'I want to be a part of the solution:' New Wisconsin football director of alumni relations Bradie Ewing
Checking in with the former Badgers walk-on and captain who takes the reins of a key role within the program.
MADISON, Wis. — Bradie Ewing’s been catching up on plenty of correspondences since rejoining the University of Wisconsin football program last month.
Ewing’s a part of the Badgers’ storied walk-on tradition, ascending to starting fullback and captain during his playing days in Madison that spanned from 2008-11. Now he’s back for his second stint as part of the Wisconsin staff, as the team announced March 25 that he would become its director of football alumni relations. He previously worked as an assistant strength and conditioning coach under former coach Paul Chryst in 2015, but he returns as coach Luke Fickell’s entering his fourth season, a crucial year following two losing campaigns that included some former players publicly air their dismay last fall.
To Ewing, the reaction of his hiring to this role was “overwhelming, and in a good way.”
“The amount of excitement and people that reached out, whether it be Instagram, following up with a text, LinkedIn,” Ewing said. “So much support from former alumni, and excitement that I was back with the program, and a lot of excitement that there was a focus and an intentional effort to fill that role with somebody that could help bridge the gap from the past to the current program.
“So that’s been a lot of, at nights, is following up on a lot of those messages. … But just super overwhelming and exciting to see the buzz that is happening around the alumni engagement right now.”
Ewing spoke with three local reporters Wednesday inside Wisconsin’s facilities. Here’s what stood out from the 25-minute, on-record conversation.
