Varsity is the free Official Digital Magazine of Wisconsin Athletics, covering Badgers football, basketball, hockey and more each week.
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W linebacker Ethan Armstrong grew up in Ottawa, Ill., which is closer to Madison (149 miles) than Iowa City (157 miles). Most of his family, nonetheless, graduated from the University of Iowa. "I had always dreamed," Armstrong said, "that I was going to play there (Iowa) when I grew up." You can understand why when you check out the family tree. All limbs pointed to Iowa City. His mom and dad went to school there, got married there and lived there for a few years. Four of his dad's siblings, he said, graduated from Iowa and all of their kids ― five of Armstrong's cousins ― went to school there. Armstrong's sister went there. So did his grandparents. He also has an aunt and uncle who are currently living in Iowa City and another cousin attending classes at Iowa. If you're keeping score at home ― on how many Armstrong's are alums ― never mind. There are too many to count, at least to get an accurate count, off the top of your head, unless you're looking to simplify the math by just not counting Ethan and his younger brother, Thad. "Me and my brother were the first two not to go to Iowa," said Ethan, who was originally a UW walkon, which is Thad's status today as a scout team quarterback. "They asked me to walk on there," Ethan said of the Hawkeyes. "That obviously was a tough decision because my sister, at the time, was in school at Iowa. "I had a big connection there, a strong connection there. But I wanted to be a part of this Wisconsin team, I wanted to come here." Armstrong is no stranger to Kinnick Stadium. Growing up, he typically attended two to three games each year. His grandpa had season tickets to the Hawkeyes. But whereas there used to be black and gold around the Armstrong household in Ottawa, he said, "It's all red and white now. My mom and dad are the biggest Badger fans you'll ever find." Even Grandpa Armstrong roots for the Badgers, he pointed out. "It's a great rivalry and I love being a part of it," Armstrong said. "I love playing Iowa and I'm glad that I get a chance to go to Kinnick one more time. "They play a tough brand of football ― similar to what we play here. Coach (Gary) Andersen said, 'It's big-boy football.' And that's the truth. U 34 // VARSITY October 31, 2013 "It's smash-mouth, physical football. It's the brand of football that both of our programs like to pride ourselves on. It's the kind of game we hope we can excel in." Ottawa's high school rival, LaSalle-Peru, was a mere 15 miles down the road. "We never played for a trophy, we just played for a lot of pride, small town versus small town," he said. Once he got to Wisconsin and the Big Ten, the stakes got significantly bigger. "I love trophy games, I love to play for something a little extra," Armstrong said. "The best thing about trophies is that they symbolize a win ― you won the game. It doesn't get any better than that." A thought, no doubt, that will accompany everyone on that Friday bus ride. "I had a big connection there, a strong connection there," Armstrong said of Iowa. "But I wanted to be a part of this Wisconsin team, I wanted to come here."