Soaring temperatures during the Wisconsin Badgers’ 38-17 victory over the Buffalo Bulls at Camp Randall Stadium caused hundreds of fans to be put under medical observation Saturday.
Statistics released Saturday from the UW-Madison Police Department stated 250 people were placed under medical observation in on-site cooling centers for heat-related issues. Saturday’s game was the hottest game ever played at Camp Randall, with temperatures reaching over 90 degrees.
UWPD also recorded 36 calls to paramedics, 50 calls for first aid and 9 incidents where people were taken away in an ambulance.
Despite the heat, fans sold out Camp Randall on Saturday with an attendance of 76,224. The stadium hasn’t sold out a home opener since 2009.
UWPD reported 14 people were ejected from the game, with 11 ejections being UW-Madison students. Eight of the 11 students received citations.
Most citations were for underage alcohol, with others for disorderly conduct, false identification, obstructing/resisting officers and stadium possession of alcohol. Six students were arrested, and some received multiple citations.
“The number of arrests were certainly lower than what we typically see at a home opener,” said Marc Lovicott, UWPD Executive Director of Communications. “It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why, but the warm weather certainly may have been a factor.”
UWPD encountered one person with a .20 BAC or higher, down from four instances recorded during the 2022 home opener.
Ella Hanley is the associate news editor for The Daily Cardinal. She has written breaking, city, state and campus news. Follow her on Twitter at @ellamhanley.
