As someone who was there to see every step Ron Dayne took during his remarkable career with the University of Wisconsin football program, I have a confession to make.

I appreciate him much more today than I did a decade ago when he was tapping out the final sentences to an extraordinary story.

The Badgers haven’t won a Big Ten Conference title since he left with two, from 1998 and ’99, tucked into his back pocket.

They haven’t been to the Rose Bowl, haven’t finished as a Top 10 team in consecutive seasons and haven’t had every eye of the college football world fixated on Madison since Dayne officially walked away Jan. 1, 2000.

They certainly haven’t produced a marquee player like Dayne, the 1999 Heisman Trophy winner who still holds the major-college record for most career rushing yards at 6,397.

Ten years has generated a lot of perspective where Dayne is concerned, and it’s not just about where UW was and where it currently is on the BCS food chain.

When you’re in the moment, it’s not unusual to miss, or misinterpret, details that might bring greater clarity to that moment. So it is with Dayne, who, in hindsight, was a better, more dominant performer than many gave him credit for back in the day.

When Dayne won the Heisman — joining Alan Ameche (1954) as the only recipients in program history — some in the national media snottily likened it to a lifetime achievement award. Dayne returned for his senior season at UW, eschewing an early exit for the NFL draft, in part because the all-time career rushing record was within his grasp.

Ten years ago this week, Dayne not only reached that goal with an unforgettable showing against Iowa at Camp Randall Stadium — 27 carries, 216 yards, one touchdown — the Badgers clinched a second straight Big Ten title and Rose Bowl berth by virtue of a 41-3 triumph on Nov. 13.

UW went on to knock off Stanford 17-9 — Dayne’s final college stat line: 34 carries, 200 yards, one TD — to become the first Big Ten team in history to win consecutive Rose Bowls.

The 10th anniversary of that 1999 team will be celebrated Saturday when the Badgers play their home finale against Michigan. Like Dayne, the achievements of that team have grown in stature over the years. It makes you realize how hard it is to win a Big Ten title and get to Pasadena.

Dayne truly was the best college player in 1999, even though other Heisman finalists have had more celebrated (Drew Brees) and notorious (Michael Vick) careers in the NFL.

The further we get from Dayne’s era at UW, the more special his college career becomes.

Consider: He had 14 games of 200 yards or more for the Badgers between 1996 and ‘99. There have 14 in the 10 seasons since … by six UW tailbacks.

Consider: Dayne had 18 games where he carried the ball at least 30 times in his career. Since then, four UW tailbacks have produced seven 1,000-yard seasons and they’ve combined for 17.

I believe Dayne is going to hold onto that career rushing record for a long, long time. Some didn’t think it would last this long, in part because Dayne swiped it from Texas counterpart Ricky Williams after just one year. But the closest anyone has come is Mike Hart of Michigan, who finished with 5,040 in 2007.

Hart wasn’t durable, or lucky, enough to keep pace. Same goes for UW tailback Anthony Davis, who had a legitimate shot after two seasons (3,147 yards) but was derailed by injuries.

The fact the NCAA has dumbed things down — bowl game stats are now counted toward career totals, but not after the fact for guys like Dayne, who would have 7,125 yards — won’t matter much, either.

Dayne was simply unique, a 5-foot-10, 250-pounder who could run you over or run past you if need be. He generally played through pain and injury and worked from a playbook written largely for him.

Nowadays, what with spread offenses, the heightened allure of the NFL for underclassmen as well as more bigger, better athletes on defense makes Dayne’s career rushing record very safe indeed.

Contact Andy Baggot at abaggot@madison.com or 608-252-6175.

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