Varsity - The Official Digital Magazine of Wisconsin Athletics

Varsity - July 26, 2012

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"As a young guy growing up in Green Bay, I always had a dream of playing for the Uni- versity of Wisconsin and then getting into the pros. I guess I was living my dream out because it all happened.'' dier Field (save for two years during World War II when it was played at Dyche Stadium in Evanston). The game, itself, was the brainchild of Arch Ward, the sports editor of the Chicago Tribune. All the proceeds benefited local charities. Overall, the pros won 31 of the 42 games in the series, which included two ties. The last victory by the College All-Stars was on Aug. 2, 1963, and it was none other than Vander Kelen and Rich- ter who hooked up on a 73-yard pass completion that was the winning score in the 20-17 upset of the Packers. Vander Kelen was the game's MVP; an honor that he had shared with Beathard in the Rose Bowl. While Richter had been a first-round selection of the Washington Redskins in the 1963 draft, Vander Kelen was a free agent who wound up sign- ing with the Minnesota Vikings. "As a young guy growing up in Green Bay,'' Vander Kelen said, "I always had a dream of playing for the University of Wisconsin and then getting into the pros. I guess I was living my dream out because it all happened.'' As a pro, Vander Kelen largely toiled in the shadows of Minnesota's starting quarterback, Fran Tarkenton. During his five years with the Vi- kings, he never attempted more than 58 passes in any one season (compared to the 48 that he threw in four quarters against USC). Vander Kelen end- ed up appearing in 29 games and had five starts, three coming in 1967, his final NFL season. Looking back today, he still has no regrets. "I look back and think, 'Man, I was privileged to have spent five years in the NFL,''' he said. "That was a long time for a lot of players, even back then. 24 ยป VARSITY JULY 26, 2012 And that was certainly a long time for an average individual. Good, bad or whatever, I felt privileged to have played that long.'' Armed with his UW degree in economics, Vander Kelen joined the business world once his playing career was over. He worked in a variety of differ- ent capacities and jobs, including advertising and marketing and eventually got involved with educa- tion in the admissions department of the Minne- sota School of Business. "I really enjoyed working with students,'' he said. Vander Kelen also enjoyed working in the WTMJ radio booth as a color analyst with the late Jim Ir- win, who was not only the "Voice of the Packers'' but the "Voice of the Badgers'' from 1969 through 1990. Vander Kelen never had a problem staying grounded but he chuckled and said, "Jim always used to say to me, 'Man, for your 15 minutes of fame you get more attention than anybody else.'' Vander Kelen and his wife, Lorraine, live in Edi- na, Minn. He has saved many of the articles that were written about the '62 team โ€” they've been packed away in boxes โ€” and all of the trophies that he collected for his "senior'' moments with the Badgers. After retiring in 2007, he said, "I try to keep myself busy with a bunch of my buddies and I enjoy each day โ€” one day at a time.'' Asked whether he has been able to stay in touch with many of his former Badger teammates, he said, "Everybody is spread out all over the place. When my daughter (Katy, a UW grad) was going to school in Madison, I used to go down there and I'd run into a couple of guys. With the exception of some phone calls, I haven't really sat down with any of them. But if they have a reunion, I'll be there.'' That would seem to be a given that the UW would do something to recognize the 50th anni- versary of that '62 season and '63 Rose Bowl. "I don't know what would have happened to me if I had not been privileged to have had that suc- cess my senior year at Wisconsin,'' Vander Kelen pondered. "I don't know where I would have gone and what I would have done. In so many ways, I was so happy that I was able to continue on schol- arship (after leaving school for a semester) and

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