After living under the sunny skies of California, wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore and his family have traded in their swimsuits for stocking caps. He even joked about his son wearing a winter hat to school when the temperature dipped into the 40s.
“I told him he has no idea,” Gilmore said.
Nonetheless, he said his family is enjoying Madison, regardless of the stark change in climate. Gilmore is in his first season as Wisconsin’s wide receivers coach after a three-year stint coaching for the Oakland Raiders. He has coached at a multitude of universities, including Wyoming, Kansas, Houston, Purdue, Colorado, Nebraska and Southern California. In 1988 and ‘89, Gilmore played for Wyoming and graduated in 1991 with a degree in sociology.
Even though he has built his life around the game of football, Gilmore said that basketball was, and still is, his favorite sport. He played the 2 or 3 in high school, but eventually chose football instead.
“I made a business decision. I was probably a little better at football, but I really, really enjoyed basketball,” Gilmore said.
While he said he misses playing basketball, Gilmore is perfectly content with no longer stepping on the gridiron when he reflects on his playing days.
“Those young men bump into me occasionally with those pads and my body’s not conditioned for that type of hitting anymore,” Gilmore said. “I can’t believe I used to do it.”
Off the field, he spends any spare time he has with his family to make up for the time he loses due to the demands of being a college football coach. He has two kids: a daughter, Taylor, and a son, T.J. Both are involved in sports, as Taylor is an avid gymnast and T.J. plays basketball and football. Taylor has been doing gymnastics since she was five and joined a gym when they arrived to Madison.
“Whatever is going on in their world, that’s where I’m at,” Gilmore said.
The Gilmores, who have spent most of their lives on the West Coast, enjoy attending rodeos, but have yet to find one in Madison. Outside of bull riding, they enjoy watching movies together. T.J. is a big minion and Despicable me fanatic, while Taylor likes the “Divergent” series and similar movies.
“She’s a deep soul, she’s an old soul, a deep thinker,” Gilmore said.
The Badgers’ running game continues to struggle this season, forcing Wisconsin to turn to the air for yardage. Several wide receivers have made important strides this year, including Rob Wheelwright and Jazz Peavy, which can be partially attributed to the expertise that Coach Gilmore brings to Madison.
