big Ten Championship Game win over Michigan State in Indianapolis. Ball rushed for at least five yards per carry in 13 of his 14 games, “only” 4.6 in the 14th game. The final rushing totals: 307 carries for 1,923 yards and 33 rushing touchdowns.

Not bad, Montee. Not bad at all. At least you got a Heisman finalist dance card, unlike Jonathan Taylor.