4 hrs ago
Chris Borland directs the UW defense during the
Badgers' victory at Minnesota in 2013. Borland was named to the Big Ten
Network's All-Decade Team on Monday.
M.P. KING, State Journal
One of the best
linebackers in Badgers history earned another honor Monday.
Chris
Borland was named one of the three linebackers for the Big Ten Network’s
All-Decade team. Iowa product and current Denver Bronco Josey Jewell and
Michigan alum and current Pittsburgh Steeler Devin Bush were the other
linebackers selected to the first team. UW's T.J. Watt was a second-team
pick.
Borland’s
career at the University of Wisconsin started with a bang by earning Big Ten
Conference freshman of the year accolades, but a shoulder injury derailed his
sophomore campaign and limited him to just two games.
He built a reputation as a hard
hitter and a tackling machine last three years on the field for the Badgers. He
tallied 143, 104 and 112 tackles in those years, respectively, and his career total of 420 tackles
is sixth-most in program history. Borland is fourth in UW history with 50
tackles for loss, and was an All-Big Ten selection four times, including two
first-team nods.
His 15 forced fumbles are
a conference record, and when he left college he was tied for the conference
record with five defensive player of the week awards.
Borland’s
senior year of 2013 was arguably his best, as he won the conference’s defensive
player of the year and linebacker of the year awards en route to a first-team
All-American selection by the Football Writers Association of America.
“He was really
unblockable,” former Ohio State coach and current Big Ten Network analyst Urban
Meyer said. “He was a guy that you have a guy accounting for him, but he
would beat blocks so easily.”
The Kettering, Ohio, product was
lightly recruited coming out of high school, but made his mark quickly on the
Badgers. He was also a valued member of the special teams units at UW.
He was drafted in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the
San Francisco 49ers, but played just one pro season. After a rookie year in
which he posted 102 tackles, he retired from football due to concerns of
repetitive head trauma.
The BTN All-Decade team was voted on
by a panel of 24 writers and analysts. The team’s offensive line (Tuesday);
tight ends and defensive backs (Wednesday); wide receivers and defensive line
(Thursday); quarterback, specialists, all-purpose player and coach (Friday)
will be announced later this week.