Former Badgers radio announcer Mike Lucas said he was 'kicked to the curb' by Wisconsin
Former University of Wisconsin radio announcer Mike Lucas shared on a podcast his frustration with UW after he was asked to leave his gig as radio color commentator for football and men's basketball games prior to the 2023 season.
Lucas had served alongside play-by-play announcer Matt Lepay since 1994 and also wrote for UWBadgers.com and Varsity Magazine during his time at the university. He took a full-time job at UW in 2010 after working at The Capital Times for 39 years.
Now back with the Cap Times, he and longtime Wisconsin State Journal sports writer Tom Oates launched the weekly podcast, "Lucas and Oates." On the first episode, Lucas said he was "blindsided" by the university's wish to move on.
"I'm really envious of you and the respect that you got to call your own shot, you made your decision to walk away," Lucas said to Oates, who retired in 2020. "I didn't get that opportunity at Wisconsin. I got kicked to the curb by (UW athletic director) Chris McIntosh, my radio assignment, and along with my writing for the UWBadgers.com.
"It's their prerogative to pick who they want in the booth, and they wanted jocks in the booth. Which is fine. I'm fine by that. But handle it with dignity, handle it with class, handle it with a little professionalism. Don't be callous. Don't be cowardly."
Lucas was replaced on football broadcasts by former Badgers and Packers offensive lineman Mark Tauscher, who has worked as a second analyst for home games over the past decade and has been co-host of the "Wilde and Tausch" show on ESPN Milwaukee since 2016.
"These are the cards that I have been dealt, and I'm fine with that," Lucas went on to say. "I'm back at the Capital Times, working on 40 years with this newspaper-slash-website. I'm OK with kind of completing the circle of life in this business.
"This is not about grievance. But I felt in fairness to some people who still thought I retired, but in fact I was retired, I thought it was important just to get it out there. Now that it's out there, it's done; like I said, I'm playing the cards I have in my hand, and I'm glad to be doing so."
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Former UW radio announcer Mike Lucas said he was 'kicked to the curb'
