Nov. 19, 2009
MADISON, Wis. - It has been 10 years since Ron Dayne brought home the Heisman Trophy to the University of Wisconsin. Who could forget his historic run against Iowa in 1999 to break the NCAA rushing record? Or his performance in the 2000 Rose Bowl with 34 carries for 200 yards and a touchdown. To commemorate Dayne’s monumental 1999 season, UWBadgers.com will provide weekly updates with memories from the 1999 season.
Today, we look back at arguably the most memorable game of not only the 1999 season, but maybe in Badger history—Ron Dayne’s record-breaking game against Iowa.
Nov. 13, 1999 had a number of implications for the Wisconsin football team. A win this day gave the Badgers the Big Ten title and a trip to Pasadena for the team’s second-consecutive Rose Bowl. Ninety-nine yards for Ron Dayne gave him the NCAA Division I rushing record, breaking Ricky Williams’ previous mark of 6,279.
Luckily for Badger fans, they didn’t have to wait long for both of those milestones to come true.
Already up 20-3 on the Hawkeyes with 4:32 left in the second quarter, Dayne’s historic run came on a 31-yard rush up the middle on 1st and 10 from the Wisconsin 17.
"It would not have been appropriate for (the record run) to be a 2-yard gain, a little mush into the middle," Wisconsin head coach Barry Alvarez said. "One of our base plays we put in the first day (of training camp), where he reads it makes the cut to a seam and then comes out the back end, runs through a couple tackles.
"I thought that was very appropriate. The only thing that would have been better is if he'd have gone to the end zone with it."
That run gave Dayne 107 yards for the game with a whole half to play. Dayne finished his final game at Camp Randall Stadium with 27 carries for 216 yards and a touchdown as the Badgers romped Iowa 41-3 to clinch the Big Ten title. The new NCAA record now stood at 6,397 yards with the name Ron Dayne next to it.
While Wisconsin’s victory had huge implications for the team, this day was all about Dayne. His teammates surrounded him following the big run, souvenir Ron Dayne towels illuminated Camp Randall Stadium and a “33 Dayne” banner was unveiled at the end of the game to mark his legacy at Wisconsin.
“I love you all,” Dayne said to the 79,000-plus Badger fans in attendance following the game.
When asked what he remembered the most from that day, it wasn’t the historic run that stood out to him.
"The moment I most remember is probably when coach came down on the field and I got to hug coach and say ‘We finally got it done,'" Dayne said after the game.
Now, all Dayne could do was wait and see what the Heisman Trophy voters had to say about his extraordinary 1999 season.
Wisconsin vs. Iowa Boxscore (PDF)
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