GREEN BAY – Mike Gregoire wants to make his own name for the University of Wisconsin football team.

The 6-foot, 176-pound Green Bay Notre Dame senior running back recently signed with the school as a preferred walk-on, joining the same program his father, Todd, was a star kicker for in the 1980s.

“I definitely want to make my own legacy and do my own thing,” Gregoire said, "but him just kind of showing me the way and always bringing me down when I was younger, the Badgers have always been in my blood. It always felt like a place down home there. I really enjoyed just being around Madison and on campus.

“I want to live up to our family name and make my family proud and everything. It’s an expectation of mine, kind of a chip on my shoulder, to live up to what he has laid there.”

His father was the Associated Press state player of the year as a senior at De Pere Abbot Pennings and made 76.5 percent of his field goal attempts for the Badgers from 1984 to 1987. His 65 career field goals are the eighth most in Big Ten history since 1956, and his career percentage ranks 17th.

A lot has changed since Todd attended Wisconsin. He and former Green Bay West quarterback Bud Keyes were the first Green Bay-area players at the time to be recruited by the Badgers in 11 years.

Flash forward three decades.

The younger Gregoire is going to Wisconsin as the latest in a line of local talent who either have earned a scholarship or been offered a preferred walk-on spot.

The Badgers’ freshman class this year includes walk-ons Coy Wanner (Green Bay Preble) and Gabe Lloyd (Northeastern Wisconsin Lutheran) along with a sophomore in Gunnar Roberge (Seymour).

Gregoire played a key role in Notre Dame reaching a WIAA Division 3 semifinal this season, narrowly missing playing in a title game for the third straight year.

He rushed for 1,042 yards, averaged 4.1 yards per carry and scored 18 touchdowns. He also caught 39 passes for 487 yards and three scores, and was an honorable-mention all-conference pick in the Fox River Classic.

One of his best games came in a loss to FRCC champion Bay Port on Sept. 22, when he rushed 18 times for 76 yards and a TD while adding a team-high five receptions for 87 yards and a score against the top-ranked defense in the 10-team conference.

“Mike was a huge part of the team for many reasons, most notably for his dependability,” said Andrew Gruesen, the Tritons’ standout kicker and lineman. “We knew that if we could get Mike the ball with a little room, he had the ability to turn it into something big.

“I was beyond excited when I heard that Mike was going to get the opportunity to play for Madison. To see someone achieve a goal they’ve had for as long as they can remember is just amazing, especially when it’s a teammate and close friend. I wish Mike all the best and can’t wait to follow his career.”

Things started to progress with Wisconsin during the first month of the high school season. Gregoire sent the program film and the team showed some interest. It built from there, and he took a few game-day visits.

He wasn’t sure what his future held early on, but this always was the dream. He wanted to play for a Division I school.

It was similar to his former teammate, Nate Ihlenfeldt, the workhorse running back for Notre Dame in 2016 who was a preferred walk-on at the University of Washington this season. Another former teammate, Jon Santaga, accepted a preferred walk-on offer at the University of Minnesota.

Gregoire said he also had talked to the University of Iowa early in the season, along with Minnesota and Northern Illinois. During the recruitment process, the Wisconsin coaching staff said he likely would play either strong safety or slot receiver.

The transition from high school to a Power Five college will be difficult, but he’s ready. He understands he has to get bigger, faster and stronger to compete.

“I know for a fact that it will be a definite change in speed and pace of the game and everything,” said Gregoire, who also is part of the Tritons’ hockey team. “But I feel if I put the right work in then it will guide me to where I need to be. I think it’s a great program to be a part of and I’m really looking forward to going there.” 

This article originally appeared in the Green Bay Press-Gazette