Head Coach Fickell's Guide to Success for the Wisconsin Badgers
Oct 14, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell during the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
© Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
It was an electric atmosphere on Tuesday as Head Coach Luke Fickell addressed his team. "Obviously a big ass week, but they're all big. Okay? They're all big."
This is more than just pep talk. Fickell is setting a tone that he expects to resonate throughout the Wisconsin Badgers' football program.
The Real Battle is Within
"What this week is about, is about the men in this room now. Make sure you understand that. Okay, everybody's got a job to do, and let's do it to the best of our ability," Fickell stated.
Fickell is also a coach who believes in collective responsibility.
"If that's imitating or being the scout guy, that's being the scout guy.
If that's the starting quarterback, that's the starting quarterback. But everybody's got to have the same expectation," he emphasized.
Every week is crucial, and each player has an important role to play.
Fickell's message is not just a motivational tactic but a coaching philosophy. He recognizes that a football team's strength lies in its unity and collective effort. Each player's contributions, however seemingly minor, are pieces of a larger puzzle that shapes the team's overall performance.
Every Game is a Measuring Stick
"This will be an amazing atmosphere and opportunity for us to measure ourselves in every area of our game, our culture, and our team. That's what Saturdays are, right? It's a measuring stick to figure out where we are, not just you individually, not just us as a team, but our program, our culture, and all those things that go, 'cause we're always growing one or the other," the coach elaborates.
According to Fickell, each game serves as a barometer for the team's standing—not just in terms of talent and skill but also culture and unity.
Oct 14, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell leads the football team onto the field for warmups prior to the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
© Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
No Step Backwards
"We cannot take a step backwards in our aggressive nature. But we've got to make sure that we eliminate the mistakes. The mistakes are not effort mistakes. The mistakes are discipline things. We've got to make the plays that come our way. In all that we do." he states definitively.
Here Fickell makes an important distinction. It's not the errors born of effort that he’s concerned about; it's the lapses in discipline that can cripple a team's progress.
The Narrow Gap that Separates
"The gap in college football is really close. There's just specific things that separate. And it ain't ability. It's not ability. Focus on us. Saturday will come. Alright? And it's a long way away. Let's do what we do on a Tuesday. And let's do it better than anybody else. And then we'll worry about Wednesday. And Thursday. And Friday. And when it gets to Saturday, we'll be prepared," Fickell concluded.
Coach Fickell’s words illuminate a fundamental truth in college football: the gap between teams is often razor-thin. And it’s not raw ability that sets them apart—it’s discipline, focus, and the capacity for collective action.
With this philosophy, Fickell aims to lead the Wisconsin Badgers to new heights, not just in the next game but in seasons to come. As he concluded in his address to the team, "Let's go. Win on three. One, two, three. Win!" And with that spirit, the Badgers march forward, each step a measurement of their growth.
Watch his entire pep talk below:
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