Rudolph Leads The Way

So who is Wisconsin's counterpart to FSU tight end coach James Coley? The Badger's tight end coach is Joe Rudolph. Rudolph, a first-team All-Big Ten guard at Wisconsin in the early 1990s,is in his first season as tight ends coach at Wisconsin. He coached what was billed at the start of the 2008 season one of the most talented tight end groups in the nation. This year, his tight end Garrett Graham was the reception and TD leader for the Badgers.

Last year, tight end Travis Beckum was a John Mackey Award finalist and member of the Walter Camp All-America team. In addition sophomore Garrett Graham was second on the team, behind Beckum, with 30 catches for 328 yards and four touchdowns. UW’s tight ends accounted for 47 percent of the team’s receiving offense and totaled 11 touchdowns. Beckum was a consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection and led the nation’s tight ends with 982 receiving yards.

Rudolph most recently served as tight ends coach at Nebraska in 2007. Prior to his year at Nebraska, Rudolph was a strength and conditioning coach (2006) and graduate assistant coach (2004-05) at Ohio State. During his time at Ohio State, the Buckeyes played in the 2004 Alamo Bowl, 2006 Fiesta Bowl and 2007 BCS National Championship game.

A standout lineman at Wisconsin, Rudolph earned three letters (1992-94) and helped the Badgers to the 1993 Big Ten title and 1994 Rose Bowl victory. Rudolph was a Wisconsin team captain in 1994, a year that ended with a victory in the Hall of Fame Bowl on New Year’s Day. A three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Rudolph was the team’s 1994 Scholastic Award winner and went on to play in the East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl. He earned his bachelor’s degree in zoology from Wisconsin in 1995.