Biography
One of four former walk-ons to start for the Badgers in 2011, Ewing had a sensational season clearing out rush lanes for All-American tailback Montee Ball. The senior fullback registered an incredible 30 touchdown-resulting blocks during his final collegiate season, which was more than the totals produced by 99 entire offensive units among the 122 colleges competing at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level.
The former high school tailback has proven to be a clutch receiver coming out of the backfield. He caught all 28 passes targeted to him as a Badger, as 19 of those grabs registered first downs and 16 were for at least ten yards. In addition to his two scoring catches, 17 of his receptions set up Wisconsin touchdown drives.
The team’s offensive captain, who started ten of the 52 games he played in for the Badgers, also excelled on special teams. He fielded eight short kickoffs, good for a 17.38-yard average. For the coverage units, he delivered 17 tackles (12 solos) and caused one fumble. He also snared a rugby-style punt that went for just one yard, securing the ball to set up a touchdown drive in the 2011 Indiana clash.
Ewing was named Wisconsin’s Special Teams Player of the Year as a senior. Head coach Bret Bielema raved about the senior’s blue-collar work ethic, recently telling the local media, “Special teams was Bradie Ewing, and I can't say enough great things about what he's doing from a leadership standpoint, but, also, his production on the four phases of the kicking game. He's a guy that's doing a lot of nice things from the line of scrimmage, but I think the NFL really likes what he does on all four phases of the kicking game.”
Prior to his arrival at Wisconsin, Ewing was a three-sport standout at Richland Center High School. In football, the two-star prospect (Rivals.com) was a tailback and strong safety for the Hornets. Both Rivals.com and Wisconsin Preps rated him the 16th-best prospect in the state of Wisconsin during his senior season in 2007. Serving as team captain in each of his last three years, Ewing earned All-Southwest Wisconsin Football Conference honors, as he scored four times on the ground, gaining 627 yards at tailback. As a junior, he was again an All-Conference first-team choice, piling up 1,168 yards with 13 touchdowns rushing.
In 2007, Ewing was chosen the Wisconsin State Journal All-Area Player of the Year. He added first-team All-State honors from the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association, as the conference Most Valuable Player carried 258 times for 2,116 yards (8.2 ypc) and 24 touchdowns. He ran for over 200 yards in six of the team’s ten games, including a record 352 yards with three scores vs. Lancaster, adding four touchdowns and 311 yards on 19 attempts vs. Arcadia, following that performance with five touchdown runs vs. Black River Falls.
The three-time gridiron starter closed out his career with 509 attempts for 3,911 yards (7.68 ypc) and 41 touchdowns. His final prep performance came in the 2008 WFCA South All-Star Game. He added four more letters as a guard for the Hornets’ basketball squad, earning All-State honorable mention as a sophomore, junior and senior.
During the 2006-07schedule, Ewing averaged 20.5 points per game. He guided the Hornets to a 13-9 record during his final season, as the three-star prospect (Scout.com) averaged 18.7 points per game, producing double-digit points in every contest.
The school class president lettered three times with the Richland Center High track and field team. He was a National Honor Society member, as the All-Area pick also participated in multiple choral competitions. He graduated with a 3.67 grade point average.
With stellar performances in all three sports, Ewing received interest from Minnesota, Purdue, Northwestern and Nevada-Las Vegas during his high school senior season. He was also pursued by North Dakota, North Dakota State and South Dakota State, but after making a visit to Wisconsin-Madison on November 30th, 2007, he decided to enroll at the school on July 7th, 2008, and joined the Badgers’ football team as a walk-on.
Ewing arrived as a 212-pound tailback during 2008 August camp. He spent the preseason learning his role with the Badgers, as he impressed the UW coaching staff enough that he played right away, which is rare for a true freshman walk-on. He finished with four tackles on special teams and scored his first touchdown as a Badger in Wisconsin’s second game of the year vs. Marshall, finishing with 14 yards on four carries.
It was really a dream come true, Ewing said. His hard work ethic would come in handy when he arrived for 2009 preseason camp.
