Star-studded lineup helps Braelon Allen hit home run with first charity softball game in Fond du Lac
FOND DU LAC – In a short period of time, Braelon Allen has become one of the “faces of Fond du Lac” bringing lots of “Fondy Pride” and publicity to the town in which he grew up.
More than 1,500 fans were in attendance Sunday at Herr-Baker Field on the campus of Marian University, home of the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders, to watch the Badgers’ star sophomore running back host and play in his inaugural charity softball game.
The event brought together current and former UW-Madison athletes, along with a few guest stars — including Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Badgers running back Ron Dayne, and fellow Fond du Lac native and Marquette basketball legend Travis Diener.
“When I first was approached about this, I thought it was a no-brainer,” said Diener. “This humble kid with such a bright future, Braelon, coming from Fond du Lac, for him to start this at such a young age for the city to raise money is great.”
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Up until just a few years ago, NCAA rules would have prevented the event from happening. However, due to the adoption of new policy, the ability for amateur athletes to profit off their own name, image and likeness (NIL) has opened the door to sponsorships and endorsement deals for anyone who plays collegiate sports. In this case, Allen decided to use his NIL to bring together his community while also raising money for the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame Foundation.
“There’s a lot of great things that you can do (with NIL). Something like this just proves that, and hopefully I can inspire some other people to do the same,” said Allen.
“It’s been cool. Doing anything to be able to give back to your community is a great feeling. The support I got out here today was amazing. It means everything, so I’m definitely going to try to keep doing things like this to give back. I have lots of close friends, family and connections here supporting me, so I’m very thankful to them and everyone else in the community that decided to come out today.”
Originally projected to be a playmaker on the defensive side of the ball at the college level, Allen attributes his successful freshman season with the Badgers last year — in which he ran for over 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns — to each of the linemen blocking for him, and those coaching him up to an elite level.
“It’s easy when you have a great O-line and coaches to develop you and put you in situations to be successful,” said Allen. “I was confident I would go to Madison and do what I needed to do. Running backs seem to always be in the Heisman race there, so I thought if I just go there, put in the work and perform well, good things will come my way. It all comes down to putting in the work and winning games.”
When asked what his goals are for the upcoming season, Allen quickly responded: “Big Ten championship.”
“That’s the main focus,” Allen said. “If we manage that, then hopefully we can sneak into the playoffs and make some noise there.”
Despite struggling a bit in the home run derby held before the game, unable to knock a single ball over the fence, Allen turned things around once the real action began by going 3-for-3 with a deep single that almost snuck over the barrier — followed by mammoth shots in back-to-back at-bats to help pave the way for the offense. Allen’s team triumphed over the defense by a final score of 12-7.
“That felt really good after the performance I had in the home run derby,” Allen said. “It’s hard to give that (derby) trophy away, but next year I’ll be ready.”
Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Mike Jarvis won the crown as derby champ after putting on a clinic for fans, smashing 12 long balls in the first round and sealing the deal with four straight homers in round two.
Other highlights included freshman quarterback Myles Burkett hitting a grand slam in the bottom of the third inning to give the offense the lead, which they held the rest of the way, followed by a second round-tripper in the eighth for good measure. Junior tight end Clay Cundiff made a leaping grab against the center field fence to rob a base hit, then promptly blasted a three-run home run in the following half-inning. Jarvis also made sure to save some power for the game by belting a ball out for the defense.
“The main focus for today was getting as much of the team out here as I could and get away from football, just having a day to ourselves without coaches, being able to relax and have fun,” said Allen.
This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Braelon Allen's first charity softball game in Fond du Lac big success
