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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — It's hard to imagine any Wisconsin football player having a more eventful, transitional career than Dare Ogunbowale. He came out of Milwaukee as an unheralded walk-on to play cornerback for Bret Bielema. Two regime changes and 40 wins later, Ogunbowale is a multi-dimensional tailback and co-captain for coach Paul Chryst. Ogunbowale will leave UW with a degree in economics and a lot of enduring memories. Moments after walking off the McClain Center practice field for the last time as a member of the Badgers, he spoke about his biggest challenge, the next wave of leaders on the team and the first story he'll tell his kids about his Wisconsin career.
What's the proudest moment of your career?
"Being voted captain. That's definitely the proudest moment just because I know the guys on the team put the ballots in. Working hard with those guys for the four years leading up to that moment, and them having the trust and respect in me to view me as a leader, was an awesome feeling."
What's the biggest challenge of your career?
"The switch from cornerback to running back. It was tough having never played the position before, so it was kind of a mental thing I had to get over. After that it was putting on weight and getting stronger to carry the ball, stuff like that. Obviously I had guys like Melvin (Gordon) and Corey (Clement) to help me through the process, but that was the biggest challenge."
What was your dominant thought during graduation ceremonies?
"Excitement. Any time you get a chance to graduate while playing — you hear about people coming back all the time to finish up their degree — to do that with the guys that I did it with — Sojourn (Shelton), Vince (Biegel), Serge (Trezy) — was exciting."
Five years from now, where do you hope to be?
"I don't know. We'll see. Hopefully I'm still playing football."
What's the best thing to happen to you this season?
"I don't know. I'm not sure. I guess being able to play in every game. I would never take that for granted. Staying healthy. There are a lot of guys who weren't able to do that."
You've talked a lot about the wealth of leaders on this team, that you have roughly 10 captains even though you and Biegel were the elected ones. It looks like it will be the same again next season, correct?
"No doubt. Obviously there's a couple guys that stand out, but as a team, definitely it will be the same situation. There will be a lot of guys leading the team and doing what they can to help us win."
Who stands out?
"I would say T.J. Watt. He's a really good leader. … There's T.J. Edwards also. He's a great leader. But I think D'Cota (Dixon) is probably one of the biggest (leaders) we have whether that's through his words or through his actions."
What's the trait you cherish most in a teammate?
"Just the trust that he's going to work hard. Football's a sports that's all about trust. Guys next to you doing their job to help you be successful. Being able to trust guys to do their job and make sure that they trust you."
Twenty years from now, what's the one story you'll be sure to tell your kids about this time in your life?
"Hopefully that my senior class left as the winningest class in a four-year period in Wisconsin football history. That's what I hope to tell them. That speaks to this whole class. The guys I came in with, the guys I worked hard with through the years. I think it's awesome that you'd be able to leave with that."
You've been a thoughtful, patient spokesperson for this team during your career. Was that ever a difficult road to travel or was it something that came naturally?
"It was something I was blessed with. A lot of guys throughout my whole life have said that I'm just a comfortable guy when speaking and nice to listen to. Teammates have put me in that role and I just made sure I did that. Guys listen to me and so I made sure I take advantage of that and not take it for granted."
You just walked off the field in the McClain Center, your last practice as a member of the Badgers. How did that feel?
"Me and Corey (Clement) were talking about that. We were talking about that during (pre-practice) meetings actually. It was our last time meeting in that room and our last time practicing on that field. I wouldn't say it was sad. It was kind of exciting thinking about our whole time here. The first practices we had and now the last. It's pretty awesome what I've been able to do and the journey that I've had here."
