Dan Voltz
Wisconsin Badger senior offensive lineman Dan Voltz has decided to retire from football, making the announcement in Madison on Tuesday.
The Barrington, Illinois native played in 32 games with 27 starts at center for the Badgers after enrolling in the spring of 2012. A knee injury kept him out of six games last season and once again, sidelined him for spring practice as he worked through the rehab process in order to get back on the field this fall.
“It’s been a hard decision to make,” Voltz said following Tuesday’s practice at Camp Randall Stadium. “Something I’ve dealt with pretty much my whole career is injuries. For physical reasons, (that’s) the main reason that it kind of forced me to start thinking about this.”
Voltz played center his first three years, then volunteered to shift to guard prior to training camp in order to accommodate sophomore Michael Deiter, who played well as Voltz’s replacement at center last season and during spring practice.
Voltz was named second-team All-Big Ten as a sophomore in 2014, when he started all 14 games at center for a Badgers team that racked up a school-record 320.1 rushing yards per game.
A three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and 2015 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, Voltz graduated with his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in December 2015 and currently is pursuing a master’s degree in kinesiology.
Voltz said his role hasn’t been officially defined, but he plans on remaining close to the Badgers program.