Another fairly famous Wisconsin Badgers running back won the Doak Walker Award during his senior season and that guy was Ron Dayne in 1999.
Montee Ball throws his name in the argument for best Badgers running back ever by taking home the award for the nation’s top running back on Thursday night.
If just for a moment, Ball’s name being called is a refreshing change from the national coverage of the coaching fiasco and Rose Bowl appearance with a questionable asterik.
Ball beat out Oregon’s Kenjon Barner and UCLA’s Johnathan Franklin for the award.
In addition to the Doak Walker Award, Ball was also one of two Big Ten players named to the 2012 Walter Camp All-American 1st Team.
After winning the award, Ball said, “I’m just honored to share this entire experience with my family and most importantly the other two great running backs here today.”
On the season, Ball has 1,730 yards and 21 touchdowns through 13 games. He also became NCAA’s all-time leader in touchdowns this season, surpassing a record held by Miami-of-Ohio’s Travis Prentice.
Do you think Ball has surpassed Dayne as Wisconsin’s best running back in school history? Let me know by commenting below.
Nick Grays is a senior writer at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers. He also enjoys to share Fantasy Advice and pretend to be a Golf expert from time-to-time. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best. If social media is not your thing, shoot him an email at grays@uwalumni.com.