(Photo: Dale Guldan, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
With the sports world on hold, we present a countdown of the 50 greatest moments in Wisconsin sports history over the past 50 years. This is No. 1.
When it came to kick returns in the 1996 season, Michael Bates was simply better than Desmond Howard.
Sure, Howard had been explosive in the final third of the season, averaging 26.9 yards per punt return in his final five games. He'd scored on two of his 15 returns in that span, and then he backed it up in the playoffs with a 71-yard touchdown return after San Francisco's first series of the game in the divisional round, plus a 46-yard return later in the first quarter.