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Packers legend Bart Starr passes away Sunday

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Bart Starr

Legendary Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr, who guided the organization to five NFL championships, died on Sunday morning in Birmingham, Alabama.

Starr, who played for the Packers from 1956 to 1971, was 85.

Starr’s health had been in decline after suffering a mini-stroke in Madison in 2012.  He suffered another stroke, a heart attack and multiple seizures in 2014, then underwent stem cell treatments in 2015 and 2016.

Starr was drafted in the 17th round in 1956, the 200th overall selection.  He would end up winning the NFL championship at quarterback.  He was named NFL MVP in 1966 by The Associated Press.  Starr led the Packers to victory in Super Bowls I and II and was named the game’s MVP each time and was one of three quarterbacks picked on the NFL’s 1960’s All-Decade Team. [Read more…]

Thompson reveals Autonomic Disorder

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Ted Thompson with HOF presenter Mike Reinfeldt

Former Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson revealed Wednesday that he has been suffering from an autonomic disorder.  It’s the primary reason why he is no longer leading the team’s football operation.

Thompson was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame on Saturday night and shared his thoughts mostly through a video that had been pre-recorded.

Thompson released a statement through the Packers addressing his health.

“I have been diagnosed with an autonomic disorder,” Thompson said in his statement.  “I feel that it’s important to mention that based on the test results and opinions of medical specialists, they feel that I do not fit the profile of someone suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).”

Thompson didn’t say whether a specific disease or illness caused the disorder or whether the many tests [Read more…]

Hauser brothers leaving Marquette

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Joey (22) and Sam (10) Hauser – Photo Courtesy of Marquette Athletics

The race is on for college basketball’s top brother combination.  According to Marquette men’s basketball coach Steve Wojciechowski, Sam and Joey Hauser will transfer from the program and look to play elsewhere.

In three seasons with Marquette, Sam Hauser has started 97 of 101 games and averaged 12.7 points and 6.0 rebounds a game.

Joey Hauser started 31 of 34 games in his first season with the team and averaged 9.8 points and 5.3 rebounds a game.

As a junior last season, Sam Hauser was a second-team all-Big East selection and averaged 15.1 points.

The two brothers played together for two seasons at Stevens Point Area Senior High School, leading the Panthers to a pair of WIAA state titles.

Wisconsin missed on both players the first time around.  Can they find a way to land both players this time?

Report: Jordy Nelson retiring from the NFL

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Jordy Nelson with his teammates in a training camp practice.

One year after his release by the Green Bay Packers, wide receiver Jordy Nelson is retiring.

Former Packer James Jones first reported the News in a tweet on Wednesday.  Jones is a contributor to the NFL Network.

In his 10 seasons with the Packers, Nelson caught 550 passes for 7,848 yards and 69 touchdowns.  His best season came in 2014 when he caught 98 passes for a single-season franchise-record 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns.  He garnered second-team All-Pro honors in the process.

Nelson tore his ACL in a 2015 preseason game, then won the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2016.

But Nelson was asked to take a pay cut in 2017 and when he didn’t, the Packers released him.

Nelson spent last season with the Oakland Raiders, catching 63 passes for 739 yards and three touchdowns.  The Raiders then released him earlier this month.

With Nelson’s retirement, he ranks third in career receptions with the Packers, fifth in yards and second in touchdowns.  He’ll be a shoe-in for the team’s Hall of Fame when he’s eligible.

Hornibrook leaves Wisconsin football team (AUDIO)

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Alex Hornibrook

Wisconsin Badger head football coach Paul Chryst announced Wednesday afternoon that quarterback Alex Hornibrook has decided to leave the Badger football team.

“Alex informed us of his decision to leave the team earlier today,” UW coach Paul Chryst said in a release.  “He contributed to a lot of our recent success and we want to thank him for all he did for our program.  We wish him the best of luck.”

Hornibrook missed time last season after suffering a concussion and continuing to have issues.  Those issues reportedly extended into the offseason.

Hornibrook went 26-6 in three seasons as a starting quarterback for the Badgers, including a 20-4 mark in Big Ten games.  His .813 winning percentage is the best of any quarterback in program history.  He started nine games as a junior last season, throwing for 1,532 yards and 13 touchdowns. [Read more…]

Stricker Named 2020 U.S. Ryder Cup Captain

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Steve Stricker – Photo Courtesy of the PGA of America.

To nobody’s surprise, Madison’s Steve Stricker was named the captain for the 2020 United States Ryder Cup team that will battle the Europeans at Whistling Straits near Kohler from Sept. 22-27, 2020.

Stricker said he had prepared himself not to cry, but that didn’t last long as he fought back tears early on during Wednesday’s PGA of America press conference at Fiserv Vorum.

Stricker has experience for the job, serving as a Ryder Cup Vice Captain in 2016 and a President’s Cup Captain in 2017.

Stricker has been involved in a number of big events during his career but admitted today that it doesn’t get any better than this.

