Hemer Funeral Service

The odds are not as favorable in college, though, as programs face limited roster spots and increased scrutiny in talent evaluations.Wisconsin, however, is a special case this season in making a portion of the team a family affair. Within the Badgers' 105-man roster, there are five sets of brothers, including the Biegels (Vince and Hayden), the Trotters (Marcus and Michael)and the Watts (Derek and T.J.).The two other families, the Armstrongs and the Hemers, share an uncommon bond. Both pairs of sons, Ethan and Thaddeus Armstrong, and Ethan and Ben Hemer, started their careers as walk-ons. The Hemers and the Armstrongs each have their own stories of their paths to Madison, but their journeys have left marks not just on the program that started with both older brothers contributing on back-to-back-to-back Rose Bowl teams, but also on their families.***** Longform Longform Three hours northwest of the University of Wisconsin in the city of Medford, Kathy and Jeff Hemer helped their eldest son, Ethan, decide where he'd attend college. Like his future teammate in Ethan Armstrong, Hemer also received offers from some MAC schools (Eastern Michigan and Miami of Ohio), along with an opportunity from Illinois State and interest from a couple of schools in the Dakotas.Wisconsin, the program he idolized as a kid growing up in the state, offered him a walk-on spot. He narrowed his decisions down to Illinois State and Wisconsin, taking visits to both before accepting the walk-on invitation to the school he wanted to be a part of since his adolescence."Every kid wishes they could be here and do this, and for that opportunity," Hemer said, "and I knew that the smaller schools would always be there if this didn't work out, but I would kicking myself later down the line if I didn't give it a shot."Kathy and Jeff allowed their son to make his own decision, as they knew it would be him (and later Ben, as well) putting in the long hours in the weight room, on the practice field and in...