Wayne Souza

Wayne Souza (1959-1979) grew up in New Bedford, Massachusetts where he was a standout football player at New Bedford High School. He was a quarterback and a halfback. Souza was also a standout track athlete.[1] He went on to play football for the division one Wisconsin Badgers. Souza was a two way starter, his sophomore year he played defensive back in nine games. In his junior year, Souza was on offense as a receiver: he caught 24 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns.[2][3]

Wayne Souza
Running back Wayne Souza takes a handoff
Wisconsin Badgers – No. 6
PositionReceiver and kick off returns
Career history
College
  • Wisconsin Badgers
High schoolNew Bedford High School
Personal information
Born:(1959-06-10)June 10, 1959
New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died:July 21, 1979(1979-07-21) (aged 20)
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight187 lb (85 kg)
Career highlights and awards
  • Two way starter
  • Two time letter winner

Career

While still in high school Souza was recruited by Tulane University and the University of Wisconsin. Souza eventually decided to go to Wisconsin, and he was recruited to play Free Safety on defense. By his Junior year he was playing more and contributing. He played on offense as a wide receiver and a running back.


Souza's stats for the Wisconsin Badgers 1979 season
Rushing Receiving Kick off returns 2 point
YEAR ATT YDS AVG TD NO. YDS AVG TD YDS AVG TD Att Conv
197916573.542432313.40815919.811
Totals16573.542432313.40815919.811[4]


Souza was a two way starter who died prior to entering his senior year. He was also a two time letter winner for the Wisconsin Badgers.[5]

Personal

His parents were John and Madelyn Souza. He had one brother and two sisters.[2]

Death

Souza and a friend went boating on Lake Monona, near Madison, Wisconsin, on a hot day on July 21, 1979. Souza decided to go swimming and he drowned. It was thought that he suffered a cramp. His body was not found until the next day. He was buried in New Bedford, Massachusetts.[2] The University of Wisconsin football team has since instituted an annual team award honoring Souza and Jay Seiler who died during spring practice in the same year.[6] The awards are the Jay Seiler Coaches Appreciation Award (defense) and the Wayne Souza Coaches Appreciation Award (offense).[5]

References
  1. Buckley, Scott. "From New Bedford to Wisconsin to California: Early morning text message brings back Wayne Souza memories". southcoasttoday. Gatehouse Media Inc. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  2. Thomas, Buddy. "20 years later, Wayne Souza is still missed". southcoasttoday. Gatehouse Media Inc. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  3. "Wayne Souza". sports-reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  4. THOMAS, BUDDY. "Buddy Thomas: Remembering football great Wayne Souza". Southcoasttoday. GateHouse Media, LLC. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  5. Doherty, Justin (2012). Tales from the Wisconsin Badgers Sideline. United States: Sports Publishing. p. 59. ISBN 978-1-61321-092-5.
  6. Jackel, Pete (2 August 2005). "Showing his mettle: Miskinis engineers a fulfilling life after football". Lee Enterprises Inc. Retrieved 22 June 2019.


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