WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
WAITING ON
AN ANSWER
Twenty years ago, Joe Panos asked 'Why not Wisconsin?'
The Badgers that have followed in the footsteps of that
trailblazing '93 team have yet to hear a good reason
T
BY MIKE LUCAS • UWBADGERS.COM
he personal highs and lows that Joe
Panos encountered as an agent during
the 2013 draft rivaled what Panos experienced 20 years ago as a Wisconsin
co-captain and All-Big Ten offensive
tackle.
Panos, a walk-on transfer from UW-Whitewater,
was one of the leaders of a Badger football team
that won a share of the Big Ten title and played in
the Rose Bowl for the first time in 31 years.
Who would have thought then that Panos would
end up some day representing athletes after a seven-year career with the Philadelphia Eagles and
the Buffalo Bills in the National Football League?
Nobody would have likely envisioned this scenario, not even Panos, now 42.
"I never thought I'd be an agent ― never, never
in a million years ― and a lot of other people didn't
either,'' said Panos, who got his certification in
2009. "But I'm proud of being one, I really love it.''
Along with former Badger guard Kevin Zeitler ―
a 2012 first-round choice of the Cincinnati Bengals
― Wisconsin center Travis Frederick and tackle
Ricky Wagner are in the Panos stable.
In last spring's NFL draft, the Dallas Cowboys
took Frederick with the 31st selection in the first
round, while the Baltimore Ravens tabbed Wagner
in the fifth round with the 168th pick overall.
"I was unbelievably elated when Travis got taken,''
Panos said. "Number one, he's my client. Number
two, he's a Badger and I hold Badgers more dear
(to his heart) than anyone else.
"But I was disappointed for Ricky that he got
taken in the fifth round. I wasn't disappointed in
Ricky but for Ricky. He's a heckuva football player
and he's going to start in the NFL for a long time.
"People made a mistake on him. I was very angry
and irritated, to be honest.''
In running the emotional gamut ― from high
to low, from expected to unexpected ― Panos was
reminded of the momentum/mood swings during
his senior year with the Badgers.
Through the various peaks and valleys, he fell
back on his alpha dog instincts which put him in
a position to ask and answer a question that will
forever be part of his legacy, "Why not Wisconsin?''
●●●●
