1954 Wisconsin Badgers football team

The 1954 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin in the 1954 Big Ten Conference football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Ivy Williamson, the Badgers compiled an overall record of 7–2 with a mark of 5–2 in conference play, trying for second place in the Big Ten.

1954 Wisconsin Badgers football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 10
AP	No. 9
Record	7–2 (5–2 Big Ten)
Head coach	Ivy Williamson (6th season)
MVP	Alan Ameche
Captain	Gary Messner
Home stadium	Camp Randall Stadium

1954 Big Ten Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Ohio State $	7	–	0	–	0			10	–	0	–	0
No. 9 Wisconsin	5	–	2	–	0			7	–	2	–	0
No. 15 Michigan	5	–	2	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Minnesota	4	–	2	–	0			7	–	2	–	0
Iowa	4	–	3	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Purdue	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	3	–	1
Indiana	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
Michigan State	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
Northwestern	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
Illinois	0	–	6	–	0			1	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Senior Alan Ameche won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the first Badger to win the award. He was a consensus selection to the 1954 College Football All-America Team and received the Chicago Tribune Silver Football, awarded to the Big Ten's best player. Ameche played linebacker on defense along with fullback on offense. In four years as a Badger, he gained 3,212 yards, then the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) record, scored 25 touchdowns, and averaged 4.8 yards per carry.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance
September 25	Marquette*	No. 10	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	W 52–14	52,819
October 2	at No. 13 Michigan State	No. 5	Macklin Stadium East Lansing, MI	W 6–0	51,194
October 9	No. 11 Rice*	No. 3	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	W 13–7	52,819
October 16	No. 5 Purdue	No. 2	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	W 20–6	53,131
October 23	at No. 4 Ohio State	No. 2	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	L 14–31	82,636
October 30	at Iowa	No. 8	Iowa Stadium Iowa City, IA (rivalry)	L 7–13	52,185
November 6	Northwestern	No. 16	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	W 34–13	53,131
November 13	at Illinois	No. 14	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	W 27–14	71,119
November 20	No. 10 Minnesota	No. 17	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI (rivalry)	W 27–0	53,131
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Awards and honors

• Alan Ameche, Heisman Trophy
• Alan Ameche, All-America honors

Team players in the 1955 NFL draft

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Alan Ameche	Back	1	3	Baltimore Colts
Jim Temp	End	2	17	Green Bay Packers
Norm Amundsen	Guard	6	65	Green Bay Packers
Ron Locklin	End	6	68	New York Giants
Clarence Bratt	Back	12	143	Chicago Bears
Jerry Cvengros	Tackle	21	247	Los Angeles Rams
Bob Gringrass	Back	27	321	Philadelphia Eagles