Tom Butler made a good point about all-time lists.

http://www.badgerbeat.com/news/article/id/325380

"Let’s face it," the longtime sports writer for the Wisconsin State Journal once wrote, "all-time teams are designed to create controversy."

I promise that wasn’t the idea behind putting together an all-time roster for the University of Wisconsin football program based on the best player at each jersey number.

This idea was hatched late in the 2007 season, right around the time Ron Dayne’s No. 33 jersey was retired by UW that November. The following weekend, I was hanging out with some buddies in Minnesota the night before the Badgers played the Gophers and we began a list of the best players at each jersey number. We got through the first three numbers — Brandon Williams at No. 1, Jamar Fletcher at No. 2, Lee Evans at No. 3 — before moving on to another subject, probably because we were stumped at No. 4.

More than a year later, the list is finally completed.

While the concept wasn’t created to stir up controversy, as Butler wrote, we realize there will be debates and welcome you to weigh in and let us know if you disagree with any of our choices.

Here’s how we came up with the list:

• The first step was figuring out candidates at each number. To do that, we entered rosters from the 1920s — when numbers first appeared on the back of jerseys — to the present into a sortable database that we plan to make accessible to online readers at BadgerBeat.com in the near future.
• We formed a panel that includes UW officials and current and former media members. We indicated our tentative choice for a majority of the numbers, but invited our panelists to select another player if they chose. In some cases — like Mike Samuel beating out our initial choice, All-American kicker Taylor Mehlhaff at No. 10 — changes were made based on overwhelming feedback from the panel. (Butler, by the way, would have been an ideal member on this panel, but he passed away last June.)

Note that we decided to only consider players whose eligibility has been exhausted — or will be after the Dec. 27 Champs Sports Bowl against Florida State, as in the case of Travis Beckum at No. 9 and Allen Langford at No. 17. Each year, we’ll reassess the list and make changes if necessary.

Special thanks to Justin Doherty, Brian Lucas and Rudy Nigl in UW’s athletic communications department for all their help with this project. I spent a great deal of time gathering photos in the archives room on the second floor of Kellner Hall, but the process would have taken much longer if Doherty and his staff weren’t so organized.

With that, we present our list. Debate away. But most of all, enjoy.

ALL-TIME ROSTER CREDITS

• PRINCIPALS
• Jim Polzin, Capital Times football beat writer
• Adam Mertz, Capital Times sports editor
• Brandon Raygo, Capital Times graphic artist
• Mike Lucas, Capital Times columnist
• Nate Carey, Capital Times correspondent
• VOTERS
• Barry Alvarez, UW athletic director
• Lance Davis, WTLX-FM sports reporter and host of "The Badger Hour"
• Justin Doherty, UW assistant athletic director
• Terry Frei, Denver Post reporter and author of the acclaimed book "Third Down and a War to Go," which chronicled the 1942 Badgers
• Joe Hart, former Capital Times sports editor
• Rob Hernandez, Wisconsin State Journal associate editor
• Craig Karmazin, WTLX-FM owner and BadgerBlitz host
• Matt Lepay, UW football radio broadcaster
• Tom Mulhern, Wisconsin State Journal football beat writer
• Terry Murawski, executive director of the National W Club
• Brian Posick, WIBA-AM and WTSO-AM sports reporter and host of "On Wisconsin"
• Pat Richter, former UW athletic director
• Vince Sweeney, UW senior associate athletic director
• Jay Wilson, WISC-TV sports director
• Jake Zimmermann, WKOW-TV sports director
• Dave Zweifel, Capital Times editor emeritus
• CONTRIBUTORS
• Mike DeVries, Capital Times photographer
• Ken Miller, Capital Times visual editor
• Lisa Nelson, Capital Times graphic artist
• Gary Neuenschwander, Capital Times graphic artist
• Tim Nott, Capital Times online creative director