It’s the year 2000, and the Wisconsin Badgers football team is about to go into the season ranked No. 4 in the country and is just coming off its second Rose Bowl victory. A program that had to deal with its dark ages during the ‘70s and ‘80s has finally established itself as a growing powerhouse in the college football game, winning three Rose Bowls in the 1990s, five bowl game victories in total, and averaging a 9-3 record over the last four seasons. While it may seem unimpressive to talk up this resume compared to some of college football’s blue bloods, it’s important to know that Wisconsin has long been one of the Big Ten’s biggest laughing stocks. My dad would tell me stories that when he was in Madison during the ‘80s, Wisconsin students would leave tickets on windshields of cars. And he was not joking. The cliché joke that we give terrible teams about breaking into cars and leaving tickets for their games was a (exaggerated) reality in Madison, Wis., during these sad times. The Badgers had a winning percentage of 37% from 1967 to 1990. For Barry Alvarez to achieve what he did up to this point was nothing short of remarkable and should give him Vince Lombardi-level of praise among those in the Badger State. However, as so often is the case with honeymoon stages, it all must come to an end.  

It’s Aug. 31 and going into Wisconsin’s 2000 season opener against Western Michigan, there was a shocking announcement a mere hours before kickoff. 26 players from the program were to be suspended for one to three games. But why? What could warrant such punishment, especially one that could affect an entire team? Well I am glad you asked because the answer to that is shoe coupons. 

That’s right — the NCAA discovered that 157 student-athletes from 14 sports had received ‘improper benefits’ from a shoe store named The Shoe Box in nearby Black Earth, Wis., which included $23,000 worth of discounts. The university would then fine itself $150,000 and have its athletic program be placed on probation for five years. Now, this wasn’t Wisconsin’s only infringement of the decade — in fact, this was its third violation in the last seven years, with the other two violations tied in with other improper benefits, including housing violations by placing the athletes in nearby apartments, which those said athletes would then have to pay the amount for those housing benefits. 

So, what about The Shoe Box store itself? What happened to it? Well, the university would ban the suspected students from shopping there again to prevent any further suspicious activity. According to ABC News, the owner of the store, Steve Schmitt, claimed that he spoke to university officials beforehand and that all discounts he gave were the same as the ones he gave regular customers. He was even a season ticket holder for the Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team and had donated money to the university in the past. The store itself is still open to this day. 

What was not yet mentioned was that 15 additional football players were not only suspended for a game but also were required to provide 12 hours of community service. Also, an additional 21 players were not suspended but had to give 24 hours of community service. 

Were the punishments harsh? In the moment, yes. However, what also needs to be considered is that it could have easily been much worse. Much worse to the point where there was a possibility that Wisconsin would not be the athletics program that it is today. There was talk of revoking the Badgers’ Rose Bowl titles and the men’s basketball team’s Final Four title from 2000. The football team lost a few scholarships and the basketball program lost one, however not much else was handed out. Thankfully, we now live in an era that treats student-athletes like regular human beings. The NIL era presents the opportunity for student-athletes to profit off of their name, image, and likeness. Crazy to think a few years ago a college kid could have their career ruined for buying shoes at a discount price.