Obituary: Bill Ferrario was a key piece of Wisconsin's back-to-back Big Ten championship teams
MADISON – Bill Ferrario stepped into the Wisconsin Badgers starting lineup as a freshman and became one of the program’s all-time iron men.
The left guard started 50 straight games for the Badgers, a run that included 37 victories, Big Ten championships in 1998 and ’99 and the Rose Bowl appearances that followed.
Ferrario, a native of Scranton, Pennsylvania, went on to play for the Green Bay Packers for two seasons.
On Wednesday Sept. 24, Ferrario died unexpectedly. He was 47. The Scranton (Pa.) Times Tribune confirmed his passing.
“I am heartbroken. I have known Billy since fourth grade, and he had a pure heart of gold and was a trustworthy friend,” longtime friend and former high school teammate Jason Waibel told the newspaper. “He would go to all lengths to help you. He always made you feel important, even when everyone just wanted to make him feel important. I couldn’t ask for a better friend.
“He carried the values of his time raised in West Side through his life. He was the epitome of hard work, loyalty, and especially those of us who are West Siders. He made everyone around him a better person. I am going to miss him terribly.”
With a heavy heart, may you Rest in Peace. https://t.co/fTCU9y12CR
— Casey Rabach (@CaseyRabach_61) September 24, 2025
At Wisconsin, Ferrario's former teammate and roommate, Casey Rabach, a Wisconsin assistant offensive line coach, mourned his friend on social media.
“With a heavy heart, may you Rest in Peace,” Rabach wrote in as part of a repost of his wife, Nicole, who described Ferrario as a wonderful friend.
“You were like a brother to me,” she wrote. “Casey and I Iove you forever.”
Bill Ferrario played alongside Chris McIntosh
For three of Ferrario's years as a starter, he played next to Badgers director of athletics Chris McIntosh, who was the team’s left tackle. In 1999 when Ron Dayne won the Heisman Trophy, Ferrario, McIntosh and Rabach were each a first-team all-Big Ten selection.
Ferarrio was also part of one of the biggest NFL draft classes in program history. The Badgers had eight players selected in 2001.
Ferrario was listed in the Badgers record book in a couple of spots at the start of the season.
*He was tied for fourth in games started and his streak of 50 consecutive starts is tied for the second longest in program history.
*He tied for 62nd in games played.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Obituary: Bill Ferrario helped Wisconsin football win 2 Big Ten titles
