Another complimentary article about Bradie. I guess he scored a rushing td this year against Marshall and is behind P.J. Hill, john Clay, and Zach Brown on the depth chart. It will be interesting how things work out for him in the future. As the article mentions he is one of 8 Freshman seeing playing time fo rthe Badgers, so he must be making plays.
<DIV =byline style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10px; FONT-STYLE: italic">posted by Travis Wilson at 9/17/2008
Most freshmen football players at Division 1A schools redshirt their first season. Most walk-on players at Division 1A schools do not play at all during their careers. Add these two factors up and the chances of a true freshman walk-on earning playing time are pretty much slim to none. But former
Richland Center athlete
Bradie Ewing came into this season with the Wisconsin Badger football team not wanting to limit what he could do. I spoke with Bradie recently in the first of a "Catching Up With" series designed to get folks up to speed on what former Wisconsin high school athletes are doing as they continue their careers, be it college or professional.
I have had the pleasure of knowing Bradie since he was in diapers and have watched his athletic career unfold over the years, even getting to coach Bradie in AAU and school basketball. So doing the first "Catching Up With" article on him was a no-brainer. Of course with as impressive of a performer as Bradie has been in athletics, he makes a great case as well. Bradie was a three sport standout at Richland Center High School, located in southwestern Wisconsin. He was a four year starter on the basketball team, earning Southwest Conference MVP three times. He was also an honorable mention All-State pick twice. In track he ran high hurdles, qualifying for state his junior year in the 110 meter hurdles. Richland Center took home a state championship that year. But on the gridiron is where Bradie got most of his accolades. Bradie was a three time All-Conference selection, and Conference MVP his senior season when he rushed for over 2000 yards. He was named Wisconsin State Journal Small Schools Player of the Year and made several All-State teams. He was selected to participate in both the basketball and football post-season all-star games.
As Bradie's athletic career unfolded, he was faced with a tough choice: to pursue basketball or football at the collegiate level. He received Division 1 recruiting interest in both sports but only had a scholarship offer in football, as the University of North Dakota offered him a 97% scholarship. Both Bo Ryan and Brett Bielema extended preferred walk-on invitations. Bradie decided football was the sport he would focus on, and eventually made the decision to walk-on at the University of Wisconsin. A lifelong Badger fan, Bradie says, "It is a dream to be a Wisconsin Badger, and I have no regrets." When deciding between football and basketball Bradie added, "My heart led me to football, and I felt I had more opportunities there."
Bradie seems to be adjusting well to the academic changes of going to a large university. It helps having several other players from southwestern Wisconsin who he's known for several years. "Tyrell (Rosemeyer of Fennimore) is in my dorm, so I see him quite a bit. And I get along with Adam Hampton (from Lancaster) really well too." The Badgers football program has daily study table opportunities, with scholarship athletes being required to attend. Walk-ons however are not required at these sessions, which leaves a bit more flexibility for Bradie. Walk-ons do get most of the same help, assistance, and support as scholarship athletes though. They get assistance with scheduling, and to avoid conflicts with practice and games they do not schedule classes after 2 pm.
Bradie is adjusting well on the football field also. He is one of only nine true freshmen to see playing time this year, and the only one to score a touchdown. Coming into the season it looked like it would be tough for Bradie to get on the field, with four talented veteran running backs ahead of him. But Lance Smith left the program and that created an opportunity. Bradie impressed the coaches with his hard-nosed style and cerebral approach to the game, and the decision was made not to redshirt him. He plays on all Badger special teams plus has seen action at running back. "Bradie has done everything we've asked him to do. He's a really intelligent football player. Nobody has a better work ethic than him," Badger coach Brett Bielema said early in the season.
"I never wanted to count myself out of anything," is how Bradie described his attitude coming into this season. He put in a lot of time in the off-season conditioning program and has his weight up to 220 pounds, about where he'd optimally like to be. He concentrated on working on the mental aspect of the game and knowing his playbook inside and out. Veteran running backs Zach Brown and P.J. Hill provided good lessons and support as Bradie was learning the offense. "The playbook is a lot bigger in college. In high school you had a certain hole you were assigned to go to. A certain action you're assigned to. Here it's more about a concept, reading blocks."
Bradie's hard work paid off when he scored his first career collegiate touchdown in the Badgers 51-14 rout of Marshall. "It happened so fast, it was kind of a blur. I looked up and the ref was signaling touchdown and I was attacked by guys all the way to the sideline. It's definitely a dream come true." Replays showed Bradie's knee may have been down before he crossed the goal line, but it counts in the box score nonetheless. Bradie did get a little good-natured ribbing from his teammates about it though, and "...(UW running backs) Coach Settle gave me a hard time," Bradie said.
So what does the future hold for Bradie? "I just want to be the best I can be and do the best with the abilities God has blessed me with," Bradie says. With quotes like these from Badger coaches, the future certainly looks bright for Richland Center's native son:
Running backs Coach John Settle<SUP>1</SUP>: "It doesn't matter who he's playing against he makes plays. As a coach, when you've got a young guy who can do that, he's a guy you've got to try and get on the field."
Offensive coordinator Paul Chryst<SUP>1</SUP>: "If you didn't know the paperwork, you'd swear (he's on scholarship). He belongs here, I know that much."
