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Darlington native Alex Erickson hoping to catch on with Bengals
Erickson
Darlington graduate Alex Ericsson dream of playing in the NFL will begin in Cincinnati after the former Badger wide receiver signed a free agent contract with the Bengals last weekend.

DARLINGTON – First he was a Redbird, then he was a Badger. Now, Darlington native Alex Erickson is hoping to become a Bengal.

Erickson dreams of playing in the National Football League became a reality on Saturday afternoon when he agreed to sign a free agent contract to join the Cincinnati Bengals a short time following the 2016 NFL Draft.

His team mascots keep getting larger and more ferocious, and so will the competition as the 6’0”, 197-lbs. wide receiver out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison tries to make the jump to the next– and highest– level.

He will take the field as a member of the 90-man Bengals roster later this week when he participates in the team’s mini-camp along with the newest draftees and free agents signings.

Erickson, the son of Mike and Linda Erickson and a 2011 graduate of Darlington High School, was hoping to have his name called during one of the seven rounds of this weekend’s NFL Draft 

In 40 career games and 29 career starts at UW, Erickson finished sixth among UW’s all-time leaders with 141 catches and he placed 10th all-time in yardage with 1,877 yards. He also finished with six TDs.

The Badgers won 30 of the 40 games he played in during his illustrious career.

Erickson started 12 games his senior season and was the Badgers’ leading receiver for the second-straight year with 77 catches– second-most in school history– for 978 yards on his way to a first-team All-Big Ten selection.

The receiver his teammates lovingly nicknamed “All-AmErickson” caught more than twice as many balls as the team’s second-leading pass-catcher, and he gain more than 560 more yards than the team’s next best receiver.

He finished the season ranked second in the Big Ten and 31st in FBS-1A in receptions and fourth in the Big Ten and 41st in the FBS in yardage.

Erickson was a three-time letter winner with the Badgers and following the 2015 season he was named UW’s Offensive Player of the Year and selected to the All-Big Ten first-team offense by the media and the All-Big Ten second team offense by the conference coaches. 

Erickson, a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, graduated in December with a degree in agricultural business management.

After graduation, Erickson signed with the Siegen Sports LLC agency and started training his NFL in Michigan.

Several teams showed interest in the former Redbird three-sport star prior to the draft, including the Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings and the Bengals, and on Saturday– the final day of the draft– he took phone calls from several other teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles Rams, but he went undrafted through the seventh round.

That allowed Erickson’s camp to pick where he wanted to sign and the team that he choose was the Cincinnati Bengals, who are coached by Marvin Lewis.

Once a walk-on with the Badgers, Erickson will now try to “walk-on” in the NFL, but he’ll have an uphill battle to make the Bengals’ final 53-man roster. However, he knows what it will take to do that and he’s going to give it his all to achieve his goal.

 

NFL training camps begin in July and teams must trim their rosters down to 75 players by early September before cut down to the 53-man roster allowed by the NFL. Each team can also maintain a 10-man practice squad during the season.


Remembering Brooksie
Brooks Tiedeman (2001–2023)
Brooks Tiedeman
This image shows Brooks Tiedeman (right) the way he is remember, with fellow Bentonite's and lifelong friends, radiated by his unbridled enthusiasm. Baseball has a way of uniting people of all ages, and many in Southwest Wisconsin will treasure his memory.

By Tommy Behrens

SHULLSBURG — If you roll into the town of Shullsburg on a Sunday during the summer there is a chance that you could have the opportunity to watch some Home Talent Baseball. 

Shullsburg-Benton is one of the 42 teams in the Home Talent League and the 2023 season was one of the Fevers’ best years (12-4) in their 11-year existence. One of the biggest factors for their success was the outstanding team defense that was played behind our defensive MVP Brooks Tiedeman. 

Assistant manager Tommy Behrens coached Tiedeman for three years in high school and then played alongside him on the Fever since 2019. 

“No offense to any of the other outfielders I have played with, but Brooksie was the best defensive talent I have ever been around,” Behrens said. “His ability to make extremely tough plays look routine left many of us at a loss for words. His speed was always there; however, his experience and knowledge of the game grew to a point where he was a huge weapon for us.” 

Additionally, during the 2023 season, Tiedeman had a perfect fielding percentage in 32 attempts with two outfield assists on top of it. Unfortunately, just over a month after Shullsburg-Benton’s final game of the 2023 season, Tiedeman passed away due to injuries sustained in an automobile accident.

“He was a fantastic ball player, and he was truly a better human who saw the good in everyone,” Behrens said. “He just began student teaching and was destined to be an incredible educator. This is always going to hurt.”

Cory Ritterbusch, the Fevers’ announcer and business manager, also sang the praises of Tiedeman.

“After high school, Brooks focused on playing for the Fever while commuting from Whitewater each Sunday and becoming a weekly starter,” Ritterbusch said. “He was known for his blazing speed, ability to bunt, and his exceptional range in center field. He was one of the most feared base stealers in the league. He had a zest for competition, and was bursting with character. Brooks played an important role in the Fevers’ recent success. Teammates will remember him as a fun-loving, good guy who was on his way to a full life.”

On Sunday, June 30, theFever officially retired Tiedeman’s jersey. A black sign in center field was unveiled during the ceremony. It includes a home white plate, two baseball bats behind it signifying an ‘X marks the spot,’ and the number 20 in the middle of it.

‘Be like Brooks’ is a phrase seen on t-shirts and bracelets around the Benton and Shullsburg communities. It’s a reminder to love and appreciate life that can be forgotten in the hustle and bustle of daily living.

“In typical Brooks fashion being as selfless as he always was, he continued his giving ways with the gift of life by donation to help others in need,” Behrens said. “When you drive down South Galena Street in Shullsburg, and happen to see the black sign with a number 20 in center field, use it as a reminder to love life just like Brooksie.”