Los Angeles (WQOW) - Wisconsin sports fans have a big week this week, there's just two short days left until the badgers take on Stanford in the 99th rose bowl on Tuesday. Badgers fans united in California Sunday for the Official Wisconsin Football Pep Rally in Los Angeles.
Sports director Bob Bradovich was in Los Angeles Sunday covering the rally.
If there's one thing we know about Wisconsin football fans. They like to celebrate. Several thousand of those red-clad fans gather Sunday afternoon just outside the Staples Center in downtown L.A.
The Wisconsin band, spirit squad, and Bucky badger are also there, as is head coach Barry Alvarez, and the entire Badgers football team.
"We have the best support it never ceases to amaze us, it never gets old. You guys come out and support us and we appreciate every last one of you," Wisconsin Junior linebacker Chris Borland told the crowd on Sunday.
"These guys are ready to play, they've practiced well all week, and they're going to play well on Tuesday," Barry Alvarez said.
In the crowd Sunday, the family of Baldwin Woodville's Jake Keefer, a freshman defensive lineman with the badgers. Jake's family is in southern California for a second straight year. Jake's dad was also Jake's high school football coach.
"We talk a lot on the phone, and we talk about football and how practice is going. It's different, because I'm obviously not the one coaching him, but we talk about things they're doing, and I encourage him to keep working hard, and that's not a hard thing because he's a highly motivated kid," Dan Keefer told Bob Bradovich in Los Angeles Sunday.
It's safe to say that fans are happy to have Barry Alvarez back, and one fan can't resist taking a shot at former coach Bret Bielema.
"We just wanted to be seen and heard, and we were so excited that Barry Alvarez could come back, and we're hoping that we could win a third Rose Bowl," said Hannah Stellmacher, a Badgers fan from Sacramento, holding a sign saying "Brent Who?".
"Our aunt made these for us, so we're just bringing them along to support the Badgers," her cousin, Abby added.
The Stellmacher cousins say they wanted to be seen and heard and they definitely accomplished their goal.
