R
ecruiting has always been synonymous with building relationships for
Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen, who
had no trouble remembering the first
scholarship that he offered. While an
Idaho State assistant, he landed a quarterback out
of Ricks College, the same junior college that Andersen attended.
"He was a good player who ended up beating Boise State on a last-second throw,'' recalled Andersen, noting that the QB later joined the coaching
fraternity and became a very successful high school
coach in the state of Utah. "I still see him and talk
to him all the time.''
There is no expiration date for the bond that Andersen builds with a recruit.
These relationships survive through thick or thin.
Over 20 years in the case of that former Idaho
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State quarterback.
"They never go away,'' Andersen said.
Upon unveiling his first Wisconsin recruiting
class, he expanded his family. That may account
for the exhilaration that Andersen feels on signing
day. But the "highest of highs'' in the process for
coaches like Andersen may still come during their
home visits and personal one-on-one contacts.
"When you walk into those homes and you can
give a young man a special opportunity in life,'' Andersen said, "and when they have the ability to finally say, 'Yes, I want to go to the University of Wisconsin' and they have an understanding of where
they're headed at that point ….
"Sometimes it's tears … sometimes it's joy …
sometimes it's laughter.
"That's the best part for me.''
Conversely, there are inevitable lows with such
