Polzin: Should Wisconsin football retire Joe Thomas' jersey?

Jul 18, 2023 Updated 32 min ago
I knew going into this process nobody was going to unseat Joe Thomas at No. 72. Not even Travis Frederick, who was a first-team All-American and NFL first-rounder but will have to settle for being the best UW player to wear that jersey since Thomas’ time with the Badgers ended in 2006.
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I didn’t realize until going through rosters from the past 15 years No. 72 has gone unused in each of the past eight seasons. Reserve offensive lineman Ben Hemer wore it for two seasons after Frederick moved to the NFL, but Hemer switched to No. 79 in 2015.
Thomas 72
Joe Thomas, who won the Outland Trophy in 2006, is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and will be inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame next month.
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Is there something to this? It doesn’t appear so. A UW spokesperson said one of the incoming freshmen will be issued that number next season. Plus, Emerson Mandell, an offensive lineman from Minnesota who recently committed to the Badgers, was wearing the No. 72 jersey in a photo he used when announcing his decision.
Perhaps Paul Chryst respected Thomas and Frederick so much he didn’t think anyone was worthy of wearing No. 72.
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I was asked during a radio interview back in 2009 if I thought there were any UW players who deserved to have their number retired, joining a list of six that includes Ron Dayne (33), Alan Ameche (35), Elroy Hirsch (40), Dave Schreiner (80), Allan Shafer (83) and Pat Richter (88). The question caught me off guard, but I tossed Thomas out there as a possibility. And that was only two seasons into his NFL career.
I don’t think UW has any plans to retire more jerseys anytime soon, but here’s the case for Thomas: He was a two-time first-team All-American, a major award winner (Outland Trophy), is in the College Football Hall of Fame and is a member of the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
There have been a lot of great offensive linemen to pass through UW, but it’s hard to top that resume.
Welcome to the club
Ross Kolodziej was a four-year starter along the defensive line, and UW finished first and fifth nationally in fewest points allowed during two of those seasons en route to winning Big Ten and Rose Bowl titles.
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Kolodziej didn’t garner any All-Big Ten accolades during that stretch, but he was versatile and dependable while being a key part of those great teams in 1998 and 1999. He also went on to play seven seasons in the NFL.
A strong case can be made for keeping him at No. 78.
Havenstein 72
Rob Havenstein was a first-team All-American in 2014, when he helped clear during Melvin Gordon's record-breaking junior season with the Badgers.
But my vote would be to replace him with Rob Havenstein, a three-year starter at right tackle for the Badgers.
I’d give Havenstein the nod because he was a first-team All-Big Ten pick in 2014 while blocking for Melvin Gordon and even earned first-team All-America honors from the AFCA along with multiple second-team mentions. Plus, he was a second-round pick who has a Super Bowl ring with the Los Angeles Rams.
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Close call, but I’d lean Havenstein over Kolodziej.
Stop to consider
John Moffitt started 42 games in his career, twice earned first-team All-Big Ten honors and was named a first-team All-American as a senior. It was hard to keep him off this list.
But he’s up against Tom Burke at No. 74. Not only was Burke a consensus All-American as a senior in 1998, he was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year that season after setting program records with 22 sacks and 31 tackles for loss. Burke is second all-time at UW in career sacks and third in career tackles for loss.
The player who started at the guard spot opposite to Moffitt for two seasons? Kevin Zeitler, who also had a great career. Zeitler was a first-team All-American in 2011 before being selected 27th overall in the 2012 NFL Draft.
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But he’s up against Dennis Lick at No. 70. Lick was a two-time All-Big Ten pick and a consensus All-American while blocking for Billy Mark in the mid-1970s. Lick was drafted eighth overall in the 1976 NFL Draft.