There have been heavy hearts at UW
Athletic department is on run of tragedy
MADISON – The University of Wisconsin athletic department has been fortunate to celebrate myriad achievements on the field and courts in the last 26 months.
Sadly, the extended family of UW athletics has endured a run of tragedy during that time, as well.
Former Badgers tailback James White, in his seventh season with the New England Patriots, experienced painful losses twice over the weekend.
White learned Sunday morning that Msgr. Michael Burke, who is known as “Father Mike” to UW athletes and has been the football program's chaplain for more than four decades, died late Saturday.
Then hours before the Patriots were set to face host Seattle, White learned his father had died and his mother had been left in critical condition because of injuries suffered in an automobile accident in Florida.
Tyrone White, 59, became the seventh person with strong ties to the UW athletic department to die in the last two-plus years.
The tragic run began on July 5, 2018, with the death of wrestler Eli Stickley.
Stickley, 21, reportedly was driving a 2004 Nissan Frontier on I-74 in Illinois when the vehicle left the road, went into the ditch and rolled. In February 2018, the athletic department established Eli's Impact Scholarship Fund to help one wrestler each year.
A little more than 10 months after Stickley died, the men's basketball program lost two members of its extended family.
Assistant Howard Moore and his
family were driving to Michigan on Memorial Day weekend. They were en route to visit the parents of Moore's wife, Jennifer, when their vehicle was hit head-on by a wrong-way driver just outside of Ann Arbor.
The Moore's daughter, Jaidyn, was pronounced dead at the scene. Jennifer Moore survived the crash but was eventually taken off life support. The Moore's son, Jerell, suffered only minor injuries. Howard Moore suffered thirddegree burns and then in June suffered a heart attack after he had returned home. He is in a long-term rehab facility.
UW dedicated its season to the Moore family and won its final eight games of the regular season to win a share of the Big Ten title. The final victory was a 60-56 decision at Indiana, a game in which UW wiped out a ninepoint deficit in the second half.
The men's hockey program suffered two losses in the spring.
Tom Engel, the father of video coordinator Emily Engel, died on April 10, less than a month after testing positive for COVID-19. According to the family, Tom Engel did not have any underlying health issues. He was 64.
Then came the passing of former player Rob Andringa, who had been battling colon cancer for two years. Andringa, a member of UW's 1990 NCAA title team and a hockey analyst who was a passionate supporter of the program, died May 29. He was 51.
"There's now pain and sadness in our family," UW coach Tony Granato said. "There is nobody that I know who loves and embodies what Badger athletics and especially Badger hockey is all about more than Rob Andringa. You can extend that to his entire family.
"He had such a big heart and was so full of energy that he made everybody in his life feel like a friend and feel special.”
The football program was rocked Saturday night when Burke died at SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital in Madison. A native of Darlington, Burke was 72.
The news of Burke's death began to spread on social media Sunday morning, sparking a flood of tributes from former players, current players, former coaches and current coaches.
White was among those who paid tribute to Burke with this tweet:
“Rest In Peace Father Mike! You impacted so many lives in a positive way at Wisconsin!”
White posted that comment before the Patriots were scheduled to face host Seattle.
A few hours later, White learned his parents had been in an automobile accident in Florida. He did not play in the Patriots' 35-30 loss.
Several of White's former teammates offered their condolences on Twitter.
Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson, who teamed with White at UW in 2011, offered a touching tribute during a postgame interview with NBC.
“First of all, my heart is heavy because one of my teammates, James White from Wisconsin,” Wilson said, “one of the nicest guys, teammates, one of the hardest workers, one of the best people I know, had a tough one...
“My heart has been heavy all day thinking about him. Obviously, the game was the game. This year has been a tough year as a whole. A lot of people that we know just going through so much.
“But James, I'm praying for you man if you can hear me.”
White no doubt appreciated and needed the comfort of his former teammates. Sadly, too many members of the UW athletic department's extended family have needed the same in recent months.