Badgers Attend ‘Beef Bowl’ One Day After Oregon Athlete Saves Man

With the 98th Rose Bowl game now just days away, a lot of traditional events are taking place leading up to Monday’s big game between the University of Wisconsin Badgers and the the Oregon Ducks.

But, before the teams even take the field, one player is being hailed a hero. The action unfolded at the traditional gathering known as the “Beef Bowl,” on Wednesday.

The idea is simple: Bring big football players to a restaurant and let them eat as much prime rib as they can.

Wisconsin had its chance to enjoy large plates of beef Thursday evening at world-famous Lawry’s Restaurant in Beverly Hills. The Badgers seemed to have the drill down pretty well, especially those big lineman.

The record for consumption at the Beef Bowl goes back to 1978 when a Michigan freshman offensive lineman named Ed Muransky ate 16 pounds of prime rib in one sitting.

The Oregon Ducks had their Beef Bowl on Wednesday night. That’s when offensive lineman Mark Asper turned hero — performing the Heimlich maneuver on a man who was choking at a nearby table.

“One of the chefs came over and was trying to help him with the Heimlich. He looked like he was struggling, so I stood up and patted him on the back and said, ‘If you don’t know what you’re doing, I do, because I’m an Eagle Scout.’ So I whipped in there,” said Asper.

Asper said the man — a father of an Oregon student — thanked him, but said he broke his sunglasses. Asper joked that he’ll see if he can get a replacement.

Fortunately, nothing like that happened when the Badgers had their night at the Beef Bowl on Thursday evening, but what if it had? Would one of the players be prepared to step in?

“I think that is why we all have phones — you know, to dial 911 — get some help out there. I mean, we have a lot of media around. Somebody will make it work,” said Aaron Henry, Badgers cornerback.