Head coach Bret Bielema saw the 215-pound Ewing filling in for Bill Rentmeester, who had played the last four years at fullback along with Chris Pressley. Both Rentmeester and Pressley had exhausted their eligibility, leaving the fullback spot wide open entering the 2009 schedule.
The Badgers went looking in-house, with Ewing the perfect man for the role. He totaled 78 yards on four kickoff returns and produced ten touchdown-resulting blocks for the Badgers.
Ewing spent the 2010 season working hard in the weight room, bulking up his once 215-pound frame and reporting at 243 pounds for his junior season. He scored once and gained 19 yards on three carries, totaled 82 yards on eight receptions and 57 yards on three kickoff returns. He also recorded six tackles (5 solos) and caused a fumble with the special teams coverage units.
"It was just awesome to help the team win," Ewing said. Against Austin Peay State, he scored the first touchdown of the game on an eight-yard plunge up the middle on a play the Badgers call "belly." He added another score later on a three-yard swing reception.
"Anytime when you are a fullback, going from being a running back to a blocking fullback, it is cool to get the ball back in your hands," Ewing said. The transition from halfback to fullback is probably more difficult mentally then physically.
Glory seekers need not apply. Ewing often rehashes a phrase somewhere along the lines of "anything to help the team win" in his answers — a response he must believe to enjoy his job at fullback.
"Without a doubt," Wisconsin running backs coach John Settle responded when asked if transitioning from halfback to fullback was more difficult mentally then physically. "But guys here know it is a team sport and they understand that they have a job to do. He approaches it with the right mindset. The thing I am most pleased with is how much his blocking has improved drastically. I think he feels good about where he is. He is playing with a confidence now you like to see as a coach."
Ewing posted 18 touchdown-resulting blocks in 2010.
Running backs coach John Settle said approvingly of Ewing during the 2010 campaign, "The thing that separates him from a lot of players, he finishes. When the whistle blows, he's still going to be attached to you or chasing you. Defenders around the league are starting to recognize how tenacious he is as a blocker." Ewing, a former walk-on, is so popular around the area, UW coach Bret Bielema referred to him as "Mr. Wisconsin."
One of Ewing's jobs in the running game was to cut the defensive end on the weak side, which frequently turned out to be Adrian Clayborn, a consensus first-team All-Big Ten Conference selection. The Hawkeyes defensive end appeared to get frustrated with Ewing at one point, leaving the game briefly after getting hit on the right knee on one block. Ewing got his head in front of Clayborn, who appeared to trip while trying to hop over the block.
Ewing had so much success cutting the Iowa defensive ends, they started making sure they knew when he was in the game, Settle said. "By the fourth quarter, after he had cut Clayborn, the defensive ends were looking for him ... and they were bracing for the cut blocks," Settle said." He really got into their heads."
In addition, Ewing also had success as a lead blocker vs. Iowa's linebackers. Ewing came up to Settle during the game and urged him to run more leads. Running back Montee Ball wasn't the only one to keep his legs churning on his eight-yard run for the winning touchdown. Ewing didn't stop driving while blocking linebacker Shane DiBona until putting him on the ground.
"Sometimes it goes unnoticed exactly how physical he is in a ballgame," said Settle, who had to go back and watch the film to totally appreciate Ewing's performance. "You like to trust players. During the game, he said, ‘Coach, I can handle the ‘backers if you want to run lead.' All players say that. But you put the film on and he was handling them. It was impressive."
Ewing also caught a touchdown pass vs. Iowa, but some of his blocks meant just as much to him. "It's so fulfilling to see the running back going off your tail end," he said. "That's kind of the way I score my touchdowns now. It's pretty awesome."
Settle believes the role on the team for Ewing had an uplifting effect on the rest of the roster as well. He helped the Badgers lead the Big Ten Conference and rank tenth in the nation in rushing (237.38 ypg), as UW also paced the league with averages of 44.62 points (fourth in the NCAA) and 466.92 yards per game in total offense.
He finished fifth on the team with 20 receptions for 246 yards (12.3 ypc). He fielded a short punt for a 4-yard gain and the three-time UW Special Teams Player of the Week totaled seven tackles (5 solos) for the kickoff coverage unit.
