EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) – When the UW-Eau Claire football team takes the field Saturday against UW-Stout in their 100th Homecoming celebration, the Blugolds will have plenty of alumni in the stands cheering them on. Including two local alum whose family has strong bonds to the blue and gold.
“Homecoming at Eau Claire is a special thing, you have thousands of fans coming out every year to watch the band, watch the football team,” says Sam Burzynski. “It’s really a great atmosphere, a second to none in the WIAC and D3.”
For Blugold football alumni, Austin and Sam Burzynski, homecoming at UWEC is a family affair. The two youngest of seven kids, the former Stanley-Boyd standouts bleed blue and gold.
“We have pictures of 30 people in our family coming out to the games, cousins, nieces, nephews, cousins, brothers and sisters,” explains Sam. “There’s huge crowds that would come from our family and the support was unmatched.”
Austin and Sam played two years together at UW-Eau Claire, beating River Falls on Homecoming and knocking off national power St. Thomas in 2019 are among their fondest memories. The brothers now serve as ambassadors to the Blugold program. Austin says as an alum, returning for Homecoming weekend is a thrill.
“Usually Homecoming is a time when maybe you haven’t seen some of the guys you played with for five, six years and all of a sudden you’re in the parking lot with all the events that they are putting on,” says Austin. “It’s always a lot of fun to see people that you played with, had such a bond with, doing lifting, practice, it’s all that kind of stuff, you get to see it from the other side, the fan perspective coming back for the Homecoming games, being able to celebrate all that we did, all the hard work that we put in together.”
And as the university celebrates 100 years of Homecoming, the Burzynski boys say they are grateful for the Blugold experience.
“A lot of fun to celebrate Blugolds athletics as a whole. With three sports across all our siblings, he and I were drug to Blugold events since we were 1, 2 years old when it started with wrestling,” adds Austin. “We’re just super thankful for UW-Eau Claire and everything they have offered us.”
For more on UW-Eau Claire’s 100th Homecoming celebration, click here.