THIS WEEK IN BADGER HISTORY
CAMP RANDALL 100 SPOTLIGHT:
THE PORTAGE PLUMBER The Camp Randall 100 honors a prestigious group of 100 people who shaped the first century of Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin Athletics revealed a new honoree every day from May 24 through the Badgers’ 2017 opening game vs. Utah State Sept. 1. BY ANDY BAGGOT UWBadgers.com Insider
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he request for an interview caught Terry Westegard a bit off guard. “It’s pretty surprising that people can remember something that happened in the ’70s, you know?” he said. From 1975 to ’81, Westegard might have been the biggest celebrity associated with the Wisconsin football program even though he didn’t coach or play. He certainly was the most recognizable figure during home games at Camp Randall Stadium, what with his furry helmet, fur-lined skirt and trademark T-shirt. He was the Portage Plumber. Westegard was the guy who, fueled by a mischievous whim and some Cold Duck, ambled out of Section X on Nov. 1, 1975 and began dancing
with members of the UW pompon squad during the fourth quarter of Big Ten Conference game vs. Illinois. The Badgers prevailed 18-9 — it would be their final victory of a 4-6-1 season — but a lot of fans in the crowd of 78,868 went home curious about the 20-something steamfitter and Portage native who boldly made a spectacle of himself. Westegard, now retired with a wife, Natalie, and grown son, Michael, has a scrapbook in his Lodi, Wis., home that features a memorable picture from those days. It shows him grinning during one of his dance routines with the pompon squad. “In the background the (east side) stands are there — this is before the luxury suites were added — and almost every head in the crowd was looking at me,” he said. “That meant it got a lot of people’s attention. They must have enjoyed it. They looked forward to it.”