The year in Wisconsin sports has been littered with some dramatic moments, many involving the Milwaukee Bucks and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. They’re both featured prominently in this rundown of the year’s best Wisconsin sports quotes.
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20. I’d like to announce that my retirement will take effect July 1, but I am always available to come back out of retirement to coach in a bowl game.
— Barry Alvarez, Wisconsin’s now-former athletic director, in a closing line during a news conference in April to announce he was retiring from his post. Alvarez returned to the sideline as Badgers football coach to lead the team in bowl games after the 2012 and 2014 seasons, when coaches Bret Bielema and Gary Andersen left for other jobs. Alvarez was succeeded as AD by Chris McIntosh.
19. That’s why I’m standing here today, because I truly believe in the power of relationships.
— Shaka Smart, new Marquette men’s basketball coach, during his introductory news conference. Smart highlighted the three pillars of his coaching philosophy: relationships, growth and victory.
18. I don’t want to be in a spot where I’m going to embarrass myself on the air or embarrass the organization. So, I always wear a diaper.
— Bob Uecker, legendary Brewers radio voice, when asked how much longer he plans to work games for the Brewers during a September celebration of his 50th season at the mic for Milwaukee.
17. I’m gonna do my own research and figure out if they won it.
— Robin Lopez, former Bucks player and jokester brother of Bucks star Brook Lopez, when discussing the Bucks’ championship at a news conference in September. Robin, famously embroiled in a faux feud with his brother, indicated he didn’t watch the game and couldn’t be sure the Bucks actually did win the title, humorously invoking a buzz phrase among many who declined the COVID-19 vaccine in 2021 and did their “own research.”
16. I’m so tired. Please drink a beer for me!
— Molly Seidel, Waukesha County native, after winning the bronze medal in the marathon at the Summer Olympics in Japan. Though family couldn’t travel to see her race as part of COVID-19 restrictions, her word of advice during the post-race interview on the broadcast served as the perfect capstone to her achievement.
15. I mean, my future is a beautiful mystery.
— Aaron Rodgers, Packers quarterback, before Green Bay’s loss in the NFC title game, the first hint that perhaps Rodgers didn’t see himself in a Packers uniform the following year. That storyline truly exploded in April when it was revealed he didn’t want to come back, though he (and nearly all key players from the 2020 team) returned in 2021. After the loss to Tampa Bay, Rodgers noted, “A lot of guys’ futures … are uncertain. Myself included.”
14. It appears to have become a Brad Davison rule, where it has become, quite frankly, a joke.
— Greg Gard, Badgers head basketball coach, after Davison was whistled for critical fouls against Iowa in March during the Big Ten regular-season finale. Gard felt Davison was unfairly targeted on “hook and hold” calls.
13. Did I waste a year of my life to come back here?
— Micah Potter, Wisconsin Badgers forward, as part of a long conversation between Wisconsin players and Gard during the 2020-21 season. Audio of the conversation was leaked and highlighted the rift between players and coaches in the program.
12. I think the Milwaukee Bucks are going to win the world championship but they’ve got to be the dumbest team.
— Charles Barkley, former NBA star and TNT studio commentator, when the Bucks held a 59-43 halftime lead over the Brooklyn Nets in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Barkley felt the lead should have been bigger, and the Bucks went on to lose the game, 114-108.
11. When you focus on the past, that’s your ego. When you focus on the future, that’s your pride. When you focus on the present, that’s humility.
— Giannis Antetokounmpo in one of many philosophical moments during his NBA playoffs news conferences.
10. Who wanted to kick that field goal?
— Jeopardy! contestant Scott Shewfelt, using the question as his response in Final Jeopardy in lieu of an answer on Aaron Rodgers’ first episode hosting the game show. The reference was to the NFC championship game, when a decision to kick a field goal proved costly when Tampa Bay ran out the clock to win.
9. I don’t believe I’ve ever rooted for the Atlanta Hawks and the Los Angeles Clippers more in my life (the ‘terrible city’ conversation).
— Stephen A. Smith, ESPN personality, when discussing the possibility of visiting Phoenix or Milwaukee during ESPN’s coverage of the NBA Finals. The implication was that Milwaukee was among the “terrible cities” brought up by another host, Molly Qerim, leading many in Milwaukee to fixate on ESPN’s disrespect of the city.
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8. He’s a complicated fella.
— Mark Murphy, Packers CEO and president, when responding at a June event at Lambeau Field to a question asking how general manager Ted Thompson would describe quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The comment came in the midst of a firestorm over whether Rodgers would return to the Packers.
7. Ay Khris, we did it, huh? We f***ing did it.
— Giannis Antetokounmpo in an endearing (albeit briefly profane) moment on the broadcast after the Bucks won the NBA title. The teammates have been in Milwaukee through thick and thin, dating to 2013-14 when the franchise won 15 games.
6. It’s been a 50-year journey. Wisconsin, we’ve got a room at the top of the world tonight. The Milwaukee Bucks are NBA champions.
— Ted Davis, Milwaukee Bucks radio announcer, during the final seconds of Game 6 of the NBA Finals. They were the words that narrated the moment that the Bucks became NBA champions for the first time in 50 years.
More:Milwaukee Bucks radio play-by-play announcer Ted Davis is retiring after 24 years
5. I still own you.
— Aaron Rodgers, Packers quarterback, offering his sentiment toward Chicago Bears fans after scoring a touchdown at Soldier Field early in the season.
4. Milwaukee, we dogs.
— P.J. Tucker, Milwaukee Bucks forward, at the Bucks’ NBA championship parade, celebrating the blue-collar mentality of his Bucks teammates.
3. Can I have the 50 piece? … 50, exactly. Not 51. Not 49. Chicken minis. 50.
— Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks star, at the Chick-Fil-A drive-thru one day after he scored 50 points in Game 6 of the NBA Finals and clinched the title. In the car with him: the Larry O’Brien trophy and his NBA Finals MVP trophy.
2. Yeah, I’ve been immunized.
— Aaron Rodgers, Packers quarterback, during a summer news conference when responding to a question asking if he’d been vaccinated for COVID-19. The response came under new scrutiny in early November when it was revealed Rodgers was not, in fact, vaccinated according to NFL regulations.
1. Bucks in six.
Sure, it’s a quote that dates back a few years. But the fan mantra with peculiar origins became perfectly relevant when the Bucks won both the Eastern Conference finals and NBA Finals … in six games each. Brandon Jennings, who unwittingly authored the sentiment years earlier, became one of the high-profile fans during the run.
JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or jradcliffe@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.
