A look at lasting legacies and tailgating traditions from Homecoming 2023

Football fans couldn’t have asked for a more perfect, quintessentially fall day to celebrate Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 7. Badgers of all ages filled the streets leading up to historic Camp Randall Stadium where pre-game traditions were on display before Wisconsin faced (and beat) the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. For many, Badger football and the game-day experience that comes with it are part of a family legacy that span generations. The day marked an end to fun-filled week of activities for students, alumni, and the Madison community.

A man in red flips hamburgers on a grill before a football game.

The photo at left features Jack Vincent, who had season tickets to Badger football games for 70 years. Jack Vincent passed away in April 2023, and his family, including his son Steve Vincent (at right), carries on the tradition by cooking up omelets and hash browns the morning of the game. Jack Vincent had been the captain of the tennis team at UW when he was a student and competed in three NCAA Tennis Championships. Photo by: Althea Dotzour

Four young girls wear Badger attire and smile for the camera.

From left to right, Everly Tierick (age 4), Emma Tierick (age 6), Charlotte Uselman (age 7) and Ella Uselman (age 4) get hyped at the Badger Bash Tailgate Party at Union South. Photo by: Althea Dotzour

Two fans wearing Badger attire are laughing and enjoying the game day energy outside of the stadium.

Pat and Justine Brady of Sun Prairie show their Badger spirit as Justine is wrapped in a quilt made from her late father-in-law John Brady’s Badger fan gear. “It’s a wonderful way to honor him since we use his football tickets now,” says Justine Brady. John Brady, who passed in 2018, received his undergraduate degree in 1945 in chemical engineering and had season football tickets for over 60 years. Photo by: Althea Dotzour

A group of Badger Fans pose with floral corsage.

A group of tailgaters sport homecoming corsages from Felly’s Flowers, a tradition with their crew, before the start of the game. Photo by: Althea Dotzour

Two young women dance the polka on the lawn of a park in Madison.

Briana Medina (left) watches as Livia Benson and Sophie Walk partake in the polka — the state dance of Wisconsin — at Edward Klief Park, just a few blocks south of Camp Randall Stadium. Photo by: Althea Dotzour

A group of law students pose with wooden canes

Law students pose with their canes. Before kickoff, it's tradition for third-year law students to run across the field and toss their canes over the goalposts. As the custom goes, students who catch their canes will win their first case. If they drop the cane, they will lose their case. Photo by: Althea Dotzour