Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

Wisconsin senior quarterback Bart Houston earned his fourth Academic All-Big Ten honor during the 2016 season, a year in which his play under center was crucial to the Badgers’ second-consecutive 10-win season.
 
A graduate student in kinesiology, Houston earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from UW in December of 2015 and carried a 3.63 grade-point average. The Dublin, California native also was named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar for his efforts in the classroom and was an active volunteer as part of the Badgers Give Back community service initiative.
 
Houston earned his first career start in the Badgers’ season opener vs. LSU at Lambeau Field, where his namesake, Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr, became a legend. Houston helped lead the Badgers to a 16-14 win over the No. 5-ranked Tigers, the first of six top-10 opponents Wisconsin would face during the season. He also started in the Big Ten Football Championship Game and delivered a 16-for-21 passing performance for 174 yards.
 
Among his other highlights, Houston was 9-for-14 for 123 yards in Wisconsin’s 13th-consecutive win over rival Minnesota in the battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe, and he threw for a season-high 231 yards on 15-for-22 passing vs. Akron on Sept. 10.
 
During his senior season, Houston completed 65.9 percent of his passes (85 of 129) for 1,086 yards and five touchdowns against three interceptions for a pass efficiency rating of 144.8. Houston and redshirt freshman Alex Hornibrook combined to give the Badgers a pair of 1,000-yard passes in a season for the first time since 2001. 
 
Houston was selected by the Badgers’ coaching staff to receive the Wayne Sousa Coaches Appreciation Award, an honor presented to a player who contributes to the team's success with attitude and willingness to help the program in all areas.