Is there a draft in here?
Somewhere ‘Round Here Edition
*****The Cache is not at the posted coordinates*****
Wisconsin has a long history of involvement in professional football. Not only are the Packers one of the oldest active professional teams, but our state has had players in almost every football team in NFL history!
In 1921, Almore “Buff” Wagner (from the CO’s hometown) played four games with the Packers. It wasn’t uncommon in those days for a player to only play for a handful of games and not an entire season. In fact, Wally Ladrow, from Brookside, only played for the Packers for a single game. That same year, Mike Palmer from Columbia County played for the Minnesota Marines during their 1 – 3 season. The one win for the Marines that year came the week after Wally and Buff beat Minnesota in a 7 – 6 squeaker.
No doubt, all of these players started playing football during their high school years. Their games featured the Wing-T, Wishbone and Power Sweeps more than the forward pass that dominates today. The Quarterback was simply another running back. Players played both offense and defense. It was a brutal game, with injuries being frequent and often severe. There were repeated calls for football to be outlawed because it was too dangerous for these young men to play.
Fast forward to more recent teams and players. While injuries still happen, and can end careers, they are not as life threatening as they were 100 years ago. Players in Buff’s time were household names in college, but professional football was not looked upon in high regard. Pay was miserable and often depended upon ticket sales. Players could play for no pay if the crowd didn’t pay for game expenses. Teams competed for the best players in their home turf. Some players played on a game-by-game basis and only the most exceptional players had what we would consider contracts today.
There certainly was not a draft of players coming out of college. It was not until 1935 that the Philadelphia Eagles owner Bert Bell lost out on a bidding war for Stan Kostka with other teams that the league took a draft of college players seriously. The first NFL Draft took place in 1936 in the Ritz-Carleton hotel in Philadelphia. Ninety graduating college players’ names were written on a chalkboard from which the teams could choose to add to their team. Philadelphia chose Jay Berwanger as the first ever first pick. Berwanger, and twenty-three other players that were drafted chose not to play in the NFL.
Ray Buivid, born in Sheboygan, was drafted by the Chicago Bears with the 3rd overall pick in the 1936 draft. After being a Heisman Trophy contender in high school, he did not start for the Bears. However, his talent was evident enough by the results of the game he played against the Chicago Cardinals. Despite not being the team’s top quarterback, he was the first player in NFL history to throw for five touchdowns in one game. He also caught a touchdown in that same game. He retired after two disappointing seasons and joined the US Navy.
In the modern era, it is rare for Wisconsin to not have a hometown boy drafted by an NFL team. Some are household names ‘round the world, not only in Wisconsin. Others have remained relatively anonymous, even ‘round their hometowns.
Mark Tauscher would be in the first group. The Auburndale alum was a two-sport athlete there as well as an FFA member. Even though he was a walk-on, he quickly became a dominant offensive lineman at UW-Madison and helped Ron Dayne set school records. He then began playing for the Packers. After stalwart tackle Earl Dotson was injured, Tauscher stepped up and continued in that role until injury sidelined him in 2002. Returning in 2003, he played every game until he was injured again in 2008. He was not resigned after that season, but four games into 2009, he was brought back by the team to protect Aaron Rodgers. He was resigned by the team again, but was hurt in 2010 and placed on injured reserve. He never played another down, but he did finally earn a Super Bowl ring that year when the Packers beat the Steelers. You may not see him 'round here, but you will certainly hear him during football season! He’s most well-known now for being a voice on both Badgers and Packers Radio networks as well as contributing to football coverage for Sky Sports in England. BigJim probably has more to say about him.
Ryan Ramczyk is another local boy that has made a real impact in the NFL. Ryan graduated from SPASH in 2012. He had multiple offers from big name schools, but opted to attend Winona State instead. Minnesota didn’t suit the Badger, so he transferred to MATC for a semester before transferring to MSTC (MaroonCougar have any stories?), and then UWSP. The next year was a year that changed his life. Paul Cryst had recruited him out of high school and was now the coach at Madison. Ramczyk transferred to play for him and became a star at left tackle. The Saints drafted him in 2017 and started from day one. He has continued to be a stalwart for the Saints, earning All-Pro honors multiple years and being signed to a $96m contract in 2021.
Quinn Meinerz was a three-sport athlete at Hartford Union High School, growing up just 30 minutes from the West Bend Cache Bash! Quinn chose to play for D3 football powerhouse UW-Whitewater. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos and was the highest Warhawk draft pick in 15 years. During his rookie season, he played in 15 of 17 games, including 9 straight starts to finish the season. The future seems bright for the former Oriole!
Jared Abbrederis is another name that everyone ‘round this cache will recognize, being a three-sport star during his time at Wautoma High School. He held the state record for 110m hurdles and, as quarterback, threw for over 3000 yards in his career. After high school, he was a walk on at UW-Madison as a scout team quarterback. The team quickly realized that his speed would be more valuable at wide receiver and he began his climb to the top of the Badgers’ leaderboard, finishing with the most all-time receptions in Badgers history. For the first time since 2001, the Packers drafted a Badger when they picked Jared in 2014. However, while his career with the Packers showed flashes of what the fans hoped for when he was drafted, too often the injury bug struck. He tore his ACL before his rookie season even began. The next year, he suffered a concussion and was cut by the team before the season started, although he was brought back two days later and managed to make his first catch against the Lions in a Week 10 game that also resulted in a rib injury for him that would keep him out for several weeks. The next year, he was placed on injured reserve before being released by the team. He then played one year for the Lions before retiring. You may bump into him if you are out caching ‘round Wautoma, he and his family still live and work in the area.
Vince Biegel grew up on his family cranberry marsh not too far from where this cache is placed. Named for Coach Lombardi, he comes from a family with multiple college football players. He got his start at Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln, where he dominated opponents throughout his time there. Like many top athletes from the state, he chose to play football at UW-Madison. After a medical redshirt freshman year, he slowly became a more dominant force at linebacker for the Badgers. Unlike many modern players, he opted to stay for his full college career, which most likely resulted in his talent becoming more evident to the eyes of NFL teams. Vince was another local boy that saw a lifelong dream come true when he was drafted by the Packers in 2017. However, life was not as expected with the team. He broke his foot and was placed on the PUP list. After that season, he was released by the Packers. He was on the Saints roster for one season before being traded to the Dolphins in 2019 and intercepted Eli Manning. The Dolphins resigned him, but he tore his Achilles and missed that entire season. His contract was extended, although he was not able to play until late November. The Ravens signed him in 2022, but he again suffered a season ending injury when he again tore his Achilles. You can probably still find him ‘round Rapids, either on the family farm or giving people financial advice.
Ross Kolodziej is another product of SPASH. This local boy followed in the steps of other local greats by playing for UW-Madison and being an outstanding defensive lineman while there. His post collegiate career is quite a wild ride! After the Giants drafted him in 2001, he played in New York, San Francisco, Arizona, Minnesota, and again at Arizona before leaving the NFL. Not done with the sport, he continued playing for the Las Vegas Locomotives in the UFL before entering the stage of his career that has brought him the most notoriety: coaching. He started at Madison before leaving to work for Pitt. Madison brought him back and he stayed for seven years. You won’t find him ‘round here. In 2023, he left for California and became the highest paid defensive line coach in all of college football when Stanford hired him.
Ready to find a cache? Simple!
N44 20.XXX W89 48.YYY
XXX = Mark Ryan Quinn
YYY = Jared Vince Ross
The cache isn’t at the posted coordinates, but it has to be ‘round here somewhere!
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