“This is the highlight of my career probably,” he said.  “That AmFam Championship event that we put on in Madison, being able to raise a couple million dollars for our foundation and to be able to give that away is pretty special too, but yeah, being a captain of a team, a U.S. team, here in Wisconsin, my backyard, is really special and probably the top of the list.” [Read more…]

Assembly Republicans propose middle class tax cut

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Speaker Robin Vos

Republicans in the Wisconsin legislature are pitching a middle class tax cut, one that puts them at odds with Democratic Governor Tony Evers.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Thursday that it will be paid for from the state budget surplus. “We actually have this huge surplus that’s been generated, and rather than allowing it to stay in Madison and be spent on growing government, we’d prefer to keep Tony Evers’ campaign promise and make sure that we have an opprtunity to do a middle class tax cut,” Vos said.

Vos and Assembly Republicans held a press conference at the Capitol on Thursday. Other members of the Assembly GOP caucus held similar press conferences in Wausau, Green Bay and La Crosse. In Wausau, state Representative Pat Snyder said he
doesn’t think that using surplus funds will be an issue as long as business growth continues. “I want to keep that momentum going, and with that momentum going, we’ll see surpluses every year.”

Governor Tony Evers

Evers campaigned on a tax cut which he’d proivide by scaling back a tax break for farmers and manufacturers. “Why jeapordize what has brought us to this point of prosperity by undoing a tax cut that has brought us to today,” State Representative John Nygren said.

An Evers spokeswoman said the Republican plan falls short of what the governor has proposed.

The governor’s sustainable plan to cut taxes for middle-class families-which is funded by rolling back tax giveaways for millionaires-would provide relief for 86 percent of taxpayers without adding to the deficit or relying on one-time funds.
In contrast, Speaker Vos’ spending plan continues to grow. Between this unfunded proposal, their refusal to accept federal funds to expand Medicaid, and growing legal fees for outside counsel to defend their lame-duck laws, Republicans are willing to leave taxpayers on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars.

Under the Republican proposal, couples filing jointly and making between $60,000 and $70,000 would see the largest average decrease – $311.

Packers make coaching change, fire McCarthy

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Mike McCarthy fired as head coach of the Packers.

Following Sunday’s 20-17 Packers loss to the Arizona Cardinals at Lambeau Field, Green Bay President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Murphy announced the immediate firing of head coach Mike McCarthy.  He named offensive coordinator Joe Philbin as the teams interim head coach.

In a statement from the Packers, Murphy said, “The 2018 season has not lived up to the expectations and standards of the Green Bay Packers.  As a result, I made the difficult decision to relieve Mike McCarthy of his role as head coach, effective immediately.  Mike has been a terrific head coach and leader of the Packers for 13 seasons, during which time we experienced a great deal of success on and off the field.  We want to thank Mike, his wife, Jessica, and the rest of the McCarthy family for all that they have done for the Packers and the Green Bay and Wisconsin communities.  We will immediately begin the process of selecting the next head coach of the Green Bay Packers.”

McCarthy is the first Packers coach to be fired in-season since Gene Ronzani departed with two games left in the 1953 season.

McCarthy led the Packers to a Super Bowl title in 2010.  He departs with a 125-77-2 record in Green Bay, the second-best win total in franchise history behind Curly Lambeau (209-104-21).  Under McCarthy, the Packers also won six NFC North division titles and advanced to four NFC championship games.

Mark Murphy is scheduled to meet with reporters at 1:45 p.m. on Monday.

Aaron Rodgers donates $1 million to California fire relief

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Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Roders is stepping up, to help with wildfire relief in his native California. Rodgers tweeted a video on Wednesday, in which he requested others to contribute. “Raising money for both immediate needs and the long term recovery is what’s needed now,” Rodgers said.

Dozens of people have died and hundreds remain unaccounted for in the Camp Fire, the most destructive in the state’s history.

“In northern California where I was born and raised, the city of Paradise burned to the ground and many of the residents who got out are now displaced in my hometown of Chico and across the north state,” Rodgers said in the tweet.

Vos reelected as Assembly Speaker

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Republicans in the state Assembly have reelected Representative Robin Vos to serve as Speaker. Vos said on Monday that Republicans will be willing to work with Governor-elect Tony Evers when they agree. “But we are not going to roll over and play dead, like they assume we probably should,” Vos said. “We’re not going to accept that the answer to our problems in Wisconsin is higher taxes. We are not going to accept that the answer to some of our issues is growing the size of government, or taking a big old u-turn from our economy’s success.”


Vos has served as Speaker since 2013, and his caucus voted unanimously for him to retain the post. “Our leader is playing chess while the other team is playing checkers,” said Representative Travis Tranel in seconding Vos’ nomination. Republicans will return with a 63-36 Assembly majority in the next legislative session, after losing one open seat in last week’s election.

“Our policies, our pragmatic vision for Wisconsin, is what Governor Evers needs to buy into,” Vos said. Republicans also reelected Representative Jim Steinke as Majority Leader.