Hall of Fame
Position: Running Back
Years: 1996-1999
Place of Birth: Berlin, N.J.
Date of Birth: Mar 14, 1978
Jersey Number: 33
Height: 250
Weight: 5-10
High School: Overbrook (Pine Hill, N.J.)
Concluding his career with 7,125 career rushing yards, Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne set a new standard for running backs when he became the all-time leading rusher and first player to reach the 7,000-yard plateau in FBS history during the 1999 season. Dayne becomes the eighth Badger to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Dayne won the 1999 Heisman Trophy in a landslide, after topping the 2,000-yard mark for the second time in his career. The three-time First-Team All-America (1997, 1998 – consensus, 1999 – unanimous) also claimed the Walter Camp, Maxwell and Doak Walker awards, and he was named the National Player of the Year by numerous outlets his senior season. He led the Badgers to four consecutive bowl games, earning MVP honors in three of those appearances, including back-to-back Rose Bowl titles in 1999 and 2000. The Big Ten’s first three-time rushing champion in league history, Dayne led Wisconsin to two conference titles under Hall of Fame Coach Barry Alvarez.
Drafted in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the New York Giants, Dayne played seven seasons in the pro ranks with the Giants, Broncos and Texans. He helped New York to a 2001 Super Bowl appearance.
The Berlin, N.J., native was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 2011, and he became a member of the University of Wisconsin Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009. Dayne actively volunteers in numerous community events and fundraisers, placing a special emphasis on initiatives involving children or children’s groups and serving as an ambassador for the University of Wisconsin.
